The rerelease of Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace in 3D is a must see for all ages, fans and newcomers alike. George Lucas puts a new spin on an all-time classic with the addition of the third dimension in the movie. He had already created the series and other great box office hits such as the Indiana Jones movies, but he has surely outdone himself with this one. With enthralling battle scenes and the Jedi Knights fighting to protect the galaxy from the rise of the Sith.

The movie oversees the beginning of the young Anakin Skywalker’s rise and fall. At the beginning you see the Jedis saving the Queen of Naboo and escaping the Trade Federation. Upon their escape they receive damage to their ship and are forced to land. While bartering for the parts that are needed to repair their ship the Jedis come upon a young boy, Anakin Skywalker with what they suspect a high level of the “force”, the energy connecting all Jedis past and present.

They concoct a plan to save the young boy from slavery by having him win a pod race, a dangerous form of entertainment on the planet they are on. The Jedis bet that Anakin winning the race and if he does they will receive the parts needed to repair their ship and the boy’s freedom. Of course, in the classic good versus evil style of every movie, Anakin wins the race and is freed. He is then taken to the Jedi council to see if he will become a Jedi Knight. After the decision is made the Jedis who save him go off to a battle with the first Sith seen in many years in the empire. It leads up to the rest of the series very well.

If you have already seen the movie and are familiar with the plot you won’t see any changes, except that the movie is in 3D. The 3D adds a great aspect to a highly loved movie. The battle scenes were always exciting for me in the past but in 3D it really feels like you get more of a feeling of being in the battle.

One of the most memorable scenes for me from seeing the movie the first time when I was little was after the final battle is when Darth Maul is falling down a seemingly endless shaft and splits in two half of the way down. Even when I was little I felt the lack of dimension took away from the whole experience and visual effect. But in 3D the shaft he falls down has real depth and it looks like Darth Maul is actually falling rather than sitting on a green screen.

Pod racing, in 3D, there couldn’t be anything better on the big screen. The scene was great in the original. Then the added depth, it made me feel like I was in the driver’s seat of Anakin’s pod as he zoomed to victory.

I felt like the 3D was worth the $12 to go see in theaters. I already had the movie on DVD and it is one of my personal favorites. I wish I could have gone and seen it in Imax for an even better effect. I feel that no matter who you are you will enjoy the movie and maybe you will become a fan of the series in whole. 

Overall, this movie was a pleaser and I really enjoyed it. It had me on the edge of my seat, even though I had already seen the movie not in 3D. I was very excited for the new 3D aspects while going into the theater. The fight scenes and pod racing was more exciting in 3D than in normal viewing, which is hard to say because pod racing was one of my favorite parts of the series as a whole.

It doesn’t matter who you are Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace in 3D is captivating and a must see for all ages and that is why I had to give it a 5 star rating. I am hoping immensely that George Lucas will rerelease the rest of the series; I am sure I will be at every one.