LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- THV Film Critic Jonathan Nettles gives his thoughts on why you should change your thinking on Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
In 1999, when I first saw Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, I thought it was awesome. The effects were cool, the light saber battles were cool, and everything about it was cool. The second time I saw it, it was a little less awesome. The third time I saw it, it was just okay. How could it go from being awesome to just being okay? The first time you see a big blockbuster effects driven film, you're taken in by all the pizzazz and for a Star Wars fan, you're taken in even more by looking for things that define the films. The opening shot of a spaceship flying to a planet, wisdom from a Jedi Knight, the Jedi themselves in all their glory before they were destroyed by Vader, the republic, and the origins of Anakin Skywalker. The second time you see it, those illusions are missing and you start paying more attention to things like dialogue, acting, and the story itself. The third time you see it, there's nothing new to learn and it borders on boring but it left me with a burning desire to see what the next two installments would bring about but more on that later.
Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace is, for my generation, the worst film of the franchise. The question is: who is to blame? Is it George Lucas? Is it Jar Jar Binks? Is it Jake Lloyd? Or was it the fans that had been waiting for this for 20 years? Up until earlier this evening, I would have said "yes" to all three. It's obvious that Lucas was lying to Star wars fans when he claimed to have enough material for three prequels and three sequels. He even admitted that he had to add a lot of filler material to The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Jar Jar Binks was a very annoying character. No one likes to see a character that is completely incompetent in everything they do. Jake Lloyd, even at his young age, was probably not the best choice to play Anakin. Even for child actors, he stumbles his lines and doesn't deliver them well but put some of that back on George Lucas. There's even a scene in one of the DVD extra's where he's crying because he thinks everyone is making fun of him. The first time I saw I though "it's because you're so awful" now I feel sad that he felt that way because he was a child who had a lot of unfair pressure (that he didn't even know about) to create that character.
Looking back, thinking of my 8 and 11 year old boys, The Phantom Menace is still the weakest of the group but it's not as bad as you think. Lucas took something old (yes, Star Wars is old) and made it new and exciting for a younger generation. It takes all three of the prequel films to get there but it does the job as a collective work. If George Lucas hadn't made Star Wars into something that little kids would enjoy then I wouldn't be watching the animated series The Clone Wars with my boys (they're the ones who ask to watch it). One of them wouldn't have Star Wars wall clings in his room. He wouldn't have made me a Star Wars book yesterday. They wouldn't ask which character from Star Wars is my favorite. To prove my point further, A New Hope was on TV a couple of weeks ago and they both agreed with each other that it was "stupid".
I still think Jar Jar Binks is one of the most annoying characters on film but there's a lesson for all of us to learn about Jar Jar. Jar Jar was a guy that no one liked, no one wanted to be around. He was banished by his own people for being clumsy but the heroes of our story where nice to him and treated him kindly. When Queen Amidala needed an army to save her planet she said "Jar Jar, I need your help" and he came through. The lesson is that you should be nice and kind to everyone because someday they might be the ones to save the day. Also, Jar Jar plays a pivotal role in the prequel story arc. Who is that makes motion in the Senate to give Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers so he can start the Clone Wars against the Separatists? Jar Jar Binks.
Jake Lloyd was a child. He gets no blame because you cannot blame children for the actions of adults. I'm sure he did the best he could with his abilities. Would we rather have seen a more sinister portrayal of young Anakin or would we rather see an innocent child with the world in front of him whose fear led him down a path of darkness? The latter told a better story, even if it was told poorly.
Lastly, I would ask you to consider that it was our fault. Yes, the fans that grew up with Star Wars and claims it as our own. Is it our fault? Did the anticipation of this story over a 20 year period make it impossible for Lucas to deliver? Take a few minutes and look impartially at the plot of each Star wars film side by side (with the exception of The Empire Strikes Back) and compare the plot points without character names. Are they the same? Are they close enough to be considered the same? The difference is that in Episodes IV-VI we were on this journey with them and we didn't know what was coming next. In Episodes I-III we knew what was going to happen, we just didn't know how. So Lucas was challenged with the tassks of telling a story that everyone already knew the ending too. Imagine reading the last chapter of your favorite mystery book first and then reading how it all unfolded. It's a different experience all together. Furthermore imagine trying to tell it in a way so that you would forget the ending. Under those circumstances, it would be impossible to tell that story in way that would satisfy anyone who holds it in such high regard.
There are subtle things missed about Episode I that (with the help of another writer whose article you can read here) I've come to realize about the overall story. Under the surface, it's a political thriller. The attack on Naboo was all part of a plan to stage a political coup. To get Chancellor Vallorum removed from office so that Senator Palpatine could begin his rise to power. No matter which side one, he would come out on top. Even the good guys (the Jedi) were playing a part in his sinister plot without even knowing it. That's a theme throughout the entire prequel.
So, the point is that while the 3D version of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace doesn't make the movie better. It's still a movie made for the big screen and that's where it's best viewed. Bigger and louder, that makes it worth the price of admission. The questions most Star Wars fans will ask are: how was the 3D and did Lucas add more stuff to make it "better".
The 3D was not worth it. I think it made me like it less. There were times when I took my 3D glasses off and saw virtually no difference. I'd call it an epic failure to capture on an opportunity but Lucas did what he wanted. He introduced another generation to Star Wars and made more money to support his own empire. Luckily (or unfortunately) he didn't add anything to make it his version of better. He didn't make any "Han shot first" controversies or add any unnecessary "nooooooos".
Its difficult trying to rate this film, given my previous bias for it but I think 7 stars out of 11 is more than fair. If I were rating just the 3D conversion and not the film itself, I'd give it 5 stars out of 11.
Also, this week Denzel Washington stars in the action thriller Safe House. Washington plays a dangerous rogue CIA agent, who turns himself in after a decade on the run. When the safe house he's placed in is attacked, a rookie operative (Ryan Reynolds) escapes with him and the duo must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead. Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams return in sappy romance movie style about a man whose wife is in a car crash and wakes up with not memory their entire relationship and he must make her fall in love with him all over again in The Vow. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson continues his quest for family movie domination with Journey 2: The Mysterious Island the 3D follow up to Journey to the Center of the Earth. When Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from an island that shouldn't exist, he sets out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before the seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.
While the big Oscar movies are getting a lot of press (and more box office business) the lesser know films tend to be overlooked especially when it comes to short films. Well, Market Street Cinema is showing all of the Oscar Nominated Short films (animated and live action) respectively in their own setting. So, you could go see all of the animated short films , go grab a bite to eat, and then go back to see all of the live action films.
Next week, two top CIA operatives wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same women in This Means War starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, and Tom Hardy. Nicolas Cage returns as Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. As he hides out in Eastern Europe, Blaze is called upon to stop the devil who trying to take human form.
For your chance to receive a pass to a screening of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, log on to www.gofobo.com/RSVP and enter RSVP code: KTHVDC8Z. It's on February 16th at 7:30pm at Rave Theater on Colonel Glenn in Little Rock. Passes are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis and having a pass DOES NOT guarantee admission.
The Little Rock Horror Picture Show is also next weekend at Market Street Cinema. Check out their website for a complete line up and schedule. It features some films made by Arkansans, a few classics, and everything in between.