REVIEW DATE: 5:21:9:9
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What? Of course I'm reviewing Star Wars, what planet are you from?
So, after all the hype, all the negative backlash, and all the months of waiting, we are left with The Phantom Menace. Weather you like it or not, you must admit that it is a tribute to George Lucas' creative spirit. And his money grubbing capitalist spirit, as well.
Oh, come on! You know as well as I do that Lucas has more money then God now. He could live out his days in a mansion made of solid gold from now until the end of time if he wanted to. The reality is, he doesn't need to make another movie. So, why did he make this one?
It's pretty simple, really. This is a story that needs to be told. Despite what Newsweek critic David Ansen says, it does need to be told. My biggest (and perhaps only) complaint about the original Star Wars (which is now Episode 4 so, technically, its the 4th Star Wars, oh hell, this'll really screw up my filing system. Thanks, Lucas) was that you could walk into the beginning of the movie, yet still be in the middle of the show. To my young brain, this created a sort of, what the hell? felling that impaired my enjoyment of Star Wars my first go around.
Now we know the story. Or at least part of it. I think I speak for all SW fans when I say, "Its about time."/p>
Our story beings an even longer time ago in a galaxy that's. . .stayed just where it was. It's still far, far away, though. A greedy trade union in alliance with a mysterious figure (apparently the titular Phantom Menace) has blockaded the peaceful planet of Naboo. The Senate, trying to calm the situation, dispatches two Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), to the planet's aid.
Their peaceful mission soon turns into a rescue mission as our heros meet with serious trouble (which seems to fallow Jedi around for some reason) finally rescuing Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and gaining our odious comic relief in the form of a quite eccentric alien named Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best). Our heros escape. Unfortunatly, their ship is heavily damaged and they land on the planet Tatooine to effect repairs. Maybe you've heard of it?
Nn the planet, they meet a young boy who is extremely strong in the force by the name of Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd). Maybe you've heard of him, too.
And that's the strangest thing about this movie, and these characters. You've been here before, yet you haven't. Lucas has taken characters we know the futures of (Obi-Wan, Anakin, R2D2, C3PO) and sprinkled them with characters you don't have the faintest clue about. It's a very gutsy move by Lucas. He has now made Star Wars<