George, what were you thinking?

Rating: 5/10 (13 June 2004)

Star Wars: Episode I was a decent movie; but it was just plain awful compared to the other Star Wars movies. The movie had action, special effects, and even a few memorable lines, but it lacked a lot of heart. Much of the acting was stale; granted, some of that can be attributed to the fact that the protagonists in this movie are on more of a professional than a personal level as opposed to the informal relationships in the original trilogy, but still, there is no excuse for some of it.

The inclusion of the midi-chlorians is arguably the worst thing ever created for a Star Wars movie; that's saying a lot considering this is the movie that gave us Jar Jar Binks. And what's up with Yoda's look in this movie?
Still, the movie is not without its moments. The pod race is exciting, and the brief memorable dialog ("There's always a bigger fish.") is refreshing. I didn't feel it was too bad while watching it in the theater. It's basically a watchable movie, not a great one.