THE NABOO WARRIOR
Yep, this is a Star Wars film and it's excellent. You may query
why I confirm it is Star Wars, but one of my main concerns was whether this film could
"feel" like Star Wars since there is no Rebel Alliance, and no Empire.
Basically everything is new: the people, the time, the worlds. Only the Jedi are
carried though from the originals and they did not even play that big a part. Yet, this
film still carries that Star Wars feel just as well as the others. Of course,
Obi-Wan making that The plot, whilst initially basic and lacking depth ultimately proves anything but. Even on my first viewing I found suspense in it and had do idea there were decoy Queens or even that Naboo would survive. Qui-Gon dieing was a shock, so too Darth Maul. So, even at a superficial level the plot did surprise, but it is fair to say, that it is far more intricate than many have claimed with far more tasties to uncover. An extra viewing and a bit of thought will confirm this.
Naturally, I can see how a non-Star Wars fan can fail to glean much of this information, and yes, in this light the plot can seem to be less than compelling at a superficial level. Really, with almost three subplots running in parallel, it is no wonder anyone can make sense of it after just one viewing! But Star Wars fans and even those that see it on multiple times should try and realise the implications of many of the film's seemingly innocuous statements and scenes, try and piecetogether the many jigsaw pieces, and thus, the plot will become far more engrossing. Ultimately, the film leaves you tantalised, and just like Empire did with Jedi, the Phantom Menace has set up the next one beautifully. I hope we get to see Anakin pork the Queen! I deliberately refused to get info on the film and the actors, and it worked. If I'd had known who Natalie Portman is, that decoy would have been unconvincing. I even thought they were totally different actors!
But, even I found myself in a situation that was perplexing especially when Anakin
destroyed the Droid Control Ship. First, speaking of droids, the droid army, whilst
humorous, make those Storm Troopers that faced the Ewoks at the battle of Endor seem
proficient. Sure they're just droids that can't learn or react to
"unprogrammed" situations but even their accuracy was poor. But then, even
the mighty R2-D2 even had a moment of sheer stupidity in Empire when he mistook a power
socket for a computer terminal. Or was that 3PO's fault? Anyway, back to
Anakin, who was hit, and accidentally crashed into the landing bay. With
droids approaching to capture him, the ship suddenly regained power and while Anakin
started shooting droids he also happened to let off two (probable) proton torpedoes
that just happened to take out something affecting the power reactor which ultimately
destroyed the ship. Sorry, all too cute. I doubt even the The pace of the film seemed a bit erratic. Some have questioned the frequent
cutting to other scenes as well, but this was no more evident that in any other Star Wars
film, or probably any action type film, and I feel it was just about perfect. With
events running simultaneously in real So what was it, especially, as I found, that half-an-hour through the middle stages?
A possible issue could be the inevitability of it all. We knew Anakin
was going to win and leave Tatooine - and it was too drawn out. In this light, the
pod race could have been more exciting - it was the The score, whilst excellent and suitable, was definitely not up to the standard of previous films on early viewings - except for Darth Maul's fighting sequences - nor as memorable. The Duel of the Faiths with its choir elements truly shines, but no other piece of music is memorable. It is largely derived from the originals, so again, I suppose familiarity is the real curse. Maybe the other Star Wars scores are so memorable due to familiarity as I have heard them so often? Maybe the same with happen with Phantom Menace? Maybe it is just too early to really judge it as there is so much else to digest? Sound effects? Absolutely superb. Nothing more, nothing less. I especially appreciated the different podracer engine sounds - Sebulba's was breathtaking. And who'd have thought the sound of an electric shaver run over the inside of a stainless steel bowl would sound as good those sounds emitted from the Trade Federation tanks? Amazing.
Of course, there is the lack of so-called personality or human touch in the film. Baloney. Even right at the start, when an R2 unit saved the Queen's Starship by having the initiative to divert engine power to the shields and the Queen asked for the battle-stained units number. The response of "R2-D2" nearly made me cry, I swear. He is my hero and this was truly a stirring moment. In fact, quite a few scenes stirred the emotions. You don't have to be a person to have personality or a human factor. Of course, the whole Anakin scene, building his association with Qui Gon and eventually leaving Tatooine was quite emotional. Again, it is all about relevance. Star Wars is not about humans, that is why it is so convincing. Were the others endowed with "human touches" or stirred the emotions more? No. There is no human or earthly attachment ever. It is set a long, long, time ago and a galaxy far, far away..... Get used to it.
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trademark Star Wars "bad feeling about this" statement early on
certainly helped! Sure the Phantom Menace is not going to match the originals for
innovation or novelty (but still had plenty) for the precise fact that the originals were
just that, original! Lets get real - we are dealing with the fourth
incarnation of the series. But it did transport me to another dimension; it did
fascinate; and it did leave me wanting more. And since that is what characterises a
Star Wars film the most, then the Phantom Menace can certainly be acclaimed as a
resounding success.
