

“Star Wars: Episode I” – The Force Is Still with Us

The hype has finally begun to diminish and after months of waiting (and
years for others), the highly anticipated “Phantom Menace” has finally
come to a theatre not too far, far away.  Even I was swept with
anticipation, for I am of the Star Wars generation.  I bought my ticket
a week in advance, and I was ready to once again be a part of the Star
Wars phenomenon.  The crowd showed an equal level of heightened
enthusiasm.  When I arrived at my local Loews theatre 30 minutes in
advance, many of the seats were already taken.  I was lucky enough to
find a good spot, and when the lights dimmed, a hushed silence swept
across the rows of patrons who had come, like me, to relive our
childhood and who had hoped that the film would live up to its hype.

In many ways, the film does live up to its hype.  Like the original
Star Wars that changed the landscape of movie making, this film shows
off many new advances in sound and imaging technology.  Visually, the
movie is absolutely gorgeous – eye candy galore!  Clearly there is much
imagination at work that can be seen in every shot.  Colors are
breathtakingly beautiful, settings are wonderfully detailed, and scenes
are beautifully envisioned.  For example, there is a bustling
metropolis filled with towering skyscrapers and an underwater city
whose landscape resembles a collection of light bulbs on a crystal
chandelier.  I was impressed with a battle scene pitting thousands of
evil battle droids against a small army of humanoids that looked like a
cross between a dragon and a duck and was captivated by a race sequence
that can only be described as a futuristic combination of Ben Hur and
Speed Racer.  The sound was equally impressive, especially a scene
involving a Senate debate.  To truly appreciate the spectacle of this
film, you’ll need to see this film on a big screen with an advanced
sound system.  But is there as much force with the story and characters
as there is with the visual and sound effects?

The answer, unfortunately, is no.  The beauty of the original Star Wars
is that it involved uncharted frontiers and growing up in the face of
adversity.  That’s not really the case here as it is a story about an
epic battle that may shift the balance of power.  In Episode I, the
evil empire is determined to assert its power and dominance.  They use
a group called the Trade Federation to further their goals and take
over planet Nabooie, which has immense importance in terms of regional
commerce.  But to secure their victory, they must force the noble and
strong queen (the Geisha-adorned Natalie Portman) to sign a treaty. 
She escapes with the help of Jedi Knights (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan
Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).  In their quest to regain control of her home
world, they also meet up with the future Darth Vader, Annekin Skywalker
(played by Jake Lloyd).  Annakin is able, inventive, and becomes a
great asset to their cause.  To stop the good guys, the empire
dispatches an evil warrior who has tremendous agility and fighting
skills.  He does battle with the Jedi knights with a very unique light
saber staff.  

Though impressive, this film couldn’t manage to evoke that same feeling
of awe that I had hoped.  I’m sure that the amount of hype that
preceded the movie biased me as I watched the film.  Also, the
characters were not as well-defined nor as memorable as Luke Skywalker
or Han Solo.   I also think that when I saw the original Star Wars, I
was only 11, and at that time in my life, I was completely mesmerized
by what I had seen on screen.  As I’ve matured, my tastes have taken my
senses in a different direction that favors stories about the darkness
of humanity (like “The Matrix”) over films brimming with cuddly
extra-terrestrials and star ships.  You won’t come out of the film
feeling that you’ve experienced an event.  But, this is a film that is
stunning in many ways and always manages to be enjoyable.

Grade: B+ 

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