Under-appreciated

Rating: 9/10 (4 November 2003)

It is understandable that so many people underappreciate this movie for two reasons The first is simply the large fan base. It is virtually impossible to please so large a group. The second reason, which could alleviate the first, is that many people fail to look at The Phantom Menace as the first chapter in the saga. The movie has to not only stand alone but also lay the foundation for further chapters. Sadly many have overlooked the sheer creativity and inventiveness of Lucas and his team in creating this science fiction masterpiece. On another note many have accused the film of using ethnic stereotypes. Watto is seen as being a stereotypically avaricious Jewish merchant while the Viceroy (who oddly is wearing vaguely Catholic looking ceremonial attire) is seen as a scheming Oriental tyrant replete with a World War II Hollywood Asian accent. And then there is Jar Jar Binks with his Jamacian pigeon English and Stepin Fetchit characterization. Only Lucas can say for certain whether the characters were intentionally modeled on such stereotypes but I doubt it given the universal themes of the Star Wars saga. It's also interesting to note that no one complains when anyone, even a minority, makes fun of Arnold Schwarzeneggar's accent but if someone were to poke fun of say Jackie Chan's accent, there would be an uproar. I guess that's a double standard we live with but I digress. As pure film, The Phantom Menace is a visual masterpiece. We'll have to wait until Episode III to see just how well Episode I served as the first chapter. Even as a stand alone film, though, it one the greatest science fiction epics ever.