

Review: Star Wars: Episode I --The Phantom Menace (1999)

Rating: 3 stars (out of 4.0)
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Key to rating system:
2.0 stars - Debatable
2.5 stars - Some people may like it
3.0 stars - I liked it
3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie
4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out
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A Movie Review by David Sunga

Directed by: George Lucas

Written by: George Lucas

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, Natalie Portman

Synopsis:
In Phantom Menace the galaxy is divided into power groups whose interests
will inevitably collide in later sequels. There is an overarching galactic
United Nations-type organization called the Senate presided by a weak
Chancellor. Within the senate two camps are at odds: a bickering,
isolationist alliance called the Republic and their aggressive rival the
Trade Federation. Preserving law and order are a council of Jedi Knights
who are meanwhile searching for a prophesied chosen one of virgin birth.
Manipulating events behind the scenes is a dangerous, reemerging clan
called the Dark Lords of Sith, so shadowy and secretive that they comprise
a "phantom" menace.

Jedi knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi
(Ewan McGregor) witness an invasion of teenage Queen Amidala’s home planet
Naboo and befriend a Gungan named Jar Jar (Ahmed Best). On the desert
planet of Tatooine the two Jedi, Jar Jar, and Amidala (Natalie Portman)
attend a lengthy drag race involving the young boy Anakin Skywalker (Jake
Lloyd). The five protagonists try to solicit help for freeing Naboo by
visiting the city planet of Coruscant where a lot of debate and political
maneuvering takes place. Can they free Amidala’s helpless planet?

Opinion:
On TV last night I watched young, wannabe celebs pay $400 a ticket and come
running out of theaters to bask in front of news cameras, gushing with
testimonials of The Phantom Menace’s greatness in exchange for a few
seconds of being on national television. Given this kind of media mania I
wondered if Phantom Menace, the most anticipated movie of 1999, could
possibly live up to the extraordinary hype that preceded it. Does Phantom
Menace match the exaggerated hype? Director George Lucas answers, "It’s
only a movie." 

To me, any movie with Russian-sounding accents for bad guys, Jamaican
accents for good guys, and Middle Eastern-sounding accents for seedy
gamblers accents can be expected to be more tongue in cheek than profound.

Visually, Star Wars: Episode I --The Phantom Menace (1999) is a kid show
where parents can take their young ones to marvel at child-friendly CGI
characters and wondrous backdrops even if the character dialogue (mostly
geopolitics) is beyond the level of children. It is left to parents to
patiently explain the conversation: droid origins, family lineage, the
definitions of terms like blockade, appeasement, federation, alliance,
symbiosis, satellite-controlled robots et cetera. At least this much is
clear: there’s plenty of eye candy, and in the last few minutes it’s good
guys and Joe Camel lookalikes versus a caped, horned red devil character
and his mechanical hordes.

Weaknesses:
Weaknesses lie in the writing and in the performance. At first it seems
like the film is to be an invasion story, but then Phantom takes an
hour-long detour to cover one chariot race before returning to the invasion
theme. This dilutes the central story. Additionally, smaller scenes seem
written self consciously, as if they were added more to fill us in on
extraneous background information for other movies rather than form an
integral part of the present movie. Veteran actors Liam Neeson and Ewan
McGregor noticeably outperform the other acting leads. Better ensemble
chemistry between the five leads and background information that is central
to a tight story line could have made have given Phantom stronger
performances and storytelling punch.

Strengths:
On the bright side Phantom Menace as a big-budget production is far ahead
of the competition in terms of making whimsical creatures, worlds and
vehicles appear real. The film boasts sophisticated, top-of-the-line
visuals and quality exotic costumes, a musical score entertaining enough to
stand alone, and three worthwhile sequences in the second half. 

Bottom line? Seeing the film is entertaining and informative, like a visual
theme park with Star Wars filler information serving as dialogue between
impressive money shots. We are bound to be completely inundated by Star
Wars publicity, music and tie-ins for the next few months. 
 
Reviewed by David Sunga
May 19, 1999

Copyright © 1999 by David Sunga
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