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

reviewed by
Christopher Meadows


STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE

A film review by Christopher E. Meadows Copyright 1999 Christopher E. Meadows

MPAA: PG (sci-fi action/violence)

Written and Directed by George Lucas Produced by George Lucas (Executive) and Rick McCallum

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, etc

Review Rating: 8 out of 10.

(The first part of this review will be spoiler-free; if you haven't yet seen the movie, feel free to read it. There will be a spoiler warning and pagebreak at the end of the safe zone.)

Long live _Star Wars_!

I have only vague recollections of seeing _Star Wars_ when it first came out. I was only four years old at the time, and all I remember is that I found the Jawas really scary.

Articles and even books can be and have been written on what _Star Wars_ was and is and did for our culture. On the face of it, it's such a simple thing--it took elements from mythoi as old as humanity itself and blended them together into an epic saga. Critics have attacked it for this very simplicity, calling it a predigested mishmash of old stories that are much better in their original form . . . and yet, are not _all_ stories taken from earlier inspirations?

Regardless of what one thinks of the trilogy now, or what Lucas has done with it since, there can be no denying that when the original _Star Wars_ movie came out, it burst like a bombshell into young minds, and fired the imaginations of a generation. Who in his late twenties or early thirties now can hear that opening fanfare, see those famous words in blue appear on the screen, and not still feel that stirring deep inside? All right, I'll grant that some of you might, but I'll bet you're in the minority.

Now, George Lucas is hoping to pull it off again for the youth of today's generation. Can he? Well . . . I doubt it. Not for lack of trying on his part--_Phantom Menace_ is a spectacular movie, and if you were to transpose it chronologically into the place of the original _Star Wars_, I have little doubt that audiences would respond just as well. But the atmosphere is different now.

In 1977, _Star Wars_ signalled the end of what had been a ten or twenty year drought in big science fiction movies, and did it in a rather eye-popping way. There hadn't been a story quite like _Star Wars_ in a very long time--or ever, by some definitions. Not only was it science fiction, it was a science fiction _action_ movie; a movie that didn't just invent new worlds and technologies but _took them for granted_. While the audience is oohing and ahhing appreciatively at the Millenium Falcon, Luke says, "What a piece of junk!" It spawned a variety of imitators . . . even to this very day. And there's the problem.

Sadly, if you show a kid of today the original _Star Wars_ trilogy, or even the _Star Wars Special Edition_, the odds are good he'll shrug and reply, "So?" and perhaps even make disparaging remarks about the films' special effects. The eighties and nineties have been, by and large, the biggest decades for cinematic science fiction since the horror movie era. Perhaps even bigger. Searching on "Genre: Sci-Fi" in the Internet Movie Database shows, at the time of this review's writing, 2,404 titles, and at a glance, most of these titles seem to be post-1977. Not having grown up in those days of little-SF-then- Star Wars, they simply don't see it as anything special. Unless they're _big_ science fiction fans, no matter how much they might like it, it's "just another science fiction movie." And so, I suspect, might _The Phantom Menace_ also be.

I couldn't help but be amused by the contrast in opinions between a co-worker of mine and a person I happened to be standing next to in the movie line today. My co-worker was saying that _Star Wars_ should be for kids, and was complaining about all the adults who were snapping up tickets. This moviegoer, on the other hand, was saying that the first showing should be just for people who were old enough to see the original, and that anyone younger than that shouldn't be allowed in. Both of these people were being at least reasonably facetious in their opinions, of course, but it struck me as amusing and at the same time poignant--this new movie, _The Phantom Menace_, might have been _meant_ for the youth of today . . . but I suspect that, in large part, only those people who grew up on the original _Star Wars_ will truly appreciate it. George Lucas might have made it for the physically-young, but it will let those of us who are older relive our youth again--if only for a glorious two hours and fifteen minutes.

