DIRECTOR
George Lucas

CAST
Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd

MPAA RATING
PG

RUNNING TIME
131 Minutes

STUDIO
20th Century Fox

There will be new heroes found, new villains to defend against, and new cities/worlds to explore. All of that is found in STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 - THE PHANTOM MENACE.

This film, though it was made 22 years after the original, is the true foundation for what we will eventually find out in the later episodes. It is the first step of a long journey.

It will answer some of your questions, but it will make you ask more. Fans of the 1st trilogy have been itching for a new series, and the new beginning has finally arrived. It does not disappoint.

The critics will complain of a flimsy plot and non-development of characters. They will complain of PHANTOM's enormous amount of cgi effects. They will look at this film as a complete film, one that does not have any others to follow. Oh were the critics ever wrong.

Okay, the plot is a little thin. Will the fans care? No way. Were the plots in the first three brilliant? Of course not. Now that 4 out of 6 have been completed, the simple good vs. evil message is still the only thing that we care about. It's always been the JEDI against the DARK SIDE, and it always will.

The critics complain of the special effects. What? Summer blockbusters have special effects in them? I thought summer movies concentrated 100% on character development and how the cast delivered their lines, and how keen the direction was, and how sharp the writing was, and...wait a minute...those goals are for the fall movies. Oh, that's right. Yes, I get it. THEY are the ones who concentrate the hardest on acting, writing, direction, costumes, sets, etc.

Look folks, summer blockbusters are all about effects. The fans, the ones who shell out 7-9 bucks on a ticket, the ones who don't get to watch the movies free like the critics, want to see as many effects as we can get. Leave the writing and stuff to the movies that prepare for the Academy Awards. That's their job. The summer movies' job is to amaze us with their technology. Lucas took advantage of the new technology and I thank him for it so much.

Let's keep in mind here. This film is part one of six. This is not a film that has a set beginning and an ending. This is but a small chapter of more things to come. The critics, who seemed to go into the film hating it already, looked at it as part 1 of 1, as chapter 1 of 1, and 1 film all together. They're completely wrong. Just like the tag line says for the movie, "every saga has a beginning". That seems clear.

Enough about the critics, a.k.a. the people whose opinion doesn't matter at all when a movie like this comes out. Now, onto what makes this film awesome. The special effects found here are the finest ever created. Never have I seen so much going on at the same time.

The characters, and there are enough to fill up a country, are as real looking as the actors themselves. Jar Jar Binks, whose voice may make you put a gun to your head, is completely digital, although you won't notice it. He is crafted 100%. He looks perfectly real.

The sets of the movie are also breathtaking. From the amazing under water scenes to the other cities, the effects are simply phenomenal. The pod race is probably the high point of the film. You may feel a little nausea after watching it. It alone is an experience. The large numbers of space ships are awesome as well.

Contrary to the early bad reports, the development of the characters is not important at all in this picture. We, the audience, want to see special effects and tons of action. The defining of the characters won't happen until Episodes 2 and 3.

This much we know: Anakin Skywalker will become Darth Vader. That's the only development we need to worry about. The whole point of Episodes 1-6 is to show us the life of Anakin Skywalker and how he becomes Darth Vader.

He has always been the strongest character in the STAR WARS movies. At one point in the movie, Senator Palpatine says to young Anakin "we will watch your career with great interest". That quote sets up all of the events are will continue in the next two episodes. STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 - THE PHANTOM MENACE is the perfect appetizer for Episodes 2 and 3. The force is with this one.

I enjoyed this movie very much. It will probably be one of the biggest movies of all time, but not the biggest. TITANIC's $600 million record seems unbreakable. I think I enjoyed the film better the second time. I picked up a few things that I didn't catch the first time. You have to see the movie more than once to appreciate what Lucas was doing.

The first viewing is to be amazed. Viewings 2, 3, 4, and so on is for you to grasp what's on screen and try and find any little secrets he may have put in the film. There are a couple to find. In all, this is a movie for everyone. Okay, so people are gonna say why didn't Lucas do this or that, but you know what, he didn't. This is the way George Lucas wanted this movie to be.