The tricky bit about long-awaited events is that the longer you've been waiting for them, the greater the chance that you'll be let down. Think "Phantom Menace"; sure, it was entertaining, yeah, it was fun-- but did it really live up to the hype and the sixteen-year wait? Having finally seen it, we really had to wonder how many of those stalwart souls who slept on the sidewalk to get tickets felt seriously ripped off. So as we sat down to watch the premiere of "Pirates of Silicon Valley" on TNT, we were just a little cautious; after all, we've been waiting for this epic tale of Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates for about a year now. And as the release date drew ever closer, more and more cool details kept our interests piqued. The dashing Noah Wyle as Steve. Übergeek Anthony Michael Hall as Bill. A script that focused more on the clash of personalities than the technology itself. Soap opera elements like Steve dropping acid and Bill wrecking Paul Allen's car with a bulldozer. How could we not get excited?

So our mindset when "Pirates" started was much like our attitude going into "Phantom Menace"-- we were almost expecting to be let down. And, again like with "Phantom," we were pleasantly surprised; "Pirates" was an enjoyable romp. The performances were solid, the plot was funny and engaging, and while there were definitely some distinct liberties taken with the actual history of what happened, overall, we thought the flick was pretty accurate for a dramatization. We have to wonder how it would go over with people who aren't already somewhat familiar with the story, though. Could it capture the attention and imagination of Joe or Jane Average? We imagine so, if for no other reasons than to see Noah Wyle play a psychotic jerk and to see the world's richest man shown as a total loser with the ladies. C'mon, Bill Gates doing roller disco? That's ratings gold, baby!

To us, the bottom line is this: "Pirates" may not be a great film, but it works darn well as the soap opera it should be. Probably the biggest letdown was the ending, which redefines the word "abrupt" in much the same way that, say, Calista Flockhart redefines the phrase "a trifle thin." One second we're at Steve Jobs' thirtieth birthday party, just three months before he got canned by Sculley, and the next we're at Macworld Expo Boston '97, as Steve introduces Bill Gates' Big Giant Head as Apple's new "partner." Er, did we blink or something? Basically, there's just too much to tell to stuff into a two-hour movie, even if the focus is supposedly the personalities of the players involved. Mini-series, anyone?