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Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Writer: George LucasDirector: George Lucas Producer: George Lucas Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Characters: Qui-Gon Jinn - Liam Neeson Obi-Wan Kenobi - Ewan McGregor Queen Amidala - Natalie Portman Anakin Skywalker - Jake Lloyd Jar Jar Binks - Ahmed Best Shmi Skywalker - Pernilla August Yoda - Frank Oz Mace Windu - Samuel L. Jackson Darth Maul - Ray Park Chancellor Valorum - Terence Stamp Review: In the tradition of Star Wars Episode I didn't really stand up to all the great things I was expecting. First thing first. Why can't Geroge Lucas get some good actors? The kid in this movie I think was probably the worst kid actor I think I have ever seen. There were some great parts and there were some really bad parts. Now I can see why Rick McCallum said "'Phantom Menace' won't unseat 'Titanic' as the box-office champ." However, you must go see this movie just for the action scenes and the sound, they are absolutly absolutely. The pod racing scene is fabulous. All the different sounds whizzing from left to right, front to back, just all around you is incredible. I actually saw how this part was done on 60 minutes when they had their interview with Geroge Lucas. He said it would be incredible and to tell you the truth it was unbelievable. The next really awesome scene was the fighting scene at the end of the movie with Darth Maul. He really didn't a huge role. You only see him in one other scene before the final scene, but he is a total bad ass! I mean come on he takes on not one but two Jedi Knights! George Lucas can really make those super cool evil guys can't he? This guy is just pure evil his stare and his eyes and his black teeth scared me. He would stare down both Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi and it would send chills down my spine. There are however, bad parts to this movie just like in the whole Trilogy. The acting is kind of shotty at times but which Star Wars didn't go without shotty acting? The kid is absolutely horrible and quite possibly the worst kid actor i have seen in quite awhile, next to Macauley Caulkin. Also, don't go into this movie expecting the best special effects ever because that is just not the case. At times I thought I was watching Toy Story. They over animated so many characters in the movie. I much rather see the old models than this new computerized animation. The ground really didn't coincide with their feet and the ground didn't react with their feet either. It just all looked to "childish" and for me that was hard for me to over look. I think this technology has a long way to come before it becomes good enough in the movies that it doesn't take the average movie goer out of the movie because it just looks fake. I think George Lucas is just trying to revolutionize the way movies are being made again. He did it with his first Trilogy and now he is doing it with the pre-quels and now with these. My argument would have to be that models look more realistic than the animated works in Phantom Menace. But just think how far this technology will come in the next 20 years. There have been massive improvements since the release of the original Star Wars 20 years ago and it was George Lucas that pushed the limits of movie making and he's doing it again and the movie industry will benefit a ton in the long run. My final recommendation is to go see this movie because it's Star Wars and Darth Maul is just incredibly cool. I can't wait for the other two movies to come out. I know they will be ten times better than this one because they won't have to deal with trying to set the stage for the last five. I just can't wait for the dvd to come out because the sound is going to be the best we will probably ever hear on one dvd. But, that won't happen for a few more years. Until then go see Star Wars! -- Jay
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