I know I'm late in giving my opinion on Episode I, considering the film came out about 8 years ago, but I need to get this off my chest. =p

Over the years I've spent on these wonderful forums, I've seen so many people say that Episode I was the worst of them all (and that Jar Jar ruined it, everybody loves blaming Jar Jar =p). I must say that I have never understood this opinion nor agreed with it. To my mind, Episode I was among the best of them and certainly deserves recognition. After all, it was entertaining, wasn't it? It had a beautiful queen on an idyllic planet who needed help, an intense podrace, a huge battle, the beginning of Anakin's story, and who could forget, the epic duel at the end of the film.

Sure, there was also Jar Jar, and while I admit he's not among my favourites either, I also don't agree that he ruined the film. He was good for helping to capture the sense of joy and untaintedness of that time, because the main thing that associates with Episode I for me is innocence, the sense of beginning, a kind of romantic peace. You can see how the people/creatures in the Star Wars galaxy have lived a peaceful, glorious life for a long time, without the fear of the Sith, and now all that magnificent freedom and glory is slowly starting to become compromised. The contrast between what there has been before and what is to come is heartbreaking; whenever I watch Episode I, I find myself feeling sad over the way the rule of the Sith changed the galaxy, and yet, also happy over being able to witness how it was before the Sith started to influence things again.

Not that certain Sith Lords are an unpleasant thing to see. To me, Darth Maul was the highlight of the film, he's the perfect dark and mysterious villain, and already because of his presence in the film, Episode I is awesome in my eyes. But of course, being a fan of Maul, I am also one of the people who think he had way too little time on the screen, and lasted way too few films. The character himself is great, he not only looks pleasantly menacing, he's mean, he's skilled, and he's all about serious business. And let's face it, he's the kinda character we enjoy seeing, the kinda character you can put in any situation and he'll come out of it successfully. But in spite of that, not long after having been introduced to this remarkable character and seen him utter a few lines, we have Maul die in a lame way within the first film he ever appears in. And then, a boring old man named Count Dooku takes his place for the next two films. Do not want. =(

But back to the goodness of Episode I. I enjoyed seeing how little Anakin was found, and how he met Padmé. Padmé is quite an adorable character by the way - you would think that the young queen is not capable of being "on top of things", but she manages to surprise us with her wisdom and strength (as well as her identity, of course). Also, Naboo must be one of the most beautiful planets we have seen, and I'm sure I'm not the only one wishing I could live there.

There is another fantastic character who only got to live until the end of Episode I, and that is of course Qui-Gon Jinn. Yes, he did get pwned by Maul, but regardless, he was everything a good Jedi should be and a lot more - and certainly deserved better, just like Maul. I am also positive that if Qui-Gon had lived, Anakin wouldn't have turned out to be as much of an inconsiderate brat as he did. Qui-Gon was wise and patient, and unlike Obi-Wan, he wouldn't have tried so hard to make Anakin "learn his place". But hey, becoming the apprentice of Obi-Wan helped Anakin on his destiny of being the chosen one and destroying the Sith, so in the end it's all good.

All in all, Episode I shows us how the story began, and it does that well, introducing us to so many of the characters we love (or hate, like poor old Jar Jar). It is also well-paced and switches between many different locations. And I cannot but love the film, regardless of how many reasons people have given on why Episode I supposedly sucks. =p