Bad Script & Solid Direction = A Good Movie?

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 1999)

The Phantom Menace is a really good movie but the scripting is...ah...lacking. Lucas is still a good director, he hasn't lost his edge for action sequences but his writing could use some brushing up. His once reknown 'cardboard' characters which were interesting were now gone and discarded. One dimensional people are now no dimension. Good acting from everyone, esp. Portman and Neeson, but little Anakin has as much personality as a pet rock (sorry, kid, I tried hard to like ya!).
Darth Maul was good, though, despite only three lines in the film.
The editor IS of the Dark-side. I blame the morbidly bad first 45 minutes on his hacking...