Revisiting Star Wars - Final Thoughts

There has always been a tug of war between George Lucas’s vision for the Star Wars movies and fans’ expectations for them. The first Star Wars (only dubbed Episode IV when re-released in 1981) is a lighthearted space opera and its sequel, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, breaks away from that a bit, offering something that transcends the inherent campiness of the first. Episode V is not content to simply give viewers dashing heroes and thrilling escapes (though it has its share of those too). It takes its characters and their fates too seriously for that and instead aims higher. The result is the best film of the series, one that invests audiences deeply in its story.

But maybe this more sophisticated approach was never George Lucas’s intention. What if Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, which trivializes its story with spear-throwing teddy bears – and sloppy filmmaking I might add – falls more in line with his vision for the series?

With Episode I: The Phantom Menace, George Lucas gets a fresh slate, an opportunity to reinvent what it meant for a film to be a Star Wars film. A handful of the series’ salient characters are introduced in it (Obi-Wan, Anakin, Palpatine) but for the most part, the story of Episode I is inessential to the overarching narrative. It’s a gee-whiz adventure that gives Mr. Lucas a chance to play freely in the universe he created.

Cue the outrage. Upon its release in 1999, fans bemoaned the childish approach of Episode I but, compared to Episode VI, I find it to be the more successful film. Episode VI does not fully work because it releases all the tension that was so carefully built up in Episode V. On the other hand, Episode I has no responsibility to uphold a previously established tone or style. As the first film in a trilogy, it can afford to be a little trivial.

George Lucas does deliver what fans want in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which comes closer than any other Star Wars movie to the approach of Episode V, telling the story of Anakin’s downfall with all the grandeur fans envisioned it would have. The prequel trilogy ends on an exciting and satisfying note, something Episode VI does not offer. Between Episode I and III is Episode II: Attack of the Clones, the low point of the series, but its failings are a result of issues with structure and exposition, not tone.

The other menace that has plagued the Star Wars films for years is George Lucas’s insistence on tinkering with them. The “Special Editions” of Episodes IV-VI, released in 1997, add a lot of new computer-animated effects among other cuts and reedits. While I’ll always believe that Han shot first, I have no major beef with the Special Editions. I watched the original theatrical versions when revisiting the films for these reviews but for all other intents and purposes I prefer the Special Editions. They’re flashier, crisper and nicely restored for a digital age. They may be unnecessary but these are George Lucas’s films and he may do with them what he wishes.

So where does the series go from here? According to his most recent statements, Mr. Lucas claims there will be no more Star Wars movies but he’s changed his mind before so it’s safe to say we may take his comments with a mountain of salt. My personal suspicion is that Mr. Lucas will use the profits from the 3D re-releases (which will continue annually until Episode VI is re-released in 2017) to finance another trilogy as he did with the Special Editions two years prior to the release of the first prequel. Only time will tell. Maybe there will be a reboot some day with a fresh crop of young actors in the vein of J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek or maybe the world of Star Wars will only live on through novels and animated TV shows.

Watching the Star Wars movies again with an objective and critical eye has given me a new appreciation for them. As a second-generation fan, I hardly had any choice but to love them unconditionally. But sometimes you need to take a step back to remind yourself why you fell in love in the first place, flaws and all.

- Steve Avigliano, 4/9/12

Revisiting Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983): Dir. Richard Marquand. Written by: Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. Story by: George Lucas. Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams and Ian McDiarmid. Rated PG (Stormtrooper on Ewok violence and a revealing gold bikini). Running time: 134 minutes.

2 ½ stars (out of four)

When we last left our heroes, things weren’t looking too good. Luke abandoned his Jedi training to fight his (spoiler alert) father, Darth Vader, and lost his right hand in the process. Han Solo was frozen in carbonite and taken by a bounty hunter, his fate now in the hands of the gangster Jabba the Hutt, to whom Han owes a considerable debt. The Rebel Alliance suffered a serious blow in their war against the Empire when their secret base on Hoth was invaded and obliterated. Good must prevail though and the battle comes to a conclusion in Return of the Jedi, the whiz-bang final chapter of George Lucas’s Star Wars saga.

