Not as bad as most people say but definitely not that good

Rating: 6/10 (29 May 2007)

Star Wars IV left the greatest impact on movie and cultural history (The Wizard of Oz right on its heels). Star Wars V brought in an even larger audience and Star Wars VI was disappointing compared to the first two but still great. And once a prequel trilogy was in production to tell the story of the mysterious Darth Vader, needless to say, people were ready to pull their hair out in excitement.
And what a shock it was.
Opening on a very confusing note, the movie continues being boring for an immeasurable amount of time. Any signs of rising action are quickly cut down by anti-climatic moments and little to no character development. It takes awhile before the story comes into focus, and it takes an even longer time before the story actually gets interesting.
We finally get to meet the future Darth Vader, a little boy who looks to the stars and sees the four corners of the universe and an indescribable adventure along the way. Jake Lloyd overdid the part but it wasn't overkill. It was also extremely difficult to picture this kid with only joy and happiness eventually turn into the evil and brutal menace in the original trilogy.
Speaking of menaces, did I mention one menace is practically nonexistent in this film? A dark shadow looms on the horizon of the fate of the galaxy, but do we ever know the shadow and its purpose? No. Darth Maul, a devil type figure, is this menace, ruled by the future Emperor who is obviously, a certain man in command. While Darth Maul is not the best villain in the series, he is the coolest (how can you not be aroused by a double-sided lightsaber), and gets one of the best sword fight scenes in the entire series (the only beating it being the one between and Anakin and Obi-Wan in prequel #3).
But other than that, the film never really achieves the magic of Star Wars IV nor does it ever fully cross the borderline separating from good and OK. It's lost in the fog between what makes a movie good and OK, amazing sword fights and action pulling it one way while dull characters and lack of story explanation pull it another way.
Some rather positive enhancements include the brilliant, masterpiece music of John Williams, cool battle scenes, and special effects that will once again leave you in awe. These things have Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace on the edge of being a good movie, but everything else tears down what made the original trilogy so good, and leaves the fate and legacy of the Star Wars series hanging in the balance. 6.8/10