

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace

Liam Neeson: Qui-Gon Jinn
Ewan McGregor: Obi-Wan Kenobi
Natalie Portman: Queen Amidala
Jake Lloyd: Anakin Skywalker
Ian McDiarmid: Senator Palpatine
Samuel L. Jackson: Mace Windu

Written and directed by George Lucas

Having seen the original Star Wars films more times than I can count
(more times than any adult cares to admit), I so wanted to love this
movie.  I was mentally prepared to be swept back into a world I haven't
seen anew since I was 17.  With the imagination behind the first trilogy
re-invigorated by a long rest, and equipped with technology not even
imagined in 1977, I expected an unequalled triumph of the imagination.

Okay, there were a few warning signs along the way.  Two years ago, when
the first trilogy was re-released with new effects, the key scene where
Han Solo (Harrison Ford) guns down the bounty hunter Greedo was
re-edited so Greedo fired first.   Not only did the new version look
ridiculous, it also emasculated a key character, softening his rough
edges.  This told me that Lucas was not making creative decisions purely
on artistic merit, but that a politically correct element had crept into
his thinking.

The trailers, however, looked good, filling me with hope that Episode I
would take the Star Wars saga to new heights.

Such is not the case, however.  The Phantom Menace is such a mixed bag
of small pleasures and major disappointments that it's hard to decide
whether or not I actually liked the movie.  (I'll probably have to see
it four or five times to be sure).

The biggest problem with the film is the relative flatness of the
characters.  The first film had clearly defined personalities that
contrasted well.  They were archetypes, of course (the farm boy, the
princess in distress, the soldier of fortune and the old wizard), but
they were well-drawn archetypes inhabited by talented actors.   In The
Phantom Menace, everyone seems to be of the manor born, always speaking
in high, formal language.  None of the personalities stand out well from
the others.  In the first film, even when the characters were speaking
more formal tones, there was still a spark of humanity and humor ("I
thought I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board").

Something else missing was a clearly defined threat to care about, such
as in the first film, when the Rebels had to destroy the Death Star to
keep themselves and their planet from being blown to tiny bits.  There
is no such easily understood threat here.  Part of the problem is that,
although we are told that the people of Naboo are suffering greatly at
the hands of the Trade Federation, we don't see any example of that on
screen.  I'm not asking for the film to wallow in unpleasantness, but
rather just for anything that would have personalized the situation and
given it some urgency.

In a sense, the title of this film seems rather apt, since the true
villain of this peace never really materializes.  The on-screen threat,
the Trade Federation viceroy and his battle 'droids seem to be a poor
substitute for Darth Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin and Imperial Storm
Troopers.  The really interesting threat, in the persons of the Sith
Lords Darth Sidious and Darth Maul, get far too little screen time.
Darth Maul is a great villain, as far as he goes, but is far too
underutilized here.

I'm not going to fault the quality of the acting too much, since the
actors were given so little to work with.  Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan
Kenobi) seems especially wasted in a rule that should have had far more
spark and humor.  Liam Neeson () gets a little more meat to chew on, but
even he seems a hemmed in this role.  And as much as I like Samuel L.
Jackson (Mace Windu), I have to wonder how much of a long distance bill
he ran up while basically phoning in his brief appearance.

On the plus side, Natalie Portman (Queen Amidala) brings sweetness and
surprising strength to her role.  Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker), despite
early rumors that his performance was a problem spot for the film, is
also charming and affecting as the ordinary boy who grows up to be Darth
Vader.  Ian McDiarmid is also effective as Senator Palpatine, the future
Emperor, but it is the two young stars that almost save this film's
bacon.

I have to admit that I did not mind the character of Jar Jar Binks,
Qui-Gon Jinn's reluctant comic sidekick.  So much negative hype about
how annoying this character was going to be had spread like wildfire
though the Star Wars fan community that it was impossible for Jar Jar to
live down to it.  My only reservation about this character is that he
was essentially the only source of humor in this film, and it was almost
all slapstick.  There was none of the witty dialogue that typified the
characters of Princess Leia and Han Solo ("It was a boring conversation
anyway") in the first trilogy.  That is one element this film sorely
needed.

I won't give away too much, but the ending of this film seems to depend
far too much on luck and accident, both in the ground battle and up in
space.  As far as the space battle goes, it may be Anakin's abilities
with the Force manifesting themselves, but that is not made clear enough
if it is true.

>From a technical standpoint, of course, the film is faultless.  Director
and writer George Lucas creates totally fantastic and believable worlds
on which we can feast our eyes.  Never once did I find myself looking at
a creature or environment in this film and thinking, "That's a special
effect."

It's a shame that the story doesn't quite live up to the setting.  Of
course, Titanic had the same problem, and it didn't do too badly.
Still, Lucas needs to get a better handle on dealing with characters and
the actors who play them as he goes to work on the next film.  I can't
help but think that a director who hadn't been in the chair in more than
20 years could have tried a smaller, more intimate film before
attempting the most technically ambitious film of all time.

On the plus side, this film more than whets my appetite to see Episode
II, coming in 2002.  The Phantom Menace sets up a number of future
sub-plots that are potentially far more interesting than anything in the
film.

I give the film a 7.5 out of 10.  That's 5 out of 5 for technical merit
and 2.5 out of 5 for artistic impression

This review copyright to
Paul McElligott
http://home.earthlink.net/~plmcelligott
"Subvert the dominant paradigm"