Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Ray Park, Anthony Daniels, Keira Knightley, Terence Stamp
Directed by: George Lucas
Rating: PG
Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
1999

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Won Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) investigate the Trade Federation's attempts to take over the world of Naboo. They team with Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and the young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) to stop the Trade Federation and bring peace to the galaxy.

Review:

Tim: Has any film ever been more hyped or more anticipated than this film, coming 16 years after the last? I don't believe so. This movie's release was met with higher expectations than perhaps any film in the history of movies. With such ridiculous expectations, this movie had to be a disappointment, right? I would have guessed that it would have difficulty living up to the fanboys' expectations, but not like this... not like this. George Lucas gives us a wholly and completely disappointing movie. The original Star Wars trilogy is a landmark in the history of cinema. This first origin film nearly unravels all of that goodwill. This movie isn't just a disappointment, it is a bad movie.

How could George Lucas have fallen so far? Well, he started with a convoluted, boring plot that was hard to follow and even harder to enjoy. He then gave us one of the greatest sins in the history of cinema, Jar-Jar Binks. Besides seeming incredibly racist, Binks is perhaps the most annoying and hated character ever created. Every second of his screen time grinds the movie to a halt, causing me to roll my eyes and take me out of the story. I absolutely loathed Binks, as did millions of moviegoers. Lucas should be slapped for such an awful creation. As if this wasn't enough, Lucas the writer gives us some of the worst, most stiff dialogue I've ever heard. Very often, I couldn't believe my ears as the cast utters awful, awful dialogue. This all adds up to a disaster.

Luckily, there are a few bright spots that save this movie from being completely worthless. I very much liked the casting of Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn. I desperately wish we got more time with this character, because I truly liked him. I also really liked the inspired casting of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Won Kenobi. I can't think of a better actor for this role. Continuing the strengths, the character of Darth Maul was fantastic. Ray Park was the right casting choice here, and the double lightsabre duel between Maul, Jinn, and Kenobi is a stunning scene. This battle reminded me why I was so excited about this movie in the first place. It was the best part of this otherwise disappointing movie.

Besides the many, many flaws I have already outlined, another major issue is that the origin story of Star Wars is just not that exciting. Yes, we all want to see the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, but young Annie (are you kidding me? Darth Vader is Annie...) just doesn't do it. I suppose Jake Lloyd was decent in the role, but it isn't fun to watch one of the greatest screen villains of all time as a young boy yelling "Yippie!" This wasn't handled well. Yes, we expect the force to be strong in the young Anakin, but we have to suspend so much disbelief as we watch him pod race and single handedly destroy the trade ship to save the day (by accident). Are you kidding me? Is this the best George Lucas could do?

I could go on and on about the hundreds of flaws and the few strengths, but really, what would be the point? Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace needed to be nearly flawless to begin to live up to expectations. It doesn't live up to them, instead ushering in new levels of disappointment to movie audiences. This film was very often awful, and it is so bad, in fact, that it actually begins to taint the aura of the original trilogy. Lucas did do one important thing with this movie- he effectively lowered expectations so vastly that the remaining two films in this prequel trilogy had no where to go but up.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith