Worth the Wait

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 1999)

I just got back from the midnight showing and let me say this first so I can get it out of the way: I take back all the concerns I voiced in response to the early reviews that came out 2 weeks ago. THIS FILM ROCKS!!!I don't know what movie some of those critics were watching but the one I saw had me riveted from start to finish. Star Wars fans, international ones especially, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. I sat in that theater literally with my jaw open at some of the sights Lucas puts up on the screen: Coruscant, with its skyline that extends over the whole planet, is like nothing you've ever seen before in the movies. Likewise the Senate chamber with its honeycomb-like interior. The lightsaber duels resemble nothing you've seen in previous SW films. Their intense pacing seems to draw from Hong Kong martial arts movies and they had the nearly capacity crowd cheering. I also have to admit I was hasty in my judgment of Jar Jar. He wasn't nearly as annoying as I thought he would be. I actually came to think he was kind of cute. He didn't detract from the film in anyway for me.
The actors were all fine in their roles. The standout is, obviously, Liam Neeson. This is his movie and he brings exactly the kind of stoic, commanding presence to Qui Gon that the role needs. Ewan MacGregor is more than adequate as the young Obi Wan and does a nice job affecting Sir Alec's accent. Portman is fine as well. I know there were grumblings about her accent from the trailers. Take heart, her accent is perfectly fine. Jake LLoyd is adequate as Anakin. He's not great but he doesn't embarrass himself either. Pernilla August is more than effective in the few scenes she has as Anakin's mother.
My one criticism of the film - not nearly enough Darth Maul. He has no more than ten to fifteen minutes of screen time and most of that comes at the end. It's a shame Lucas couldn't find a way to give him more of a presence in the film because when he's onscreen, he's menacing and his lightsaber skills will blow you away.
All in all I would have to say this film exceeded my expectations. There was never a moment that I was bored or disinterested. For me it was more than worth the wait. My only regret is that having seen it, my next new Star Wars film is three years away.
My Rating: ***1/2 out of **** My Ranking (in descending order): Empire Strikes Back A New Hope Phantom Menace Return of the Jedi
Mind you, it's not a bad thing that I have TPM listed as the third best out of the four. It's just that the first two I consider absolute classics and TPM isn't quite on their level but close to it.