The Phantom Menance is the most boring movie I've seen in some
time. Please whatever you do, don't go support that trash with
the purchase of a ticket, or God forbid, the purchase of Star
Wars merchandise for your sons and daughters, nephews and nieces.
The critics were properly vigilant in their reviews: as many
reported, there was not a single interesting character in the
movie, except for Darth Maul, and he had so little screen time
that it's hard for me to know if he was an interesting character
or just mercifully underexposed in this colossally dull movie.
Unlike some here, I enjoy Hollywood movies. I don't have a
Mondaugen-like abhorrance of happy endings or other schlockish
devices so common in Hollywood movies. I would much rather watch
a movie like "Dances with Wolves" or "Braveheart"
than "Affliction" or "Fortune Cookie". When
judging movies, I ascribe to Clint Eastwood's philosophy: You can
kill me, rape me, mutilate me, but whatever you do, don't bore me.
Unfortunately, TPM does just that. The plot and characters were
both so uninteresting that when one major character dies near the
end of the movie, I barely stifled a yawn. Even the computer
generated effects, much praised by many reviewers who otherwise
trashed the movie, were overrated. As I said above, the one major
point of interest for me, Darth Maul, was destroyed at the end,
thus probably simulatneously destroying any reason for me to
return to see episode two.
