Not as good as the originals, but still good

Rating: 10/10 (2 February 2000)

People are very harsh on Episode 1 because they compare it to the other Star Wars movies, which are the greatest movies of all time. This is a tough, almost impossible, act to follow. I thought Episode 1 was an excellent movie. Sure, it didn't live up to the original Star Wars movies, but how could it?
Many people complain about a weak plot. What they don't understand (well, some do) is that this "weak plot" is an introduction to the entire Star Wars story. They needed this "weak plot" in order to begin the chain of events that will eventually lead to the Star Wars trilogy that we all know and love. It can be argued that Episode 1 took a bullet in the from of a "weak plot" (that wasn't TOO weak) for the good of the Star Wars story, which is much bigger than just one movie.
The acting in Episode 1 for the most part, I thought, was good. I think Natalie Portman did an excellent job as Queen Amidala and Padme. In one scene, she could sound very royal and noble, and in another scene she could seem very child-like, emotional and adorable. Ian McDiarmid did a great job as Senator Palpatine, the future Emperor. And, of course, Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor were excellent. Both of them gave Oscar-worthy performances. Ray Park did a good job as the sinister villian Darth Maul. Even though it wasn't his voice, he did an unbelievable job with the lightsaber battle.
The setting and scenery were great. Naboo was a beautiful planet, but Coruscant was the greatest of all. The conference room that had thousands of hovercrafts, one for each race, was also very impressive.
The lightsaber battle at the end of this movie is the greatest moment in movie history, I am convinced. If it does not win Oscars this year, I will have to assume the Oscar board was paid off by another movie. It makes this entire movie worth seeing. I get the chills every time I watch it.
OK, so Jar Jar Binks is annoying. It's not as bad as everyone says. I hope (even though I know it is not gonna happen) that George Lucas keeps him out of Episode 2 and 3. Jake Lloyd also didn't do such a great acting job, but it was fair, especially for someone of his age. The cameo-like performance by Samuel L. Jackson was great. I was hoping for him to say something like, "Hand me my lightsaber, mother****er" though. :)
I think George Lucas did a great job with Episode 1. I also think all the bad reviews that were given for this movie were unfair. Go see it and just enjoy yourself.