star wars : episode 1 - the phantom menace ( 1999 ) review by matt pusateri few movies evoke nostalgia , enthusiasm , and affection like george lucas' 1977 classic , star wars . the original blockbuster film and its two sequels not only evoked wonder and passion in a generation of filmgoers , but has deeply entrenched itself in american pop culture . arguably , more americans today can explain what " the force " or a " jedi " is than a budget deficit or a serb . so 22 years after the release of the original , and 16 years since the third film , the return of the jedi , how can any new star wars film withstand the weight of incomparable expectations and anticipation ? can a new storyline and a new cast of characters possibly compete with the legends of the first trilogy - luke , han solo , and darth vader -all cultural icons ? against this challenge , the fourth star wars film , episode one : the phantom menace hit the screens last week . and despite some early critical reviews in the major media , the film is neither a flop nor a disappointment . while the phantom menace is certainly not the finest film in the series , it is nonetheless engaging , exciting , and visually breathtaking . it is a worthy sequel - er , prequel - to the original star wars films . the phantom menace takes place decades before the setting of original films . as the film opens , obi-wan kenobi ( ewan mcgregor ) , the wise old master who introduced luke to the force in the original star wars , is only a young jedi apprentice , still learning from his fellow jedi and instructor , qui-gon jinn ( liam neeson ) . the republic government has sent the two jedi to settle a trade dispute that has developed into a blockade of the planet naboo by a shifty trade federation . the jedi quickly find themselves not in negotiations , but in the middle of a planetary invasion , rushing to protect naboo's young queen amidala ( natalie portman ) . later , after eventually rescuing amidala and helping her escape naboo , they are forced to stop at tatooine to repair their battle-damaged ship before bringing her to the galactic senate to make an appeal for justice . on tatooine , qui-gon discovers a young slave boy , anakin skywalker ( jake lloyd ) , who not only can help them get the parts they need , but displays uncanny intelligence , insight , and instincts . qui-gon senses the child is " unusually strong " with the force and begins to suspect that he may be " the one " prophesized to " bring balance to the force . " as anyone who has watched the original star wars trilogy knows , far from being a galactic savior , the innocent-looking 9-year-old will in time become the ruthless darth vader . complicating matters further is a mysterious hooded figure , darth sidious , is behind the trade blockade and invasion of naboo , and sends out a lethal apprentice , darth maul , to find and capture queen amidala . while amidala and the jedi fight to save her planet , they soon also have to deal with the deadly and relentless darth maul . if the plot sounds a bit complicated , it is . the phantom menace not only introduces an earlier generation of characters and an immediate crisis , but sets up the foundation for the events that will eventually lead to the fall of the republic , the demise of the jedi knights , anakin's turn to evil , and the rise of the dark empire of original trilogy . but the complexity is not overwhelming . the story moves quickly , with the only drawback being that many questions , predictably , remain unanswered at the end of the film , setting the stage for the next episode . one of the reasons the film's story seems hazy is not that it is too confusing , but too unfocused . it's unclear whose story phantom menace is . in the original trilogy , the movies were clearly luke's story , with the stories centering around his growth from farmboy to rebel hero to jedi knight . but it's unclear whether this new film is anakin's story or obi-wan's . if this trilogy is centered on anakin , it's a shaky foundation . lloyd , like many child actors , lacks the subtle acting skills of adult performers , and as a result , his character seems shallow and unimpressive . on screen , we see nothing that suggests a dark side lurking underneath his little-boy face , or for that matter , any presence that would make him seem so special that qui-gon is willing to believe he is " the one . " the rest of the cast does fine , though they often work with some iffy dialogue by lucas . neeson is perfect as an aging jedi knight . mcgregor is well-cast as obi-wan and conveys a balance of youthful energy and calm sensibility . portman fits the role of a young queen well , but her lines were often very formal , giving her little room to give her character much personality . the biggest problem with the phantom menace is not the plot or the characters , but the interaction between them . individually , the characters in this new film are no less developed than those in the original star wars , and the storyline is not more confusing than previous films in the series . but unlike the previous trilogy , lucas doesn't do as good of a job playing the characters off one another . in star wars , there were immediate contrasts and memorable exchanges between luke and han , han and obi-wan , and leia and luke . the ensemble played off each other and immediately showed their distinct attitudes