The
film is not about the rescue of the subjugated Naboo at the hands of the Trade
Federation due to a dispute over the taxation of trade routes. Nor is it about the
discovery of an unknown boy whose special skills are integral in the defeat of an
oppressive force a la the original Star Wars. Well it is both of these, but also
there is a deep subplot that will carry through to episodes 2 & 3: the subterfuge
initiated by Naboo's Senator, in Palpatine, to become Supreme Chancellor of the Senate;
and the initiations of Anakin's and Queen Amidala's relationship that will eventually lead
to Luke and Leia being born. The respective ingratiation between the two is subtle,
but it's there. Anyway, the result of Trade Federation's blockade is irrelevant, as
the Federation and the Queen of Naboo are mere pawns in a game of manipulation and
subterfuge by Palpatine in order to achieve his insidious and evil plans. We will
know will eventually create the Empire and become Emperor Palpatine And speaking of
insidious, just who is Darth Sidious? A comment from Yoda regarding the fact that
there can only ever be two Sith, poses more than just the question of whether it was the
Master 
or the Apprentice that died. This also explains why Darth Vader and the
Emperor mentioned destroying each other as an inducement for Luke to turn to the Dark Side
in Empire and Jedi. And why there are just two of them.
Some
things did whistle by, though. Anakin's mother said there was no father and Qui-Gon
seemed barely surprised. Other than simply not wanting to admit there was a father,
for whatever reasons, I'm not sure what she exactly means (yet). It might be time to
listen more carefully during this section of the film. Much of the waffle from the
Trade Federation (even the opening scrolling script) regarding tax issues, went way over
my head. R2-D2 surviving long enough to save the Queens' Starship as his
fellow droids were being blasted off every second. But then, it is R2! Maybe
he has the force - a Jedi Droid! Anakin winning the Pod Race despite his
mishaps. While he did mention he had built the fastest pod ever, there was no
explanation as to why, and consequently this fact escaped me come race time. Reading
one of the books, it details how his pod ran on a 
radical fuel distribution and atomiser system
that Anakin designed. Multiple injectors get maximum burn from each atom of fuel,
hence, the engine becomes one big afterburner. Of course, it has to be monitored
extremely closely as to prevent flooding and stalling as what occurred on the line. There
we saw him fiddling around and we had no idea what he was really doing, but he was
actually restoring the fuel balance. He'd also developed greater manoeuvrability
with his triple air-scoop set-up. With a 150+ kph speed advantage and greater
cornering ability, no wonder he caught Sebulba so easily. Why was not any of this
mentioned during the film, even remotely? After the race, a simple "what
happened at the start line?" to Anakin would have been enough. 
So,
we have this assumption issue, which some people can not get a grip with, especially the
notion of "the force" as an all encompassing mechanism that controls everything.
This is despite the fact that this very notion is not dissimilar to what most religions
preach, but unlike religion, the force is credible and real (in the Star Wars
universe). Unlike the originals, though, this film at least provided some
explanations. The Force was explained clearly to Anakin (and to me) and the Force
was offered to Jar Jar as the "tool" used in guidance through the planet's
core. Before they would have just popped out the other side leaving us wondering how
they navigated through the planet's core. Sure Ben and Yoda offered
explanations in the originals but they were not really conclusive, not like Qui
Gon's. 
force could be this
strong, but maybe I'm wrong? In the original I can still remember vividly that I did
not understand how Luke managed to hit the reactor shaft with no computer and it took ages
to realise that Ben was using the force to persuade those Storm Troopers at Mos
Eisley. So maybe an explanation of Anakin's achievement will emerge in later
viewings? Being picky here is not being fair though, as in reality, you can find
"holes" in just about any film. Overall, these minor issues had no detrimental
on the film whatsoever.
time, there really is no choice.
Star Wars had Luke's progress as well as empirical developments occurring simultaneously;
Empire had Luke training and the Bespin situation; Jedi had Endor, the space battle, and
Luke/Vader battle; and Menace had the Queen and Sith/Trade Federation subplots. But
as with all Star Wars films, all the sub-plots meet in one big finale and Menace was no
different. In fact, Lucas stated in an interview that Menace did receive a huge
recutting to remove any annoying jumpy-ness. 
only example of gratuitous
effects taking precedence over plot. Aaah, the effects. Yep, first class,
and for a freak like me it was great to actually SEE places like Coruscant that had been
mentioned in the other films. These environmental effects are simply stunning - a
real highlight. Like the plot, more viewings will reveal many little things like the
group of ETs in the senate! At times, the effects can be overwhelming, and herein
lies the problem: they take precedence over dialogue. You are really sucked
into the effects side of the film early on, and when it asks you to actually listen to the
dialogue during this flat spot, you are not really in the mood or frame of mind.
