This film comes off of too much time apart from the original trilogy which I think aided in an inevitable failure. It isn't contended among fans or critics of film, or fans or critics of Star Wars. George Lucas as a director is blind. Sure he had a good run with "American Graffiti", but come on, no one is going to make an argument to say he is anything but a bad director. He decided to helm Episode 1, ouch. If you have seen the film, I will say the whole movie can be really summed up with the same terms as judging the character Jar Jar Binks. Dialogue sucks, graphics suck, and story sucks. Sure, there is creativity. I like the idea of podracing. I like the look of so many things in the film from the droids, costumes, and some of the sets. Unfortunately they all feel empty when there is no story holding it all together. You can wave gold in my face all day, but unless I have the knowledge of value or beauty, it is meaningless. In this case, I was never invested in the story, so when anything happens, it never matters.
The planet of Naboo sucks. Character of Jar Jar is unforgivable. The graphics are lazy. I have heard better stories in pop-up books in an elementary school library. Pretty much everything outside of the idea of podracing, hiring Liam Neeson, and everything that is Darth Maul, the film failed at. Liam Neeson was a great find, its just too bad his character was never explored or able to perform in any scene at his potential. I am actually not a huge hater of the kid actor chosen for Anakin, I blame the direction before all. I think direction can lead to either great acting or terrible acting depending on contentment and picking talent. Contentment was infectious in "The Phantom Menace".
Speaking of it's title, I don't get it. We spend hours adventuring through various lands and scenarios doing all kinds of things, not really grounded in any single direction. All the while it's title is referring to a villain we see for 5 minutes. Don't get me wrong, the time spent with Darth Maul is absolutely amazing, and really carries anything good in the film, but to title the film after a character who doesn't impact very much in terms of STORY is really missed. Not that changing the title would save much.
The actors in the film are mediocre at their peak, but usually just plain bad. There isn't much to hang on to in the film. The only argument I could make is comparing it to any other fantasy film to argue its vastness in content. I couldn't argue story, acting, or graphics. I think "Blade Runner" was much more amazing on a much smaller budget. I really believed Harrison Ford was in a real futuristic dirty city, holding a fantastic weapon, in an even better story. Plenty of fantasy to be found in Hollyworld, and this is mediocre at best in just fantasy.
If it wasn't for Darth Maul, from his epic introduction, face, and double lightsaber was pure greatness. Darth Maul could be the single best character given in the prequels, and we don't even know who he is or why he is... he just is.
If you haven't seen the film, I don't know how that would be possible, but seeing it would be a requirement to maintain legal citizenship. It wouldn't be to fulfill any need for quality film. This film would be exceedingly fun for children, but for myself, I can go years without watching the film from beginning to end, and that's because as a Star Wars fan I'm required to endure the pain. At the end of the day, it is a Star Wars film, and contains Darth Maul...
"Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace"
5 / 10
