BrianKoller's Full Review: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
The media hype and expectations for "Phantom
Menace" were enormous. Upon release, there
was something of a letdown: opening weekend
crowds weren't enormous, the film itself wasn't
quite satisfying, some folks found the Jar Jar
character annoying, and there was even talk of
racism.
The game of "match the alien with the accent"
proved irresistible, with the general conclusion
that the despicable trade federation villains
have obvious Chinese accents. Even the good-guy
Gungans were said to be racist, although Jar Jar
reminds me mostly of Roger Rabbit. The Gungan
potentate sounds like an American Indian to me,
while the hook-nosed, beer-bellied, bald-headed
flying merchant/gambler sounds like Don Corleone.
It is fun playing "find the negative stereotype",
but it may reveal more about our societal need
to find familiar patterns than any hidden meaning
that probably isn't present.
Well, on to the film itself. Like the original
trilogy, there's plenty of action and special effects,
light saber duels, and a theme of good versus evil.
The target audience seems younger: Jar Jar appeals
most strongly to children, while two of the major
heroes are children themselves. Natalie Portman
acquits herself admirably as the Queen and one or
more of her hand maidens (Do they help dress her?
What do hand maidens do, anyway?) Jake Lloyd is
adorable as Anakin Skywalker, future Darth Vader,
but here presented as a tyke about eight years old.
Lloyd is not much of an actor, however, and his
skill as a mechanic and pilot without even an older
mentor doesn't seem credible.
The story has Jedi knights Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson)
and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) on a mission to
rescue the Naboobs (or whatever) from a host of baddies
that include the evil emperor, his protege Darth
Maul (Ray Park), the despicable, Chinese-accented
Viceroy, and a robot army that fortunately are poor
fighters. Darth Maul looks like future WCW wrestling
star Hot Pepper, while Neeson looks like he'd rather
be starring in "Schindler's List II". The Naboobs
are led by Queen Amidala (Portman), who peacefully
share their planet with the loose-limbed Gungans.
"The Phantom Menace" does not approach the quality
of the original trilogy, but is still a good movie.
The special effects and action scenes are entertaining
and impressive. The characters aren't nearly as
compelling, but face it: Jar Jar isn't so bad.
At least he has emotions, something that most of
his adult friends seem to be lacking. (67/100)
In Episode I, Luke Skywalker s father is just a hopeful 9-year-old boy named Anakin (Jake Lloyd), who knows nothing of his eventual fate as a Dark Lor...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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