Good, visually strong, SF/Fantasy film

Rating: 7/10 (31 May 1999)

This highly anticipated first chapter of the Star Wars Saga couldn't live up to the media hype that built up before its release but, overall, it is a good film. The small, relatively minor conflict depicted here actually only sets the political stage for all the films to follow but it is still compelling enough to make this picture interesting. Also Lucas does take a more leisurely approach at the beginning of this film than in any of the other Star Wars films but the second half of the film takes off and is as exciting as the finales of the three previous movies. The highlights of this film are the visuals which really brings these exotic worlds to life; the pod race which was obvious inspired by the chariot race of "Ben Hur"; the end lightsaber battle which makes the previous saber battles look lethargic in comparison; and the incredible sound effects which are what I like best about all the Star Wars films. The low point is Lucas' pandering again to children (like he did with the Ewoks in "Return of the Jedi") by adding a silly, annoying character, Jar Jar Binks, to the mix - he comes across as a bad mixture of both Roger Rabbit and the "Lost in Space" monkey. Chalk this character up to the fact that Lucas makes three times as much money on merchandise than he does on ticket sales. But, with the exception of Jar Jar, this really is a good film. Also, if you do go to see it, be sure to drive the extra miles to see it in digital sound - it makes a very big difference in the enjoyment of this film.