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	Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
	Consumer Advice: Contains mild fantasy violence
	Genre: Action, Sci-fi
	This is the first part in the prequel trilogy to the ever popular Star Wars films. The Jedi knights, Obi Wan and Qui Gon, arrive on Tatooine and meet young Anakin Skywalker for the first time.
	Director: George Lucas	Cast: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman
	Release Date: 1999	Number of published Reviews: 3

Huge disappointment!
This movie was a huge disappointment! No doubt it is the worst Star Wars film ever. Director George Lucas was so in love with his special effects that he lost sight of what made the original trilogy great. It was painful to watch and there are times in the movie were I wish that I could reach out and strangle Jar Jar Binks. The series only redeemed itself in Episode Three. This movie has no place in the Star Wars universe.
Review by Daniel, aged 12 on 18/10/2009

"Jar Jar Binks is annoying!"
This film tells of the greedy Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo. The Trade Federation are doing this under the orders of the mysterious Darth Sidious. The queen of Naboo launches two Jedi Knights; Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). They try to reclaim Naboo but end up on Tatooine. They find a boy gifted in the Force - Anakin Skywalker - and Qui-Gon believes him to be the 'Chosen One'. There is a huge battle for Naboo, but only one can win... This is a generally good film, but it doesn't match 'Revenge of the Sith' or 'A New Hope', but is better than 'Attack of the Clones'. It can also get a little boring at times but usually it is good. Jar Jar Binks is annoying though! I enjoyed it, but if it was cut down into a swift 90-minute package it would have been brilliant.
Review by Stanley , aged 11 on 10/04/2009

'This film made me NOT want to see the next one....'
It is a distant galaxy eons before the gestation of the planet Earth. Advancements in technology and science have allowed the evolution of millions of worlds that are otherwise in many respects still primitive. These worlds are somewhat loosely allied into an intergalactic Republic, whose capital world is the planet Coruscant, a planetary city. Upholding order for the Republic are the Jedi, an order of warriors endowed with near-super power derived from self-generated fields of energy known collectively as The Force. Within the Republic, dissident worlds have banded into an alliance known as the Trade Federation, and the Trade Federation is locked in a dispute with the peaceful world of Naboo. Two Jedi knights, Qui-Gon Jinn and his youthful apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, have been sent to Naboo to help mediate an end to the dispute, but Nute Gunray, an alien viceroy, orders them to be killed, and the two Jedi discover upon their escape that the Trade Federation will launch an invasion of Naboo. With the help of a well-meaning but hopelessly sub-literate alien native of Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan land on Naboo to rescue her ruler, Queen Amidala, a ruler whose rule is a mixture of monarchy and republican democracy. Escaping Naboo, they are attacked by a Federation base star and are forced to land on the distant planet Tatooine, where in seeking parts to complete their journey to Coruscant they encounter a young boy, Anakin Skywalker, a slave who possesses a gift for the savagely dangerous sport of pod racing - a gift that Qui-Gon deduces is part of a genetic makeup perfect for the Jedi Order. Anakin eventually joins with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, and in the process attracts the attention of one of Queen Amidala's handmaidens with a dramatic secret, and all reach Coruscant, but endless and pointless debate within the Republic's Senate leave them no choice but to strike out on their own to liberate Naboo, a task made all the more difficult because a traitor within Coruscant has at his command a dissident Jedi warrior who seeks the death of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. This film is but a feeble reflection of the vision and execution of the original Star Wars trilogy. In the company of Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor, two truly excellent trained actors, Natalie Portman sounds as if she's reading her lines off the side of a cereal box. Also, I think the only correct application of computer-generated effects in movies is as inconspicuous set elements, or perhaps to simulate something passing by which doesn't require the viewer to pay attention. Having a prominent supporting role filled by a being which only exists in a circuit board is an insult to the viewer. Each of the original 3 films made me want to see the next one in the series; this film made me NOT want to see the next one.
Review by Adam , aged 13 on 12/12/2006

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