Worth a second look...

Rating: 7/10 (19 August 2007)

lol I was listening to the "Queen" song "Bicycle Race" the other day and the line Freddie Mercury sings about "...'Jaws' ain't my scene and I don't like 'Star Wars'!" reminded me that I had been meaning to throw the 6 DVDs in one more time for the 30th anniversary of the first (4th) film. When I saw this in the theatres in 1999 and later for my initial viewing at home on DVD I can't say that I gave this one much as far as points. But, alas, time heals all wounds and upon a further viewing some of the things that bothered me the first couple of times don't faze me as much these days. When YOU view this as the actual first film, as intended, and not the actual fourth being made and forget the history, etc. this actually becomes more appealing. Jar Jar Binks still doesn't work properly, though the CGI character is lovable. My qualms lie mostly with the half-ass, pardon my French, presentation of Patois / Japanese that Jar Jar and his fellow Goongans (lol) seem to be gibbering on about! In this viewing, I tried to view him like a child would with adoration and not with the reprimanding teacher mentality of my profession. I overlooked his faults and saw the "Dumbo"-wannabe as simply a new character in a fictional world of characters. When looking at him in this light I noticed it worked more so than before. Nevertheless, there is some mastery here to be certain. The panoramic views are stunning and who cares if a computer came up with them? Utopian landscapes will always be a dream for any man who dares to dream. Annakin Skywalker a la Tom Sawyer and his pod-racing and saving the planet from destruction may be a bit far-fetched for some, but this is a story from the Fantasy realm, so why not? Natalie Portman in a double role does get tedious, but only supports the story. However, Samuel L. Jackson, and God (YHWH) knows that I am a fan of his acting, just seems out of place here. I keep waiting for an outburst or something like his other character roles, say "Die Hard With A Vengeance", "Snakes On A Plane" or "Black Snake Moan" of "Damn it!" or something to that effect, but am left unfulfilled like some needy wench in a trench. lol And speaking of loose ladies, Ewan McGregor coming off roles like in "Velvet Goldmine" really seems like a fish-out-of-water or some dork with his haircut, etc. here. lol Mark Hamill and his Tommy Shaw of "Styx" mane will be forever missed, certainly! I was also a bit miffed about how little time Ray Park aka "Darth Maul" has on screen, but the moments he is seen are memorable, if not divided. lol Still, yes, I did like it this time around, because I got some of the subtle or maybe not so subtle messages that perhaps we all should be getting. Yoda mentions to Obi, "Fear leads to Anger, Anger leads to Hate, and Hate leads to Suffering". This was in 1999 and truer words could not be more relevant for our time and people. The other message I really liked was when Natalie, the Jedis and all of her Nabooian court bow in reverence to the leader of the Gungans and therefore wins an ally and possible eternal friend. What a perfect message for any politician in this world to hear and see! That maybe surrender, peace and simple reverence are the best ways to get what YOU want done instead of war, etc. Yes, I do think that sometimes films, like Life, deserve a second look or chance and Mr. Lucas, I thank YOU eight years later and for 30 years ago starting it all and bringing it to us. Cheers!