Star Wars - Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace DVD > Reviews > Recipe For A Bad Film

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Indifferent to it
Story	Satisfactory
Characters / Performances	Satisfactory
Special Effects	Outstanding
How does it compare to similar films?	Unmemorable

Advantages:	Some very good scenes, as a standalone film it's pretty good
Disadvantages:	Some bad decisions made in the build up to this, overhyped and up against the best sci - fi films ever .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Recipe For Disaster.
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Ingredients.
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5g Plot

1Kg Special Effects

25g Soundtrack and Audio Effects

“Maul” Spice – adds flavour and a dash of excitement to the dish.

“McGregor” Seasoning – Adds versatility to the dish but can leave your mouth a bit fiery making for a daft accent issue.

“Neeson” Powder – An older part of the dish which adds little overall but gives the dish elegance whilst it lasts.

“Portman” Sauce – Adds beauty to the dish, but comes in a strange variety of designs.

“Binks” Juices – To be honest this was included in the original recipe as a mistake and would be better left out. (In the same recipe family as Ewok Flavouring)

“McDiarmid” Topping – Adds a hint of spice to the dish but is likely to change flavours mid-cook.

A hint of Lucas – past recipes had more of this rare spice, but here we use just a pinch and leave the real flavour up to the rest.

“Skywalker” decoration – a young topping, looks pretty useful when first applied but on closer inspection resembles a poor copy of favourite “Osmont” Topping.

Method
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Take one successful trilogy, and leave to simmer for 20 years, reheat, adding a few new things and then leave for a further 3 years.

Take one part plot and mix with 12 parts effects and 4 parts soundtrack. Mix these with the other ingredients, shake up well but in no particular order. Ensure that the special effect flavouring takes precedence over any plot or acting flavours.

Place on the boil and keep us all waiting for a tear or so before serving. Best served lukewarm.

OK so it’s not quite that bad, but I couldn’t find an original way to say how disappointed with this film I was when it was released. Having been a great fan of the Star Wars saga I, like most others, was eagerly awaiting the new film.

I’ll step back first to give you the idea (if you were on mars for the last 5 years.) The Phantom Menace is the (poorly titled) prequel to the original Star Wars Trilogy (now when the first film says Episode IV we all get it.) Set some 30 years before Han Solo, Chewie and the rest got mixed up with Darth Vader, this film focuses on Vader as a young boy, before he had turned to that dark side of the force.

The idea of looking at the way Anakin Skywalker (as he was called) turns to the dark side was a great one, and this set the hype going for Episode I. However director George Lucas had ideas for this film that sadly made it poorer. He aimed far too much of it towards the kids and I felt the story of the overall saga was slightly lost here.

Plot
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Some 30 years before Star Wars, the trade federation takes control of the planet Naboo by force, the chancellor of the republic sends 2 Jedi Knights to negotiate a treaty. However they will discover a more sinister force at work, and a young boy who could change the future of the galaxy.

Reasonably standard sci-fi stuff with the Star Wars logo emblazoned on it. The action moves swiftly around the galaxy, from Naboo to the Republic’s home planet of Coruscant, whilst also taking in hidden underwater cities and the planet Tatooine.

It’s the usual Star Wars style stuff, with big nasties and friendly life forms helping the heroes, and in many ways mirrors the first film from 1977.

Cast.
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Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor are the Jedi Knights sent to save the day. McGergor plays the familiar Obi-Wan Kenobi whilst Neeson is the experienced Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn. Neeson is always calm in his role, and sometimes a little too calm, he never really seems to get going, whilst McGregor spends a little too much time on his Alec Guinness accent, although both their sword fight scenes are impressive.

Unknown Ray Park plays the Jedis adversary Darth Maul, a fierce warrior hell bent on destroying all things Jedi. Park is the star of the film for me, his amazing martial arts moves combined with a tremendously menacing stare and voice make him a true villain.

Ahmed Best played the role of Jar Jar Binks, although the final character was a computer generated image. Easily the most annoying thing ever, this character was clearly added simply for children and entertainment value. Sadly he is neither funny now interesting, and most of his scenes are among the least memorable for me.

Natalie Portman plays the bizarrely hairstyled Princess Amidala, whilst she gives a decent performance she doesn’t come over as strong enough in her dramatic scenes. 10 out of 10 for hair innovation though.

Ian Mcdiarmid plays the senator of Naboo, senator Palpatine. He was in the original Star Wars films and sounds exactly the same. One of the best performances in the film, he flits between kindness and evil very well indeed.

And last to young Anakin Skywalker, and oh for Haley Joel Osmont. As good a young actor as seen in recent years was not cast for a role he could have done so much better than the poor kid who I can’t even name.

Effects.
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Once again Industrial Light and Magic have come up trumps, and this film looks utterly stunning. The combination of special effects and CGI looks great, from the Gungan tribes to the droid armies. Al the space scenes are crisp and well made, whilst the lightsaber battles between maul and the Jedi are quite brilliant, and easily stand out alongside the Podrace as the films best moments. The myriad of strange creatures also makes this film look truly Star Wars.

Soundtrack.
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Another high point, as well as the usual intro and outro themes, some of the in-film music is very good. 1st prize goes to “Duel Of The fates” used in the climactic battle scene. A rousing battle theme which adds to the drama and tension of the fight between the Jedi and Maul. The smaller character themes are also typical John Williams, and add to the film.

Overall.
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Star Wars I probably isn’t that bad a film, sure it has bad bits and a horrifically annoying CGI character, but overall it’s reasonably enjoyable. But after all the hype and the success of the first 3, I have to admit I was expecting better.

I personally hoped for a darker film with more plot details relating to the other films, rather than a whole new beginning. With any luck the plot will come together in episodes 2 and 3, but if they keep the kid elements I’m not so sure.

And of course, the hype will probably ruin it anyway.