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

From: Christopher Null <[email-masked]>
Date: 13 May 1999 06:03:06 GMT

STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE
                    A film review by Christopher Null
                     Copyright 1999 Christopher Null
                             filmcritic.com

     [I promised no spoilers and I mean it. -CN]

     Break out the R2-D2 costume, the Yoda puppet, and Jabba the Hutt:
STAR WARS is back, with EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE.

     If this were any other movie, it would have had the most horrible,
over-long, dumb-sounding title in history.  If this were any other
movie, I'd have been laughing at all the wrong places.  If this were any
other movie... well, this *isn't* any other movie, is it?  Far from it. 
The most anticipated movie, some say, since GONE WITH THE WIND, and when
a screen of blue text reading "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far
away..." gets enormous applause, that's hard not to believe.

     Let's cut to the chase.  EPISODE I is a worthy entry into the Lucas
oeuvre, but die-hard fans of the series are bound to be disappointed,
mainly because, plot-wise, the episode is largely recycled from the
original STAR WARS and RETURN OF THE JEDI.

     EPISODE I is at its most thrilling when it's doing something
completely new (and nobody's talking).  In this case, it's the
much-vaunted "pod race," where a young Anakin Skywalker (Lloyd, destined
to become Darth Vader in an episode or two) shows off his uncanny
agility, cunning, and precognition.  The pod race lasts maybe seven
minutes, and it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

     Lucas has really outdone himself when it comes to integrating
computer imagery with reality.  Screw JURASSIC PARK: This stuff looks
real.  I had originally thought the skinny droids from the commercials
looked a bit fake.  Not so on the big screen.  Finally someone has
crossed the line where reality and fantasy are indistinguishable.

     Sadly, there's not as much luck with the Gungan, the race of
amphibioid creatures which our heroes (Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi
(Neeson and McGregor, respectively)) band with to save the planet of
Queen Amidala (Portman).  The Gungan, personified in the Chewy-esque,
floppy-eared Jar Jar Binks is not the best-animated digital persona I've
ever seen.  And he speaks a pidgin English that becomes bothersome after
five minutes, incomprehensible after ten.

     And let's not forget that Lucas's last film was JEDI, a good movie
when it came out in 1983, but hardly the best of the series. 
Apparently, 16 years haven't resulted in many new ideas:  The climactic
end of EPISODE I features (no surprise this one) intercutting among a
space battle, an all-out land war, and a light-saber duel.  Sound
familiar?  Well, that's the way all these movies have ended, more or
less.  And frankly, it's getting a bit predictable and tiresome.  I
won't tell you whether good or evil wins this time out.

     My disappointment with the ending notwithstanding, EPISODE I is a
heart-thumper of a film.  It really gets the blood going, and, for all
its cliches, my soul was with the good guys here.  Yes, I'm ready for
EPISODE II, as watching young Skywalker become corrupted by the dark
side has got to be one hell of a story.  Again, it's a cliché, but that
Good vs. Evil thing gets me every time.

     No, it's already been said that THE PHANTOM MENACE is not a "Great
Film."  It's an event movie.  One made to be enjoyed on a visceral
level, not something that you watch for its witty dialogue (think Mark
Hamill).

     In the end, you'll have to decide how you're going to watch the
movie.  A piece of advice:  Use the Force.

RATING:  ****

|------------------------------|
 \ ***** Perfection             \
  \ **** Good, memorable film    \
   \ *** Average, hits and misses \
    \ ** Sub-par on many levels    \
     \ * Unquestionably awful       \
      |------------------------------|

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Director: George Lucas
Producer: Rick McCallum
Writer: George Lucas
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd

http://www.starwars.com

Christopher Null - [email-masked] - http://www.filmcritic.com - Buy my
book!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0078825881/filmcriticcom/002-2549101-0837427