Much Better than "Phantom"

Rating: 5/10 (20 May 2002)

A big Star Wars fan, I saw this movie twice in its first week, and I actually enjoyed the movie more the second time than the first. Maybe it was the theater, or the fact that I was too close to the screen the first time, or for whatever reason. Still, despite all the negative reviews of the movie, I was thoroughly entertained, and I recommend this movie to fans and critics alike.
The movie is much like the original Star Wars movies released in the 70s and 80s - but with more emphasis on the political activities of the Republic. It does an outstanding job setting the stage for the originals, and it also does very well in bridging the gap between the originals and Phantom Menace.
Most of the reviews I heard or read before watching the film said that for the first hour or so, the movie is a little slow and less exciting than the action scenes later in the movie. I did not find this to be the case, and in fact, I enjoyed the first half of the movie every bit as much or perhaps more than the second half. The story is very interesting throughout the entire movie. After watching this second prequel, I am much more excited about the next film than I was after watching Phantom Menace.
Obviously, the action scenes near the end of the movie are very exciting, and it was fun to watch Yoda and Samuel L. Jackson, though I am hoping for more action scenes from them in the next film.
The romance scenes are not that great, but they are good enough. The 'cheesiness' of these scenes could be more of a reflection of the age and inexperience of the characters, and not necessarily due to poor writing, acting or directing of the scenes. The scenes are also necessary in Anakin Skywalker's character development - they help make his eventual turn to the Dark Side of the force more apparent.
Hayden Christensen does an impressive job in his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker. He had perhaps the toughest role in the movie, needing to show pretty intense emotions at almost a moment's notice. Christensen's performance makes it easier to see how a young Jedi could tap into his hatred and anger and eventually become Darth Vader. Star Wars helped launch Harrison Ford's career, and after watching Christensen, I expect him to land some impressive roles in the future as well.
Ewan McGregor is also outstanding in this movie in a likewise tough role - all Star Wars fans are familiar enough with Obi-wan Kenobi that any of them would easily spot inconsistencies in his character, mannerisms, speaking style, wit, etc. Not only did McGregor need to adequately portray Kenobi, but he also had to do it like Alec Guiness did 20 years ago. McGregor is excellent as Kenobi - he had all of the subtleties of Guiness as well as Kenobi's style. He made what could have been a difficult task look effortless in an impressive performance.
The rest of the performances are also good, if somewhat time-limited. I suspect we'll see more from Christopher Lee as Cout Dooku and from Jackson as Mace Windu in the third prequel.
I was not impressed with Natalie Portman, however. Her performance of Padme Amidala was somewhat flat and one-dimensional. She could have done much better since it appeared she really did not sink her teeth into the role well. In some of her scenes, she appeared distracted and/or uninterested. I expect a better performance from her in Episode 3.
No review of a George Lucas film could be complete without discussing the digital effects. Though the CG effects are integrated well into the rest of the movie, they are not completely flawless, and there are at least a few examples of obvious computer creations - not the least of which is the diner cook who interacts with Obi-wan Kenobi. Despite all of the advances in computer-generated effects, they simply are not as realistic as the old 'man-in-a-rubber-suit' trick which has been with us since the 1920s. For background scenery, outer space flying scenes, and in other areas, CG effects do a good job. But when it comes to creating a character who interacts with human actors, computer-generated effects do a very poor job. In fact, if Jar Jar Binks and this diner cook represent the best we can do with creating realistic-looking CG characters to interact with human actors, I'd say it is still impossible to succeed. Makeup and latex masks are still much more realistic than any software Lucas has utilized in his movies.
John Williams outdoes even himself in the music he created for the film. I thought the music was perfect for the mood of the film - the hints of the Imperial March during some of Anakin's scenes, the underlying somber tones during some of the scenes, the upbeat music during the battle scenes - all of it was very good. This is the best Star Wars music next to Empire Strikes Back.
Overall, this is a very good film, easily in line with the original Star Wars films. The ending leaves you with a similar feeling that you have at the end of Empire. It's not an upbeat or happy film like Star Wars A New Hope was, but that's understandable considering the subject matter. Star Wars fans will be pleased - much more than at the end of Phantom Menace. And even movie fans who don't like Star Wars will likely find something about this movie to enjoy.