Pantom Menace

Rating: Null/10 (10 May 2000)

The prospect of yet another Star Wars film does not fill me with new hope. To give credit where it's due, the fourth episode, or original film, was quite entertaining, though it started to meander half way through. The other episodes, especially the first went downhill from there. Just think of the Batman/Lethal Weapon franchises; the first instalments were fantastic, but the others have been quite appalling. Back to Star Wars, and it seemed that for the recent film, George Lucas was carried away by the developments in SFX and CGI. Can anyone explain what Jar Jar Binks was actually for? He wasn't funny and did nothing for the narrative. What a waste of time, money and effort. Also, I think we've seen enough laser battles in our time to become quite annulled to more, so the climax to the film didn't satisfy. Probably the best thing about The Phantom Menace was Darth Mual, but we won't be seeing any more of him. Obviously the second film in the series will be a worldwide hit, swelling the coffers of George Lucas and studio executives, but is it deserved? I think the format of Star Wars is wearing thin, and it is now more about marketing and merchandise than the art and craft of film-making, but what do I know? I'm only a film student, just as Lucas was once.