An old Jedi mind trick

Rating: 8/10 (22 May 1999)

Ultimately, the popularity of a movie can be measured by the number of users placing comments. Being the 291st user, these words will probably be buried in the sea of fans of the force who have expressed their kinda or not so kinda words on the latest George Lucas saga.
After much anticipation, and of course one of those who purchased their tickets in advance and waiting an hour to get into the theatre (note: I wasn't one of those who waited 2 weeks in line - there's something called ordering by phone ordering, isn't technology grand?), I must say I was a bit disappointed by the outcome.
For those who have studied OB (not Kenobi - Organizational Behaviour), you may be well aware of the term innovation. A company can go either be incremental or drastic. A company can take a drastic change by creating something new and phenomenal or seek improvement on existing products. Ultimately, the latter is the least expensive. With a $115 million budget, I believe that Lucas stuck to the latter.
Yes, I was also amazed by the special effects - the sea of battle droids, the planet of Naboo and the list goes on. Those ILM guys can basically do anything, reaching new heights again and again. No wonder Lucas is a $2 billion man. However, the disappointment comes in with "Lucas the Storyteller" as he so delicately put himself. Episode I seems to play as a larger version of the 4,5 and 6 combined. What seems to be most disappointing was the ending, which gives the audience a total sense of deja vu. For those 2 of you that have not seen the movie yet, please stop reading.
1) Anakin Skywalker in his fighter, battling it out ferociously in space with R2D2 in the back. He finally destroys the Trade Federation Control ship. Obviously, this is a rip off of old Episode IV: A New Hope, where an elaborate battle scene shows Luke and rebel forces' quest to destroy the death star. The difference lies in that Anakin's attempt was accidentally. I guess it's a case of like father like son.
2) The battle scene between Darth Maul and the Jedi Master along with his apprentice. The scenery itself much resembles the one that was used in the last 15 minutes of Empire. Even at the end where young Obi-Wan clings to his life resembles what Luke had to do at the end. Except, Luke had his poor arm chopped off of course, while Darth got chopped off into two pieces.
3) The death of Qui-Gon Jinn (told you not to read on) resembles much of how the old Kenobi died, with the young apprentice screaming "NOOOOO!!!". Is this a sign? Has Kenobi foreseen his death? Is that why he vanishes into the air, while Master Jinn's body needs to be burnt. These are some things only Lucas and Voda can explain to us. Perhaps, next episode.
4) Finally, the terrific idea of destroying the control ship. Hmmm, what were Luke, Leia and others trying to do in the moon of Endor? Yes, that's right. Destroy the shield generator that protects the second Death Star. You see, there's always a generator or some kind of control unit around. If you can find it and destroy it, you can go home and celebrate, but of course not live happily ever after .. otherwise there wouldn't be room for an episode.
For those whose who are hard core Star Wars fans, this would play as another visually stunning, brainless eye candy. Much would probably go see it again and again, but the hype will eventually be tuned down as one learns the true meaning of the force - a multi-million dollar vehicle that makes you purchase anything that is remotely related to Star Wars... Yes, the force can be purchased for $1.99 at Taco Bell, And of course, driving us to believe that we must own everything having to do with Star Wars is the ultimate Jedi mind trick.