Seeing the movie was to be one of the anticipated high points of my trip to the Big Apple. I guess that says a lot, not just about the massive marketing campaign surrounding the new release, but also about how much the Star Wars saga has become part of our culture. Want proof? Ask anyone between the ages of 10 and 60 who "R2D2" is and I'll bet that they can tell you. (Then, those who enjoy wringing their hands in despair over our culture's priorities, ask them who John McCain is. I'll bet a lot fewer people know).

I remember when I first saw the original movie back in 1977. I was 9 years old. I still recall the ride home from the theater. I gazed up at the stars in the night sky, thrilled by what I'd seen, resonating with the drama and excitement of the movie.

Of course I was not alone in my reaction. Nobody had ever seen anything like Star Wars before. I mean, a story set in space that looked REAL? It was new ground. Like millions of other Star Wars enthusiasts, my reaction was "I gotta see that again!" But it wasn't just the special effects that made such an impression and touched such a chord. George Lucas, the creative mind behind the Star Wars films, said in a recent article that he wanted to make people think about big issues.

Eternal issues, if you will. Questions that human beings have always faced. Which is more powerful in us, good or evil? What is the nature of courage, wisdom, and self-sacrifice? Do humans have a moral compass that leads them to do "the right thing"? Can evil and violence be surmounted through non-violent means? Does a higher power exist, and if so, what is its nature?

Lucas does not answer such eternal questions, but he raises them in the Star Wars films, as they have been raised in hundreds of books, plays, fairy tales and myths throughout history. In doing so, he creates a modern myth, an epic fable with special effects to match.

And people have responded, returning again and again to theaters, and eagerly awaiting the next installment of the story.

This is all not to suggest that Lucas is primarily a lofty philosopher. He is also a profit-minded businessman and a brilliant marketing executive. Star Wars has been packaged into story installments, similar to the old movie serials of the 1940's and 1950's, not only because this format is well-suited for raising big questions. It also builds tremendous curiosity among audiences.

Over the past 16 years anticipation for the next installment has heightened to almost ridiculous levels. The natural question in so many minds is whether Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace can live up to its predecessors, let alone its marketing blitz.

In my opinion it does, but not always in the way that you'd expect. First, I'll say that the movie's effects are without a doubt among the best ever seen on screen. The level of "reality" in the costumes, locations and computer animation is tremendous. Over 20 years have past since the first Star Wars, however, and we've come to expect superb special effects. Star Wars in 1977 was a revolution. Star Wars in 1999 is an evolution, but one that can still thrill even today's jaded 15-year-old.

During the first half-hour of this 2+ hour film, Lucas relies too much on special effects and not enough on his excellent cast. That said, you can still sit back and receive more than your money's worth of dazzle. The characters emerge quietly, initially almost overwhelmed by the film's technology. However, as the story begins to unfurl, the cast as a whole comes to command the screen, which is no small feat amidst all the special effect marvels.

Jake Lloyd, who plays young Anakin Skywalker, is very believable in the role, which is critical to the film's success.

Liam Neeson and Ewan MacGregor, after a muted start, are compelling as the Jedi master and his young apprentice. They both turn in textured performances and dialogue that will no doubt be analyzed with quadrillions of Internet bytes in the months to come.

Natalie Portman also does a convincing job as the regal Queen Amidala. Even the computer-animated characters are well done, integrating with the live actors with few rough edges.

In my perhaps solitary opinion, the writing and the plot are the strongest aspects of this movie. Lucas surprised me because I expected epic events on the order of Star Wars' Death Star. The Phantom Menace is an appropriate title, because the events, although dire, are not of the usual galactic Star Wars scale.

As with most cataclysmic events, the rise of the Evil Empire begins here fairly subtly, with a trade dispute in a far off territory. The menace is still shadowy, the threat still undefined. Or at least it is to the heroes on the screen. We, however, because of the unusual sequencing Lucas has chosen, know what is to come. Amazingly, Lucas is able to use that fact to build, not lower, tension. This movie left me admiring how well Lucas not only sets the stage for the events to come, but presents a complete story that stands alone.

Among film-goers I've spoken to, the reaction has been uniformly strong. I have heard many people say that the more they think about it, the more they like The Phantom Menace, and that they plan on seeing the movie again. Unlike Star Wars in 1977, The Phantom Menace doesn't immediately command an "I gotta see that again!" reaction. This may be partly because we have seen effects of similar caliber before.