$$$1/4
By Jason Rothman
It's been 16 years since Luke, Han, Leia and the gang boogied down in the woods with the Ewoks at the end of Return of the Jedi. Now, finally, George Lucas has given us the first of his long awaited prequels. Unfortunately, those of us who loved Star Wars as kids have grown-up. After 16 years, is it worth the wait? Not quite. Is it a bad movie? Certainly not. Could it have been better? Yes. Is it fun? Absolutely.
Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace begins the saga that ended with Return of the Jedi. (Unless you've been frozen in carbonite, you know the original trilogy was actually episodes IV, V, and VI.)
Right away the film lets us know we're in for the same brand of popcorn entertainment as the originals. We're treated to an adventure, spanning several exotic worlds, in which a small band of heroes join together to triumph over an evil foe. This one sticks to the formula. It's an exciting and fun space romp that children -- and inner children -- will enjoy.
As the story begins, two Jedi knights have been dispatched to the planet Naboo to help negotiate a trade dispute that's threatening to boil over into war. But almost immediately Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Nesson) and his young apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) have "a bad feeling about this." They're intercepted in the planet's orbit and must fight their way out of a trap set by the devious Trade Federation Viceroys. For the first time, we see a pair of true Jedi Knights in action and kicking ass. Watching these space age Samurai make their killer moves is a lot of fun. (With their fast and furious sword moves, their robes, their hair and even their vaguely Asian-sounding names, its obvious Lucas wants to draw a parallel between the Jedi and the ancient Japanese warriors.) The Jedi Knights' escape from the Federation ship gets the movie off to a good start.
The pair quickly get down to the planet's surface and we discover a world shared by two separate races. The human Naboo and the underwater dwelling Gungans. The latter live in a subterranean world that looks like something out of James Cameron's The Abyss. Lucas has given us a desert planet, an ice world, a swamp world and a Cloud City, so I guess he thought he was due for a water world? The entire Gungan race, meanwhile, is one big, enormously impressive, computer generated effect. The Gungan don't want to have much to do with the humans on the surface, so they don't offer much help. But they do provide one of their people, Jar Jar Binks, to guide the Jedi.
Having one of the film's main characters be entirely computer generated was a risk, but it mostly works. Jar Jar at least looks photo-real, though his movements are still a bit cartoonish. But the worst aspect of Jar Jar is not his technical appearance, it's his offensive speech pattern, which children are sure to imitate. Parents this summer will soon be scratching their heads, trying to figure out why their kids are going around talking like Stepin Fetchit. It's a bafflingly ignorant choice. The portrayal of the Trade Federation aliens, meanwhile, is sure to be seen by some as a slur against the Japanese.
Political Correctness aside, Jar Jar does provide an ample (sometimes annoying) dose of physical humor to what is easily the most humor-filled Star Wars film yet. One of the funnier bits involves a two-headed race track announcer who can provide both color and play-by-play at the same time. More on the race later.
On the surface of Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan come to the rescue of the teenage Queen Amidala (the illegally beautiful Natalie Portman, 17 at the time the film was made) and whisk the her away in her starship, but the craft is damaged in a skirmish with the Federation and they're forced to land for repairs on good ol' Tatooine. Once there, Qui-Gon has a chance meeting with precocious, Wesley Crusher-esque slave boy, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd). Qui-Gon quickly senses that the child may be the Chosen One who will "bring balance to the Force." The fact that Anakin is the product of an immaculate conception might have been Qui Gon's first clue.
Before you know it, Anakin is taking part in a pod race (think the chariot race from Ben-Hur) to win his freedom. The race itself is a great set piece -- even if the outcome is easily foreseen.
With Anakin in tow, the gang moves on to the city planet of Coruscant (think Fritz Lang's Metropolis gone mad) for a meeting with the Jedi council. Here we get the treat of seeing council member Samuel L. Jackson share a scene with Yoda. See that scene, you must.
Finally, the action shifts back to Naboo, for a Return of the Jedi-style finale. Four separate battle scenes are intercut as our heroes spread out to save the day. The highlight: a saber duel between the Jedi and a mysterious Sith lord, Darth Maul. The demonic-looking Maul talks softly and carries a duel-sided light saber. The acrobatic fight is the movie's best moment. The sequence, however, could have used some good back-and-forth dialogue between the players. Maul could have been a memorable villain, but he doesn't get much of a chance to be more than a glorified stunt man. But after all, he's just a phantom menace.
All this plot doesn't come together quite as easily as it should. Things are a little confusing and the editing is very choppy. At times it feels like the beginning and end of every scene was lopped off. The final battle sequence is also where the movie's inherent flaw rears its ugly head. The victory can't be cherished because we know, before long the bad guys will win out. Anakin is an adorable kid, but we know he's going to turn out to be Darth Vader.
There is some new information: the nature and mechanics of the Force is elaborated upon, but the details we're given only raise more questions. We also learn some things that seem to contradict what we know from episodes IV, V & VI, as if Lucas is changing the rules of the universe his fans know so well, or maybe he's just making it up as he goes along. The final scenes only hint at the developments to come in the next two installments. When he gets around to making those, let's hope Lucas brings in someone to help with the script the way Lawrence Kasden did for Episodes V & VI.
The special effects are a marvel to look at. The film is a stunning visual layer cake that will need several repeat viewings to truly appreciate. But the chemistry between the human elements is lacking. Not that the cast could not provide it, but Lucas' script doesn't give them a chance. No one in this film can manage to do what Harrison Ford did in the original -- rise above the material. All the actors here seem lost, as if they were given no direction at all. Neeson does the best job. McGregor isn't given much to do besides perfect his Alec Guiness impersonation; his talent is wasted. Portman is very gifted, but her performance here is erratic. I'll blame Lucas for that. (I also wondered why with all the impressive special effects, they couldn't give Neeson a better looking hairpiece.)
Without the human magic, The Phantom Menace can't come close to any of the original films. You'll leave the theater pleased, but die hard Star Wars fans who've been waiting for more than a decade and a half for this may feel less than fulfilled. Kids on the other hand will love it. The movie is aimed squarely at them, and they will enjoy it the most. And after all, isn't that how it should be?
(c) Copyright 1999