`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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