The film opens on Tatooine, the homeworld of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), where Jabba’s lair rests between the sand dunes. Jabba, as it turns out, is a massive, ill-tempered slug and his horrifying, bloated body is one of Mr. Lucas’s finest creations. He remains planted on a raised platform while musicians and dancers perform for him. The fact that he never moves is a sure sign of the influence he holds over the unsavory characters who hang around his palace. The rescue of Han Solo (Harrison Ford), which involves an elaborate bit of deception and more than one lucky break, takes up the first half hour. Its a thrilling sequence and the highlight of the film.

But there are bigger foes to face (if not in actual size) than Jabba and in Return of the Jedi we finally meet the dreaded Emperor (Ian McDiarmid). In the film’s opening scene, Darth Vader (the body of David Prowse, the voice of James Earl Jones and – at long last – the face of Sebastian Shaw) tells the commander of a second Death Star, “The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.” The irony of this comment is surely not lost the commander, having no doubt heard about the half-dozen officers who were strangled to death by Vader in the last film.

The remainder of the movie follows Luke, Han, Leia (Carrie Fisher) and the rest of the Alliance as they plot to destroy the new Death Star before it becomes fully operational. In order to do so, they must first take out a power supply located on a nearby “forest moon” called Endor. There they find an unlikely ally in an indigenous species of waddling teddy bears so cuddly that everyone in the movie smiles at the sight of them.

Return of the Jedi, written by Lawrence Kasdan and Mr. Lucas and directed by Richard Marquand, has no shortage of creative creatures or locales but its tone is confused. George Lucas seems to want the film to be a light-hearted adventure, perhaps more in the vein of A New Hope. Return of the Jedi, however, does not have the simple, classical structure that is essential to that film's plucky innocence. Instead Jedi chases multiple narrative threads much as The Empire Strikes Back does but it’s difficult to take Jedi as seriously as Empire because it so often undermines its own drama.

In its final act, when the tension should be at its height, the movie oddly juggles two vastly different moods. The antics of the Ewoks, even in battle, are broad comic relief, an odd counterpoint to the gloom of Luke’s confrontation with the Emperor. The film needs to choose – it can’t have it both ways – and Mr. Marquand clumsily moves from one to the other without finding an appropriate middle ground.

He also lets the movie slouch during key scenes, bringing Jedi’s energy and momentum to a halt. In Luke’s revealing conversation with Leia under the stars – where he discusses some important familial connections crucial to the mythology of the series – Mr. Marquand does little to liven the bland performances of Mr. Hamill and Ms. Fisher and what should be a startling revelation becomes a snoozer of a scene.

Plenty of stuff happens in Return of the Jedi and yet there isn’t much of a story. Once the action gets going, there aren’t any surprises. Everything plays out as you would expect and, in a way, that sounds like a satisfying movie. But simply following one narrow path toward the inevitable Jedi victory with nary a twist or turn thrown in to surprise audiences makes for underwhelming entertainment. If the first Star Wars set the blueprint for the present-day Hollywood blockbuster and The Empire Strikes Back elevated the genre with smart storytelling and artful style, Return of the Jedi is one of the first “event movies” to opt for the easy route: Give audiences what they want, don’t take many risks and success will be guaranteed.

That may sound like faint praise (it is) but I mean it when I say the film is a success. That it is still pretty good fun is a testament to the strength of its best moments. The speeder chase on Endor is as lively and exciting as anything in the series and the segment at Jabba’s palace could stand on its own as a mini-episode. I am also fond of the performances of Harrison Ford and Ian McDiarmid, both of whom know how to handle this material. Return of the Jedi stands on the shoulders of its predecessors and delivers more of the same. I wish it had tried to do more but, as a friend of mine once told me, there is no “try.” Only this.

- Steve Avigliano, 4/5/12

Revisiting Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980): Dir. Irvin Kershner. Written by: Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kadan. Story by: George Lucas. Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams. Rated PG (A severed hand and some questionable father-son bonding). Running time: 124 minutes.

