As we all know a 3D version of the movie hits theaters today. I won't be handing over any more of my cash to Mr Lucas to see a movie I already saw when I was a teenager in the cinema, and didn't like even then. You are welcome to, I'm not trying to sway anyone one way or the other. I'm sure if you have already made up your mind to go, this isn't exactly going to change it.
I'm sure many of you know I'm not a fan, but I didn't want to make this some kind of complete lambasting of a movie that has possibly been ridiculed more than any other in history - while having a legion of staunch defenders at the same time. I don't think it's a good, well made film. I also Genuinely believe it is the most disappointing movie ever made. But that doesn't mean that there are no redeeming features at all, so along with the criticisms I'm going to try to discover them.
Darth Maul Lightsaber fight.
Now on to the bad stuff. Ok I'm joking, there are other good things. Visually it's hard to fault. Although the shots are not very creative, on the surface it at least
looks like a Star Wars movie. It's recognizable as the galaxy far far away we were treated to all those years ago, even if it has gone a bit CGI happy. Of course, it ISN'T, but it looks like it. I'm doing my best here ok! And as I mentioned that last Lightsaber dual is pretty cool and well choreographed, and Lucas does have the cajones to kill off his main character (Oops! Spoiler alert, guess you can skip seeing the movie now), unfortunately by that stage I'm not sure anyone but the very young (and even then that's debatable) will give a damn. This brings me to what I really think is the biggest problem with the movie - it just doesn't engage us. There are other films that fall down in many other areas but still manage to make us somewhat emotionally invested in the story, and rise above the sum of their parts. But see THEY try. They give a damn so you will, and it's abundantly clear that Lucas and his cronies do not. Nobody will ever be able to convince me that the story and dialog featured in
The Phantom Menace was written with a view to make anybody give so much as a flying [frick] about anything going on in the movie. On the contrary, at times it's so bad that it seems to have almost been done purposely. But of course that's just silly, I mean why would Lucas intentionally try to antagonize
Star Wars fans? (
Greedo shot first). To get into the performances, dialog, plot etc would mean we would be here forever, and it's almost too much like shooting fish in a barrel these days so I'll just say they suck.
There are those that think bashing the prequels is just some sort of "cool" thing fanboys do now for some reason. There are those that believe that if you don't like the prequels, then you don't like
Star Wars. And of course there are those that honestly genuinely like them. And that's all fine, nobody is telling you not to, and if it makes you feel better to believe that the "haters" are only out to stir up controversy or follow the crowd etc, keep on believing it. All I can do is give my opinion, and that is
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is a pretty bad film. And yes, it would still have been a pretty bad film had the original trilogy never existed, it just wouldn't have been so damn disappointing.
Notice how I got through that without mentioning Jar Jar Binks once? Yeah I forgot about him, take a star off the rating.