satisfaction...

Rating: Null/10 (27 May 1999)

I was SO worried about the new "Star Wars" installment. For nearly a year, my brother and I discussed it, sure that with all the new "gimmicks" Lucas was putting in, he would forget to really make it what "Star Wars" is all about in the first place. I even wrote a song about it! (The chorus says: "I'm a little worried about Star Wars/Episode One..." and gets even more disparaging from there. Catchy song though.) The truth was, though, that in the long run I'm just a ten-year-old trapped in an adult's body, and I REALLY wanted this movie to blow me away and make me unstoppably-grinningly, eyes-wide, breath-gone happy. So despite all my complaints to friends and family, when I got out of rehearsal that fateful Tuesday night, I got home, hopped in the car, and drove to a little theater in my hometown that I knew NOBODY even was aware they were playing Episode One. The whole way I hoped and prayed I'd like the movie. I was one of five people in the theater (I called my brother but he had to work the next day!) for the one o'clock showing....and it was magic. Honestly, from someone who was thoroughly expecting it to be horrible (but hoping it would be wonderful), I was REALLY happy with the movie. The special effects I'm sure you can all judge for yourselves (fantastic). The only problem I had there was some of the movement of computer-generated characters was a little unnatural (though the same was fortunately not true of any other computer-generated stuff). The critics' idea of the acting being wooden is ridiculous - the only "wooden" acting I saw was some scenes with Natalie Portman, in which it was *appropriate* for her to be so low-key (watch royalty in the presence of peons sometime, right?). And Jar Jar Binks - well, at first I thought he was cute, then I got a *little* irritated by him, and by the time they got to Tatooine, I just didn't mind anymore, he was just himself and I dealt with it, no problem. Then there's the complaint that most people have...this movie doesn't seem to stand up well on it's own. But, come on, people, that's the whole POINT! If anyone recalls, Episode Five ("The Empire Strikes Back") was applauded for the guts it took to leave it so open-ended, which Lucas was able to do because he knew he was going to make another sequel. With "The Phantom Menace," he knows he's going to make TWO more movies in this storyline. So of course he can leave it open-ended. And personally, the only thing that bothers me about this is that I won't be able to see the other two movies for another three and six years respectively! Conclusion: loved it, saw it the next night, then saw it again two days later, and I'd love to see it again. Can't wait for the next ones. However, it looks like my brother and I will have even more sleepless nights before the next two: thanks to the ABHORRENT rumor that Leonardo DiCaprio has been approached by Lucas (presumably for the role of Anakin). Please, whatever powers that be, do NOT let Lucas make such a horrible mistake.