4 stars (out of four)

The Empire Strikes Back takes a good thing and makes it great. A select few sequels are able to pull this trick off. Whereas the first film is typically burdened by necessary but cumbersome tasks like introducing characters and establishing setting, a sequel has the opportunity to use its predecessor as a launching pad, a base with which the audience is already familiar, and take off in bold, new directions.

This particular sequel is fortunate enough to have been given a whole universe to play with and freely invents new worlds for its characters to visit and subsequently blast the heck out of. The planet-hopping begins on an ice world called Hoth where the film’s first act takes place. There, Luke (Mark Hamill), Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han (Harrison Ford) hide from the Empire in a secret base with their Rebel Alliance buddies.

The opening sequence concludes with a spectacularly exciting ground battle in which the Rebels just barely escape extermination. (The Empire’s small army of four-legged, mechanical colossuses is a highlight.) The gang is forced to split up and from here the movie follows two main narrative threads. Luke looks to further his Jedi training by seeking out a wise, old master named Yoda in the remote swamps of Dagobah. Meanwhile, Han and Leia, along with furry first mate Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and C-3PO, the pesky cyborg with a British accent, navigate the dangers of deep space after a close call with Imperial ships.

In a number of scenes, the film adopts a dark, grungy sci-fi style reminiscent of Ridley Scott’s Alien, released in 1979, one year before Empire. The Rebel base on Hoth has the look of a hastily built safe house – stray wires and power generators are all over the place – and maintenance on Han Solo’s prized ship, the Millennium Falcon, involves tinkering behind wall panels with a rusty box of tools.

These sets – along with the perpetually overcast and bat-infested marshes of Dagobah; the cold, metallic interiors of the Imperial Star Destroyers; and the industrial inner workings of Cloud City where the climactic battle between Luke and Darth Vader takes place – flesh out the Star Wars universe and reveal it to be an expansive place that is not necessarily always pretty.

Director Irvin Kershner and cinematographer Peter Suschitzky shoot these locations in a way that suggests much more of these worlds exists beyond the frame. A number of the fancier set pieces are filmed with a large depth of field, which allows several layers of background activity to be seen in a single shot. What was likely a limited set becomes bustling with life and action. There is always something interesting to look at in this film.

The movie’s success does not rest solely on its visual style though. The script, written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan from a story by George Lucas, is more sophisticated than the first Star Wars. There are gray areas between good and evil, and independent agents such as Han’s dashing pal Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), who picks neither side in the war and acts in his own best interest. But none of the darkness or complexity of the film dampens its sense of whimsy. Even in the face of the dark and ominous power of the Empire, the adventures of our plucky heroes remain lighthearted.

The romance between Han and Leia adds a new wrinkle of human interest. The flirtatious banter between Mr. Ford and Ms. Fisher could be from an old Hollywood romantic comedy; the wit and rhythm of their dialogue recalls that of Bogart and Bacall:

Han: “Come on, admit it, sometimes you think I’m all right.”

Leia: “Occasionally. Maybe. When you aren’t acting like a scoundrel.”

“Scoundrel? …Scoundrel? …I like the sound of that.”

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop that. My hands are dirty.”

“My hands are dirty too. What are you afraid of?”

“Afraid?”

“You’re trembling.”

“I’m not trembling.”

“You like me because I’m a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life.”

“I happen to like nice men.”

“I’m a nice man.”

“No you’re not. You’re—”

They kiss.

The Empire Strikes Back is blockbuster filmmaking at its finest, full of explosions and excitement but also crafted with care. Far too many of today’s summer heavy-hitters seem to be going through the multi-million dollar motions only for the box office. What a shame. Here is a movie that does not take its profits for granted (and given the success of Star Wars, it most certainly could have) and instead sets a high water mark for quality in big budget action movies.

- Steve Avigliano, 3/20/12

Revisiting Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977): Written and directed by George Lucas. Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness. Rated PG (Mild scum and villainy). Running time: 121 minutes.

