Great special effects, but ...

Rating: 4/10 (1 September 1999)

... not much of a movie, really.
The good parts first: The special effects are great, and they really help you feel like you are in that galaxy far far away. Some of the actors are doing a good job, and the music is as good as always.
But, there really are too many flaws with this movie. Besides my personal preferences, such as finding jar-jar a major downside (is it just me, or did anyone else find his portrayal somewhat racist?), and it being too much of childrens movie, there are several unbiased (I hope) downsides with the movie.
Directing: Well, lets face it. Lucas is a great producer, and a good screenwriter, but he is a fairly crappy director. Compare for example the acting in Star Wars - a new hope, with The empire strikes back. While the first provides fairly flat characters, the same characters (and actors) really shine in Empire strikes back. Lucas should have stayed as producer, and not destroyed the acting with his mediocer directing skills.
Story: While delivering the main objective, flesh out the background of the trilogy we all have come to love, there are flaws in it. For example, Darth Maul would have been better left out. As it is now, we get to know _nothing_ about him. Who is he? Where does he come from? What is his motives (what does he want revenge for)? I also found the political system described majorly oversimplified (why did they need the queen to cast a vote of disconfidence) and, really, doesnt starting a war on a planet sound like a somewhat risky plan for a smart person like Palpatine? If all he needed was someone to request a vote of disconfidence, there really should be easier ways.
All in all, I think its an ok introduction to Star Wars, but on a scale from one to five, this movie doesnt deserve more then three.