

THE PHANTOM MENACE **½ (out of four)
-a review by Bill Chambers ( [email-masked] )

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starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd
written and directed by George Lucas

I want this review of Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace to
stand out from the pack you’ve been reading, so I will forgo my
typical essay-style approach and discuss the film in bits and pieces.
I can’t promise not to spoil anything, but I will do my best to avoid
giving too much away.

                                             The Plot:

Menace takes us back three or four decades before the original Star
Wars (A New Hope to us dweebs). It is the story of Qui-Gon Jinn, a
rebellious Jedi master who becomes, along with his pupil Obi-Wan
Kenobi, embroiled in a trade war. The plot seems vaguely modeled on
The Last of The Mohicans’: Qui-Gon plays reluctant guard to nobility
(including Queen Amidala) as he treks a path to freedom; his band is
pursued by the Magua-esque Darth Maul, a bloodthirsty aide to the
Trade Federation. The similarities to James Fenimore Cooper’s tale end
at the point when Qui-Gon stops on Tattooine for vessel repairs and
discovers a preternatural little slaveboy possessed of rare mental and
physical gifts. Qui-Gon swears the kid,  Anakin Skywalker, is "the
chosen one," the future Jedi who will bring balance to the force. He
even stakes his (shaky) reputation on it before the Council, which is
headed by Yoda and Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson in a cameo).

                                          The Characters:

Qui-Gon, who stands tall, walks swiftly and speaks softly, is the most
compelling new presence in the Star Wars universe. Liam Neeson’s
performance recalls the authority of Alec Guiness in the later films,
which is most appropriate, given that Guiness portrayed the mature
Obi-Wan—it’s now as if Qui-Gon’s self-confidence rubbed off on Obi-Wan
more than any other aspect of his training. Lloyd also shines,
especially in his scenes with Yoda and company; he has a sweet and
innocent face, but there’s a trace enough of mischief in his narrow
eyes to leave no doubt this cherubic munchkin will one day submit to
his darkest urges. Jar Jar Binks ("Stomp" dancer Ahmed Best), the
rabbit-eared, six-foot reptile (part of a race called the Gungan) who
follows Qui-Gon around like a loyal servant (and talks like the
stereotypical plantation worker, circa 1800s, an attribute sure to
rankle those members of the black population who already feel
misrepresented in the original trilogy), sporadically amuses but
mostly annoys, especially with his inept soldier schtick during the
climactic battle between the Gungan and hordes of Battle Droids.
(While I’m on the subject of droids, C-3PO and R2-D2 make curiously
perfunctory appearances in The Phantom Menace—though they normally
supply the comic relief, only Jar Jar’s theatrics are mined for laughs
this time around.)

Also of note are Portman, McGregor, and Ian McDiarmid. The former
plays surely the most beautiful queen in any galaxy—with or without
the Kabuki make-up, she glows like a young Audrey Hepburn, but
Princess Leia she’s not. Amidala is ballsy but lacks the sauciness
that endeared Leia to little girls (and, yes, little boys) across the
world. McGregor is marginally more successful as the eager Obi-Wan,
but he is more or less a walking action figure, someone who asks a lot
of questions mostly for the sake of nudging us into the next sequence.
Finally, McDiarmid, as Senator Palpatine, brought a smile to my face
whenever he was on screen; whether by virtue of some fine acting or
the knowledge that Palpatine eventually becomes the dreaded Emperor, I
cannot say.

Perhaps the most disappointing character in Menace is Darth Maul. Fans
have hitched their wagon to the wrong train, it seems (Maul was the
most popular costume at the midnight premiere, and products bearing
his likeness are the best selling Menace merchandise so far), for Maul
is no less robotic than the machines who fight for his cause. His
entire persona is summed up by his double-bladed lightsaber: cool at
first, silly upon reflection.

                                        The Special Effects:

Lucas didn’t want to make another Star Wars movie until CGI equipment
caught up with his imagination. Indeed, Menace is
brimming—overstuffed—with special effects whose detail is impressive.
Yet there’s nothing sparklingly original about them, especially
concerning the animated beings. Star Wars and Star Trek share a common
flaw in their creature design. As weird as the bodies and skins get,
the aliens of both galaxies usually have humanoid faces: two eyes, a
nose, and a mouth. Lucas also continues a trend begun in his
refurbished editions of episodes 4, 5, and 6: the monsters of Episode
1 are clownish or juvenile (the appearance of a small Greedo-type
recalls Jim Henson’s "Muppet Babies") and, dare I say it, uniquely
synthetic. While the technology now allows for a group of
computer-generated Gungans to flop around like so many Stephen
Fetchits, I still find digital flesh, ninety percent of the time,
thoroughly unconvincing. (The wisest directorial decision Lucas made
was to  have Yoda return in all his foam rubber glory, replete with
strategically placed props to disguise puppeteer Frank Oz.)

More successful are the CGI cityscapes of Couriscant and Naboo, as
well as the many interiors and exteriors of ships. In fact, most of,
if not all, of the non-creature F/X work is breathtaking enough to
give pause to the most jaded viewers.

The myriad explosions and close-calls and laser blasts do tend to
overwhelm Menace’s narrative, but it’s safe to say that Lucas is a
solid enough filmmaker that he pulls off the Pandemonium with much
more grace than we’re accustomed to seeing in summer pictures of this
sort. Yes, we’re dealing with a different George Lucas than the one
who made Star Wars back in 1977—that director had budgetary
restrictions imposed on him that really taxed his imagination. The
trash compactor  sequence in Episode IV, so basic it could easily be
duplicated by enterprising teenaged videomakers, holds more suspense
than any similar moment in Menace. ('90s Lucas is also the parent of a
preschooler, and therefore eager to please all ages.) Sometimes, less
is more. Why mince words? Less is always more. That’s also why a
simple breathing appartus used by Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan for an
underwater jaunt in Menace fascinates more than the complicated
machinery on display, because it's the kind of goofy prop one might
find in schlocky B-movie serials, one of Lucas’ obvious inspirations.

                                          The Final Word:

I’m tempted to say The Phantom Menace is uninspired, but it’s not. I’m
tempted to say it’s uninvolving, but it’s far from that. The movie is
burdened with having to lay the groundwork not only for two
hypothetical movies, but a completed series of beloved films, and the
best scenes in Menace (the Jedi Council conferences; Obi-Wan’s big
number) indicate that episodes two and three will be more stimulating
affairs. I’d have to say it’s a better picture than Return of the
Jedi, but falls into the same third-act trap of juxtaposing a terrific
swordfight with boring, slapstick scenes of combat.

Ultimately, I’d like to see The Phantom Menace again, because there is
so much to drink in. If I have some advice for Lucas it is this: for
the sequel (read: second prequel), write and write and write until
you’ve defined your characters, because (as any true fan will agree)
it was the rock-solid personalities of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker,
Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2—and the chemsitry between
them—that endeared the Star Wars trilogy to audiences, not nifty
production values.

                                           -May, 1999