I couldnt wait to watch this film when i first heard it was coming out and when i first watched i thought it was pretty good. However, after a couple more viewings later on i realised how wrong i was. This just isnt the Star Wars that fans like me have known and loved for all these years. Extremely annoying too, Jar Jar Binks is one of the worst film characters ever, if not the worst. He was just completely uneccesary. It just gave the many people that hate Star Wars an easy chance too make fun out of it even more. The battle scenes near the end just couldnt compare to the the epic battles seen in the other films. A huge mistake in what is a classic franchise.

Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson shine in this cool Star Wars film.

Was so looking forward to the fact that a new Star Wars film was on its way...Im an absolute huge fan (without being geeky) of the originals but this was just DULL AS DISHWATER ! And to add insult to injury the worst screen character of them all ...Jar Jar Binks ! What the hell was George Lucas thinking when he came up with that abomination ! Even the half decent pod race was spoiled by going way over the top , and the final nail in the coffin is he killed off the only good thing about the whole film...Darth Maul...the coolest character since Bobba Fett !
All I can say is that Mr Lucas belived that after the original trillogy , what ever he filmed would turn to gold but I now know its more of a runny brown colour...Shame !

it's alright but it's inadequate compared to the originals, it's quite boring and not particularly memorable but the duel at the end is phenomonal.

Is it nearly 10 years already since Lucas finally unleashed the opening part of this trilogy upon us? Is it still as bad as everyone would have us believe? Did he really exchange Chewie for Jar Jar Binks? Yes it is, yes and no, and yes he did.
On reflection Phantom is just that; a ghost of what made Star Wars great. On the plus side no-one can juggle multiple narratives like Lucas, especially when it comes to the climatic battles. The pod race is an outstanding use of CGI and sound design. In Darth Maul he has created a dynamic villain to rival the solid power of Vader.
On the negative side he has stooped to racial stereotypes with the Trade Federation. He has no wise cracking anti-hero in the Solo tradition-just the buttoned up mysticism of the Jedi. In Darth Maul he has the most underused villain since Bobba Fett.
On the whole Phantom has been given the benefit of the doubt because it is a Star Wars movie and Lucas seems to have taken advantage of that fact-indulging himself rather than the audience.

Why?, Why?, Why?
George Lucas used to be awesome, now look.
They lost the plot completely.
I remember some days I used to be really sad, and my Mum said "Oh grow up, The Phantom Menace, was 18 months ago"
This film was okay in places, but lost what it had in the originals.
And why did they start with, Four, Five and Six.
Then go to One, Two and three.
That I do not get.

16 long years we had to wait for Lucas to begin his Saga ! I lined up for hours to see this film, along with all the fanboys in costume. having to put up with them asking each other who fired first Han or Greedo ! Having to put up with that is enough to try any mans sanity. All I was thinking was "This film better be good !" I went in I got a good seat, until a woman sat infront of me with a damn princess lea ear warmer hair do ! The screen went dark, the Fox/ lucas arts logo came up, people clapped. Then "ALONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY " scrolled onto the screen. The cinema erupted into applause ! This was going to be good. Then the music ! The place was a frenzy Fan boys froffing at the mouth. Then silence .... You then could here mumbles in the audience the likes of "Who's that guy trying to impersinate Alec Guiness ?" or " That Kid playing Anakin sure has a problem with acting !" even " who wrote the diologue, were they high ?" but best of all " What the hell is that duck lizard thing Jar-Jar Binks, I thought the Bloody Ewaks were crap !" Yes things were not going well. Lucas would always have a hard time starting the saga, as the previouse characters had crept into our sub culture and nothing, no matter how good the character could replace them. But the real problem is the script. It's got to many religiouse overtones, and this is a family movie. How are kids supposed to understand a script where the bad guys are not defined yet, and having to understand trade blockades and power struggles in the senate ? But when Lucas stops tieing his self up in the script and sets the action upon us, he leaves our jaws on the floor. The two stand out action sequences are The now iconic Pod Race and the brilliant Light Sabre Duel with Darth Maul !. It's a pity they did not keep more of Maul as he could have turned out to be as good as Vadar. In all the film was worth the wait ( Just ) but it would take until Episode 3 till Lucas gave us what we realy wanted.

im a die hard original trilogy fan, so i was really looking forward in seeing this.at first, all was not good. jar jar bloody binks was one, and,well, the acting the other. ewan mcgregor et all are far too wooden.acting as though they have a rod up their....backs. but, after getting the dvd, and watching it a couple of times, it really isnt that bad.worth having

brilliant love the battle between obi wan and qui gon gin
vs darth maul it is also good when at the begining when
obi wan and gui gon gin have to deafeat the droids.
this is a must buy star wars dvd.

Has any film in recent history provoked so much anticipation, debate and downright hatred as The Phantom Menace? Following on from three of the most successful and loved films ever made was always going to be a hard task and there were always some who would feel disappointed. When the film did emerge reaction was pretty negative, ranging from a let down to being unworthy of carrying the Star Wars name. Time, and the follow up prequels, have allowed TPM to be seen in a different, more positive light.

Certainly the film has some pretty serious flaws that will prevent it ever reaching episode IV or V levels of popularity. Chief amongst which is, you guessed it, a certain Mr Binks. Enough has been said already, but suffice to say he is on of the most painfully unfunny and annoying characters ever to grace our screens; Lucas may have defended him, but his subsequent sidelining speaks volumes. The whole thing just feels a bit too kiddie friendly, with too much comedy when there shouldn't be (i.e. the battle scenes.) Anakin himself is rather annoying, not a good thing for someone who is essentially the central character of the films. One slightly more serious concern is the none too subtle racist overtones; again it has been denied but Jar Jar bears more than a passing resemblance to a Jamaican, whilst the Trade Federation sound more than a bit Oriental.

Other criticised aspects make more sense in light of Episodes II and III. Yes the pacing is slow, but it contrasts well with events later on. Yes, a Trade Federation doesn't have the menace of an Empire, but it shows just how one seemingly insignificant even can lead to the destruction of everything. Watched with Clones and Sith, everything falls into place and the whole film becomes more enjoyable.

Let it not be said the Menace doesn't have it's fair share of plus points either. The music, visuals, cinematography, set design and sound effects are superb. Darth Maul may be criminally underused, but the shot of the hanger door opening, revealing him complete with a double edged light sabre and a wicked grin is amongst the greatest Star Wars moments, a money shot that makes the whole film worthwhile. The subsequent duel is brilliantly done and still one of the best in the saga.

Whilst this may be the weakest of the Star Wars films, that doesn't mean to say it's a bad film. Not a great one granted, but pretty good nonetheless