Good, Not Great Excursion

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 1999)

I had the opportunity to view one of the myriad of 12:01 showings this morning. What an experience!
Good film, but probably the weakest of the series so far, in my view. I disagree with some critics who have complained about the acting--it was quite adequate, with Neeson and McGregor obvious standouts. Jar-Jar Binks was also much less annoying than what has been reported, in my view, although I'll admit that he was a bit jarring at first--once you get used to his way of speaking, though, he fits right in. Perhaps overused at first, but that's a minor quibble. Darth Maul is indeed a great villain, although I would've liked to see more buildup with him. We go into the movie already expected, I guess, to assume he is one bad dude--if for no other reason than he just plain looks MEAN! There's very little short of the film's climax to justify that, though. Unlike others, I found the opening sequences very involving and the middle, particularly after the pod race, to be a bit talky (but necessary for the remaining prequels). A little better setup for the climactic battles at the end would've been more dramatically involving, particularly with regard to little Anakin's involvement.
Those complaints aside, though, the movie does live up to the hype as a mega-event. Great special effects, very effective rendering of new worlds and some terrific CGI characters to supplement the main characters. The movie is packed with so many visual effects that you simply can't take them all in at one sitting. Lastly, the climactic sword duel(s) between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul are VERY satisfying and were more involved than expected. Lots of foreshadowing for the future prequels, too, make this a movie that may ultimately be viewed in a more favorable light once all of the movies have been completed. For now, though, it seems somewhat incomplete. Still, great fun--just don't go in expecting the same type of STAR WARS film. This is definitely STAR WARS, but it has a totally different feel and pace. Enjoy it for what it was meant to be--a good, diverting spectacle that is after all, as Lucas says, only a movie.