The reason this movie gets so much hate is that people go on the Internet, see other people bashing it, and then join in to seem cool. (This is something that movie critics are great at; they see if a movie is popular or not and then submit a new review, a 'reappraisal'. Look up the original critical reception of any Kubrick movie after Spartacus if you don't believe me In fact, this movie was originally praised by critics until they saw how much people hated it. Will the same thing happen to the Last Jedi? Time will tell.).

The movie in actuality is not that bad, and in comparison to the Disney Star Wars movies, it is actually quite good. There, I said it. The acting is better-we can't really blame Jake Lloyd, because he's just a kid, and he does pretty well for a kid his age. All the other actors do just as decent a job as any other SW movie. Jar Jar Binks is annoying, but at the time he was actually a pretty advanced special effect, a motion-capture creation predating Gollum by a few years. As a side note, he isn't even as annoying as the Brownies in Willow, so he isn't Lucas' worst creation. Plus, I've met tons of people who actually think he's funny. (And, as proven in the final battle, he's even a better tactician then the Avengers when put in a similar situation in the movie Infinity War. You know that's right). There are more practical effects here than in the other prequels, and fewer green screens. The film certainly has better action scenes than the Last Jedi, and it's also much more creative. Midi-chlorians are weird, but they didn't really affect the story; they are a detail that can be easily overlooked. The final battle is actually quite good, with many interlocking fronts that the heroes need to fight on. The story is what people usually complain about, and it does have its flaws, but it mainly functions as a set up for what is to come, and at least we know that it is actually going somewhere. (As a kid I was never bothered by the trade routes and senate spheres, I thought that those elements made the world more like real life.) John William's soundtrack is iconic and you'd have to have a big chip on your shoulder not to praise it. (William's work on the sequel trilogy, on the other hand, was an utter disappointment. No new iconic themes there, especially for the last two.)

Is this movie perfect? No. Would it have been better to get a Clone Wars live-action movie instead? Most likely. Is it the worst movie in the series? No, that's the Rise of Skywalker or the Last Jedi, you pick. Just don't be one of those people who nearly drove the Jar Jar actor to suicide and who drove Jake Lloyd into schizophrenia. That stuff is worse than anything that happened to the sequel trilogy actors.

And to all the people who think that giving this a positive review means I don't know anything about film: arguably the most famous movie critic ever, Roger Ebert, gave this 4 out of 4 stars. Does he know nothing about film either? Maybe it's time to reevaluate your opinions.

Positives:

• Planets design
• Some of the action scenes
• Darth Maul
• Musical score

Negatives:

• Story
• Pacing
• Characters
• Acting
• Writing
• Dull cinematography

"Episode I: The Hidden Menace" is perhaps the most ambiguous film in George W. Lucas's "Star Wars" series. Met by the rather coldly stern gaze of critics, the first film of the new trilogy can cause some confusion in the viewer. There are not many action scenes in it, there are many dialogues and just a leisurely development of actions, which sometimes may seem like a forced filler with a connecting function between fights and races. But this is only at first glance, because if you look closely ...

Young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his teacher, Qui-Gon Jin (Liam Neeson), go to negotiations with the Trade Federation, which threatens to blockade the peaceful little planet of Naboo. In Obi-Wan's eyes, his mind and vision are already visible, his movements are already full of courage and confidence. Confidence and powerful, unquestioning dedication are seen in the young queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) that she is ready to do anything to help her people, the inhabitants of the occupied world federation. It is in "The Phantom Menace" most accurately and correctly disclose the nature and fragile at the same time in BOGATYRSKY solid Padme: it is able to stand alone against the decision of the Senate, venturing recklessly brave adventures and combine intuitive dictates of the heart with equanimity of mind.

Qui-Gon Jin is unshakable and calm, in whatever situation he was. His eyes radiate wisdom and strength, a smile condescendingly reasonable, and the movements are smooth and weighed. But the main feature of Obi-Wan's teacher is not in these, of course, the most important qualities. Qui-Gon, first of all, is a man of exceptional faith. Some of his actions seem too risky and thoughtless, but somewhere in general they can be mistaken for a desperate bluff. But for him, extremely sensitive to everything around him, holding in an unsurpassed harmony the awareness of his own forces and the sense of difficulty of the tasks set, for him, who knows how to feel the situation on many, many forward steps, faith is the main tool. With her help, he stands unshakably on his feet, seeking his own, by all means.

Once having set a goal - to certainly train quite a young Anakin Skywalker - Qui-Gon will go to her persistently and steadily. He alone believes in the Prophecy of the great destiny of the boy, as if he did not hear the fears of the Jedi Council that Anakin's uncertain future could pose great troubles to the Galaxy. But the foresight and the unique sense of Qui-Gon's world allow him to see far further than to his eminent like-minded people and mentors, like Master Yoda and Master Windu. In addition, an extraordinary faith allows Qui-Gon to destroy any of his fears and doubts that can obscure his clear eyes. The moment of the film is very important, in which the wise Jedi tells Anakin about the medichlorians, micro-organisms existing in symbiosis with the cells of any living organism.Perhaps, in these mysterious media chlorians lies the human soul, elusive to the eye and non-existent for touch. Then the wise counsel of Qui-Gon Jinn and unselfish greed deprived the boy Anakin Skywalker, wanted to visit every planet in the universe, it seems quite clear and sharp, Go up to the call of the heart, and you go on the right path. And even though this road is lost in the darkness of the gathering clouds, there will always be someone who sees a little farther than everyone else, and builds on this sagacity its most powerful faith. Qui-Gon believed in Anakin from the first second and believed in him to the end; most likely he understood the suffering and upheavals that promised further training of the boy for the Galaxy and for himself, but in one thing he was certain that in the final analysis Skywalker would return the Force to equilibrium ...

Finishing on the major note of universal jubilation and festivities, "Episode I: The Hidden Menace" at first glance does not justify its mysterious and menacing title. But, having looked a little closer, we see that the holiday is just a calm before the storm, and a sweet truce is a tricky tactical ploy. It also becomes clear with horror that all the actions of all the heroes are quite comparable with the freedom to choose the actions of puppets tied to strong threads, for which someone is confidently pulling, able to control the movements of dolls by the easy fingering.

And the violent protest of Padme Amidaly at the Senate meeting, and the murder of the mighty Darth Moule, and the fiasco of the Trade Federation, and the heroic death of Qui-Gon Gin, are all foggings in the plan of the mysterious strategist who is still hiding far from the battlefields, its galactic war. And Anakin Skywalker's aching lead heart, which is filled with a burning, drying fear after the death of a Jedi so much loved by him, also lies in a small coin, albeit of a larger value than the rest, on a comprehensive battle map of the devilish clever and cunning puppeteer.The beginning of the saga is laid, the heroes are represented, the plot knots are tied. Star Wars Beginning