Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

The Phantom Menace was a film that had been planned since way back in the 70's, except that poor old Lucas wanted to take a break and spend some time with his family, awwe aint that nice? Noble intentions, to be sure, but it's hard for me not to believe that had he got round to releasing The Phantom Menace without 30 years of impossible expectations, it may have been better received.

The plot that fans had waited so long for is more of a remake of the first film, only even closer in the basic story to Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. It sees a Jedi Warrior, Qui Con Jinn, and his apprentice, a young Obi Wan Kinobi, being sent to arrange peace between 2 warring nations, but end up escorting the princess of the weaker planet over enemy lines, in order to take her home. It stalls a little in the middle when it attempts to explain the back story of the future Darth Vader as the peaceful Jedi attempts to free a young slave boy in a manor that is much harder than hacking away at the slave traders with his light saber, but then picks up again as they help the Queen reclaim her home planet.

However this time the acting manages to be good enough, most of the time, to be acceptable as a remake of a Kurosawa classic, though it never matches Kurosawa. As strange as this is to admit, Liam Neeson seems born to play a Jedi, having the same aura of nobility that is fitting for them. Ewan McGregor had the benefit of being excited to be in a Star Wars movie, making him overall better than Alec Guiness who despised being in the films. Natalie Portman does amazing as the Queen of Naboo, having the determined stare and sense of authority for a ruler, but still containing the vulnerability of an individual, and Ian McDiarmid returns as Senator Palpatine, better known as The Emperor, and gives another deliciously evil performance.

Visually the film is absolutely stellar. Digital effects that took film making to yet another peak, and some fierce imagination being prevalent in the locations. My favorite would have to be the sub aquatic city of the Gungans, a city composed of a number of interlinked spheres of energy honey combed together. This city, along with other locations such as the royal palace's of Naboo, holds a breathtaking visual style that grabs the attention.

These visuals have been carried through to another series of spectacularly choreographed action scenes. The battles on Naboo, and the light saber duels are amazing, particularly the 2 way duel between Darth Maul and the 2 Jedi's, which appeared like a graceful ballet of violence up on the screen. I was disappointed by the lack of a decent dog fight though, Anakin's destruction of the shield generator doesn't count, and the Pod Race is wholly overrated.

Still despite all of the pros that I give this film it remains imperfect. As I said, it lagged badly for a little while in the middle, but that wasn't the only fault. Jake Lloyd, who plays the young Anakin is impossibly cute, Lucas wanted to show how serious his fall was, but all he achieved was making me want to kill Anakin more than I ever did when he was evil. The villain Darth Maul, very cool bad guy with muchos presence, was terribly underused and as such had no personality. Despite less C3P0, and even when he's around he keeps it shut, there's this new guy named Jar Jar Binks, and while he's not as annoying as C3P0 was, he's still very bad. Finally there's some mumbo jumbo, semi science explanation to the force that just ruins the fantasy of it all.

This has been my entry into the Lean-N-Mean write-off.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD