George Lucas wants your kids money

Rating: Null/10 (28 January 2001)

I don't care what you all say, Star Wars The Phantom Menace (aka Muppets In Space) is total sacrilege to the original trilogy, and is so over-cooked it may as well be one of my pasta dishes. It is full of extremely irritating characters (and I don't just mean Jar Jar Binks) and CGI overkill, and has totally lost its dark 'future-gothic' feel. The pod race commentator comes out with present-day American-isms which do not suit the film whatsoever, Ewan McGregor's acting is so wooden he might as well be peddling Mr Sheen, and Jake Lloyd acts like he is George Lucas' parrot. "Say oh wow Jake" says Lucas, "Oh wow (can I go home now?)" replies Jake. Even Lucas himself virtually slates the film in his magazine reviews, saying he does not care if the old fans don't like it - its for kids. Pass me the double-ended lightsabre George and I will stick it in your Death Star and REALLY show you what the force is all about...
An extremely disapointed original trilogy fan