THE PHANTOM MENACE

The Phantom Menace
1999
*** (out of 4)

As we begin our discussion of the Star Wars prequels, you may notice a disconnect between the level of criticism I heap on the films and my conclusion that they are actually pretty good. The question at hand is; should they be judged as self contained works or as part of the overall Star Wars universe? If the former, then yes, George Lucas has made three entertaining sci-fi adventures. What they are not, are worthy successors to the original trilogy, which why nitpicking is the order of the day.

Perhaps it was never realistic to expect the prequels to live up to their predecessors after 16 years. Had Lucas followed the example of Peter Hyams, he may have set more realistic expectations. Hyams had the unenviable challenge of directing 2010, the sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s unparalleled masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey. He wisely understood that the task was impossible and any attempt to recreate Kubrick’s genius was doomed to fail. So he changed the game. Using the many of the same characters and settings, Hyams made 2010 an effective space thriller that stood on its own and bore no resemblance to the original.

George Lucas, on the other hand, never stops reminding us that we are back in the Star Wars universe. If fans don’t feel that same thrill of years past, it’s our fault for losing our own sense of childhood wonder. Could it be that it was his own anticipation of this reaction that motivated Lucas to tweak his originals so that they more resembled the updates? If we had lost that sense of wonder, it was miraculously regained a year later when The Lord of the Rings proved that filmgoers still appreciate great fantasy.

All these accusations of jadedness were a result of Star Wars fans everywhere rejecting a creation Lucas was particularly proud of, The Phantom Menace’s odious Jar Jar Binks. Jar Jar was the first fully realized computer generated character in a live action film. It was a technical breakthrough that paved the way for a battle ready Yoda and Lord of the Ring’s unforgettable Gollum.

Unfortunately, Jar Jar was provided with mannerisms so unbelievably stupid that the movie stops dead in its tracks whenever he appears. There was some talk that he was some kind of racist portrayal of a Jamaican stereotype, but I never saw that. What I did see was a character in a Star Wars film shamelessly breaking into Bill Cosby’s old dentist comedy routine (just before the pod-race) and making kindergarten level shit and fart jokes. Lucas’ excuse was that this was the episode for the tots. I couldn’t help but remember the droids and Ewoks from the first trilogy filling that function without insulting the intelligence of the very kids they were trying to appeal to.

Though overshadowed by Jar Jar’s inanity, equally frustrating were the vocal ticks of those Trade Federation aliens meant to convey some kind of bureaucratic threat to our heroes. Here, I found accusations of racial insensitivity spot on, as their accents were third rate Charlie Chan Asian stereotypes. Maybe subtitles are too much to ask for in a self proclaimed children’s movie (though they certainly worked for Jabba the Hut), but at least pay some attention to where your alien dialects are coming from.

I’m less annoyed by young Jake Lloyd’s casting as future Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker, in his childhood years. He’s not particularly engaging, but he’s also not given much to do. If he doesn’t match such stellar child actor performances as Henry Thomas in E.T or Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense, its likely that he was cast too young for a part that could have been more involving with an actor a few years older.

If you’re waiting for the “on the other hand” part, here it is. The Phantom Menace was wholly successful in using computer technology to create a rich visual pallet and a beautiful looking film. The sprawling cityscapes of Coruscant (very influenced by Blade Runner) and the royal classicism of Naboo, showed that new computer technology could be used not just as enhancements, but to create whole worlds from scratch. Most impressive was an underwater chase sequence that collected a vivid menagerie of sea monsters and ended much too soon.

Two other set-pieces were just as memorable. The pod-race on Tatooine harkened back to a Star Wars environment we were already familiar with, but with the added bonus of a state-of the-art CG action piece. Cameos by Jawas and Sand People offered welcome bursts of nostalgia. The climatic light saber battle with Darth Maul (an effectively unsettling creation) also did not disappoint, thanks not only to great stunt-work, but also John William’s haunting choral theme, “Duel of the Fates.”

On the performance front, Ewan McGregor as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi had Alec Guinness’ mannerism down pat, which would lend credibility to all the prequels. Liam Neeson has long been typecast in mentor roles and for good reason. His portrayal of Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, offered the same kind of grounding as Harrison Ford provided in the original trilogy.

So we have some quality set pieces and some good performance, but what is sorely missing from The Phantom Menace is a strong overall narrative. So much emphasis is placed on the film’s technical achievements that the story just gets bogged down. The political maneuverings that will pay off in subsequent episodes are never made interesting here and, worse, even the concept of the Force is made mundane by providing a pseudo-science explanation for what should have remained a spiritual phenomenon.

The Phantom Menace ends up doing what it does well, very well, but what it does poorly, it cannot really recover from. As enjoyable as some sequences are, without a solid narrative through-line, it’s not really Star Wars. It’s the kind of movie that fast-forward buttons were created for. Particularly, when any line of dialogue begins with "Meesa."

