What I like: Phantom Menace is a good start to the series. It does a good job of introducing many of the characters from the original trilogy like Anakin, Obi Wan, and Yoda....and it gives you a new cast of characters that are pivotal to the story like Padme(Queen Amidala), Qui Gon Jin, and Darth Maul. The podrace is really fun, as is the final battle at the end which basically saves it from being an average film.
What I didnt like: Jar Jar binks, Jar Jar's people.....i mean come on? Im not going to rant on him but I will say that the movie suffers from bad dialogue, and its a somewhat slow in some parts. ALso we get to see (and hear) so little from Darth Maul.
Overall: This is an average star wars movie, but its a good movie alone and by itself. It gets teh series started on a good note, but at the time it didnt seem too relevant to the OT except for the fact you know a few key things...Anakin is a jedi padawan under Obi Wan Kenobi, Anakin has feelings for Padme, and Palpatine has some how become Supreme Chancellor.
Rating: 6.5/10