Good opening to a new saga

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 1999)

What a movie. Outstanding effects, decent acting, and a terrific setup for events yet to come. Many people criticize Lucas's storytelling abilities. I feel that he did a magnificent job in setting us up for Episode 2 and 3. He had to create new characters and locations, while still making us believe that we were watching a Star Wars movie. I think he succeded. As a stand alone movie, The Phantom Menace may not be one of the greatest films of all time. (Unless you are a true die hard such as myself) But as an opening chapter of a new story, it is fantastic.
Another criticism many people have is that there isn't enough characterization in Qui-Gonn or Darth Maul. I don't feel that there really needed to be that much development there. The characters that will continue the saga were developed perfectly. These two characters were merely placeholders to help develop the other characters personalities and future identities.
All in all, I was very pleased with The Phantom Menace. I didn't expect it to be better than the original Trilogy, and I wasn't wrong. If you like Star Wars, you won't be disappointed. Even if you don't, it is still a very fun movie to watch.