Quit Panning the Movie(Keep other things in mind)

Rating: 10/10 (14 November 1999)

For everyone who has been panning this movie, this is just a few words on the subject. 1. This is not the full picture of what George Lucas intends to show us, and as Star Wars fans we should realize this going into the movie. With Star Wars in 1977, Lucas set up a vision that anything subsequent would follow. This led to what I feel is the most brilliant chapter in the epic, "The Empire Strikes Back." By watching the original movie again you can see that in the back of Lucas's mind he knew where the saga would go if he was able to continue it. Just watch the scenes where Obi-Wan is explaining Anakin to Luke, the expressions on Sir Alec Guiness' face are priceless. To me this shows the genius of G. Lucas. 2. It is a movie, whose basic premise is 'symbiotic relationships,' in other words good and evil, the Naboo and the Gungans and master and student. It shows the way that one relates and must get along with the other in order to survive. 3. If this strikes you as too kid-friendly, just pause a moment and consider what is to come with Episode II & III: the Jedi purge, the conversion of Anakin to the Dark Side and Chancelor Palpatine's ascension to ultimate power in the universe. This is going to be some dark stuff and will not end on a happy note, like the end of "Return of the Jedi." This was pretty much Lucas' only chance at a happy ending in this continuation of the saga. 4. I got hooked on these movies when I was a child, and my fascination carried over to my adulthood. Originally, around the time of "The Empire Strikes Back," Lucas stated that there would be 9 Episodes to the saga(3 trilogies in all), after the original trilogy, he took a 15 year hiatus from them and now here we are. Personally, I am just glad to have him making these vital movies again. 5. To address all the negative criticisms I have read about the film, here I go. No, the Trade Federation is not a replacement of the Empire, they are merely puppets of the Sith. Just think of them as the inept Empirial officers of the original trilogy, like Admiral Ozzel, who carried out the orders of Vader. Next, Jar-Jar is not that bad(he is a bit annoying), but he fits into the mythology of the series by providing comic relief and bringing the Gungans and the Naboo together, so they may overcome the Dark forces in the universe. So forth, the various reports of stereotyping of racial groups in this film are far-fetched. The dialects and speaking manners of characters that do not exist has to come from somewhere, and I believe Lucas went to pains to try and include other cultural habits in this film, more than any other, in an attempt to flatter, not to hurt anyone. It felt as if he was attempting to step beyond all the white people, who were in Star Wars to include the other races of this planet. Also, the main race if any that I feel would be most offended by any of the movies, would be the British from the original trilogy. 6. Now just one gripe. A few years ago, I went to see a little film called "Braveheart," and was blown away by the battle scenes. Now it seems that everyone in Hollywood feels a need to restage their own version of these scenes, and I am ashamed to say that it appears that Lucas fell into that category in "Episode I." The final battle scenes between the Gungans and the Trade Federation Battle Droids, although they blow you away with special effects, they seem to me to lack in the originality department. All in all though, this is a great beginning for the Star Wars saga, and it will keep me coming back as the original trilogy.