The Nameless Planet

The Day of Days

May 21, 1999 - Yesterday was a day I will remember for a long time. I finally saw Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I was able to share this special experience with my girlfriend, who is also a fan but not as fanatical as me. We got to the theatre for the 7pm showing at around 5pm, and there were already 5 people waiting to get in. We got our advance tickets, grabbed a bite to eat and headed for the theatre about 20 minutes later. There were 10 people there! We hopped into line quickly, sporting our Episode I T-shirts and securing ourselves good seats. The atmosphere of the line was very enthusiastic; everyone was excited to see this movie! The clock ticked and became 6pm, the line was getting really big now. By the time 6:30pm rolled around, everyone was ecstatic. We were allowed to go in! I couldn't believe it.

The trailers began and I was getting ready to scream. No more waiting! And then, the familiar Lucasfilm logo and those 10 sacred words. I had to keep convincing myself this was really happening. Was I about to witness a brand new chapter in the Star Wars saga after waiting for what seemed like an eternity? The movie, in a word, was astounding. From the opening crawl to the end credits it was action packed. I was constantly bombarded with brand new Star Wars images. I was in heaven! But now for the inevitable: yet another SW fan tries to review the movie. It will be hard for me to do without being biased.

I found the plot to be a bit too much on the political side for a Star Wars film, but it was still a good backdrop for the movie. We were introduced to brand new aliens, vehicles, and environments, every one of which was awesome. The CG effects were unbelievable, and proves once more that ILM is the leader in the field. I drooled over every planetscape (especially Coruscant...wow!) and was amazed at how real the Gungans were. This brings me to Jar Jar Binks. He was a funny character, and not nearly as annoying as some newspapers and fans lead you to believe. I found it amazing how realistically he interacted with his surroundings - another watermark set by the team at ILM.

Now for the rest of the characters. Ewan McGregor nailed Alec Guiness' accent on the head. I couldn't believe it! Even though he didn't have that much screen time, he successfully played a young Obi-Wan Kenobi. A note about Darth Maul: I went into that theatre thinking he would be my favorite, but boy was I wrong. Walking out of there I felt that Qui-Gon Jinn was the best character in the whole movie. He portrayed the epitome of a hero and noble Jedi Knight. He respected the all things living (the "living Force") and never asked for reward. A true master of the Force. My opinion is definitely changed about Maul. Given he was a cool character, and very fierce looking, he wasn't that important of a character. Merely an opponent for the much cooler Jedi to defeat. I believe that Darth Maul may turn into another Boba Fett - he has only two lines in the whole movie!

Jake Lloyd did a fine job at playing the role of a character that is much bigger than he is. You have to give the kid credit, he's only 10. I think he definitely gave the impression of a child that has big dreams, and will do anything to make them happen. Actually, he's much more positive than Luke was in ANH ("Awww...Biggs was right, I'm never gonna get off this rock!"). Natalie Portman did an okay job of the Queen, but I still don't understand the point of her using a decoy through the movie. It was a little confusing. The worst acting in the movie, I think, was done by Sam Jackson. His scenes were so stiff! It was almost as if he was afraid of screwing up.

Overall, this movie was an experience to remember. Without spoiling any of the major plot points, I will say that the Pod Race was exhilirating. Even though the outcome was known I was on the edge of my seat. The final duel was GREAT...but too short. It brings some vitality to the duels we have been used to seeing (i.e. a couple of old men, one half a machine). Go see this movie, if you are a Star Wars fan. I know I am definitely going to see it again.