Good but nowhere near the level of Episodes IV - VI

Rating: Null/10 (21 May 1999)

While the Phantom Menace was packed with action, racing and battles, I could find little else in terms of positive qualities. Each character had hardly any development (with Obi Wan Kenobi's dialogue basically repeating his master's commands, the mere three or four lines spoken by Darth Maul, the villain. There was no development nor direction toward the storyline of Episodes IV - VI other than blatantly obvious insinuations about the impatience of Anakin and the ambition of Senator Palpatine (later the Emperor in V and VI). The only thing that carried this film was the special effects. However, in my opinion, the constant string of explosions, blaster and light saber battles, and full scale war scenes were not the characteristics that made the original Star Wars movies. These elements were secondary to the beautifully created story, the world of Star Wars. In my humble opinion, George Lucas decided to create a blockbuster film with the production of the Phantom Menace, independent of Star Wars films. Instead he has developed a film overflowing with action scenes and brightly colored aliens, perfect for merchandising deals such as video games (already the Pod Racing game and regular Phantom Menace game are nearly completed). However, while it certainly does not measure up to my expectations or the standard of the Star Wars original trilogy, the Phantom Menace was one of the better films that I have seen in theaters in a while.