Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace (1999)

Writer/Director: George Lucas

Stars: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Jake Lloyd, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Pernilla August, Oliver Ford Davies

Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), encounter young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) while aiding Queen Amidala's (Natalie Portman) attempt to break a crippling trade blockade on her planet.

 

They take the future Darth Vader under their wing, setting the stage for future tragedy.

 

Clearly, the universe is about to be plunged into war. 

The state-of-the-art special effects provide plenty to look at, but otherwise, there is little to recommend this film. 

The roles are underdeveloped with the result that the cast, which is packed with fine actors, comes across as dull because they have nothing to do. 

I realize that this film is not primarily about characterization, but just think back to the main characters of the original trilogy--Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia--and how much fun it was to watch them interact.

 

Was that because Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher were better actors than anyone in "Phantom Menace?"

 

No, it's because those characters had some fire in them. 

The characters in this movie just seem to be rushing from scene to scene.

 

When you've got the resources that writer-director George Lucas had to produce a bang-up action flick, you can pretty much guarantee a certain level of satisfaction if you just let the story build its momentum and stay out of its way. 

A film with great special effects that just allows itself to be spectacular without derailing itself can pretty much count on getting a certain amount of approval from me.

 

However, just as he did with the Ewoks in "Return of the Jedi," Lucas introduced a character and a race so annoying that I groaned inwardly every time they appeared on screen--Jar Jar Binks and the Gunguns.