So far, so good. I am increasingly curious: as to how the future unfolds, because Lucas planted some serious seeds of foreshadowing in TPM. The best: when Sen. Palpatine (the future Emperor) tells Anakin, "We'll be watching your career with great interest, young Skywalker." Yeah, I bet you will. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* Also, some insight into the future love between Anakin and Amidala which isn't there in TPM, but the seeds have been planted, as well as revelation to the reasons Obi-Wan allowed himself to be killed in Episode 4 as Luke watched.

I think I know why so many critics have been critical of TPM. It's twofold: 1) They were caught up in the hype, and either because they dislike the anticipation or themselves were too eager, saw the film as a letdown; and 2) the critical ones don't see how Lucas can surprise us since we all know the story already. In the original trilogy, Episodes 4-6, we were caught off guard more than a few times, of course the most notable being the whole parental issue of Luke and Leia. But here, these critics feel as if they already know the story, and have set their sights on other targets, especially the acting.

Acting/Characters = B
For all the grumbling about Jar Jar Binks, the clumsy aquatic equivalent of Jerry Lewis with the voice of Calypso Louie/Pimp Bot (from Conan O'Brien), he gets a good laugh from kids, and ample chuckling from the older crowd as well. I wish the antics would have been more toned down in the final battle scene, because with the seriousness of the Queen's fight to the throne room and the Jedi vs. Maul, his clumsiness got in the way. But overall the film needed some comedy, and you weren't going to get it with the rest of the main cast, because their characters were not designed or given any dialogue that passes for stand-up comedy. Steve and Joe just enjoyed watching my reaction whenever Jar Jar said or did something particularly juvenile. I'm glad I can be so entertaining guys.

Which brings me to my biggest concern. I miss the personality of the original trilogy. The characters there were animated, especially the rogue Solo, the strong yet sensitive Princess, the naive farm boy Luke and even the elder and wiser Obi-Wan played by Alec Guiness. George Lucas doesn't give our Episode 1 heroes much to express themselves, and that may be in part because they're not supposed to; Jedi apparently don't drink around the card table and discuss relief pitching, and young Queen Amidala has to appear strong for her people in a time of crisis.

Pernilla August as Anakin's mother, Shmi, raised the bar for all in every scene in which she participated. As the weary mother who has loved, cared for and taught young Anakin as they endured slave life, Shmi cannot be blamed for his eventual fall. In fact, maybe because of their love and his intense yearning to see her again my just be the trigger the dark side needs to pull him away from the Jedi Council and Obi-Wan, his master.

As good as August was, Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine gave a menacing performace as the future Emperor. Supportive of Queen Amidala in person, you could just see the wheels turning inside his evil brain.

Jake Lloyd wasn't as flat as many early reviews said. He had spunk, and showed Anakin an active kid with plenty of friends who was taught noble life lessons while dreaming of visiting all the stars in the sky. When I really thought about it, though, maybe Anakin should have died in the first ten minutes of Episode 1, and the rest wouldn't have mattered. Instead, we're made to root for him. Our emotions are manipulated by his kidlike enthusiasm, saying things like "yipee", adults calling him "Ani" and him generally looking adorable.

Another qualm I--and my family also voiced their concern--have with Lucas is that Anakin's performance in the final battle in the Naboo fighter seems to be all by accident. He didn't intend to do anything, he was just pushing buttons and it happened to be the right ones. At least hint that the Force guided him to fly it right and fire the correct weapons. Wouldn't it have been great if Qui-Gon could have voiced his help, a la Obi-Wan to Luke in the original Star Wars? At least then we'd notice that the Force is his guide, and not luck.

Natalie Portman is such a cutie. What a smile! (can you believe I'm 23 talking like that? Me neither) I can't wait to see how she grows up during the trilogy. I'm glad she could handle all those costume changes, though. By my count, she wore 10 different outfits as the Queen, meaning ornate, pageantry-style costumes while wearing the kabuki-like face paint. Also, she wore five garments as Padme. That's a lot of time in the make-up and costume rooms!

