Movie meant to be the start of a saga, not the continuation of one.

Rating: 9/10 (21 May 1999)

In 1977, Star Wars Episode IV changed the way we think about movies. George Lucas summed up the film nicely saying, "We were making a fairy tale for a generation that had none." The effects were spell-binding, the acting was poor (excepting Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher), and the story inspired us all. The film broke ground that few sci-fi films since have built anything meaningful upon.
Recently, movie-going audiences have been treated like cattle as Hollywood dishes out plate after plate of sci-fi films entirely dependent on special effects for entertainment value. No sweeping stories, no memorable characters, no lasting feelings, no looking forward to what happens next.
Star Wars Episode I cannot be the trailblazer that Episode IV was in 1977, nor is it meant to be. The Phantom Menace is a beginning to a saga started 22 years ago and nothing more. Go see it. Enjoy it with all the knowledge of the films we saw 20 years ago, and leave the whining to critics.