A solid escapism at times, but embarrassingly flawed

Rating: 7/10 (22 September 2014)

Yeap, we all know the story about the famously infamous Episode I that disappointed people so much upon its release in 1999. And the BIG question #1 I've asked myself about this movie was how come George Lucas who used to be such a wonderful director back in the past with his first Star Wars film (that doesn't mean I liked it at all, but I still have no doubt that at THE TIME it was a very good movie) in the past, started disappointing us with his very first Star Wars Episode which explores the past of the original trilogy? What on earth happened to him? Was it a financial problem that lead the unsuccess of the first Episode, did he just somewhat stupidly forgot about the mistakes he did in his directing, or was it something else? Whatever it is, I'm sure Lucas didn't mean to disappoint fans around the world. It's not in his nature. But whatever happened that lead to the unsuccess of the movie, I would advice George Lucas to be more careful next time and to think harder when he makes a movie, to avoid any possible future misleads. The one most important thing people should know about this movie is that even if it is highly flawed, it is still a Star Wars film, which means that it still keeps you entertained! Despite its flaws, I liked Star Wars and gladly enough it offers a few of the best scenes in the entire Star Wars saga, like the wonderful technical construction of the underwater Gungan city (that includes the Gungan transport as well.), the astonishing and intense light saber battle against the villainous Darth Maul (along with equally astonishing stunts) near the end of the film and the exhilarating Pod Race on planet Tatooine, during the middle of the movie. These were few improvements, so a big hand of applause to George Lucas for not driving away from the original and exciting stuff! The special effects were very good also! I also became a huge fan of Darth Maul, because of his very good makeup. The first time I saw his face in the movie, I looked at his face for the first time, in awe! His face was so unbelievably devilish looking and that frightened me! Some people complained that there was not enough Darth Maul, but that's a complain I strongly disagree with because in my opinion, not seeing him enough during the entire movie made it feel more mysterious in terms of the Sith's mysterious return, the Sith that were thought to be extinct a millennium ago, and I think it is better this way for that very purpose. Another BIG question I've been asking myself about this movie was the following: what was Lucas' thoughts behind the Jar Jar Bink character? I've learned that this character was met with generally or mostly extreme negative criticism and that I'm not surprised. Fortunately, I found out why George Lucas added this frankly not funny Gungan plague. It was for comic relief, but that of course we all know it's obvious, but here is a more precise reason as to why this character was added. From what I've read, he wanted to added Jar Jar Binks as a comic relief for people 12 years old or younger, so that might mean that it was never meant to apply to us teenagers and adults. What do you think? I felt Jar Jar was alright from time to time, but at times like almost everyone else my age I found him unfunny and annoying. When you hear 'Star Wars: EPISODE I' you hear EPISODE I which makes you feel and think that because it is the very first Episode of an entire legendary saga trilogy and that it connects with the amazing original trilogy, then it should really be a very good movie. That's exactly how I feel and think when thinking about this first episode and when I think of this sentence I feel very angry with George Lucas and disappointed that Phantom Menace was ruined. It could have been a blockbuster, but it's now miles away and a pity that you can't turn back the past and make this movie again. Have any of you guys reading this exactly felt and thought this way? Overall, Phantom Menace delivered on the friendly thrills we all want, but it lacks a full thematic richness and a narrative complexity. Despite the flaws, I spare Phantom Menace as an overall movie for all the other good things it managed to offer.