Not as bad as it was made out to be

Rating: 10/10 (16 May 1999)

I was one of the lucky people to buy tickets to the special charity screening in Philadelphia. I loved it. I knew when I went to see it, I was not going to see a movie like the original triology. First, it takes place years before the troubles that lead us up to the original movies. Second, since the wars and Galactic Empire came later, we are faced with a universe still living in some what peaceful times. The costumes and "sets" were wonderful. Liam is the perfect Jedi Knight and Ewan the perfect choice for a young Obi-Wan. Natalie was tremendous as the Queen and as Padme, you will see why she is considered to be such a great talent. The only problems I had were, Jake, little Anakin, and the character of Darth Maul had the potential to be a villain that would put Darth Vader to shame, but he isn't put to use like he should have been. Standing by itself, The Phantom Menace would never do, but it does leave you wondering how you get from TPM to SWANH and what will happen next?