And now we come to the movie itself. A comment posted to the Slashdot news-for-nerds website pretty effectively sums it up--"as good as we'd expected, but not as good as we'd hoped." The movie had action, adventure, special effects, and science-fiction settings in plenitude, and yet somehow it didn't quite manage to live up to the hype. This should come as no surprise; it is doubtful that even the original Star Wars could have lived up to this degree of hype, much less The Phantom Menace.

But the big question is, is it worth the money? If you ever liked any _Star Wars_ at all . . . undeniably. If not . . . well, it's still a fairly good SF/action flick.

If you have not yet seen the movie and wish to remain unspoiled, read no further. Mark this post unread, save it to a file and come back to it later, or otherwise wait for it. Don't spoil yourself. If you read further, on your own head be it.

Like former _Star Wars_ films, _The Phantom Menace_ is action-packed from the very beginning. It starts with the two Jedi, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, arriving at a Trade Federation battleship to negotiate for the end of the trade blockade on Naboo. The Trade Federation representatives, under instruction from a shadowy cloaked figure we know and love from the later movies, try to kill them, and fail. They escape to Naboo, meet a friendly (albeit overcutified) alien, Jar Jar Binks, and go on to find a way through the "planet core" to the human Naboo settlement to warn them of an impending invasion. They arrive too late, however, and the rest of the film revolves around their quest to get Queen Amidala of the Naboo to Coruscant to plead for her people before the Senate, then to return to the planet to save it.

Along the way, they pick up young Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine, who proceeds to save the day several times (which is sure to infuriate those people who dislike Wesley Crusher and his ilk). We also meet such worthies as R2-D2 (who saves the day once or twice himself) and the "naked" C-3PO (who was put together by super-prodigy Anakin to help his mother around the house), and of course Senator Palpatine, Naboo's senator, who uses the crisis on Naboo to become the Senate's new High Chancellor and, as those of us who've seen _Star Wars_ IV-VI already know, is also the mysterious figure in the cloak; he turns out to be a Sith Lord to boot.

"Always there are two," Yoda says, "no more, no less. A master and his apprentice." The shadowy master (whom we know to be Palpatine), dispatches Darth Maul, his apprentice, to find and deal with the Jedi and the Naboo Queen. And deal he does, though he barely has five minutes of screen time and most of that is the climactic lightsaber duel with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. In the end, though there are sacrifices made, the Trade Federation is defeated, and peace and goodness reign once more . . . though as we older fans know, this will not last for very long. In fact, it is fairly easy to tell that _Phantom Menace_ is meant primarily as build-up, a prelude to the second movie that will, like _The Empire Strikes Back_, tell a darker story.

Where to begin? The movie was very much a _Star Wars_ film. There was a new world, Naboo, an older world we'd not yet visited directly, Coruscant, and an old familiar place which will, I suspect, pass into and out of the _Star Wars_ limelight a number of times in this trilogy as well as the next--that being Tatooine. There were new races, new monsters ("There's always a bigger fish"), new characters, and new ships. The technical aspects of the film were, by and large, flawless. If the story and the acting fell a little flat . . . well, these things can be forgiven.

It was good to see _familiar_ places and races and people again, too, to see how the Jedi lived in their heyday. A number of questions were answered, and others posed. As a friend put it, "The sourcebook [for the _Star Wars_ roleplaying game] for this one is going to be amazing." It's hard to say just when it really hit me--this _is_ a _Star Wars_ film. When you fully realize that, when you feel it deep inside of you . . . you just sit back and enjoy the ride.

The fight choreography was stunning. From the very beginning, when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan mow through combat droids as though smashing pinatas, it's apparent. They move with a grace and skill that is almost poetry in motion, and makes quite a contrast to the later trilogy.

There are, of course, a few things that are odd or don't make sense, but that's to be expected. A small sampler: are we supposed to believe that the Jedi actually journeyed through the center of the planet? And the sacred place of an underwater-dwelling people is above ground? How can Obi-Wan's master be Qui-Gon when he's said in the latter trilogy that it was Yoda? Then there's the fact that Jedi abilities apparently come from the equivalent of mitochondria . . . who are also, if you can believe it, Anakin's "father." And Jabba the Hutt seems a lot _bigger_ than "young Jabba" is in _A New Hope Special Edition_ . . . though perhaps this is meant to be Jabba Senior.

