Subject: Review: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

From: [email-masked] (John Carroll)
Date: 14 Oct 1999 05:02:29 GMT

It could never live up to the hype. For over a decade, fans have been clamoring
for the latest installment in the Star Wars saga, and they got it.
Unfortunately, it never had a chance. 

The Phantom Menace never stood a chance. There was too much hype. However, Star
Wars fans should be pleased with the outlook of the other two prequels. If this
were just an ordinary film, I would be giving it a lower grade. However, this
is Star Wars and when you look at it from that context, it all makes sense.

To state the obvious, this film has the most up-to-date visuals in the special
effects industry and it shows. Naboo is beautiful. The Senate Chamber on
Coruscant is mind boggling. The Gungan City is ahead of its time. The visuals
have set a new watermark for the industry and the only film in the future that
looks like it can topple it is Episode 2. 

After the visuals, some aspects of the film falter. But, there still are some
bright spots. Natalie Portman gives a stubborn performance, but its fitting for
what Lucas wanted to show for Queen Amidala. All things considered, Portman
probably gave the best performance in the film. Many doubts were cast on Jake
Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker. He has a solid performance, but nothing
extraordinary. The acting problem arises with Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor.
Both of these men have extraordinary talents, but it seems Lucas never decided
on whom should take the lead role in the film. It seems both characters never
shine bright, they only cast light rays of hope. In the end, Qui-Gon dies and
leaves McGregor with the task of leading the way in Episodes 2 and 3. 

The dialogue is a bit dry at times, but is not all that bad. My real concern
comes with Jar-Jar Binks and the Gungans. Jar-Jar, to put it simply, is the
most annoying motion picture character I have encountered. The choice to give
him a strange language is good, but if you lose your attention for one minute
when he is speaking, you will be totally lost. The Gungans were not that bad.
They play a huge role in the end of the film during the battle with the Droid
Army, but the kiddy factor comes into play. If you watch closely, you will see
the battlefield strewn with dead warriors. However, if you look at these
bodies, ninety-five percent of them belong to the droids. Then, the Gungans
retreat. It seems Lucas did not want to "upset" the children by killing off
many Gungans. Of course, no kids will realize this aspect which tailors to
children, but makes the scene totally unbelievable to the mature viewer, which
most Star Wars fans are.

The last factor to consider is that this is Star Wars. This alone makes the
film entertaining. John Williams’ score for the film is once again amazing and
adds a whole new dimension to The Phantom Menace. It is a great feeling to see
Darth Maul appear on the screen and then hear "Duel of the Fates" start
blasting across the theatre. The lightsaber battles are tremendous. This is
nothing like the first battle in A New Hope with Obi-Wan and Vader practically
just standing around and hitting sabers. The lightsaber fights are well
choreographed and Ray Park and McGregor show off their agility with perfection.

All in all, The Phantom Menace turns out to be an entertaining film. Star Wars
has never been known for terrific acting or spicy dialogue. At best, it’s a
little bit above average. But, it is still Star Wars and it is the first
episode of a new trilogy. With work, the trilogy will progressively get better
and we, the fans, will benefit the most.

Three Stars Out of Four Stars
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