I am no fan of Star Wars, I must admit. That says it all, I think, and if I would put a period right after this sentence then there would be no use for such reason on why I am not liking this film.
Alright, I was intrigued. Intrigued about how it made such a wham-bam action at the box-office, intrigued about how awesome were the special effects, intrigued why people are crazy about it, and intrigued about its own phenomenon. The again, I was intrigued so I watched it meself for like 7 years later, and now - all the intrigue was too damn intriguing that now I don't feel intrigued at all. Forgive me for bitchin around like this but Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is not as good as I expected.
Hands down, I could kneel in front of George Lucas for making such a great breakthrough for the sake of special effects, and John Williams for creating such a magnificent musical piece, as well as appreciate some characters like Qui Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson). I was entertained for a bit, especially for the action sequences which were all eye-popping. But then, I was thinking after watching the film - was that all? Star Wars like a space opera? It's exceptional speaking of technicality but Star Wars felt all too mechanical that the dialogues were flat, lifeless and disastrously droning as of the characters were possessed by droids or something. I guess it's what Star Wars was all about, a cultural phenomenon, a pop trend-setter - but was it epic like the old Star Wars films as other critics could say? The Phantom Menace felt all too watered out into the children's territory that they try to forget the emotional and structural capabilities of the film. Dude, I mean my fave character would have to be Qui Gon Jinn, and when they killed him off, there wasn't a scene that would definitely pay homage to him, meaning they just blew off the whole emo-feel of the film - berserk!
I don't hate the film. I just didn't feel that it was made the right way. Although the special effects soar like a bird and the visual cinematography was astoundingly breathtaking - the story flaps like a falling leaf. Star Wars was all about eye candy after all. Don't worry, I will watch the second one, though.

Rating: B-