I finally got around to watching Star Wars: Episode I, scant moths before Episode II is scheduled for release (I never intended to, but the video store had a $1 sci-fi special, and I couldn’t pass it up). Much has already been said, of course, but I hope at least some of you will appreciate a different perspective.
I don’t feel like doing a full review, so I’m just going to respond to what’s already been said:
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Some critics called this the “Phantom Movie”. While I agree that it isn’t up to Lucasfilm’s usual standards…well, many moviegoers were absolutely thrilled with it, and I can see why. The visuals are stunning, there are some really good performances, and overall, this seems a…what’s the word…grander movie than the original trilogy. And the story didn’t seem “childish” at all; on the contrary, it’s the most complex tale I’ve seen in SW outside of the “non-canon” comics.
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Still, one sticking point remains valid…this is a story that didn’t need to be told at all, or at least should have been done with quickly so we could get to the real story, i.e. the decent of Anakin Skywalker to evil. There’s absolutely nothing here, other than a few dubious pronouncements by the Jedi Council, that this unassuming (and thorougly sweet and good) boy will someday become a dreaded Sith Lord. Likewise, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has a pretty pivotal role in the “future” trilogy, has almost nothing to do here except for the obligatory fight scenes. And while Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul would both make for intriguing supporting players in future movies…alas, we’ll never see them again. What we’re left with is a bunch of politics, a few forgettable bit players, and a boy who’s a long, long way from having any signifigance in the grand scheme of SW.
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Re. Jar Jar Binks. First off, let me make it clear that I have no qualms about him being here. He’s comic relief. He’s a goofball. His purpose in life is to be funny and lighten the mood. I can accept that. Unfortunately, because his role is so limited, this all but guarantees that he’ll eventually just fade out of the picture (if he’s in Episode II at all)…much like the Trade Federation, Nute Gunray, heck, maybe even Darth Sidious himself. There’s nothing wrong with a funny sidekick, but why not create one with staying power instead of a one-dimensional bumbling clown?
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I heard that Jake Lloyd was a terrible actor, but was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because, well, c’mon, he’s just a kid. After seeing his entire performance, however, I’m not convinced that his dialogue was the kind even a 10-year-old would have trouble with. Some of it sounds just plain forced (“Yippeeee!”). The other kids didn’t sound very convincing, either, but at least they had only one or two lines. No such luxury for Anakin, who is, after all, one of the pivotal characters in this drama, and at times he’s downright painful to listen to. (Out of <i>hundreds</i> of applicants, this was the best George Lucas could come up with?)
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The plot never made a whole lot of sense (and yes, I’m still wondering what the Trade Federation wanted Naboo for in the first place). In fact, a <i>lot</i> of it was designed with the merchandising angle in mind. No better example than the podrace, which, as everyone knows, was put in solely so they could create a video game…several video games, actually…out of it. (Scaled-down, of course; if Star Wars: Racer was run at the same speed as the actual race in Episode I, most gamers would be lucky to last fifteen seconds. <i>We’re</i> not the ones with Jedi reflexes.) Need I even mention the twin-bladed lightsaber and the shiny new ships? There’s been a lot of crass commercialism surrounding the original trilogy, but at least those movies weren’t designed with merchandising in mind.
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The movie gets <i>incredibly</I> cheesy at the end. As if Jar Jar “lucking out” and taking out at least a score of enemy robots with his blundering wasn’t bad enough, we also get to see Anakin launch a ship he’s never piloted before and infiltrate the Federation flagship <i>by pure, dumb luck</i>. It was at this point, IMHO, where even the movie’s tenuous portrayal of reality was blown to bits. It might have actually been more plausible if Jar Jar went berserk and smashed the robots apart with his bare hands (he may be goofy, but he’s definitely not a wimp) and Anakin turned out to be a <i>really</i> fast learner and found the flagship’s weak spot thanks to the power of the force. You know, like his future son did? Hey, they’re already ripping off Return of the Jedi with the big explosion, why not go the whole nine?
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Why is it that the two most compelling characters had to die? Liam Neeson gave one of the best performances of the entire film, and I’d much rather watch a wise but somewhat maverick Jedi than a boring greedbag Trade Federation alien or a monotonal queen any day. And what can be said about Darth Maul other than that he’s a hell of a warrior, but never even got a chance to do anything evil? (The point about beating a Jedi master in a fair fight…if not a fight stacked <i>agaisnt</i> him…not being evil is a good one.) I can accept the fact that it was either Maul or Obi-Wan, and I can accept that Maul was just an apprentice, he got cocky for a moment, and it cost him…but it’s still a bummer.
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Many have castigated the portrayals of Jar Jar Binks (“black actor!”) and Watto (“hooked nose!”) as racist. To be honest…I don’t see it. Jar Jar is a silly goofball, but there was nothing even remotely specific to, er, the African race. Watto is a sleazy, money-grubbing hustler, one of many on Tatooine; I saw no evidence that he worships anything other than the almighty…whatever the currency is on Tatooine.
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I give this movie 3/6…which is less than the 4/6 I gave to each of the original trilogy. It’s a worthy successor, but the ending was just too cheesy and silly and ridiculous.
Couple nitpicky notes…
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Shortly after the escape from Tatooine, Qui-Gon comments that the stranger he just clashed with was “skilled in the Jedi arts”. He found that out from a 20-second scuffle? All he knows at that point is that Maul is really good with a lightsaber, not necessarily versed in any other Jedi proficiency. (He didn’t even do a Force pull until the climactic 2-on-1 duel.)
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The whole deal with the podrace vis a vis getting the engine the queen’s ship required confused the hell out of me. Okay, so Watto’s willing to split whatever Anakin wins 50-50 as long as Qui-Gon ponies up the ship for the entrance fee. But that leaves him without a ship <i>or</i> an engine…no way in hell he was going for that. So he counterproposes that Watto pay the entrance fee, and if Anakin wins, he gets all the prize money minus the cost of the new engine. And if Anakins loses, of course, Watto keeps the ship.
All well and good; stacked in Watto’s favor, perhaps, but that’s only to be expected. Except…do they need the entire ship as the cost of the entry fee? If not, a much more logical solution would be for Qui-Gon to offer the ship as collateral, which Watto would have if Anakin finished out of the money, and let Watto deduct the entry fee <i>and</i> the cost of the new engine (plus whatever Anakin’s services demanded), so at least Qui-Gon has something left over. And if the race was big enough that the whole ship had to be used for the entry fee, the heck with a new engine, Qui-Gon should just follow Watto’s original suggestion and buy an entirely new ship with the sure-to-be-huge winnings (minus the fee for Annie’s services, of coruse).
And exactly when, and how, was the newly-won engine installed? It’s still in Watto’s shop when Qui-gon speaks to him after the race, and it’s installed and ready to run while Qui-Gon and Anakin are returning to the ship (which is still well outside the city limits). There has to be an explanation…Lucas wouldn’t just leave a gaping plot hole, would he? 
