About what I expected

Rating: 6/10 (8 August 1999)

To us old time S.F. fans the joy of the first Star Wars film was to see on the screen what we had read about in books for years at last visualised. At the time we were blinded by the stunning effects which set a new standard. Now many years later, after so many special effect movies we have perhaps become jaded with just SFX and look for a film that contains a good storyline allied with good acting.
Unfortunatly The Phantom Menace was not this type of film other than the stunning effects the film in general dissappointed.
There were so many flaws that mounted up to spoil ones enjoyment.

1. George Lucas' direction was very poor. It seems that he is more concerned with the technology behind the film than such incidentals like acting and pace. Maybe it would be better if he stuck to producing and let someone else handle the more artistic side.
2. This leads to my second crib, the acting. Never have I seen such poor performances in a major film. Liam Neeson seemed to treat the whole thing with contempt and just went through his lines without any expression or feeling. Ewan Mcgregor spent all his time trying to sound like Alec Guinness that he forgot to act. As for the rest of the cast, with the possible exception of Ian McDairmid, they didn't register at all.
3. The humour was forced and unfunny. The audience I was with barely chuckled.
4. The Aliens, very well done I admit but still unconvincing. Jar Jar (Hate Hate) looked and acted like Goofy. In fact I thought most the Aliens looked like Disney characters.
5. Did we really need another Death Star, or substitute, to blow up at the end?
6. The sad underuse of Darth Maul who seemed to be disposed of so easily after all the buildup. He could have been a classic character like Darth Vader.
Enough flaws, did I like it? In a way I did, the Pod Race was superb though clearly based on the Chariot Race in Ben Hur and there were some stunning visuals.
For the future though, I think that George Lucas should stick to producing and SFX, get actors who don't treat the thing with disdain, don't over rely on SFX, and don't pander to the kiddies. Also try and cut down on the hype and merchandising. I'm getting a bit fed up with Star Wars characters facing me everywhere I look when I go to the Supermarket.