As good as a light starter before the Plat de Resistance ...

Rating: 7/10 (9 August 2011)

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away  and here we go again, John William's triumphant fanfare celebrates the return to one of the most successful and iconic cinematic sagas : "Star Wars". 1999 was one hell of a year for movies, even though "Phantom Menace" is rarely the first to be mentioned, but the phenomenon of its release was so important it makes you wonder if the film really asks for an objective review.
I hate to sound like the movie snob who can't enjoy anything that doesn't have a philosophical message, something to read between the lines, a point, whatever OR that specifically relies on the use of spectacular CGI-driven visual effects; I appreciated "Star Wars Episode I : The Phantom Menace" (those damn titles!) for what it was : an entertaining Sci-fi action-packed film, and more than that, the commencement of an iconic saga. This is the strength of the film, and the key for an almost certain success regardless of its inner quality, it's the 'Genesis' of "Star Wars", maybe the one and only cinematic mythology, and if only for that reason, it's impossible not to 'appreciate' it in the humblest meaning of the word.
George Lucas created a unique universe and a gallery of unforgettable characters so deeply rooted in our memories, that even the people who don't categorize themselves as fan-boys' know by name and identify visually : Han Solo, C3P0 and R2D2, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, Master Yoda ... The "Star Wars" trilogy has the richness and grandeur of a Shakespearian saga, which, despite any flaw you'd find, doesn't deprive its films from a certain magnetism and an undeniable entertainment value. That's a fact, we're never bored by any "Star Wars" film for something is always strangely captivating, maybe because it's the only series with that particular status, an exclusively cinematic creation from the imaginative mind of George Lucas.
You got to credit Lucas for his imagination, this ability to come up with new names, planets, stories is not as easy as it seems, try to do it, and read yourself, I challenge you not to find half of it totally unsharable. George Lucas is like a cinematic Grimm who creates a level of believability even in the strangest characters. Actually, they're never too strange or weird; after all, all the movies of the glorious saga open with a convenient alibi. And in 1999, Lucas had the alibi and the technological power, the film reminds us of how revolutionary the CGI used to appear, before it killed off the charm of handmade special effects and good old miniatures. "Phantom Menace" might be an exception since the use of CGI contributes to the creation of some beautiful landscapes and spectacular effects, so we can forgive the overuse of what was the biggest trend at that time.
But let's get fair in our judgment, if it were only for the strange creatures, the action-packed sequences, and the special effects, the film wouldn't have crowded movie theaters the way it did, it would even have been a pretty dull film. What the first opus of the prequel trilogy cruelly lacks is a scene-stealer, and it's not C3PO and R2D2's minor scenes, and certainly not Jar-Jar Binks that would fill the gap. Or maybe I'm too severe regarding Jar-Jar, he's enjoyable in a sort of cartoonish way and I honestly don't share the harshness of the critics. At least, the trilogy had the decency to start rather than ending with a hard-to-be-taken-seriously character. In other words: Jar-Jar is no worse than the infamous Ewoks (I won't miss any opportunity to express my hate toward these Carebears-Gremlins hybrids) I have nothing against Jar-Jar and again, all these funny-looking creatures are the product of George Lucas's toy-merchandising-drive thinking, but I won't put the blame on him, we all have our little dark side.
"Phantom Menace"'s enjoyment relies on the rediscovery effect. It's great to see Obi-Wan Kenobi playing the role of the disciple with the master Qui-Gon as the mentor. The casting of Liam Neeson is a stroke of genius as he exudes the sense of quiet force and masterful dignity a Jedi should have. Ewan McGregor is also believable as a younger Obi-Wan, Natalie Portman embodies the role of a queen both powerful and vulnerable, and she's so damn cute. The whole casting is pretty well done. There's the kid, who plays the young Anakyn Skywalker, while it's not a performance à la Jackie Coogan (inside joke), I guess he did the best with what was at hands; and this is not the kind of films that aims acting Oscar nominations anyways. The movie indeed suffers from a stereotypical writing, and it's not a hazard if the most cheerful lines are directly borrowed from the previous films, can you seriously do better, than "May the force be with you"? Part of the disappointment is that they couldn't.
But the parallels between the film and its glorious predecessor is not just in the script department, some scenes echo the original episode, as to highlight that history is constantly repeating itself. "Phantom Menace" depends a lot on the personal appreciation of the first film, and I doubt it will be enjoyed or regarded on the same level as the 1977 film, but again, this is the film about how it all started. The plot hardly matters, because it's about an evolution, it's about characters starting one way, and this new trilogy will plunge us into a series of events that will end right before the first "Star Wars", so let's be patient and trust Lucas.
And whatever Lucas wanted to achieve, getting back to his roots, pleasing the fans or making money, I believe his desire to start the saga again was genuine and important in his life, life as a series of new beginnings.