Forget the critics, this movie rules. You won't be disappointed.

Rating: 10/10 (22 May 1999)

I just saw SW:TPM last night, and I was completely blown away. I have to preface this with the following facts:
1. I am a big SW fan
2. Going in, I was expecting to be let down, especially after reading some of the revues on the acting
3. I was brought up on the SW series. I was 7 when ANH came out, and was fortunate enough to see all of the movies on the big screen multiple times in my youth
4. I have (mostly) stayed away from any and all information pertaining to the movie. This has been especially hard, since I read USA Today every day, and for about the last 60 days they have been on "Star Watch." All in all, I was able to keep some of the more surprising parts of the movie a surprise, and am glad I did
5. Since the movie is still new, I will write in as general of terms as possible so as not to spoil the movie for those who have still not seen it
That being said, I thought George Lucas did a fabulous job creating a story that truly did justice to the Star Wars universe. The movie truly had a SW feel to it. You could feel the mythology of the original series in every scene of TPM. The best parts for me:
1. The underwater world on Naboo (the Gungans), especially the trip there. I especially liked the scenes with the aquatic creatures, and just how much of a dog-eat-dog world it was down there. Seeing that part of the movie reminded me of Empire Strikes Back, where Han, Luke and the gang had to land in the asteroid to avoid the Empire and almost got eaten by the space slug (only I thought the underwater creatures in TPM were better)
2. Coruscant. We always got a sense that Coruscant was big, but seeing the world on the big screen truly brought home the immensity, scope, and wonder of that world
3. Fight scenes with Darth Maul. I thought these scenes were done extraordinarily well. Without giving away any spoilers, I have to say that I felt myself moving closer to the edge of my seat when the fight scenes ensued, and felt emotionally drained when they ended. It had the same feel as the fight scenes between Vader and Luke on Bespin in ESB. I could feel the hate dripping from Maul. I could feel the force rippling through Jinn and Kenobi. And I was truly shocked when I saw the outcome (if you have stayed away from information pertaining to the movie until it came out, you too will be shocked)
4. War on Naboo. I especially liked the creature mounted force shields of the Gungans and the way the battle Droids were dismounted from their ships (when you see the movie, you'll understand what I mean)
5. The palace on Naboo. You truly felt like you were in a revered place here. They did a great job of making the palace feel immense, with a great use of lighting and shadows
6. R2 (and other droids) repairing the Queen's ship. I thought that part was really neat, and was quite unexpected. See the movie to see what I mean
7. The inventor of C3PO. Again, no spoilers, but you will be surprised to find out who built him
8. Jedi Council. You could sense the council's fear of Anakin when he was brought before them. You could tell that their fear led to their decision to deny Qui Gonn's request to train him. I was glad to see someone stand up for Anakin and have him trained
There are so many other wonderful things about this movie. I went into the theater expecting a lukewarm movie that was overhyped for too long of a time. I came out feeling like I was 7 again.
All in all, I thought the story did a very good job of relating how several characters came to be who they are in stories 4-5-and-6. I was amazed at the true naivete of Anakin, just how open and full of wonder he was at that young age. I thought the critics did not do justice to Jake Lloyd's acting abilities. I thought Jar Jar was not so bad a guy. He brought comedic relief to parts of the movie, much as R2 and 3PO brought it to 4-5-and-6. I really liked Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan. I found myself several times during the movie thinking just how much he sounded (and acted) like Alec Guinness. I also thought Liam Neeson and Ray Parks were wonderful in their roles.
Please note that the theater we saw this in was comprised of probably 40-50% boys under 10 years old, with many of the other patrons being their parents. I was afraid that they would ruin the experience for me, but instead ended up enhancing the experience. For example, there was one kid who was about 7 years old 2-3 rows behind us. When Anakin was getting into his Podracer, the kid turned to his parents and remarked "Is that Anakin? Is he who turns into Darth Vader? He is a bad, bad man" I couldn't help but chuckle to myself and think back to my own fears of Vader when I was about his age (especially in ANH, where I was 7 years old).
When the movie ended, there was a very loud ovation from the audience which lasted 30-60 seconds. I was glad to know my wife and I weren't the only folks in the theater who enjoyed the whole experience.
I know there are others who would disagree with me, but I rate this movie right up there with ESB. I thought it brought a lot of the wonder of the SW universe together very well. Thank you George Lucas, for another great addition to the SW universe!