"The Phantom Menace" takes a lot of crap even from died-in-the-wool (whatever that actually means) Star Wars fans, yet it’s still among the top movies of all time. Is it just coasting on the success of the original trilogy, or is it really not that good? It’s my least favorite of the films (unless we count animation, then it's Clone Wars), there's a lot I would do differently if I could, and yet it’s still a part of my favorite franchise of all of everything ever. In other words, maybe it’s not as strong as the other chapters, but it’s still a great movie.

What is so good about Star Wars? It’s a universe with lots of odd looking aliens, impossible machines, and super-human Jedi powers combied with great depth and detail of story, characters, technology, societies, species, and virtually every other element of the universe. The universe sells as realistic so well that viewers get lost in this fantasy realm like few of its peers can manage. It’s an adventure story, but it’s also a love story, a war story, a political intrigue story, and more. The heroes are noble, the villains treacherous. It’s a true modern epic.

What holds The Phantom Menace back? I think it’s too light-hearted. The Gungans (Jar Jar’s species) are silly, one of the stars is a young boy who wants his mommy, and overall it has a sappy feel. It steals the intensity and steps over the line into annoying with the antics of Jar Jar. It tries too hard to cross threads to the point of becoming too hard for fans to swallow like making 3PO kid Anakin's construction project which might be easier to take if it wasn't R2 that becomes Jedi Anakin's personal astromech. And in the original trilogy neither Ben nor Vader himself display any recognition of Luke's droids?

I think if the whole movie had had more of the feel of the Jedi/Sith conflict there would be far fewer people complaining about it. Most of the original movies took place in battle stations, a smuggling freighter, war ships and fighters, a swamp, a frozen wasteland, and other such dangerous places. That’s not to say there aren’t some dangerous locations in this one, but a great deal of it is a palace, a royal cruiser, a cozy homestead, Senate offices, and meeting halls. The immediate danger is less therefore the adrenaline rush is, too.

Keep in mind, though, that the point of this trilogy is to show how a young Anakin with the potential to become the galaxy’s greatest hero instead becomes the most fearsome villain in history. In order to do that properly Anakin needs to be introduced as an innocent child which makes for a more innocent story than what Star Wars fans are used to.

I love the story overall. It’s complex and mysterious if you bother to dig into it. Maybe part of its downfall for many people is that the plot leaves you hanging. Even after Episode 2 we’re just starting to get a grasp on how deep Darth Sidious’ manipulation runs. Less familiar fans may not even know who Sidious is (who he REALLY is, I mean. I won’t tell you, but I think it’s pretty obvious if you're paying any attention at all). The more serious fan realizes how much more there is going on under the surface of the Trade Federation invasion, Palpatine’s political moves, and the paths of the Jedi.

The acting is mostly but not always very good. Ewan McGregor plays Obi-Wan in a way that would surely make Sir Alec proud. That was probably the hardest role since Ewan has to emulate the other actor so much. Some of the others reprise their earlier roles doing every bit as fine a job as they ever have. Ray Park has the moves and intensity to make a fearsome Darth Maul, Natalie Portman has the innocent beauty needed for Padme, Liam Neeson the strong nobility for Qui-Gon, and so many of the smaller characters like Watto are terrific. Sam Jackson is great as Mace Windu, but he doesn’t really shine until later. Jake Lloyd as young Anakin does great at times and lacks at other times; I guess only so much expectation can be put on so young an actor. Some of the minor characters are good but not necessarily impressive.

Whatever the movie gets wrong Darth Maul is a fearsome villain, and the battles with him are exciting and beautifully choreographed. Ray Park has stunning moves. It's a shame he didn't get to come back for more in the next episodes. While the lightsaber duel between him and the Jedi is not the only thing I like it is by far my favorite moment.

I'd have to say I would like to have seen less pod racing and more space battles, but all of those flying sequences are amazing. In fact, the special effects in general are awesome. ILM has always been a leader in that field, so it’s no surprise that they raise the bar yet again under the leadership of the man responsible for their spawning. The ships look beautiful, the creatures like Watto and Sebulba are realistic, and the droids have great detail.

I love the music, especially Darth Maul's theme "Duel of the Fates." Some of it is familiar while most of it is new. The great music has been a part of what has entranced me with the franchise for so long and was therefore an immediately important part. I don’t care for the sweeter themes as much as say Han and Leia’s classic love theme, but mostly it’s good stuff. I love the slightly goofy end celebration march.