George Lucas' enormous return to the screen, gave the end of a great decade the Movie Event, which sent even non Star Wars disciples into a frenzy of excitement, hype, and hope. It was to the '90s what Batman and Avatar were to the '80s and '00s; mounting a spectacle for film lovers to gather around and cheer with one another. The turn out was something a bit different, with the public split, eliciting cries of joy and anger from different sides of the spectrum. Did Lucas flat out ruin Star Wars? Or was he just warming up before the big game? Many will tell you reasons supporting each, and provide evidence based off of if they have lost faith in the Force or if they are still loyal believers. The public wanted so much and what Lucas gave them was hardly a bad catch by any means, even if it falls, frankly, very short of what it should have really been.
The movie, obviously, has to achieve the opposite of the last chapter Return of the Jedi which closes the story by opening it up to us with new eyes and serving up new state-of-the-art images and action sequences served on a golden tray, with a brand spanking new storyline to tie in with the original we all fell in deep love with. The opening, giving us mostly a foundation of the two Jedi's as well as the intricate plot, jumps directly into the action, without really so much as a "hello" and expects us to pick up the pieces as the action moves ahead. It worked with the chapters that came before it, and rarely will you hear any complaints about where the narrative launches from (i.e. in the midst of a battle), though here the introduction with Obi-Wan and Qui Gon starts off the trilogy on a kind of unframilar path that feeds us too much at once, and it rarely lets up throughout the journey.
Over the last 12 or so years since its famous release, The Phantom Menace has been considered the worst out of not only the new trilogy but of all six movies. The old excuse of Lucas' "rusty-ness", of not being a director for over twenty years, has been spread but rarely is it actually supported as a reason for the film's total lack of popularity. And it shouldn't. What Lucas does here is admirably daunting, as he expands his fantasy universe and gives its roots a hefty dose of political backbone and introducing us to a complicated trade embargo with a mysterious, slightly creepy Queen and two Jedi in the mix as they intend to protect and serve as well as uncover the mystery of the newly emerged presence of the supposedly extinct Sith, while making a discovery in the force through a young slave boy. Sounds simple enough, but there lies the problem. Simplicity is no longer a word to be used for this kind of movie whose ambitious ideas and interests fall to overly convoluted trappings and cloying atmosphere.
What can be attributed to George Lucas' near total lack of ability to write genuinely engaging stories (the original notwithstanding), The Phantom Menace falters to tell a tale that holds the imagination and expands it. The film has grand scope, and Lucas visually expands his world due to his impressively detailed computer generated images; but the story and direction keep the film from expanding in any kind of intellectual, emotional, or spiritual ways. Too overly infatuated by its visual triumphs, the energy of the action and situations draws inward to a stale, hollow core. The direction aside, Lucas' other issue is that of a script crammed with drab, stupid dialouge ("YIPEEEE!"), flat and uninteresting characterizations, and narrative structure and threads that clunk along until a thankfully redeeming final act where we can have a bit of fun. Even then, the movie never once discovers the life, humanity, spirit, fun or spontaneity that the first two embraced so deeply and spread through to millions. It's all so sterile, mannered, joyless and well, boring. The bland trade dispute, a cool villain who's reduced to about eight minutes of screen time, the forgettable, unquotable dialogue, and the cringe worthy acting (none of them even worth discussing, as none of the actors are able escape Lucas' repressive energy).
But what is George Lucas actually trying to say about his mythological philosophies? He's clearly got his heart and dedication into it all, but they feel continuously misplaced and misused to forward the story rather than explore it. Maybe its the doing of the editing, but many individual scenes feel unfocused and left open; as if they have some kind of idea but don't know how to finish them or make them transcend to connect. Even back in 1999 the movie didn't hold up well, and over ten years later it hasn't improved much in terms of structure or clarity by any means.
Outside of some inspired action oriented scenes and a kick ass lightsaber finale, the movie is just unsatisfying for any moviegoer, and I can imagine the hits fans took from over anticipation. Not horrible, but the Force has been drained considerably.
The movie, obviously, has to achieve the opposite of the last chapter Return of the Jedi which closes the story by opening it up to us with new eyes and serving up new state-of-the-art images and action sequences served on a golden tray, with a brand spanking new storyline to tie in with the original we all fell in deep love with. The opening, giving us mostly a foundation of the two Jedi's as well as the intricate plot, jumps directly into the action, without really so much as a "hello" and expects us to pick up the pieces as the action moves ahead. It worked with the chapters that came before it, and rarely will you hear any complaints about where the narrative launches from (i.e. in the midst of a battle), though here the introduction with Obi-Wan and Qui Gon starts off the trilogy on a kind of unframilar path that feeds us too much at once, and it rarely lets up throughout the journey.
Over the last 12 or so years since its famous release, The Phantom Menace has been considered the worst out of not only the new trilogy but of all six movies. The old excuse of Lucas' "rusty-ness", of not being a director for over twenty years, has been spread but rarely is it actually supported as a reason for the film's total lack of popularity. And it shouldn't. What Lucas does here is admirably daunting, as he expands his fantasy universe and gives its roots a hefty dose of political backbone and introducing us to a complicated trade embargo with a mysterious, slightly creepy Queen and two Jedi in the mix as they intend to protect and serve as well as uncover the mystery of the newly emerged presence of the supposedly extinct Sith, while making a discovery in the force through a young slave boy. Sounds simple enough, but there lies the problem. Simplicity is no longer a word to be used for this kind of movie whose ambitious ideas and interests fall to overly convoluted trappings and cloying atmosphere.
What can be attributed to George Lucas' near total lack of ability to write genuinely engaging stories (the original notwithstanding), The Phantom Menace falters to tell a tale that holds the imagination and expands it. The film has grand scope, and Lucas visually expands his world due to his impressively detailed computer generated images; but the story and direction keep the film from expanding in any kind of intellectual, emotional, or spiritual ways. Too overly infatuated by its visual triumphs, the energy of the action and situations draws inward to a stale, hollow core. The direction aside, Lucas' other issue is that of a script crammed with drab, stupid dialouge ("YIPEEEE!"), flat and uninteresting characterizations, and narrative structure and threads that clunk along until a thankfully redeeming final act where we can have a bit of fun. Even then, the movie never once discovers the life, humanity, spirit, fun or spontaneity that the first two embraced so deeply and spread through to millions. It's all so sterile, mannered, joyless and well, boring. The bland trade dispute, a cool villain who's reduced to about eight minutes of screen time, the forgettable, unquotable dialogue, and the cringe worthy acting (none of them even worth discussing, as none of the actors are able escape Lucas' repressive energy).
But what is George Lucas actually trying to say about his mythological philosophies? He's clearly got his heart and dedication into it all, but they feel continuously misplaced and misused to forward the story rather than explore it. Maybe its the doing of the editing, but many individual scenes feel unfocused and left open; as if they have some kind of idea but don't know how to finish them or make them transcend to connect. Even back in 1999 the movie didn't hold up well, and over ten years later it hasn't improved much in terms of structure or clarity by any means.
Outside of some inspired action oriented scenes and a kick ass lightsaber finale, the movie is just unsatisfying for any moviegoer, and I can imagine the hits fans took from over anticipation. Not horrible, but the Force has been drained considerably.
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