And a couple of things are slightly annoying, not the least of which is super-genius-cum-Chosen-One, Anakin Skywalker. I'm not a Wesley-hater by any means, but I still find it a bit hard to swallow that this pre-adolescent boy could do all these things--make C-3PO, win the pod race, singlehandedly destroy the Federation ship controlling the droid army . . . it's kid wish-fulfillment. There's nothing wrong with that by itself, but this is laying it on just a wee bit thick for my tastes. Jar Jar Binks was a bit tiresome after a while, too, but not to an onerous extent. Oh, well. Chalk it up to incipient Ewok syndrome.

Also annoying is that after all the buildup, all the "Join the Dark Side" T-shirts and caps with his face plastered all over them, the Darth Maul pocketwatches that say "At last we will have our revenge" when you open them . . . Darth Maul only has about five minutes of screen time, and most of that is lightsaber dueling. It would have been nice to see more of him, to make him more of a menacing character the way Darth Vader was, rather than a one-off throwaway. Oh, well . . . he wasn't meant to be the true villain of the piece at any rate. Perhaps we'll see more menace in Episode Two.

As for the acting, Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor were the stars of the piece, and they both seemed to handle their roles quite well. Ian McDiarmid also shone as the diabolical Senator-then-Chancellor Palpatine; it was interesting to see him sans makeup for a change. I completely didn't recognize him until I heard him called by name. If Jake Lloyd was a bit wooden in his acting, it is forgiveable; children often lack the experience they need to make their portrayals seem more real, and at any rate, he acted better than some adults I've seen. The same could be said for Natalie Portman.

The special effects were top notch. It was easy to forget that Jar Jar Binks's head, as well as those of the rest of his race, was completely computer-generated. It all seemed so _real_. _Star Wars_ has finally moved beyond the realm of rubbery alien masks into completely lifelike CGI alien faces . . . and it's about time. The monsters in the "planet core" were also wonderfully done.

The score is very interesting for the themes Williams chose to reuse (or foreshadow). You can hear hints of the later Imperial March in "Anakin's Theme," especially toward the end, and at a couple of points in the movie the distinctive wistful horn solo associated with Luke Skywalker in Episode IV makes its appearance. "Duel of the Fates," _Phantom Menace_'s signature theme (which is receiving airplay even on pop music stations, oddly enough), seems to have been inspired by the piece "O Fortuna" from "Carmina Burana". There is also, of course, the de rigeur "alien band"--"Augie's Great Municipal Band," which performs just before the end credits.

In conclusion, _Star Wars_ Episode One: The Phantom Menace_ is not a _great_ film . . . but then, the original trilogy plus the uncontrolled _Phantom Menace_ hype are nearly impossible to live up to. But it _is_ a _Star Wars_ film to the hilt. The atmosphere, the effects, the _feeling_ is there. It's hard to explain, but for a brief two hours and fifteen minutes, it's like being a kid again, seeing the Trilogy for the first magical time. For a _Star Wars_ fan, no amount of wooden acting or mediocre writing can sour that (as the past amply demonstrates--consider _Return of the Jedi_). If you're a fan, this is a must-see . . . but then, you probably already know that. If you're a _Star Wars_ agnostic or, Force forbid, have never seen a _Star Wars_ film in your life, it will still be an entertaining ride. If you never really cared for "those _Star Wars_ films," well, be advised that this is another one.

Review Rating: 8 out of 10.

[This review is copyright 1999 by Christopher E. Meadows. Permission granted for Usenet distribution and associated archival, including the Internet Movie Database, but other distribution rights reserved to the author.] -- Chris Meadows aka | Co-moderator, rec.toys.transformers.moderated Robotech_Master | Homepage: http://www.eyrie.org/~robotech/> robotech@eyrie.org | PGP: http://www.eyrie.org/~robotech/rm.key.txt> robotech@jurai.net | ICQ UIN: 5477383


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