Generally Enjoyable, Highlighted By Pod Race; A Tip - Use Subtitles

Rating: 8/10 (4 September 2007)

I believe George Lucas said he was inspired by the chariot race in the 1959 epic Ben-Hur, and thought of it often when he staged the big pod race scene in this movie.
So, when I watched the film again the other day, the third or fourth time I've seen it, I kept looking for comparisons. Well, suffice to say nothing will surpass that chariot race, which had no benefit of any special-effects while this was almost all computer-generated. Nevertheless, the pod race in here was a lot of fun to watch, had excellent surround sound, was exciting and the highlight of the film. Oddly, in this movie instead of a man you have a small boy as the good guy- driver, so to speak. Young Jake Lloyd who plays "Anakin Skywalker." He's the key character in this Star Wars saga, the boy who later becomes the father to Luke Skywalker and winds up being revealed as Darth Vader. But....this is long before that
This movie, the first Star Wars movie after a long hiatus (16-years) disappointed a lot of fans but I thought it was entertaining overall. My main complaint was trying to understand "Jar Jar Binks," but on the DVD I can use English subtitles and thus understand all the strange things he says with his Caribbean accent. It makes the movie more enjoyable and I strongly recommend doing that.
As usual, there is a ton of astounding visuals in here, all kinds of strange characters and excellent "effects." Yes, the action gets hokey in spots, especially near the end, but what modern-day action film doesn't?
Liam Neeson makes for a solid male hero and Natalie Portman is a appealing as Queen (Padme) Amidala. Lloyd is no Haley Joel Osment, but what can you do? At least his character wasn't some brat, and he's tolerable. He has acted in much since then, although I saw him in a nice movie called "Madison," with Jim Caviezel.
People who are really "into" this Star Wars saga, and take it seriously, were, as mentioned generally let down with this movie. I guess they expected a lot more after waiting so long for the next installment. I just watch it for the enjoyment of an escapist film and as someone who usually enjoys good visuals. I repeat: put on the "English subtitles." That helped a lot, believe me.