Technically brilliant, otherwise OK

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2003)

As a Star Wars fan, I've often wondered why the latest two Star Wars films have taken quite a beating, and I think part of the reason is this: thanks to the fact that we saw Episodes IV thru VI first, we already know how the story ends, and so much of the suspense is lost, leaving fans with much more energy to expend on their complaints. I mean, let's be honest, the acting and dialog in the Star Wars series has always been more a matter of competence than brilliance, it was the wonderful imagination and groundbreaking visual effects that made them great.
That said, my feelings about the new films are thus: The Phantom Menace is definitely underrated, sure Jar Jar is annoying and Lucas was a fool to throw in those references to the Midicloridians sp? and Annakin's `virgin' birth, but these can be easily overlooked (as Lucas himself seems to have done, since nowhere in this film are they mentioned). Phantom Menace has the same epic quality that made the other three great - sweeping vistas, beautiful scenery, and a plot that takes its time developing; after all, there's a lot of background to establish. And when I saw this in the theater, I was most pleased, figuring it would finally shut up all the critics who hated TPM. But, truth be told, after buying it on DVD, my enthusiasm has waned. Giving credit where due, the effects are still outstanding and so are the action scenes, but the `epic' quality is lacking. Lucas seems much too eager to show off his technical skills, and too much effort was put into developing great action sequences at the expense of basic plot and character development. For example, it is crucial for the plot for Annakin and Padme to fall in love, but in this movie they just don't have any chemistry. Put aside the problem of the fact that he ages over a decade while she barely ages at all, I can willingly suspend some belief here, but their basic characters just don't gell. She is dignified and wise beyond her years, and would surely see that Annakin, despite his talents and good intentions, is seriously unbalanced. To be fair, I don't think it's either actor's fault, in fact, the `clunky' dialog between them struck me as refreshingly realistic, the way real first time lovers speak, awkward and tongue-tied as opposed to the usual slick Hollywood product of highly paid professional writers, but no amount of acting or writing can save a romance that seems as forced and unrealistic as this one does.
As for the rest, the pairing of Annakin and Obi Wan is quite good; the former clearly respects his mentor but also resents his often-domineering manner and it's fairly obvious that there will be a violent falling out between these two in Episode III. There are a number of memorable scenes, including the one on the water planet where we first meet Boba Fett and his father, a beautifully filmed space dogfight in an asteroid belt, and of course the climactic final battle scene. No question but that Lucas has not lost his touch for SFX laden action scenes, although I personally found the fight between Yoda and Count Dooku to have been a bit silly, like watching an attack hamster on speed. The problem is Lucas seems to have lost sight of the larger story. While Annakin and Padme are frolicking on Naboo and Obi Wan is chasing after a mysterious assassin, in the background the Republic is faced with division as thousands of star systems threaten to secede. Why? Who knows, Lucas is far too busy on scenes like the one in which Annakin and Padme have to fight off a bunch of bug people to explore this seemingly vital matter more fully. And the Clone Army, we are shown in much detail how they are made, but not why, which is surely the more important issue. In short, the problem with this movie is the story simply takes a back seat to the action, and what we get is a highly competent piece of entertainment, but an effort that doesn't quite measure up to the standard of being a truly epic film like the others in the series.