3 stars (out of four)

Imagine reading the opening crawl of Star Wars for the first time. A strangely worded, yellow text drifts upward and fades into the stars. It references a war, a princess, an evil empire and a DEATH STAR (inexplicably capitalized) and the whole thing sounds like more than you’ve bargained for. But, really, how can you be expected to focus on flying words when music like this playing underneath them? Trumpets and strings and timpani! All that nonsense about a hidden base and stolen plans was a bit discouraging but it’s hard to resist the triumphant pomp of the score so, okay, for now, you bite.

The movie quickly recovers from a risky opening with a stunning first image and any hesitation you may have felt is rendered irrelevant. The camera pans downward to reveal a single planet floating among the stars. The camera continues to pan and you see a second, larger planet. Then another, the biggest yet, enters the frame and a spaceship soars, apparently from behind you, onto the screen. And just when you’re starting to think, “You know, maybe this movie will be kind of cool after all,” a second one, a real behemoth of a battleship, follows the first in hot pursuit, firing lasers at the little guy.

That the opening shot of Star Wars is still effective testifies to the visual bravura of director George Lucas but it must have been all the more thrilling in 1977 when the idea of a summer blockbuster loaded with special effects was still sort of new.

The first line in the movie is stupendously underwhelming. Inside the ship, as two classes of soldiers shoot laser guns at each other, a gold-plated humanoid robot says to a rolling garbage can, “Did you hear that? They shut down the main reactor. We’ll be destroyed for sure. This is madness!” As if you are actually paying attention to dialogue at a time like this.

Okay, let’s take stock of what’s happened so far. There has been an awful lot of excitement but still not much of a sense of what’s at stake here. That robot just mentioned something about “being sent to the spice mines of Kessel,” whatever that means, but that seems a dubious premise for a movie so you decide to wait for the next piece of information.

And it comes quickly! A man in a black mask, black suit and black cape marches onscreen accompanied by more of that great music and he chokes a guy to death after a brief dispute over whether or not the ship has an ambassador. We have found our villain.

As the film continues, it eases us into its universe one step at a time. The robots, which are being called droids, land on a desolate planet with vast deserts and fall into the hands of a local farmer (Phil Brown). The farmer’s nephew is a pretty boy named Luke (Mark Hamill) whose idea of a good time hanging out with friends includes “picking up power converters” (we may assume that Luke and his buddies are intoxicated for such shenanigans and that this is way more fun than it sounds).

While cleaning the droids, Luke discovers a holographic message hidden inside the rolling garbage can. A beautiful girl (Carrie Fisher) begs for help from an “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Perhaps a relative of old Ben Kenobi, a hermit who lives in the nearby caves? That hermit, played by Alec Guinness, who brings some much-needed thespian gravitas to the film, turns out to be the Obi-Wan from the message. He tells Luke all about the boy’s father, a warrior from back in the day slain by Darth Vader (the guy wearing all black from the opening scene). He invites Luke to leave his dull life as a farmer and join him in rescuing the girl, who, as it turns out, is a princess.

Star Wars is a classic adventure story, told with a sturdy, traditional structure that is effective in its simplicity. The film hops from one lavish set piece to another, each new place populated by fascinating creatures and characters from Mr. Lucas’s imagination.

In its quiet moments, Star Wars is not so nimble. The dialogue is often lead-footed and Mr. Lucas is less self-assured in the downtime between action sequences. There are some light-hearted moments in these passages, however, often thanks to the inclusion of Han Solo, a smuggler (played by the irrepressibly charming Harrison Ford) who begrudgingly joins our heroes because the price is right.

In spite of its flaws, Star Wars has a lovable scrappiness about it. In the decades that followed its release, studios have tried again and again to replicate its success. But few of their slam-bang summer action movies have been able to capture the essence of Star Wars. George Lucas made this movie with a simple goal in mind. To entertain audiences and craft a film that would thrill and delight them. He did and it still does.

- Steve Avigliano, 3/5/12

Revisiting Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005): Written and directed by George Lucas. Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid and Samuel L. Jackson. Rated PG-13 (Slain younglings and a charred body). Running time: 140 minutes.

3 ½ stars (out of four)

What a relief Episode III is. Where the previous Star Wars movie, Attack of the Clones, often seemed hesitant to do anything but belabor political exposition, