Let's all just calm down

Rating: 7/10 (24 May 1999)

Having seen Episode I this past Wednesday I was relieved to finally SEE the movie and get past all the fanfare surrounding it. It had been my intention to try and avoid the hype, but being the proud owner of a working cerebrum I was unable to dodge the media saturation. How good would we think this movie was if it hadn't been hyped so ruthlessly? I honestly don't know. It was clear from my point of view that the movie did not quite measure up to the first three; if I could remember what it was like to see the movies of the original trilogy for the first time I might like Episode I even less. It did seem to me that Episode I was a very good science fiction film, and was possessed of some of the ephemeral qualities that made the first three so enjoyable. Let me try to state my feelings about it this way: Will you shiver during the opening crawl? If you are not a Star Wars fan to begin with, probably not. (I did). Will you get chills during the lightsaber duel? Even if you aren't a Star Wars fan, you probably will. Aside from the really excellent scenes such as the lightsaber duel and the battle on Naboo, however, the movie wasn't outstanding. It's probably a good thing that Episode I was not the first (or second or third) Star Wars movie released. The story, in contrast to the excellent computer effects and the fabulous cinematography, as well as those of the first three films, was cluttered and lacking. It's a shame this movie has to live up to its predecessors but it does. This one's not going to win many converts--if it had come out instead of A New Hope in 1977, I probably would not have owned any pieces of Star Wars memorabilia. Having said all this, I'll try to make it easy: if you are a Star Wars fan of any sort, go see it. If you are a science fiction fan, go see it. If you're looking to see what all the hoopla is about, forget about it.