Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace [VHS]
"I have a bad feeling about this," says the young Obi-Wan Kenobi  (played by Ewan McGregor) inStar Wars: Episode I, The Phantom  Menaceas he steps off a spaceship and into the most anticipated cinematic event... well, ever. He might as well be speaking for the  legions of fans of the original episodes in theStar Warssaga  who can't help but secretly ask themselves: Sure, this isStar  Wars, but is itmy Star Wars? The original elevated  moviegoers' expectations so high that it would have been impossible for  any subsequent film to meet them. And as with all theStar Warsmovies,The Phantom Menacefeatures inexplicable plot twists, a  fistful of loose threads, and some cheek-chewing dialogue. Han Solo's  swagger is sorely missed, as is the pervading menace of heavy-breathing  Darth Vader. There is still way too much quasi-mystical mumbo jumbo,  and some of what was fresh aboutStar Wars22 years earlier  feels formulaic. Yet there's much to admire. The special effects are  stupendous; three worlds are populated with a mélange of creatures, flora, and horizons rendered in absolute  detail. The action and battle scenes are breathtaking in their  complexity. And one particular sequence of the film--the  adrenaline-infused pod race through the Tatooine desert--makes the chariot race inBen-Hurlook like a Sunday stroll through the park.Among the host of new characters, there are a few familiar walk-ons. We  witness the first meeting between R2-D2 and C-3PO, Jabba the Hutt looks  younger and slimmer (but not young and slim), and Yoda is as crabby as  ever. Natalie Portman's stately Queen Amidala sports hairdos that make  Princess Leia look dowdy and wields a mean laser. We never bond with  Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Obi-Wan's day is yet to come. Jar Jar Binks, a cross  between a Muppet, a frog, and a hippie, provides many of the movie's lighter moments, while Sith Lord Darth  Maul is a formidable force. Baby-faced Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) looks too young  and innocent to command the powers of the Force or wield a lightsaber (much less transmute into the future Darth Vader), but his  boyish exuberance wins over skeptics.Near the end of the movie, Palpatine, the new leader of the Republic,  may be speaking for fans eagerly awaitingEpisode IIwhen he  pats young Anakin on the head and says, "We will watch your career with  great interest." Indeed! --Tod Nelson