No Redemption for Lucas

Rating: Null/10 (19 June 1999)

When I first saw the original Star Wars upon its release in 1977, I marveled at its broad appeal and its use of themes and narratives from classical mythology. The second installment, The Empire Strikes Back, was even more impressive with its dark intensity, its screwball-inspired romance, and its shocking plot twists. The third episode was less satisfying, but still had something in it for everyone. The one thing that bothered me, though, was the apparent ease with which we were supposed to accept the redemption of Darth Vader, aka Anakin Skywalker, whose murderous exploits had dominated the first two films.
So, with the knowledge that Lucas would produce a prequel trilogy, presumably telling the story of young Anakin and his teacher, Obi-Wan Kenobi, I was heartened. Surely, I thought, Lucas would take this opportunity to reaffirm and re-establish the hideous and horrifying Vader. We might also get to know something surprising and complex about stalwart Obi-Wan Kenobi and his possible contribution to Vader's fall. Boy, was I wrong.
Instead, Phantom Menace portends a trilogy in which Vader is bound to be overly romanticized, beginning here as an innocent 9-year-old, and apparently evolving in the next film into a romantic hero with a nifty love story. Will the third film turn it all around? I doubt it. After identifying so strongly with his innocence and heroism and after rooting for his romance with the beautiful Queen, how can we help but sympathize with him even more as he begins helping the Emperor eradicate planetary systems? And what of Obi-Wan? Alas, despite his excellent portrayal by Ewan McGregor, it appears that we are to know little more about him that we knew in the original trilogy--that he trained Anakin, lost him to the dark side, and then helped the Queen hide Anakin's children. Is this why Obi-Wan spent the rest of his life as a recluse?
Yes, the planetary vistas are gorgeous, and all the special effects are state of the art. Yes, kids will love it. But, there is no bite here--nothing for grownups to sink their teeth into--while the originals managed to have something for everyone. The trilogy appears so youth-oriented, that child Anakin and the comic, kid-friendly Jar Jar get more airtime than Obi-Wan. In the next installment, as Lucas has stated, we will be treated to a supposedly serious romance involving a 19-year-old boy. Where's the adult appeal?
George Lucas has not redeemed himself for the redemption of Vader And, unless he has something completely unexpected up his sleeve, he has only made that odd situation worse. Yes, Star Wars is for fun. I just don't have much fun rooting for a future mass murderer.