Liam Neeson as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, although I wasn't drooling like my mom and aunt, he was a dignified "Force" to be reckoned with throughout the film. Neeson successfully gave Qui-Gon a few different roles to play with, as a dedicated teacher to Obi-Wan, almost father-figure to Anakin, and one heck of a swordsman.

Ewan McGregor didn't have a whole lot to do in Episode 1 as Obi-Wan, but the man can wield a mean light-saber! His battle with Darth Maul was the best swordplay I've witnessed in years, and with the music it was definitely the most exciting. McGregor will no doubt have a larger role in the next two, so his personality should come out more, instead of the attentive Padawan Learner.

	Guys with horns on their head are not to be trusted

Ray Park makes Darth Maul the most kick-ass Dark Lord of the Sith since, well, Vader. Okay, so those are the only two we know. But, Maul's moves were a joy to watch on screen, and Park's martial arts background was a definite advantage in filming the duels. Lucas may have a lot to live up to in the next two films by way of the menacing villain who does the Emperor's dirty work. Oh, and the double-bladed lightsaber was everything I hoped for, and will be my favorite toy for years to come! Maul's entrance that begins "Duel of the Fates" and the lightsaber duel sent chills down my spine. Total excitement and joy washed over my face at that moment.

As much as I groan when Jar Jar arrives on screen, its just the opposite with Watto. Despite being created in the computer, he still had more personality than many people, and was always a plus when he appeared. Watto and Qui-Gon's negotiations were very well done, and after the pod race I actually felt sorry for the little dude.

The Trade Federation, made up of the alien species Neimoidians, looked too X-Files, were poorly dubbed, and had terrible Japanese-speaking-English accents. Me thinks LucasFilm has run out of worldly dialects to use. But Lucas makes up for those guys with the battle droids, and especially the Destroyer droids.

Special Effects = A++++
Lucas hit a McGwire-esque home run with the eye-popping special effects, and he knew it, because at every turn there was something different where George seemed to be saying, "See that? Cool, huh? I can do that in every scene and you won't be the wiser!" What makes it better than average? The fact that we know most of it isn't real, but it doesn't pull us "out of the picture" to take notice. While were enveloped in the film, we sit back and enjoy the worlds and aliens created in TPM.

The podrace is a monument to Lucas' special effects genius. What a fantastic, epical 15 minutes of movie history! The sights are great eye candy, and the sounds just as much ear candy. The sound of the pods had to be very difficult, because each had their own rhythm. Sebulba's was the ultimate "muscle-car" pod, like a '78 camaro, while Anakin's was much smaller, and sounded more like an Indycar.

There was a definite connection to the classic chariot race from Ben Hur, my favorite movie of all time. The desert setting in the mountain, the similarities in the music, the good guy vs. bad guy showdown, the flag parade in the beginning and the way each lap is noted are the easiest examples. But the pod race also had a two-headed announcer that wasn't overused (thank god) and provided some comedy.

I wish I could have seen more of the worlds Lucas created, because he didn't focus too long on any one. Naboo (a very ornate city, what you might imagine ancient Rome to look like) was gorgeous, Otoh Gunga (the Gungan underwater city) was brilliant, Coruscant was busy (traffic's a bitch, and that place needs a park, bad!) and Tatooine was, well, familiar. The Galactic Republic' Senate Chamber was one of the most impressive features, with thousands of representatives aligned vertically, in pods that were made to float to the center in order to make presentations and speeches.

Soundtrack = A
A good score is so important for a good film. Movies and their themes are the modern operas; John Williams and James Horner are our Mozart and Wagner. The best scores draw you into what's on screen, causes your emotions to stir, makes you smile during happy moments, cry in sad ones and sends chills down your spine at those key scenes. For example, in TPM my favorite music scenes include "The Flag Parade" before the podrace, "Duel of the Fates" during the final battles, and when Anakin leaves Shmi.

Williams' work on TPM, as well as the previous trilogy, IS THAT kind of score. Episodes four through six are already considered classic, but he has improved upon the formula, adding a choral element that is pure genius. Williams' score hits perfectly in all the right places.

Plot = B-
I'm still not sure why all of this leads to that. Trade disputes and politics are always a tricky subject when it comes to a good ol' space cowboys and indians movie. I got the gist, but definitely need the next two trilogies to answer all the questions.