Rating of
3/4
Star Wars Junior Edition
Chris Kavan - wrote on 05/19/09
As a self-proclaimed Star Wars fanboy, I'm probably giving this film too much credit. To truly appreciate the Phantom Menace, you can't review it as a stand-alone film (at which it fails) but as part of the entire Star Wars saga (at which it makes for decidedly better results).
Let's get the bad out of the way first: Jar Jar Binks sucks, Jake Lloyd is too precious (Yippee?!) and don't even get me started on midi-chlorians. I could have done without a lot of things but it's obvious this was marketed toward the younger generation (and let's face it, Star Wars is as much about merchandise as anything else) and that's what all the wacky side-kick, childish language and cuteness was all about.
Luckily, there are more than enough good things to counter. Forget little Annie - this story is as much about Obi-Wan as it is mini-Darth. Ewan McGregor is one of the best casting choices in this initial trilogy. Pairing him with Liam Neeson is even better. The two manage a good master-apprentice relationship that manages to make you forget about Jar Jar most of the time.
You have a memorable bad guy. Darth Maul is perhaps the coolest character to come out of Star Wars. He's not on screen for long (much like another cool character everyone like - Boba Fett) but his fight scenes are great - that double-bladed saber is impressive, most impressive - and he just looks bad-ass. For a kid-marketed movie, at least they made a nice enemy.
The action is still good - the podrace is exciting and fun to watch. You have your obligatory space battle and some good ground fights. The technology is there to actually use lightsabers - any time the Jedi are tearing apart battle droids is a joy to behold.
The story itself isn't great - a lot of talking about trade federations and committees. However, it's nice to see the future emperor plotting his design so early. This is truly where watching this pays off in the long run. You know what's to become of the Republic and Palpatine, forget Anakin, this is the guy that's fun to watch knowing what he'll become.
It's nice to see other old friends too - whether it's C-3PO (naked) or R2-D2 already showing a rebellious streak or even Jabba the Hutt looking gangster as ever - it shines a new light on familiar faces. New characters - Watto, Shmi, Panaka, Nute Gunray, Sebulba - make for a whole new line of stories (and toys) that can be explored. Of course I can't leave off without mentioning the Jedi Council with Yoda (still a puppet here) and, of course, Mace Windu - Samuel L. Jackson as cool as ever.
In the end Episode I is for the kids. Like Star Wars, this is meant to bring in a new generation while hopefully reminding the adult generation why this is such a great universe. Annoying as it can be, I still think as part of the saga it works for the better. As the most highly anticipated movie for its generation, it was never going to live up to expectations, but I think it managed to set the stage for greater things to come.
