Effectively staged, if rather bland, beginning to the prequel trilogy (spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (26 June 2003)

Released in 1999 to overwhelming public expectation, "The Phantom Menace" severely disappointed many of the fans of the original series and excited the wrath of many a critic, who believed the whole movie was just money-spinner and an exercise in digital technology. Some, but not all, of this criticism is accurate. While the film does not recapture the magic of the original trilogy and the special effects do dominate a bit too much, the end result is still an effectively staged film.
The story, set some forty or fifty years before the original "Star Wars", begins in the very murky world of intergalactic politics. The Trade Federation enforce a blockade on the peaceful world of Naboo in response to a political decision to taxate their trade routes. The Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic (Terence Stamp) sends two Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan MacGregor) to sort out the problem....
Forced to flee after the Federation tries to kill them, the pair rescue the planet's ruler Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and a local ne'er-do-well Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best). They intend to bring the Queen to the Republic's ruling planet Coruscant, where she can plead her case to Galactic Senate. Making a pit-stop on desert planet Tatooine, they pick up a young slave boy, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who possesses mysterious powers, all the while being trailed by a mysterious dark warrior Darth Maul (Ray Park), whose boss is manipulating everyone from behind the scenes.....
The film begins what is essentially a very different story to that told by "Star Wars" and it's sequels. Whereas the original trilogy told the tale of good triumphing over evil, this film sees the start of a tale that will see the evolution of a benevolent but inefficient democracy into an evil dictatorship and the turning of a great warrior into an agent of pure darkness.
In it's differences from the first (but chronologically later) set of films that present a whole wealth of story possibilities. There is political intrigue, hints at impending tragedy and a couple of ambiguous characters who are not all they appear to be...
Where the script falls down is in failing to make these themes exciting to the audience. A lot of the characters are left with bland, staid dialogue that weakens the effect of a great many scenes. Some of this is nullified by virtue of some good acting but better dialogue (especially on the Tatooine and Coruscant scenes) would have really helped liven the proceedings. Humour is another thing missing from this script, and it is left to the token slapstick idiot Jar Jar Binks to provide most of the comedy relief. Director George Lucas wrote the script for this film, as he did for the original "Star Wars". While his style of writing was fine for the relatively simple story that movie, a more skilled and experienced writer could have taken better advantage of the story's ideas.
The acting in this film is mostly very good, and the majority of the principal actors rise above the deficiencies of the writing. Neeson and MacGregor just about pull of their lines and convince as the Jedi. Natalie Portman is a mixed bag as Amidala. She's good when pleading her case to the Senate or being a surrogate sister to Anakin, but isn't quite so convincing when the script asks her to play an action hero. Ahmed Best plays Jar Jar Binks, a character who isn't quite as irritating as many have made out and who jives up each of his scenes with his fruity speech and mannerisms. Jake Lloyd is likable as the future Darth Vader, lending spirit, wonder and a sense of adventure to the part.
Terence Stamp should have maybe have been allowed more screen time as Chancellor Valorum. He only just registers as the well-intentioned but weak leader of the Republic and some more time could maybe have been devoted to give some depth to his character. Ian MacDiarmid, on the other hand, is excellent as the Machiavellian Senator Palpatine. He lends a wonderfully sinister depth to his role so that you know he is up to no good even as he's being sincere. Ray Park is also on fine form, giving the right mix of aggression and athleticism as Darth Maul. The final duel between him and the two Jedi is a winner.
Technically, the film is an accomplishment in digital technology and the settings for much of the action are very well depicted. The lush forests and waterfalls of Naboo, the glorious wonder of the underwater city to the grandeur of Coruscant (a detailed combination of flying motorways and ludicrous skyscrapers) provide colourful backdrops to the action, all accentuated by John Williams' atmospheric score.
But whereas the original "Star Wars" used it's effects sparingly and thus maximised their impact, this film throws digital effects into nearly every shot to the point where the initial wonder at them quickly wears off.
To conclude, the film is perhaps not quite the film many "Star Wars" fans expected, "Phantom Menace" is still a very good picture. It's sequel "Attack of the Clones" was an improvement, as will be (we hope) the as-yet-unnamed third and final installment of the franchise.