Go see this again.. Objectively.

Rating: 8/10 (30 May 1999)

Being someone blinded by the hype the first time I saw The Phantom Menace and all the negative reviews that critics gave to this movie, I am not surprised that some SW fans did not like this movie too much. However, I believe that the preceding sentence IS the reason why people did not like this film as much as the original trilogy. My advice to those who did not like the Phantom Menace... Watch it again, but this time objectively. Forget about the hype, the critic's reviews, and the original trilogy.. Just watch this film as it is and I am sure that you will like it MUCH better the second time around.. Like I did. As for my case, I have seen this movie 3 times already (planning on seeing it again next week)because I truly ENJOY this movie! I guess after I saw the movie the first time I was disappointed.. Soon thereafter, I thought about it for a long time and realized that my reasons for disliking the movie were unjustified and due to unfair comparison between this movie (which was just an intro-- a setup btw) and the original trilogy. Which brings me to my next point.. Guys and Gals! Get a grip! The Phantom Menace IS just an intro. Lucas did not mean it to have the profound character development and darkness that Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi had. In one way this movie resembled A New Hope. Like ANH, TPM just threw out all the main characters onto the scene without a proper introduction.. The characters were flat and 2-dimensional.. But hey! This has been Lucas' style for the first movie of both trilogies. I think that his approach is genius. Why? Well, just imagine how good the second and third episodes would be if all (or most) of the character development/plot had been used up in the first movie...That would be catastrophic! Since this first Episode IS just an intro with little character development (much like A New Hope was)it is unfair to compare this movie to Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi which were fantastic, serious, and dark plot-heavy sequels. I think too many people expected this movie to be like the Empire Strikes Back (for instance) which is why they were left disappointed. Trust me! the purpose of this movie is to have fun, to become acquainted with the characters, and to appreciate all the foreshadowing and cues that this movie set up magnificently for a darker, more plot-heavy Episode 2.