i wish i could say that there is something more to the new star wars installment than what you see in the commercials , but there is n't .
george lucas is an expert at crafting triumphant , special effects - bound flicks and he has done it again .
this is the first star wars film i 've seen on the big screen , so , of course , the impact was much greater than when i watched the three original episodes on video .
what is compelling about the phantom menace is not its disposable story , but its amazing visuals .
basically , the film 's plot is centered around trade disputes between two planets .
qui - gon ( liam neeson ) and his young apprentice obi - wan kenobi ( ewan mcgregor ) set out with the animated jar - jar binks to fix the mess that may result in war .
when their ship breaks down and they are stranded , they find a young boy , anakin skywalker ( jake lloyd ) and his slave mother .
qui - gon strongly believes that anakin is destined for jedi greatness and immediately takes him under his wing .
anakin participates in a heart - pounding podrace , one of the highlights of the film , to get the equipment needed to fix qui - gon 's ship .
however , most everyone is doubtful about entrusting the future to some unknown slave boy .
meanwhile , queen amadala ( natalie portman ) is frustrated and at wit 's end , being na ?
ve and young and having so much responsibility on her shoulders .
there are hardly any emotional scenes in the film- even when we discover that anakin will be leaving his slave mother behind to begin jedi training , the frenzied excitement of the whole film wears down the poignancy to the size of a crumb .
this does not prove that the phantom menace is poorly made for it is brilliantly made .
in all the star wars films , human emotions that we , the audience , can identify with are usually nil , but the films are for pure enjoyment , not for uplifting purposes . despite the fun of watching the movie , the phantom menace is not without flaws .
for starters , we have the ill - conceived , moronic character jar - jar binks who should be considered a threat to star wars galactic society and to the audience .
what a klutz !
george lucas clumsily tried to create a fun character that would be as memorable as , say , yoda , r2-d2 , or c3-po , but , alas , his efforts were in vain .
secondly ( this may be good or bad , depending on your point of view ) , the movie 's atmosphere is so different from the familiar comic - book feel of the previous three star wars installments .
this is due , perhaps , to the utter complexity to this movie 's plot and the higher level of sophistication of the visual effects used here .
the movie seems to be reaching for epic proportions .
i ca n't say much about the acting , though acting has never been what you saw star wars movies for anyway .
however , there is absolutely no pizzazz to the performances- they are straightforward and , at times , stale .
natalie portman has a great presence , but her turn as queen amadala makes the queen a stoic , unfeeling ?
enigma .
there is nothing we can hold onto in her performance to make us believe the trade predicament is anything of importance .
jake lloyd is the only actor here who has an ounce of evident spunk .
despite the inevitable faults , there is so much to enjoy about the movie .
the heightened excitement of the final sequences does n't quite surpass the famous the empire strikes back climactic scenes , but they are amazing and edge - of - your - seat fun in their own rite .
the film is a treasure to look at .
the visual effects are astonishing 99 .
8 % of the time- the awe - inspiring , mouth - opening , eye - popping sight of the underwater city is nothing short of production design and special effects genius .
not since 1997 's the fifth element has there been a film as drenched in visual treats as this one .
the production design is reminiscent of the fifth element , the previous star wars movies , kubrick 's 2001 , maybe even of fritz lang 's classic silent metropolis .
however , all the sets are so original .
the original star wars movies ca n't even match the grandeur of this film 's visuals and that is a sheer pleasure for the viewer-
it gives us hope of even greater things for the upcoming episode .
the costumes are remarkable and have jean - paul gaultier written all over them . whether its queen amadala 's gigantic wardrobe complete with gold - embroidery and feathers , or the jedis ' simple brown uniforms , the costume designer has fused talent with outrageousness .
the costumes are one of the true delights of watching the movie .
as for john williams ' score , i do n't think he 's done one as complex or powerful since ?
i ca n't even remember .
it is as epic as his schindler 's list score and as thrilling and zestful as jaws .
it includes the bare bones of his music from the previous three films , but williams has added on , made the music much more intense and moving .
what with the overwhelming hoopla that circled this movie , one might come in with high expectations and be disappointed .
there is very little to hate in the film : it 's a very accomplished and skillfully made flick .
it is the best " fun " film and the best big - budget film out today , most definitely .
Output: P