A Jedi love story that really misses the mark

Rating: Null/10 (15 June 2002)

I realize that there are still countless fans that feel somewhat let down by George Lucas's long-awaited return to the Star Wars saga, the slightly controversial PHANTOM MENACE. It appears that it is destined to remain as one movie that you either love or hate. And Jar-Jar Binks....?; well, he's one alien that brought out universal negative feelings of some sort in just about everyone. From some saying he was simply too silly to others saying he was some sort of racist statement, he stands as the symbol to many SW fans as all that was wrong with Episode One.
I, on the other hand, enjoyed Episode One immensely. In fact, the first three movies from so many years ago are certainly in my personal list of favorites. Having been amazed by Lucas each time in the past I went into Episode One expecting more of the same, and he did not disappoint. Action, humor, drama, suspense; all the necessary ingredients for a movie that pleases were there. When you combine this with solid (if not inspirational) performances by the actors and add in the characteristic Lucas special effects, THE PHANTOM MENACE was a very good movie. The only part of the movie that I disliked was the pod racing scene. It was too long and certainly too predictable, but I understand that it was necessary to the plot.
Most notable were the new characters Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul. They, along with the young Obi-Wan, gave us perhaps one of the screen's best fight scenes ever. If you haven't watched it lately dig it out and at least watch that scene again. Superb choreography, great camera work, and fantastic scoring mark it as a truly remarkable piece of filmdom worthy of being ranked alongside of some of Bruce Lee's fight scenes or those of two or three Kurosawa films.
None of this can be said about ATTACK OF THE CLONES, however. There is no Darth Maul, no Qui-Gon Jinn, and not even any great rivalry between Obi-Wan and a top villain. Certainly Christopher Lee is one of the great character actors; after decades of sneering at just the right time he is a fine villain, but he's too old to manage a fight scene with any level of energy that even approaches that manifested by Ray Park/Darth Maul. His fight scene with Yoda, one that we've been tantalized with for two years, is short and lacks anything that might make it memorable.
Then there are the two stars of the movie that are tasked with carrying off the love story. Natalie Portman is excellent again as Amidala and carries more than her share of the weight for the entire cast. Her acting is one of the movie's high points. The young man portraying Anakin depicts him as virtually being Darth Vader already. He loves/hates Obi-Wan (with an apparent nod to the hate side) and is churlish, egocentric, and filled with violence. One might counter that such is the nature of men in their late teens (at least some), however one trained in the Jedi arts since youth might be expected to show a bit more restraint. He is totally unlikeable, and the most unbelievable scene in the film is when Amidala, having spent enough time with him to know that this is a Jedi greatly in need of Prozac, announces to him that she loves him, in spite of his overtly murderous nature.
Perhaps the worst crime perpetrated against the Jedi order is to make them unable to sense the evil that surrounds them. Oh, Yoda and the members of the council make references to "sensing a disturbance in the force" and look appropriately grim; but come on, these are the baddest warriors in the galaxy! Certainly we're supposed to be impressed with just how evil and powerful Palpatine/Darth Sidious is; but how believable is it that the entire Jedi council can't get a handle on ANY of this? These guys are almost clueless! I mean, they can't even pick up on just how close to the edge of the dark side Anakin is, and it's made painfully obvious throughout the show that the kid is losing it.
The bottom line is this....when I first saw Obi-Wan dispatch Darth Maul in THE PHANTOM MENACE I stood up and cheered; with Episode II, I was just glad it was over.