Series needs some help

Rating: Null/10 (7 June 1999)

Farbeit for me to agree with critics, but I think most of them are dead-on. While not a terrible movie, this film has no redeeming value outside its effects and future story points.
After watching the original film and American Grafitti, and even seeing the Lucas-written Raiders of the Lost Ark, I expected more, especially in the writing and directing. This script was horrible. I have not seen a worse script in some time. The characters were stock--I've seen them all. They may look different but they are the same nonetheless. (i.e. the comedic sidekick, the stoic master, the little boy with a heart of gold, the crooked slave trader, etc.) And Lucas proves that he values his effects much more than his direction of actors. Even Jar-Jar was a more prevalent character than some of the majors, especially the disappointing Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor.
First, let me say that both Neeson and McGregor are great actors. I especially like Neeson from his work from the nineties best film, Schindler's List, but in TPM he is bland, with no acting stretches at all. McGregor, on the other hand, seems to be just there to fill in Obi-Wan's shoes. Besides saying what the audience is thinking merely to qualify what is happening on screen, he is background. I hope episode 2 lets him act a bit more.
The best of the human actors in the film is Natalie Portman, by far, and Pernilla August as Anakin's mother. August's performance is not perfect, but adequate with the material she's given. It's a shame that Liam Neeson couldn't explore the character more.
The effects, though, are amazing. While Jabba looks better than he did in Star Wars, he still hasn't looked as good as he did in Jedi. The view of Coruscant is absolutely amazing, and although the underwater city was average compared to other effects, the underwater journey with the sea creatures was spectacular.
The Phantom Menace is NOT the best film of 1999 so far, it's not even the best film I've SEEN this year. Surprisingly, that distinction goes to Election and The Matrix. Disappointing, yes. But not a total waste of time. Here's hoping that Lucas writes a much better episode 2 and finds someone competent to direct.