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

Starring - Liam Neeson; Ewan McGregor; Natalie Portman; Jake Lloyd & Pernilla August Director - George Lucas MPAA - Rated PG for sci-fi action/violence. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... I have to admit that when those words appeared on the screen, my heart skipped a beat, even if only ever so slightly. By the time the opening setup credits had finished, I was all set for a good time. After seeing Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, I was left wondering if I had seen the same movie that many film critics had seemingly taken great delight in eviscerating in the weeks leading up to its release. I certainly didn't experience the colossal disappointment that many a critic were predicting that fans would suffer. Nor did it appear as though anyone else in the sold-out theater where I saw The Phantom Menace was overly underwhelmed; at least, not judging by the applause that erupted when the film's end credits started to roll. Although, I suppose that could have been from just being relieved that the worst 2 hours of their lives was now over. Call me crazy, but I don't think so. Let me set the record straight on some of the more prominent criticisms of this film. 1) That director George Lucas went a little crazy on the computer generated aspects of the film. To be honest, the CGI was so subtle that I hardly noticed most of it. Since 95% of the scenes were in some way digitally enhanced, you would expect that it might get a little overwhelming. Much of it involved scenes where some element of the background had been enhanced in some small way. As for the big scenes such as the dramatic battle between the Gungans and legions of battle droids, the digital effects were so well done that I didn't even notice that everything on screen was CGI. Criticism number 2 -- that the story was seriously lacking. Admittedly The Phantom Menace is a setup for the next two films. But the way in which Lucas sets up these cliffhangers that will be resolved in the next films is brilliant. There are also more than a few winks and nudges directed to those who are diehard fans of the movie. 3) The computer generated character of Jar Jar Binks is really annoying. At first he kind of is a bit, but I found that he grew on me as the movie progressed. He also had some of the funniest lines in the film, provided you could understand them. Of my complaints that is the biggest. Jar Jar's whole race spoke in a backwards dialect that had its funny moments, but in most cases you really had to work to make out what they were saying. 4) Jake Lloyd, who plays young Anakin Skywalker, can't act. There are a few brief moments in the film where it is painfully obvious why Lloyd has gained the nickname of Mannequin Skywalker among some. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't half bad in most of the movie; which is a credit to Lucas for keeping Lloyd's dramatic scenes to a bare minimum. But I certainly won't miss Lloyd in the next film. To be quite frank, I found most criticism directed toward this film was blown way out of proportion. I guess that is in keeping with everything surrounding The Phantom Menace. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, for those of you who are just emerging from your caves, is the first in a trilogy of prequels to the original Star Wars saga. This trilogy concerns how young Anakin Skywalker eventually grew up to be the evil Darth Vader (the father of Star Wars' Luke and Leia). The Phantom Menace begins with a trade dispute between the Trade Federation and the planet of Naboo. The Trade Federation sets up a blockade of Naboo to force them into submission. The Galactic Republic dispatches two Jedi knights, Qui-Gon Jin (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), to try to settle the dispute. Once there, the two Jedis realize that there is something more sinister going on that just a trade dispute. The mysterious Darth Sidious (even more mysteriously uncredited) is secretly pulling the strings of the Trade Federation armies encircling Naboo. He orders his men to commence the capture of the peaceful planet. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan manage to rescue the ruler of Naboo, Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman), from the clutches of the Trade Federation's army, and whisk her off to the planet of Coruscant where she can plead her planet's case before the ruling Republic's Senate. On their way, their ship experiences engine trouble and they have to land on the desert world on Tatooine for repairs. There, Qui-Gon and Amidala meet a young boy named Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) who seems to have a great connection with the Force. The rest of the film is more of less the Jedi's and Amidala's attempts to free her planet. Much of The Phantom Menace is a setup for Episodes II and III. A good portion of the movie is spent introducing the characters and their forthcoming intertwining relationships which we all know will eventually happen. At least those of us who have seen the first three films know what is going to eventually happen. Episode I gives us a sneak peak of sorts into what we know these characters are to become. For instance, we get the first hints of the romance that is to blossom between the Anakin and Amidala (Luke and Leia's parents). We also start to see the rise to power of the Senator from Naboo named Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) who would later become Darth Vader's master, Emperor Palpatine. We also have the first indications from the Jedi council, headed by Yoda (Frank Oz) and Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) that while Anakin may be strong with the Force, his future might be less than rosy. All of this, and other subtle hints, will be to the great delight of Star Wars fans. Those who have never seen the original trilogy or, haven't seen it in a while, may miss out on some of the more subtle comments and hints. Lucas seems to have made The Phantom Menace as a teaser of sorts for what is to come, and in that respect he has done it brilliantly. The hints and anticipation about what is to come has left me wishing that I didn't have to wait three more years to see the next chapter. Aside from the setup for Episodes II and III, The Phantom Menace does stand up on its own. The plot may be a bit light in places, but I certainly never noticed. I was so caught up in the spectacle of it all. Visually, The Phantom Menace is one breathtaking movie. The computer technology available today has allowed Lucas' technical wizards to create whatever magical worlds that Lucas can dream up. Particularly staggering were the capital city on Naboo which featured grand waterfalls and ornate architecture. The underwater sequences involving Jar Jar Binks' totally submersed home are as stunning as anything you are ever likely to see on film. And of course, the final battle involving the thousands of battle droids is something that never could have been created without the use of computers. As for the acting; I've already said my piece on Jake Lloyd. Liam Neeson displays the same abundant talent in this film as he did in Schindler's List. He, along with Natalie Portman, is the heart of the movie. Portman is incredible as the young Queen with the weight of an entire planet on her shoulders. I feel obligated to note that when you take away the Queen's strange outfits and even stranger makeup, Natalie Portman is absolutely stunning. I realize that she was cast for her enormous talent as much as anything else, but her classic beauty made me think that she was born to play a queen. I was a bit disappointed that Ewan McGregor and Samuel J. Jackson didn't have bigger roles in this film. I was especially shocked at how little screen time McGregor got. But both be and Jackson gave great performances in their roles. I also would have liked to see a bit more of Darth Maul (Ray Park) who was other character that fit into the under used category. The cast as a whole was an amazing one especially considering most of them were acting with blue screens and not real actors at any given time. And even those that weren't quite what they should have been (anyone who sees the film will know who they are) didn't detract from the movie. In fact, very little detracted from the movie; and if something did, you could be sure that some other nifty thing would come along to take your mind off any little bumps in the road. George Lucas threw enough small touches and tiny details in to make up for any deficiencies that may have arisen. Sure there were things that probably could have been done differently. I've never seen a perfect movie yet, so I didn't expect this one to be flawless either. Lucas has made a fun little movie that all ages will be able to enjoy. It may not be quite as good as Star Wars, but it certainly stands up well to The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. I only had one major complaint as I walked out of this film -- that I have to wait 3 more years to see the next one. That's the sort of complaint I wish I had with every film. 10/10 - Well worth the 16 year wait. Reviewed May 19, 1999 by Joe Chamberlain