When the news about the new Star Wars trilogy in the mid 90-'s, a collective cheer came from Star Wars fans everywhere. With George Lucas deciding to focus on a new trilogy in the fall of the Old Republic and the Rise of Darth Vader evil, anyone who has had an interest in Star Wars must be salivating. It would be unfair to expect this film to live up to those lofty expectations, but unfortunately, due to several unfortunate decisions creative master Lucas, we have a movie that even under the reasonable expectations for the film of this stature. That does not mean that this film is a failure, it fails in many ways and has a story to tell, but it does make a few missteps that have helped to contribute to these new films, as can be seen as a disappointment in comparison with the original trilogy.
Let's start with what worked: special effects. Endless scenes of CGI are old hat now, but in 1999, this film was nothing short of incredible. Lucas did not settle for a small jump over films such as Jurassic Park and Terminator 2, he went for the jugular and pulled one of the most amazing visual feasts eyes will ever behold in the film. It is visually overwhelming and at this level is only worth watching. It does not always work and can say that especially in the CGI creatures department has a problem with the creation of 100% real life forms, but some of the views are incredible and the environment. Forget the story, you'll have trouble keeping up with everything that is happening within each shot!
acting is not all that special, but the actors chosen in this film, with the exception of Jake Lloyd, have a strong screen presence, and carry the film well. Liam Neeson is particularly suitable as a Jedi Master Qai Gon, he graces the screen with the wisdom and grace. Ewan McGregor is also very good as Qai Gon's apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who, of course, is a major feature in the latter films. Natalie Portman is fine, but it must be done through the vast amount of costumes and make-up. And Ian McDiarmid seems effective, but brief performance as Darth Sidious.
Music is again provided by John Williams and he does not disappoint. Besides the usual fanfare, he supplies the "Duel of Destiny ", a wonderful piece of music which combined with the sequences of the Jedi Knights fight Darth bat effect awe.
The story is reasonable. planet Naboo is blocked and eventually invaded the Trade Federation, who are unwittingly manipulated by Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith. Queen of Naboo to escape her planet, to defend the Galactic Senate to resolve the crisis, and then return to her planet and engage a fight back alone. At the same time, two Jedi knights are sent to help in resolving the dispute, and are drawn to conflict. When they escape from Naboo queen, they arrive at Tattooine, backwater planet which happens to be home for the young Anakin Skywalker, a boy with a special link Force. Jedi Knights Anakin lead to the Jedi Council, with the hope that he train as a Jedi, and despite some initial rejections, Master Yoda finally capitulates and enables sending Anakin on his way to fulfill his destiny.
Everything in the story provides the perfect setting for the prologue and story to follow. However, there are two massive missteps in the storytelling. The first error is that Anakin nine years old boy. Big mistake. Not only is the role too demanding for a child, it also does not make much sense in talking of view. Anakin story is meant to be a mirror of Luke in the original trilogy, so it would be better to teenager, especially when we know that he gets on with the Queen of Naboo in the later sequels. Another big mistake is the character of Jar Jar Binks, a clumsy foreigner providing comic relief. a lot of fans hated him, and I did not. However, I felt he was far more valuable screen time from the more compelling character in the evil Darth criticize. Jar Jar appears very clearly as a toy-selling commercial, and that is where Lucas deserves a big slap on the wrist. character Darth bat would have made for stronger, more dramatic story of the story and as a result of being relegated to nothing more than an extended cameo, his big confrontation with the Jedi, although spectacular, was void of drama and all too brief. These issues really do damage to the film and it's a shame, because we all want Star Wars to be great, but it just goes to show that even the greatest directors can make mistakes, regardless of their experience.
'Phantom Menace' is a visually beautiful film that will entertain, but you'll probably be disappointed if you hold it next to the original Star Wars films.
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