Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace
A 20th Century Fox / Lucasfilms release

review by Joe Mauceri

Will the real actor please stand up?

The massive hype/marketing campaign for STAR WARS: EPISODE
1 - THE PHANTOM MENACE is out of control! It could easily backfire, rendering it this summer's box office bust. However, it is not going to be as bad as last summer's "Godzilla" fizzle. Lucas' seclusion at Skywalker Ranch has been too long. His tyrannical control over the project seems to parallel "The Emperor's New Clothes," and too many "threads"are showing. What happened at midnight on May 2 when the toys became available? I was at FAO Schwartz. It was a poor turn out. They hoped the line would go from the front door, around and down 59th Street. However, when they turned the cameras on they moved the line from the entrance out to 5th Avenue. The crowd was a meager forty to fifty. The previous day, just a few blocks away, all the toys were available for sale at the Big Apple Comic Convention. Waiting on line since May 1, there is one to two dozen folks who, with no responsibilities, can spend all this time on line. On May 12, when tickets went on sale a real line form formed. Nevertheless, the next day it was back to the same old faces. They often quote Noel Coward for his line, "You can never go home again." EPISODE 1 is a classic example. Story structure suffers from many of the same problems as the original. Lucas has obviously not put pen to paper for quite sometime. The screenplay has just enough material to lay the foundation for the next installments. However, it is thread bare. Having seen the film, it was amazed that TIME ran Bill Moyers' interview with Lucas. It is an exercise in "much to do about nothing."

Face paint by Kiss. Eyes by Marilyn Manson.

The plot for EPISODE 1 is a hodgepodge collection of literature, mythology, spiritualism and motion pictures. They either accentuate the sober moments or bookend them with cutting-edge digital effects. Anakin's call to appear before the Jedi consul seems to parallel the biblical tale of a 12-year-old Jesus being found in the temple teaching priests. One of the most promising elements in the script, influenced by Christian mythology, was the pod-race. It is an indisputable homage to the great chariot race in Ben Hur. Unfortunately, it does not have the same impact on the screen as the page, and the placement in the story is anticlimactic. [It is also an obvious blatant marketing device for a computer game.] There are other components, that seem great on paper, which do not payoff on screen. The most disappointing is the lack of chemistry between Neeson and McGregor. A facet of EPISODE 1 is reminiscent of "101 Arabian Nights," or a Kipling "Just So" yarn. Funny looking creatures have replaced talking animals in the fable. Also, consider the names like Qui- Gon Jim, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jar Jar Binks, and Queen "Padme Naberrie" Amidala. Other elements and production designs surfacing from Hinduism include things like the nature of Darth Maul. It reminded me of Shiva, The Destroyer. Look hard enough, and influences from "Oliver Twist" to Lucas' own "Temple of Doom" emerge. The many characters and subplots driving the narrative sacrifice substance. Again, it all serves to build the foundation for the sequels. All these serious aspects serve as window dressing to the assortment of "funny" digitally rendered characters. In the shadow of technology and humor, they reduce EPISODE 1 to a kid's movie. EPISODE 1 is really about the digital effects and cutting-edge technology. Occasionally it works, at times it does not quite live up to the hype, while often it becomes overkill. The digital Jar Jar Binks is state of the art. However, the technology is simply not at a level where it is 100% believable. The character has several ticks and glitches. The digitally rendered characters feature funny voices and often serve as comic relief. [Some of the funny voices are hard to perceive. Not enough subtitles!] With his long floppy ears and funny voice, Jar Jar Binks feels like the digital great-grandson to Bugs Bunny, or the son of Roger Rabbit. When it comes to designing new worlds and hardware, Lucas has gone way beyond the tweaking he did for the "Special Editions." Mix in the vast number of costumes for Queen Amidala and the filmmakers have created their own genre - "Techno-Baroque." Would I pay to see STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 - THE PHANTOM MENACE? No! I would pay to see "The Matrix" again before I paid to see EPISODE 1 again. I want to see AUSTIN POWERS 2 again -- I've never laughed so hard -- before I see EPISODE 1 again. DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE! The crowning achievement of the film is John Williams' extraordinary score. The film has all these high-concept sequences, high energy stuff that feels like the STAR TOURS ride at Disney, connected by a convoluted mythology and thinly veiled plot. Will it break "Titanic's" record? I think not. Will it be around come Labor Day? Probably in the bargain theaters. Hey, they have already announced that the video will be available for Christmas.

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
www.starwars.com/episode-i/

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