

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom
Menace ***

rated PG
20th Century Fox
starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd,
Pernilla August, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Ahmed Best, Ray Park
written and directed by George Lucas

So..."Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" has arrived, and as
we all know, it is less a movie than a national phenomenon. Over the
past two decades, we have grown to love the characters that George
Lucas created in his trilogy; the films entitled "Star Wars", "The
Empire Strikes Back", and "Return Of The Jedi". These movies have
changed pop culture as no other movies ever have, creating a mass
following of people whose love for "Star Wars" can be best described
as...religious.

I have to admit that I rented the "Star Wars" trilogy last week, and
it was the first time that I had seen a couple of the films in their
entirety. In other words, I have never been much of a "Star Wars"
fan. But seeing the films, I realized that this cultural phenomenon
began because a film had finally taken the time to transport viewers
into a new, entirely different world. When watching "Star Wars", time
stops, and the viewer learns the lessons of the characters. "Star
Wars" is about the conflicts between good and evil, and how good will
always prevail eventually.

The films in the "Star Wars" trilogy were episodes 4, 5 and 6, and
they told the story of Luke Skywalker's rise to Jedi stardom. The
latest entry into the collection, "The Phantom Menace", is episode I,
and it takes place a long time before the Dark Side of the Force
transformed Anakin Skywalker into the lord of evil, Darth Vader.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...special effects were much
more developed and everything looked a lot cooler.

I'm not going to give away much plot, since everyone in the world will
no doubt see this movie. It is the tale of how two Jedi knights, a
young boy, a queen, a couple of droids and a sea monkey attempt to
save the galaxy.

Is the film any good? Well, it is definitely "Star Wars", as any fan
will be able to tell. The special effects are absolutely incredible,
but it's too bad the plot isn't. The film feels like merely an
introduction to bigger things, hopefully setting us up for a
mind-blowing Episode II. It's a lot of fun, but it lacks many of those
quiet "Star Wars moments", despite the fact that we get a glimpse at a
lot of familiar characters, such as a younger Yoda, a half-built
C-3PO, and a newer R2-D2.  A lot of characters are left
underdeveloped, and Darth Maul, the hyped villain who was supposed to
have had such a large role, is merely a secondary player. Also,
Obi-Wan Kenobi comes off as uninteresting, quiet and selfish.

Most of the performances, however, are top-notch. Liam Neeson as the
swashbuckling Qui-Gon Jinn and Natalie Portman as the Queen Amidala
are both playing their roles with typical "Star Wars" vigor. It is
Jake Lloyd, though, the young boy who plays Anakin Skywalker(Darth
Vader as a child) who grabbed my attention the most. Lloyd, who
appeared in "Jingle All The Way" and "Unhook The Stars" has a long
career ahead of him.

"The Phantom Menace" is by far the most anticipated film of all time,
and despite not being nearly as good as the other "Star Wars" films,
it is not in any way disappointing.  The cash is rolling in in large
numbers, and hopefully George Lucas will use it to craft an amazing
Episode II. Despite huge production costs, "The Phantom Menace" is
actually an independent film, since Lucas raised all the money on his
own and made the film without a major studio(Fox then stepped in to
distribute the film). "The Phantom Menace" is nothing great, but it is
another solid entry into an ongoing saga that has changed the world as
we once knew it.

a review by Akiva Gottlieb, The Teenage Movie Critic
[email-masked]
http://www.angelfire.com/mo/film

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