Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace

What’s the Story?

As this Star Wars chapter begins, the Senate is deadlocked by bureaucrats and the Trade Federation is imposing heavy tariffs. The Federation has blockaded the planet of Naboo, inhabited on land by the followers of Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and undersea by the floppy- eared, pidgen-English-speaking Gungans. Two Jedi knights (Liam Neeson as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Ewen McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi) arrive to negotiate, but the Federation invades the planet. With Gungan Jar Jar Binks, they rescue the Queen so she can make the case for her people before the Senate. They make a pit stop on Tatooine, Luke Skywalker's home planet, where they meets young Anakin Skywalker, destined to become not only father to Luke and Leia, but also Darth Vader. A mechanical prodigy blessed with a lot of The Force, Anakin is building the future C3PO and a flying car called a podracer. Anakin and his mother are slaves, owned by bug-like junk dealer Watto. To help the queen, Anakin enters a podrace, wins his freedom, and soon they are all on their way. The queen appears before the Senate to ask for support and Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi appear before the Jedi Council to ask that Anakin be trained as a Jedi. The Queen is able to initiate a vote of no confidence, but the results are inconclusive. And the Jedi Council turns down Anakin. They return to Naboo, where they persuade the Gungan to join them in fighting the Federation, including the scary-looking and mysterious Darth Gaul.

Is It Any Good?

It may not be as great as you hoped, but it is not as bad as you feared. In fact, it exactly has the same strengths and weaknesses as the original three, plus breathtakingly spectacular visual design and special effects. Those strengths are, in addition to the computer graphics and design, sensational action sequences, including a "Ben Hur"-like race, battle scenes, and some fancy fighting with the Jedi's favorite weapon, the light sabers, and a young queen who is strong and courageous.

The weaknesses are cardboardy characters with emotionless line readings. The director appears to have been more concerned with making his computer characters seem alive than his human ones. The grown-up actors seem constrained by their participation in a legend and the younger actors seem as though they are floundering. Han Solo is sorely missed. So is Chewbacca. Instead of a Wookie, we get a floppy-eared klutz. (In fairness, kids will most likely enjoy his slapstick antics). Despite the addition of two black characters, Samuel L. Jackson has little to do and the movie is still heavily white Anglo-Saxon, with some of the bad guys and comic characters using Asian or Caribbean accents. Kids under 12 who have somehow missed the original trilogy may find that viewing it will help them to get familiar with the characters and with concepts like The Force before seeing this one.