5/28/99
SW I stars Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala, Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker, Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker, Frank Oz as Yoda, Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine, Oliver Ford Davies as Sio Bibble, Hugh Quarshie as Captain Panaka, Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks, Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, Ray Park as Darth Maul, Peter Serafinowicz as Darth Maul (voice), Ralph Brown as Ric Olié, and Terence Stamp as Chancellor Valorum.
What's the saying in Hollywood, "Never make movies with children or animals." Well, Never make movies with children or animals. Unfortunately, SW I has at its center, a small child, Anakin Skywalker. My greatest hope is that this movie is necessary as a foundation to the next two. SW I is more of a fantasy than a science fiction film. We have the usual wonderful special effects. George Lucas has set a standard that we expect him to reach. However, the dialog has very little depth and at times is silly. I am not a Liam Neeson fan, but his portrayal of Qui-Gon Jinn the teacher of Obi-Wan Kenobi, is intelligent and very well done. Other character stand-outs are Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala.
SW I opens as the Trade Federation has placed a blockade around the planet Naboo. Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, his young apprentice, are sent on a diplomatic mission to stop the blockade. Instead the Trade Federation plans to invade Naboo. Once on board the Trade Federation's ship, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are attacked. They escape to the surface of the planet to help Queen Amidala reach Coruscant. The escape has a lot of action, light sabre, sequences against the latest mechanical warriors of the age. The Jedi Temple and Jedi Council Chamber are also introduced in this episode. The diplomacy in Coruscant bogs down in bureaucracy. The ship they are traveling in has drive problems and is forced to land on Tatooine. To buy the parts from an animated insect, a pod race must be won. Qui-Gon Jinn gets Anakin Skywalker, the slave to the insect, to pilot his racer. The wager is for the parts and the freedom of Anakin Skywalker. His mother is also a slave but is not part of the wager. When asked who the father of Anakin Skywalker is, she answers that she just wound up with child. Drum roll please, a virgin birth.
The heroes return, to help fight the invasion. They solicit the aide of the hidden underwater people to fight the invading armies as a diversion for the group to get into the palace and force the end to the war. At the same time fighters are attacking the blockade ships to disrupt communications to the mechanical invaders. Meanwhile, back at the palace, The Federation sent Darth Maul, a Sith apprentice, to guard the palace. The Sith, long thought to be extinct by the Jedi, embrace the darkside and are formidable warriors. The armies are defeated and Obi-Wan Kenobi takes on Anakin Skywalker as an apprentice.
The movie is a must for Star Wars' fans. It is disappointing for those of us who enjoy a good story and dialog. The dialog has no depth and is unintelligible with respect to the underwater world characters. These characters point out they can speak and communicate, and yet, they have advanced technology. They are an unnecessary distraction in this film. A creation of a more intelligent race would help. The plot to this film is similar to the original, a diplomatic mission, a princess, a young about to be Jedi, and an attack on the inside of a ship to stop the invasion. Sounds familiar. Maybe I'm being to critical, but I still maintain that a good story is required to make a great film. Get rid of Frank Oz and the muppets. Yoda looks older in this movie than in the previous film. This film is geared more for a preteen audience than the other films.
I give it 3 out of 5 Apples: