Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace in 3D strikes a few different chords with its viewers. For the stalwart fan base, it represents a glorious return to theaters for the chronological first chapter in the saga that helped define their childhood. For angry "original trilogy" loyalists, it signifies the beginning of Star Wars' decline from the celebrated vision of an independent filmmaker to an inauthentic cash cow designed to milk its audience for every last penny. But whatever the intentions of George Lucas-independent visionary or greedy businessman-it is undeniable that Star Wars: Episode I indelibly left a mark on its viewers. The question now remains: How has Episode I withstood the test of time? Is it as good as the enthusiasts want it to be? As bad as the naysayers stubbornly try to convince us?

I find myself somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. In 1999, I was in love with the film. The lightsaber battles were dazzling, Darth Maul was the coolest villain since Darth Vader, and not even Jar Jar Binks bothered me. In 2012, the lightsaber battles are still dazzling, Darth Maul is cool but underdeveloped, and Jar Jar Binks reminds me of a terrifying crossbreed between a wide-mouthed tree frog and a malnourished horse. But my affection for the entire Star Wars series, and even this film, remains.

Still, Episode I is undoubtedly a mixed bag. The story plods along at an often unbearably sluggish pace, the dialogue is wooden and uninspired, and the characters consistently do things that make little sense. Yet there is a certain charm to Episode I, helped along by the innocence of Anakin Skywalker's beginning and Liam Neeson's compelling performance as Qui-Gon Jinn that defies the limited script.

There are so many aspects of the film I could discuss, for all their negative and positive qualities, and it's difficult to come to a consensus. To help break it down, let's take a look at the best and worst Episode I has to offer.

The Good:

Anakin Skywalker's introduction: I may be in the minority here, but I actually admire Lucas for starting Anakin off as just an innocent kid with big dreams. Not only does it make the character's progression more believable, but it mirrors Luke Skywalker's hopeful na??vet?(c) in the original Star Wars. I do think showing a bit of darkness here and there would have been a nice touch, but, as it stands, Anakin's character arc makes perfect sense to me (this unfortunately isn't the case in the next two films). Again I'm in the minority, but I also have no problem with Jake Lloyd's acting-the kid was 10 years old and he did a perfectly fine job with the material given to him.

Qui-Gon Jinn: No doubt the best new character to emerge out of the Star Wars prequels, the maverick Jedi master is interesting because he constantly defies the code that indoctrinates the rest of the Jedi, becoming the catalyst that ensures Anakin's training. Neeson grants an air of venerability to the character but balances it with a stubbornness and tenacity that gives Qui-Gon some weight.

Lightsabers: There's something about the lightsaber that's always been intoxicatingly attractive-the sounds, the colors, the elegance. And in Episode I these elements are perfected. From the opening sequence when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan cut their way out of the Trade Federation Battleship, to the film's epic climactic duel between the two Jedi and Darth Maul, the lightsaber action and choreography is absolutely flawless.

Music : John Williams' music can save even the worst film, and it uplifts and accentuates every beat of Episode I. From the thrilling, gothic sounds of "Duel of the Fates" to the innocent ballad of "Anakin's Theme"-cleverly interweaving brooding segments of "Darth Vader's Theme"-the combination of new and old motifs takes us on a captivating musical journey.

The Bad:

The dialogue: I've said it before and I'll say it again, the dialogue in these prequels is absolutely awful. Every once in a while, you get a really great actor like Neeson or Ian McDiarmid (who plays Palpatine) who can work past the horrid lines, but most of them speak in ways that human beings never speak. George Lucas should just give up trying to write dialogue and let other people do it for him-or else write silent films.

Most of the characters: Not only does Lucas not know how to write dialogue, he doesn't know how to write characters with actual personalities. The only decently written characters are the ones left over from the original trilogy. The new ones, with the exception of Qui-Gon, are like cardboard cutouts. Padme Amidala is flat and uninteresting and makes Natalie Portman look like a hack. Mace Windu does nothing but sit and preach and stare intensely. Darth Maul is mysteriously fascinating and looks awesome but suffers from zero character development. Jar Jar Binks is painfully unfunny and was shoehorned into the film to appeal to toddlers. I don't know what happened in the 20 years between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, but Lucas' capacity to write interesting characters seems to have blown up along with the Death Star.

Politics: Many of the complaints about Episode I focused on how the story was so bogged down in political schlock. Fans felt that the story put too much emphasis on long expository dialogue and not enough on compelling visual storytelling. I do, however, understand Lucas' vision. If you watch interviews with him dating back to the early '90s, he always intended for the prequels to be stories of political scandal, illuminating the intricacies of Palpatine's rise to power.

But as interesting as that sounds on paper, it makes for a bore on film if it's not matched with visual intrigue-watching hundreds of identically dressed senators standing on floating pods and preaching across a massive chamber is not particularly stimulating.

3D: The sole reason for this re-release is its most disappointing aspect. Despite Lucas' promise that this would be a state-of-the-art conversion, the visuals look completely flat. The only sequence that actually looks three-dimensional is the opening title scrawl; the next two hours showcase virtually no difference between 3D and the 2D I saw in theaters 13 years ago. I felt a bit like a conned idiot, sitting in a dark room with a pair of useless, overlarge glasses on my face.

So what's the verdict? It's difficult to judge Episode I, because there is rarely an aspect of the film that is solitarily good or bad (except Jar Jar). I can't think of a film more deserving of a rating of 5/10.

Is it worth seeing the film again in 3D? If you're a hopeless Star Wars fanatic like myself, then yes. If not, chances are you're not going to be reading this anyway. But say what you will about George Lucas-he's created an unending saga that has forever sank its teeth into popular culture.

Whether it's really the personal vision he's always wanted, or just an excuse to make a billion dollars, it's a permanent fixture, one that fans will always keep close to their hearts, in their very own galaxy far, far away.