and personalities . in the sequence in where luke , han , and chewbacca attempt to rescue leia from her cell on the death star , the audience learns a lot about all four characters in the ways they react to the immediate problems and each other . there is no comparable sequence in the phantom menace to flesh out the characters and their relationships with each other . individually , they are interesting characters with clear motivations and interests , but lucas develops little chemistry or tension between the them . this is perhaps the most glaring weakness of this film , and is probably the reason it has disappointed many reviewers . but despite the need for a richer dialogue and stronger character interaction , the film is still very engaging . many of the wonderful elements of lucas' previous films make the phantom menace both memorable and entertaining . first , of course , is the remarkably rich and imaginative universe lucas creates . the characters visit magical underwater cities , evade dinosaur-sized sea monsters , fight battle droids and menacing " destroyers " on venetian-looking planet of naboo , watch a spectacular event , part roman-chariot race , part nascar circuit , on the arid desert planet of tatooine , then head to corsucant , the gothic urban capital of the republic and home to the galactic senate and the jedi council . each location is elaborate and complex . lucas never settles for vague ideas about the look of his settings , he creates rich , spectacular landscapes , palaces , and skylines . most of the new special effects in his re-released special edition trilogy in 1997 were changes that allowed him to give the earlier movies the look and feel that just weren't possible when the films were made . more than ever , in this new film , lucas' universe is filled with a menagerie of creatures , robots with personalities , and a supporting cast of aliens who interact with the main characters . the best such character is watto , a greedy tatooine junk dealer who owns anakin and his mother as slaves . watto has a scratchy italian voice and a short , paunchy body with oddly mismatched wings that flutter like a hummingbird as he floats around the room . of all the computer-generated characters in the film , watto is the best done and most enjoyable . speaking of computer-generated characters , no review of the phantom menace is complete without mentioning the most controversial figure in the film : jar jar binks . with more than 80 minutes of screen time , jar jar is the realization of george lucas' dream to include a fully computer-generated character into the cast of the new trilogy . jar jar , a clumsy amphibian and member of the gungan race , literally stumbles his way into the path of the jedi knights early in the film and becomes qui jon's accidental sidekick . jar jar usually performs a comic-relief role in the film , lightening scenes with his mishaps and inability to stay out of trouble . the animation of jar jar is nearly seamless , and he interacts with the characters throughout the film as if he were really on the set with the actors . however , despite the technological magic that makes his character possible , jar jar isn't completely convincing . he still moves and sounds too much like a cartoon to blend into a scene . throughout the movie , jar jar never transcends a " roger rabbit " -like presence . you accept that he's there , but you never lose sight of the fact that he is an animated character . initially , i found jar jar annoying , but grew to enjoy the humor he added to the film . on my second viewing of the film , jar jar was a lot of fun and i didn't mind him at all . a second reason this film continues the fine tradition of star wars movies is that the film is replete with humor and small details that flesh out the world lucas creates . despite all the film's struggles between good and evil , and the sober musings about one's destiny and " the force , " like all star wars films , the phantom menace never takes itself too seriously . fortunately , lucas hasn't lost sight of the fact that his films are entertainment , not high art . from the bumbling jar jar , to a one-man , two-headed announcer team calling the action at the film's thrilling pod-race sequence , to a cameo appearance by e . t . in the film , the phantom menace is simply a lot of fun , with lots of half-hidden jokes and humor that can easily be missed . and finally , the phantom menace works because , as in all his films , there is no shortage of speed and action . from beginning to end , there are light-saber battles , hair-raising chases , and thrilling duels between good and evil . the pod-race sequence on tatooine is one of the most entertaining and exciting scenes in any star wars film , and the final showdown between obi-wan , qui-gon , and darth maul is arguably the best choreographed , most thrilling fight sequence lucas has filmed . the phantom menace won't win any major oscars . it probably won't beat titanic's box office record . and it's not even the best star wars film ( i'd put it third , after the original and the empire strikes back ) . but it's an exciting and entertaining film , far better than your typical summer blockbuster . the film can't live up to it's hype - no film , not even the original star wars , could have done that . but it's still worth seeing . . . probably more than once .
