I thought this movie was great!

Rating: Null/10 (23 June 1999)

Like millions of people worldwide, I was very excited about the upcoming Star Wars movie. I was by no means a zealous fan of the series, having only seen the movies once or twice, but nevertheless it was quite obvious that this movie would have an incredible impact on the movie-going audience and be remembered as a great film of my (teenage, post Gen-X) generation. I first saw the The Phantom Menace the Friday after it had opened with a bunch of my friends. I sat for two hours jaw agaped at what were the most visually stunning effects I had ever seen. I left the movie thinking it was "a cool flick" that was worth five bucks and a bit of my free time. A few weeks later I wondered if I had truly appreciated the film or even taken some serious thought as to whether or not it was just another big hype, bad script, poor acting, makin' millions blockbuster that I had for such a long time dreaded. That was when I went back to the theater. After hearing and reading so many praises and bad criticisms, I had to find out for myself. By the end of it all, I walked out of the theater very pleased with what I had just seen. As for the writing, I can see where some would find many moments a little sappy, but they were more necessary than I at first thought. The plot was interesting and was what I thought was rather well structured. The actors did a wonderful job, especially McGregor and Portman. These two young actors brought believable emotion to the film at times which it was necessary but seemingly impossible to pull off. All of this of course is, as I said earlier, topped off with some of the coolest eye candy ever. I loved it, hype and all.