kiersten's Full Review: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace is oddly well-titled. While it's deeply flawed, I wasn't disappointed--it met my expectations, though it certainly didn't surpass them. Director George Lucas understands better than any other American filmmaker (as Stephen Spielberg used to) that audiences want to see something they've never seen before, that wouldn't be the same in any other medium. On that point, The Phantom Menace delivers. The "menace" mentioned in the title, however,seems to refer both to the plot, and to some of the unfortunate trends promulgated by the movie.
Lucas's universe has always been a spectacular place, filled with cowboys and princesses and trolls, all of them dashing around strange and wondrous backdrops. The same is true of The Phantom Menace, with the towering waterfalls of Naboo, Queen Amidala's fantastic and elaborate costumes, and the menacing face paint of Darth Maul. The confusing plot, involving taxation and shipping and parliamentary rules, hardly matters, because we know that sooner or later the music's going to swell and a battle will take place, filled with monsters and heroes and flashing lights.
Unfortunately, The Phantom Menace is rather short on cowboys. I rather doubt that Star Wars would have been quite so huge without Harrison Ford, who both mocked and transcended the proceedings. He provided a release from the cheesiness of the rest of the movie, allowing us to enjoy the cheese without guilt. Here, however, everyone is terribly earnest, and takes everything so seriously, that it's hard not to laugh at them--particularly Liam Neeson, as a mildly maverick Jedi who seems incapable of emotion.
The Jedis raise another distracting issue: the film seems to be a throwback to the days when only white men did anything that mattered. When the Jedi councils debates an issue, only the men speak (although there is a glancing, split-second shot of a female Jedi in the room). And while Princess Leia ran the show, directing armies into battle, Queen Amidala is an unwitting dupe who hardly commands respect. Finally, many characters' accents seem oddly rascist: the unethical, money-grubbing race that aids the empire sounds Asian, and the insanely annoying Jar Jar Binks brings to mind a number of unflattering black stereotypes.
The menace, then, lies in both the pervasive stereotyping and flaccid filmmaking. While the visual effects are stunning, the story is limp and convoluted, which unfortunately encourages other directors, lacking in Lucas's vision, to rely on effects in place of substance.
But don't expect those problems to keep me away from Episodes two or three.
This first chapter, which is rich in art, design, costumes, architecture and technology, follows Anakin Skywalker's journey as he pursues his dreams a...More at HotMovieSale.com
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