Very good, easily one of the most enjoyable movies

Rating: 10/10 (11 May 2005)

WARNING! Possible SPOILERS ahead!!!
My first real encounter with Star Wars saga was at the age of 20. I saw the special editions of the OT in theaters and then watched them again many times. They immediately become my favorite movie series. Then two years later, the Episode I came and I really like it. It is not the same as the OT but it is not any worst than it. In fact in many areas it is much better movie.
The SW saga is entertaining, enjoyable and the best of the escapism that can be offered by the big screen. It is entire universe without any relation to Earth or our time, with immense complexity and variety of the location, aliens, languages, sounds, everything! It is obvious that a great care is taken to build entire worlds, full of exotic and very good looking creatures and environments. And all of this combined with the simplistic, entertaining and refreshing characters with great care taken to be sure that there are no tragic moments laid out in a way that will make the movie painful to watch over and over again.
Now, back to the Episode I.
Contrary to the popular belief among some 'hardcore' fans of the OT, this movie is generally on par with the OT (especially with ANH) and in fact is very close to spirit, visuals and everything to the ANH. The pace is OK, actors are good Â– especially Qui Gon-Jin and the young Obi-Wan. Jar-Jar is also OK, although there is too much of him in the movie. It is understandable that the movie is a little childish because the main hero is 9 years old and it is the perfect movie for the children. The space battles are better than these in the OT and the pod racing is amazing and very good idea (being an open-wheel racing fan of Formula One I like it even more). The movie has many plot twists and surprises and the locations are beautiful.
In fact, TPM is wonderful combination of the elements that made the PT great with new elements that shows the desire of George Lucas to bring new life to the decades-old SW sage. Here are some of the similarities between the two series:
1. TPM has a hero (a young boy) leaving its boring life on Tatooine to start wonderful adventures. The same goes for AHN.
2. Our hero is forced to cut the ties to its family (in ANH his uncle and aunt are killed, in TPM his mother is forced to stay in slavery).
3. TPM finishes with combination of land and space battle, culminating in the destruction of the main battle station of the enemy (the same thing happens in ROTJ and ANH, TPM is more like ROTJ in this).
4. Our young hero is the one who is responsible for the victory of the good (the same in the ANH final battle). 5. An established hero and mentor dies in duel with the Sith (Obi-Wan in ANH, Qui Gon-Jin in TPM). And the light saber battle in TPM is much better than the one in ANH).
In conclusion: TPM deserves the highest rating for the fact that you can watch it over and over again without degradation of the entertainment and joy. There is no doubt that when the PT is complete, TPM will take its place among the best SW movies.