Good, but not great...

Rating: 7/10 (29 June 2000)

When I went to see Phantom Menace I expected to be blown away, and I was, but only by the special effects! The dialogue and dramatic scenes were disappointing, as well as the neglect of the Darth Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi characters. The film never developed Obi-Wan the way it should have, and I would rather have seen more Darth Maul than Jar-Jar! As far as child actors go, I've seen much better actors than Jake Lloyd. Weak dialogue didn't help Jake much either. Despite these bad points, Phantom Menace makes up for it with some great action and battle sequences. The pod race had me jumping up and down in the theater, and I was on the edge of my seat during the light saber fight.
The story over all wasn't bad, it just wasn't the greatest either. I think alot of people, including myself, expected too much from this film. If you haven't seen it, do so. You will love this movie. It's great for the whole family! However, don't expect to have a life changing experience, like so many did.