RETURN OF THE JEDI

Return of the Jedi
1983
**** (out of 4)

Let me begin by making one thing clear. I have no problem with Ewoks. The standard rag on Return of the Jedi is that these cuddly teddy bear creatures represented George Lucas’ initial foray into kiddie pandering. First of all, there’s nothing inherently wrong with cute in a Star Wars film (as opposed to stupid which will be discussed in the next review), especially when combined with the sly humor that came to define the trilogy.

Second, the Ewoks conceptually made sense in the context of this movie and the Star Wars Universe. The Empire was consistently shown to have an overwhelming advantage in the hardware department. Only when the quasi-spiritual elements of the force were introduced did the odds somewhat even up. For non-force enhanced rebels, the Ewoks’ use of their natural forest environment in battle delivered the message that even the most advanced technology could be overcome by pure hearts and fighting spirits. It’s the classic David and Goliath tale.

If all this seems to lean a bit much toward the sentimental, so be it. As the climatic installment of the series, Jedi has earned that right, especially since much of its screen time was occupied by two of the creepiest villains since, well since Darth Vader.

Take Jabba the Hut, a bloated reptile slug thing crossed with a 1930’s gangster boss. He was not only a giant leap forward in the art of puppetry on film, but also joined the ranks of Hollywood’s classic monsters. Holding Han Solo prisoner in carbonite and chained to Princess Leia in a fetching bikini, the atmosphere of Jabba’s lair was sufficiently dark to recapture the mood at the end of Empire, while also recalling the alien cantina sequence from the original Star Wars.

With Darth Vader now established as Luke Skywalker’s father, a new symbol of pure evil was needed. The pasty wrinkled visage of the Emperor was the perfect personification of the dark side of the force. Ian McDiarmid, under loads of makeup, managed the difficult task of convincing us that his Emperor is not only more evil, but more powerful that Vader, who had previously personified those qualities.

Those who complain about Ewoks, seem not to remember that their scenes were inter-cut with the harrowing “Last Temptation of Luke Skywalker” sequence. That this final lightsaber fight was not about the Emperor and Vader trying to kill Luke, but instead focused on turning him to the dark side, significantly raised the dramatic stakes, further enhanced by some of composer, John William’s darkest music.

Star Wars was the original and Empire may be the best, but I think Return of the Jedi has a legitimate claim as the most purely entertaining entry in the series. George Lucas and company had already created a universe and changed the world. The story had already been built to a point that its resonance was assured and its conclusion inevitable. In Jedi, they took the opportunity to play around and have fun with it, offering more creatures, bigger space battles and characters we now know well, relishing in their personality quirks.

Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back were among the finest examples of the adventure film ever to make their way into theaters. As discussed in earlier reviews, that both films could reach those heights was improbable at best. Return of the Jedi should not be penalized for not quite equaling them. It’s a great film in its own right. More importantly, it’s a real Star Wars film that fully captured the spirit of its predecessors and provided a conclusion that did them justice.

This is a good a place as any to shift gears towards those 1997 re-releases of the original trilogy that featured those digitally enhanced scenes meant to clean up dated special effects and provide continuity with the upcoming sequels. At the time, they were pretty exciting, mostly because there hadn’t been any new Star Wars product on the big screen for quite some time, but also because our expectations for the prequels could not have been higher.

Notable additions included more elaborate scenery on Tatooine, a brief first look at the prequel planet of Coruscant and a humorous bit where a few Stormtroopers chasing Han Solo were multiplied. The Ewok song at the end of Jedi, which, I actually kind of liked, was replaced by admittedly more suitable jungle rhythms. There was also a previously deleted scene in Star Wars with Jabba the Hut, played at the time by an actor, but here digitally enhanced with the familiar creature. My only problem with this is that, for those seeing the film for the first time, Jabba’s big reveal in Jedi is undercut.

Most infamous, is the loathed “Greedo shot first” scene, set in the cantina of the original film. Here’s where the Star Wars catchphrase “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” first started cropping up among the fan base. Han Solo is a good guy, but also a smuggler, fugitive and - what did Leia call him? – That’s right, a scoundrel. This was the point at which George Lucas began acting as a revisionist of his original work. A key character lost some edge and a good scene was made just a little weaker.

Now, with the saga complete, these revisions seem even less necessary than in 1997. If, particularly Star Wars’ effects seems a little dated, I find that part of its charm. Given the choice, I would rather revisit the un-enhanced versions. I don’t mind that the “special editions” exist. I do mind that Lucas seems to want them to replace and not just provide an alternative to the originals.

Still, it was 1997 and Star Wars was back. New movies were in production and some of the most beloved corners of our childhood imaginations were about to be explored again. What could possibly go wrong?