The Phantom Screenplay
Written: Apr 19 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It's STAR WARS, baby!
Cons: It's not quite the STAR WARS I remember.
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| seedspeed's Full Review: Star Wars Episode 1:The Phantom Menace 1999 |
It's easy to pick on STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE. Why? Because the first three STAR WARS films have become such a part of our modern mythology that each of us has some idea or opinion on what this movie should be like. The fact that 15 years passed between the release of RETURN OF THE JEDI and EPISODE I only makes things worse, as we've had all that time to speculate about how this saga began.
Well, now we know. It began sloooowly.
While I admit to taking a perverse pleasure in George Lucas' vision that the entire STAR WARS saga was set in motion by a trade dispute on a small planet on the far edge of the galaxy (isn't that how most conflicts begin - with some stupid move on some greedy nation's part that manages to escalate out of control?), it also means that the film is filled to the brim with scene after scene of expositional dialog explaining all the arcane political maneuvers that the characters must undertake. I don't think Lucas filled the first STAR WARS with this much expository dialog, and he had to set up the entire mythology in that film - the Force, the Rebellion... Wookies. Everything! But the difference between the first film and this latest effort is the fact that Lucas seems to have forgotten that he needs to SHOW us these things rather than tell us. The constant talk, talk, talk about blockades and treaties and embargoes only serves to make our eyes glaze over. And to be blunt, as a writer Lucas hasn't been blessed with the gift of creating stimulating dialog, so these scenes are particularly flat.
Another problem with EPISODE I in relation to the first three films is the fact that, except for the pod racing sequence and the final duel with Darth Maul, Lucas really skimps on the 'menace' promised in the title. No threat appears that isn't overcome within seconds. Literally! Seconds!
Two scenes spring to mind: Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Jar Jar's underwater trip through Naboo's core, and their escape with Queen Amidala after the droid invasion. Both of these scenes promise suspense, and then cop out by solving the problems instantly. While traveling through the planet's core, our heroes are threatened not once, but twice, by huge fish with big nasty teeth that want to eat them. And both times - BOTH TIMES - the problem instantly goes away when a bigger fish happens by and eats the fish that was menacing them. Our heroes do nothing to save themselves, and the threat is eliminated as quickly as it appeared. Then while escaping the planet in a spaceship, the craft's shields are knocked out, making them vulnerable to enemy fire... for about five seconds (literally - I'm not kidding!). R2D2 manages to immediately fix the problem and whoosh! they're on their merry way. Not a lot of time to let the suspense build. And when you think back to the Millennium Falcon's escape from Tatooine in the first film, with Han and Luke manning the laser cannons while Chewbacca piloted the ship... well, I think you'll agree that there's a very large difference between the two films.
One reason there's less suspense is the way the Jedi Knights are portrayed. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are lightsaber wielding stud-monkeys right from the get-go - calmly and confidently dispatching dozens of battle droids without so much as breaking a sweat. In the first three films our hero was Luke Skywalker, who started as a naive young man, progressed to a Jedi-in-training, and only became a full-fledged, no-kiddin' Jedi Knight at the close of the third film. Which meant that any battle he was in held some risk. Not so in EPISODE I. We feel no threat to these Jedi until Darth Maul shows up at the end. The character of Luke had to grow, to learn how to defeat the Dark Side. Because Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are already experienced, their conflicts and battles carry less risk, and as a result, less drama.
Now let's talk about Jar Jar Binks, shall we? It seems that the character of Jar Jar really divides people into two camps - people who hate him, and people who despise him. Where do I stand? Well, let me put it this way - I don't personally find Jar Jar any more or less annoying than I found C-3PO in the first trilogy. They're both designed to be the comic relief, and neither of them is particularly funny. So in my mind, they're basically the same character. I don't hate 'em, but I don't particularly like 'em, either. Is Jar Jar annoying? Yes. Does he ruin the film for me? No. Am I looking forward to having Jar Jar and C-3PO side by side and bantering in EPISODE 2? Oh Lord, no!
I'd talk about the acting, but criticizing the acting in a STAR WARS movie hardly seems fair, given the type of dialog the actors are given to work with. I'll say this - Liam Neeson has all the presence that I would expect a Jedi to have... Ewan McGregor does a pretty entertaining Alec Guiness impression... and Jake Lloyd really makes you appreciate what a good performance Haley Joel Osment gave in THE SIXTH SENSE.
Reading this review, you probably have the impression that I hated EPISODE I. But that's not true. While I think it is terribly lacking in a lot of respects, I have to admit that I enjoyed it on some levels. It's like watching a documentary about the Civil War, and learning obscure facts about Lincoln, or Grant, or Lee. You learn more about these mythic figures, and how they came to be the men they were. In a way, EPISODE I carries the same appeal - it's like watching a History Channel version of STAR WARS. Look! There's Darth Vader as an irritating, round-headed kid! Look, there's Queen Amidala, Luke and Leia's mother! Look, there's Obi-Wan before he needed Depends! I think that most of us who grew up with STAR WARS as an important part of our mythology can't help but enjoy this film on some level. But I also think that we'll never enjoy it - or the next two films in this latest trilogy - nearly as much as the first three films, no matter what their quality.
You see, this isn't our STAR WARS. It's a STAR WARS for a new generation. George Lucas is a smart man, a man with unparalleled marketing savvy. He knows that he's trying to hook an audience with this film that is young enough to grow with the upcoming films in the trilogy. The audience should age right along with Annakin - first as a child, then an adolescent, and finally a young man. I mean really, do you think a film in which characters actually say 'Yippee!' and 'Whoopie!' repeatedly was made for the same audience that saw STAR WARS back in 1977? Of course not. EPISODE I was made for those peoples' children.
So watch it, enjoy it, roll your eyes at it, yawn at it, and ultimately realize that those of us who grew up with the first trilogy will have those films to cherish, while our children will have this new trilogy to call their own.
Yippee!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
seedspeed
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Location: Oceanside, CA
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 3 members
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