Not so bad, gets better the more you watch it

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2005)

I give this flick an 8 mainly because of Jar-Jar. I don't want to be ultra hateful, but I think this is the only creature Lucas created that is close to insufferable. He's silly without being funny and amounts to barely more than a few wasted pixels and almost every scene could have been left on the editor's floor. He has one or two redeeming milliseconds during the ground battles on Naboo with the droids of the Federation, but it's too little too late. They could have brought back Chewbacca and had him fighting, since he apparently has a long lifespan. At least Chewie doesn't say stupid things in some Afro-Jamaican/Creole accent.
Moving along, THE PHANTOM MENACE, while nowhere near the classic status of the old trilogy, is a movie that I've found much more enjoyable once the complex political plot lines are understood. This is probably the most politically charged film in the saga, where rapid changes incur constantly. First there is greed over taxes and trades, then threats of starvation, political lies and manipulations, double identities, darker motives disguised as simple greed for more money, and as religiously as politically, the rise of a power in the Force whose training resembles the great Jedi, yet use their power for the Dark Side.
Even the performances of certain actors don't seem as bad to me six years later. I may have had certain expectations and was just being unfair. I had a problem with Jake Lloyd at first. I thought Anakin should have been even older than nine when he is discovered. Anakin seemed to be a character geared toward drawing children in to Star Wars. He seemed too sweet-natured and had dialogue that was irritating when all you wanted was to watch him blow up the Federation battleship. Now I don't feel as nitpicky about it. Nobody in the film can match Jar-Jar for ability to annoy anyway. To boot, Lloyd even has many impressive moments, and given his age, he deserves some praise for what he brought to the saga.
Years ago, it seemed to me that Natalie Portman's performance was boring and stilted, but when I watch it now, it's great. Her Queen Amidala/Padme is intelligent, courageous and a natural leader. Sometimes the very beautiful makeup and costumery appear to drag her down physically, but her dialogue during the disputes with the Federation and the Senate is strong, and the strange elegant accent the Queen speaks in only add to the mystery and uniqueness of the character.
The plot is simply this: The Sith and the Trade Federation are in league to gain power over the galaxy. They tax unfairly and threaten to stop commerce with certain planets who don't wish to let the Federation get away with greed. The Sith are at first unknown to be behind the scheme, but when the Chancellor Valorum sends 2 Jedi to investigate the ViceRoy of the Federation, a Sith named Darth Sidious tries to have the Jedi disposed of. The Jedi Knights, Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and the young padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) escape and go to Naboo to warn the young Queen of the intentions of the Federation to come arrest her and force her to sign a treaty giving the Federation power over her planet. In a battle, the hyperdrive of her ship is damaged and they are forced to land on the desert plantet Tattooine. The Queen sends her servant Padme along with the Jedi to find a parts dealer. There, as fate, luck, or the will of the Force would have it, they cross paths with a little slave boy and his mother, who basically did the same thing as Mary, the mother of Christ. Qui-Gon Jinn is touched by the boy's generous selfless nature and does a special blood test that reveals that the Force's power is strong in the little boy. Perhaps his admiration for the boy's goodness clouds his judgement. Qui-Gon, while a good and skillful Jedi, is not held in the same high regard as Knights like Master Yoda or Mace Windu. His plans to train Anakin Skywalker are met with disapproval by the Jedi Council, and he defies their recommendations. Yoda senses a lot of fear in the child, simply because Anakin is worried about his mother, Shmi (Pernilla August) remaining behind in slavery. I don't think it's so wrong for a child to love and worry about his mother, but it could be that even this kind of fear is a trait that leads to Darkness.
The heavy politics come about when Queen Amidala is set before the Republic to bring accusations of abuse of power against the Federation and the Viceroy. Senator Palpatine convinces Amidala to vote Chancellor Valorum out of office in favor of a stronger executive. I still do not know why Palpatine was able to influence such a decision, as Valorum was "our strongest supporter against the Federation". It was Valorum who sent the Jedi to confront the Viceroy. Still, Palpatine gets his way, and becomes the replacement Chancellor, promising to solve everyone's problems. We all know, of course, he is Darth Sidious, the founder of the evil Sith. He already has an accomplice/apprentice, Darth Maul, who was sent to Tatooine to kill the Jedi Knights and capture the Queen.
If you watch this film and forget about how much you loved the old trilogy, you will have less of a problem paying attention to its complex plot, which is a really good one that establishes the origins of the famed Galactic Empire. It all started with greed and lust for power. Nothing will ever take the old movies' place in my heart, but I have respect for the new movies and appreciate George Lucas for getting them made so that we could have the whole interesting story.