Not as bad as people say

Rating: Null/10 (25 May 1999)

Star Wars 4 (aka "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace") isn't as terrible as so many people say. It's no worse than the other ten thousand movies that have tried to copy Star Wars. Like most of those, the SFX are phoney-looking and obvious (except for the machines - CGI can do machines really well), the characters range from bland to annoying, and the plot is a thinly-disguised "The Hidden Fortress". But Natalie Portman as The Clown Queen gets to wear some really pretty costumes, and the roly-poly battle 'droids are pretty nifty. And the exterior shots of buildings and landscapes were nice... the first few times. After that it was "George, we've seen it, move on...."
But heck, if you like projecting hidden meanings and deep mythological importance onto a blank canvas, The Phantom Menace is your kind of movie. And if you thought the explanation of where immortals come from in Highlander 2 was a wonderful idea ("They're from the planet Zeist? Wow, that makes perfect sense!"), Star Wars 4 serves up a special treat that you will especially enjoy! (No spoilers from me, though.) Myself, I think I'll go back and watch Star Wars again - the real Star Wars released in 1976, not the "special" version with the phoney-looking cartoon of Jabba spliced into it.
(P.S. Don't bother "correcting" me about what movie came first. Unless you live in a time loop, 1976 comes before 1999. Besides, "Episode 4" didn't get tacked onto Star Wars until after it made a buttload of money and Lucas realized he could retire by cranking out sequels.)