Lucas' heart wasn't in this one

Rating: 4/10 (27 May 1999)

Okay, there are two kinds of people. There are those who consider the STAR WARS saga to be one of the eight wonders of the world, then there are those like myself who enjoyed the trilogy, but have don't see the need to watch over and over and over.... I can only give the latter category a marginal recommendation on this. Sure, all the technical elements are there for special effects, but there's less of a good story in this one. The origin story of this whole new trilogy is only going to appeal to the fanatics. The fact that Lucas held off on this one because he wanted to wait for advanced computer effects tells me where his heart is. This film is more upbeat than THE MATRIX, but both films comment on today's society that is so impersonal and only wants to provide you with the best technology can offer as a way to avoid personal interaction. While MATRIX conveys this message within the film, MENACE conveys this message in the sense that there are no strong characters with traits you remember after it's over. You only remember some of the neat imagery. In summary, I'm in no hurry to see episode 2.