The Phantom Menace is Star Wars Deluxe

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 1999)

How does one begin to write about a film that has been hyped to the hilt and anticipated like the Second Coming! Surprise. It's better than I expected from the reviews of the early professional critics. It has flaws that do not affect the basic entertainment value of what has become a cinema institution.
George Lucas has fashioned a rousing adventure yarn that will appeal to people of all ages and, of course, aficionados of the original trilogy. Viewing "Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace" at its first regular showing at the UA Syosset Theater with these die-hard Star Wars fans was an "experience". The crowd was permitted to enter the theater at 11PM, an hour before its 12 midnight screening. The electricity in the air was palpable. When the 20th Century-Fox logo and Lucasfilm Ltd. appeared on the giant screen in magnificent digital sound, the audience cheered. They had waited over 15 years since the last of the original trilogy. After the initial euphoria of the introductory narrative, you could hear a pin drop. There were flashes of applause as some of the characters of the earlier films made their entrances or cameo appearance.
Lucas has begun the tale of the young Darth Vader (nee Anakin Skywalker) with just subtle hints of the evil which will overtake him in the two films to follow. He is portrayed by the pre-teen Jake Lloyd in a manner that will charm the pants off little boys of all ages. His mentor is Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) who recognizes his special affinity for the Force. The young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) has more of a supporting role in this section of the tale, but his turn will come in the subsequent films. Natalie Portman is the Queen Amidala of Naboo. Lucas' genius in choosing names for his characters and exotic planets and places hasn't waned. All of the other robots and creatures you knew and loved are here (C-3PO, R2-D2, Yoda, Jabba-the Hutt). One new creature/character (Jar Jar Binks) has a humanoid body but a strange head with dangling, floppy ears, eyes protruding high on his head, and a long, slim tongue. This character has a weird speech pattern, somewhat Caribbean in character, which is difficult to understand. It gets better as the story progresses because Jar Jar is the comic relief as C3-PO was in the earlier films.
It has come to the point where the special effects wizards can create on the screen virtually anything that the imaginative storyteller can conjure up in his mind. The production design is intricate and eye-popping. Each planet reveals its own wonders. Naboo is lush and green, looking a little like the ancient Rome of Cleopatra (1963). Coruscant, the city/planet, is a bustling megalopolis without the blight of most urban centers. Tatooine is the desert planet that figured in the first film. Only this time, it is more richly populated by humans, robots and creatures as was hinted in the Special Edition Lucas released a couple of years ago. On Tatooine the action centerpiece of the film, a pulse-quickening pod race, pits the youthful Anakin against the evil Sebulba. This race is remarkable reminiscent of the chariot race in Ben-Hur (1959). Even the arena where all the screaming fans watch resembles the one in that Roman epic. Lucas is not afraid to borrow, but it's always with a new twist.
John Williams's musical score complements the action perfectly. His superb choral sequence in the climactic light saber duel sweeps the action along,. The cutting from the battle on the Naboo's surface, to Anakin's initiation into spacecraft warfare and back to the duel reminds one of the genius that D.W. Griffith used in his climactic montage of suspense and action in the silent "Intolerance".
This film is not for everyone. The audience I saw it with was 95% male. The romantic element will probably be an emphasis of the next episode. Those who are not familiar with the first three films will not really appreciate the many allusions to those stories. The acting may not be up to the quality of serious drama, but that's not what this film is about. See it in the spirit Lucas made it, a Saturday morning serial. I can hardy wait for the next episode: Episode II-The Clone Wars? Meanwhile, I'll have to be satisfied seeing this edition a couple of more times.