realistically...

Rating: 7/10 (21 May 1999)

I've read through quite a few of the reviews and the opinions seem to generally lean on the favorable side...but the impression that I get is that most of these favorable reviews are from fairly die-hard SW fans. First off, I have to admit that I am a SW fan but I will try to present an unbiased opinion. I saw the first movie when I was nine so, basically, I grew up with Star Wars. I had to approach this movie with an open mind as I knew getting caught up in the hype would only result in a movie that could not possibly live up to the expectations that I would have had.
The biggest feature of this movie is the special effects. There is no doubt that George Lucas is known first and foremost as a special effects wizard and he does not disappoint in this movie. In fact, some of the effects were so well done that I did not even notice them right away. GL's creation of a whole other world/universe was an incredible success and definitely created the illusion of reality.
The biggest drawback was Lucas's decision to have the alien creatures speak in english. A far greater effect would have been made if these creatures spoke in their native tongues with the movie subtitled. This was done in the first set of movies and definitely created the effect of realism. By having the alien creatures speak in english, it tended to take away from the SW feel. In some cases, some of the creatures accents sounded a little bit ethnic or to the opposite extreme, a bit too 'American' (one of the announcers in the pod race scene).
This movie catered to both the young and the old and in Lucas's situation, it is a difficult decision to make as leaning too much in either direction would alienate audience groups. The inclusion of Jar Jar created a comic relief that was slightly different from the Ewoks but nonetheless effective. I think that if he had chosen a slightly more grown up voice and personality (while maintaining Jar Jar's innocence) not that many viewers would have found him as annoying. In fact, it probably would have allowed the audience to understand Jar Jar's race and his personal plight. The voice suggestion could have been applied to many of the creatures that GL created. It's amazing what a voice can do to the believability of a character.
Neeson did an admirable job of Qui-Gon but it could have been better. He did make his character a believable Jedi Master though. McGregor did about as well as he could considering he was basically a secondary character with very few and short lines. I am sure this will change in the next two movies as it will definately revolve around his character and character development will be essential. Portman was a little stoic as the queen and as a result it was hard for the audience to feel any sympathy for her role as a ruler of a world under attack. On the flip side, her portrayal of the queen's aid (I know, I know, she was actually the queen when she went with Qui-Gon to Anakin's village) was performed a lot better as she was allowed to play a character with a little more feeling. Quite surprisingly, the character that I found the most believable was Watoo, the junk yard dealer. Maul's involvment was effective but it would have added more to the film if he had a bigger role. He was probably one of the few characters that everyone wanted to know and see more of.
Overall, the movie was entertaining but it did lack a bit of the Star Wars feel to it. Rest assured the next movie will be even more entertaining. Too bad we have to wait 3 years for it. 7/10.