Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Review
by John Carroll (flyers130 AT aol DOT com)October 14th, 1999
It could never live up to the hype. For over a decade, fans have been clamoring for the latest installment in the Star Wars saga, and they got it. Unfortunately, it never had a chance.
The Phantom Menace never stood a chance. There was too much hype. However, Star Wars fans should be pleased with the outlook of the other two prequels. If this were just an ordinary film, I would be giving it a lower grade. However, this is Star Wars and when you look at it from that context, it all makes sense.
To state the obvious, this film has the most up-to-date visuals in the special effects industry and it shows. Naboo is beautiful. The Senate Chamber on Coruscant is mind boggling. The Gungan City is ahead of its time. The visuals have set a new watermark for the industry and the only film in the future that looks like it can topple it is Episode 2.
After the visuals, some aspects of the film falter. But, there still are some bright spots. Natalie Portman gives a stubborn performance, but its fitting for what Lucas wanted to show for Queen Amidala. All things considered, Portman probably gave the best performance in the film. Many doubts were cast on Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker. He has a solid performance, but nothing extraordinary. The acting problem arises with Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor. Both of these men have extraordinary talents, but it seems Lucas never decided on whom should take the lead role in the film. It seems both characters never shine bright, they only cast light rays of hope. In the end, Qui-Gon dies and leaves McGregor with the task of leading the way in Episodes 2 and 3.
The dialogue is a bit dry at times, but is not all that bad. My real concern comes with Jar-Jar Binks and the Gungans. Jar-Jar, to put it simply, is the most annoying motion picture character I have encountered. The choice to give him a strange language is good, but if you lose your attention for one minute when he is speaking, you will be totally lost. The Gungans were not that bad. They play a huge role in the end of the film during the battle with the Droid Army, but the kiddy factor comes into play. If you watch closely, you will see the battlefield strewn with dead warriors. However, if you look at these bodies, ninety-five percent of them belong to the droids. Then, the Gungans retreat. It seems Lucas did not want to "upset" the children by killing off many Gungans. Of course, no kids will realize this aspect which tailors to children, but makes the scene totally unbelievable to the mature viewer, which most Star Wars fans are.
The last factor to consider is that this is Star Wars. This alone makes the film entertaining. John Williams’ score for the film is once again amazing and adds a whole new dimension to The Phantom Menace. It is a great feeling to see Darth Maul appear on the screen and then hear "Duel of the Fates" start blasting across the theatre. The lightsaber battles are tremendous. This is nothing like the first battle in A New Hope with Obi-Wan and Vader practically just standing around and hitting sabers. The lightsaber fights are well choreographed and Ray Park and McGregor show off their agility with perfection.
All in all, The Phantom Menace turns out to be an entertaining film. Star Wars has never been known for terrific acting or spicy dialogue. At best, it’s a little bit above average. But, it is still Star Wars and it is the first episode of a new trilogy. With work, the trilogy will progressively get better and we, the fans, will benefit the most.
Three Stars Out of Four Stars
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