Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999, PG)
Written and Directed by George Lucas
Starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Llyod, Frank Oz, Ray Park, and Ahmed Best
Cameo by Samuel L. Jackson
As Reviewed by James Brundage (MovieKritic2000)
Seeing as I've been turning in about two reviews a week for several weeks now, there is no possible way I could have been standing in line all this time. No, I was smart about the affair. I found the best sound systems in the theatres outside of the city and then reserved a ticket. Opening day, I was surprised to find that there were still seats available, but that is another story. No, I'm not a Star Wars fanatic, and no, I didn't make lightsaber noises when I was stick fighting as a kid, but I like the trilogy.
I've heard the hype by the people and I've heard the hype by the critics. Although I am not a Star Wars fanatic, I have had my own obsession about the movie that proves the 2nd Rule of the Critics Bible: Time, formerly measured in years, is now measured in movies. I mean who (besides the people CNN handpicked to say they didn't) didn't know that May 19, 1999 was the day?
I knew… that's for sure.
Let's face facts, Star Wars has always been an event. It was an event 22 years ago when it came out; it is an event today when it attempts to break $200 million in the first weekend by enforcing a very strict embargo on passes. Star Wars was an event in box office records, always has been and always will be. It was also always an event in special effects, which it is now only by bulk. It was also always a story. In the case of The Phantom Menace, however, the story is its weak point.
People have said that the weak point of George Lucas is that he has lost his touch directing. He hasn't. People have said that the weak point of George Lucas is that he can no longer think little. He can't, but that's not his mistake. His weak point in The Phantom Menace was threefold: he didn't hire someone to help him write the script, he didn't know when to stop with the Special Effects, and he didn't find a better coach for his actors.
I will tell you first, before I begin my ripping of the bad, that The Phantom Menace is by far the most fun I have had at the movies since The Matrix, and is a fine adventure film.
Taking the bad points down, the script for The Phantom Menace displays the bad dialogue that adventure films are infamous for. It isn't terrible, but its dialogue that gets on your nerves. Star Wars creates good characters, but The Phantom Menace seems to gain a few bad ones in the need for comic relief. A perfect example is Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), an annoying computer-generated creature that seems to serve no other purpose than to annoy adults. Good characters include the young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman), Obi Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), and Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson). Following my normal suit, I really love the central villain of the film, the already infamous Darth Maul (Ray Park). Yoda (Frank Oz) is the funny little guy he's always been. Another annoying tidbit about the script is that it is completely predictable.
The special effects are best described in a Freudian slip that I said on the way out: "The sloppy effects aren't as special as I expected them to be." The Phantom Menace represents a new era of film: one where the line between animation and live action is irrevocably blurred. One must remember that, in the field of special effects, blurred lines are exactly what we loathe. The animation is impressive in the fact that they were able to successfully incorporate as much as they did, but the special effects (which will, despite my vehement protests, win the 2000 Award for Best Special Effects) were highly inferior to the rather reserved and very innovative effects used in The Matrix.
As far as the actors go, I hated the kid. I am extraordinarily glad that he is not, to my knowledge, signed on for the next one. If I have to stand through one more forced "Yippee" being uttered from the little boys lips, I will boycott Star Wars movies. Ewan McGregor, normally an excellent actor, does a fine job of his physical acting but fails utterly in his attempts to control his voice. He seems not to be able to decide whether he wants a British accent, a Scottish accent, or an American accent. Natalie Portman pulls her weight and then some, but, as I compare her performance in 1994's Leon (known in America as The Professional) and her role in 1995's Heat, I can only think of an ironic comparison. Her transition between character-driven stories without lavish sets and huge special effects to the world of computer animation and eight-week dress designs is one of going to the dark side. Liam Neeson is a great Jedi Knight, and the only actor about which I have no problem.
To laud the film, I will say that I had a great amount of fun. The battle scenes are a treat for the eyes, the chase scenes something to be praised on their energy (they are high-octane while not using fossil fuels). Lucas does an excellent job of setting up the film for his next one. Despite what others may think, it resembles his other films only peripherally. It is neither Star Wars, nor Empire Strikes Back, nor Return of the Jedi. Nor is it a mixture of the three. It is, instead, a film of its own. However, unlike the trilogy, of which each film can stand on its own, The Phantom Menace relies on the support of the other three. They are a tripod that surrounds the movie.
The plot, to wrap up, is a very simple one. A planet is facing invasion and trade embargo. Two Jedi's are sent to negotiate, which sparks a conflict. Good and evil face of over the span of two hours, of which one hour is used to set up parts II and III. They enlist the help of aliens for impressive battle scenes and eventually, as always, good wins… with a shadow of evil in the wings waiting for the sequel. I still have no idea what the title means.
It's enjoyable. It is a landmark. It is Star Wars, and this is the year of The Phantom Menace. If you are going to see it, my review will mean nothing to you. If you're not, than my review does nothing either. The very few people who are up in the air, I am giving it my blessing, albeit somewhat reluctantly.