Much better than I remembered

Rating: Null/10 (1 November 2015)

Episode I is the best movie in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Now, before you dig your pitchforks and torches from the mothballs, allow me to explain myself. Episode I is universally hated among the Star Wars fans because it was such a disappointment. Our expectations were set too high, and thus we were let down when the new Star Wars film didn't meet the quality of the originals. But, then we realized that we had expected too much, lowered our expectations accordingly and thus the next two films weren't met with such disdain.
But, having watched the prequel trilogy again after many years, I can safely say that this film is the one that got closest to being a true Star Wars film. It matches the originals the best in tone, general plot and overall quality. And yes, it is a flawed film in many ways. They made young Anakin Skywalker too saint-like, the pod race scene goes on forever, they started to build the romance too early, the rise of the siths and the Galactic Empire can be seen coming from miles away, they added Jar Jar. The list goes on.
But they also got a lot of things right. The plot is actually very good, in my opinion. It starts out excitingly, flows smoothly and actually feels like the original. That is to say, it feels like an adventure. The original films told about galaxy in peril, about a rebel alliance trying to overcome a tyrannical empire, but they told it from the point of view of an individual. Likewise, here we follow two jedi knights attempting to negotiate a peace between two factions and getting tangled into something much bigger and more far-reaching than they had anticipated. And, I can be honest and applaud the next two films for trying to take the franchise into a new direction, but I also have to be honest and admit that it doesn't work very well.
The score is also very good, the backgrounds and the various character, tech and costume designs are still absolutely stunning and well-executed, the returning characters are portrayed accurately, most of the new characters work very well and the whole world feels suitably Star Warsian, while also turning back the clock and showing us the galaxy before the tyranny of Darth Sidious.
Is it a perfect film? Absolutely not. Does it come close to matching the originals? No. Does it have problems? A lot of them. Is it a bad film and deserving of the scorn heaped upon it? I don't think so.