Very similar to Empire, mind you, supposedly the best film of the lot and my personal
favourite! I can still remember those Yoda and Dagobah scenes as utterly boring when
I originally saw the film. But when I was older - and wiser - they became compelling
as they made you "unlearn what you have learned". Menace may turn out to
be the same - another viewing anyone? It has to be if you are to get the most out of
Menace.
Many
have mentioned the bad acting, but that is pure folly. One word: relevant. Yes it
was stilted and serious, but it was relevant. Everyone was totally convincing, other than
perhaps Obi-Wan. But even then, if he is to be a young Alec Guiness, then surely he
has done well to emulate Ben's eloquent style and intonation? No, he was damn
good. You must place relevance into the equation. Natalie Portman excelled
with her duel role: the Queen's sexy, deep and serious voice was compelling; Padme's less
serious but still strong personality also shone through. In fact, watching her
knowing they are the same actress really adds sheen to her performance. Jake
Lloyd as Anakin, I found to be a pleasant surprise. No problems except for the
occasional "yippee". Unfortunately, there were no real characters like Han that
could lighten things up, but the old faithfuls in R2 and C3PO did! Problem was that
they were mere bit players. Unfortunately Jar Jar - the real offering here - I found
difficult to understand. He was mostly unfunny - probably due to the difficulty in
understanding him - and mainly there for the kids. Though, his "hello
boyoes" to the droids early on killed me. Conversely, the other main digital
character - Watto - was excellent. That Jedi mind-trick line was a killer.
Actually, most of the best humour and personality was derived from the bit players.
Sebulba - Anakin's Pod Race nemesis - "performed" well and the Droid army were a
riot at times with their mannerisms and vocabulary. The Pit Droids have to be seen
to be believed - I want one! Darth Maul performed well and it was interesting to
note another actor provided his voice for all three or so lines. Really, he was just
a pretty boy to get bums on seats.
The
actual script was generally fault free and pure Star Wars. Sure, just like the
originals, there were some real cringed bits. Most notable when Qui Gon asked the
Gungan Boss what would happen to Jar Jar; Jar Jar's "I'm not gonna watch"
statement as the Pod Race started; the old lady with the Australian accent telling Anakin
to get indoors to avoid the sand storm. Again, to all the critics, one word:
relevant. At this point, though, just like with the score, there seems to be no memorable
lines like "the force will be with" and "all too easy" that permeated
the originals. This again could be due to familiarity as I can't remember how many
lines I could recite after just two showings of the originals. Suffice to say, Jar
Jar's "how rude" is memorable, but that really is a play on 3PO's same line on
Bespin when he received a nasty greeting from a fellow protocol droid. Other than
that, I can recall and have used: "I don't care what universe you come from, that's
gotta hurt" from the pod race commentators; and "another solution will present
itself" from Qui Gon. The best one, though, was Qui Gon's mind-trick action on
Watto that I have used once. And yes, the force does have a strong effect on the
weak-minded. I tried it, and despite my probable zero level of midiclorians, it
worked! I "asked" a 10 year old boy get a chair for someone, and he
did. Even better, when he came back, he had no idea what really happened to
him. He just had a blank face. I think I'll stop at one successful display -
and a 100% strike rate - of my Jedi power.
In
summary, we have a genuine Star Wars film that is similar in basic plot to Star Wars,
similar in pace to Empire, and with a crescendo similar to Jedi. Menace even feels
like a Star Wars film, but has an identity all of its own as it is set in different times,
with different characters and in different worlds. The new characters are great and
endearing; the plot is intricate and really grows; while not wowing like the originals,
the unparalleled effects that really transport you to the Star Wars dimension are
now the new benchmark; but most significantly, it leaves you tantalised for more.
A very
good film that will get better and better with subsequent viewings. I believe, that
just like the luke-warm reaction to the original, in time, people with grow to love it as
they derive more and more from it. I believe, that once the novelty of the effects
wear off, the balance and pace of the film will improve as attention focuses more on the
plot, characters and dialogue. Even just writing this evokes many thoughts and
memories - and it's starting to stir the juices! After the first viewing, I'd give
it 7/10 (Very Good), but I was hampered by an ordinary theatre with a bitch in front
of me that would not sit still. Also, I was in a daze that I only really shook off
towards the end. On second viewing, I'd say 8/10 (Excellent) definitely, but with
the proviso of a third viewing and the possibility of upping that figure. Still, at
present I do rate it behind Empire and Star Wars, but just in front of Jedi which probably
makes for the most accurate way of assessment. I was engrossed most of the time, the
two and a quarter hours of the film's duration did fly by, and can't wait to see it
another time, or 20! I suppose it's now time to have a Pepsi, right Mr Maul?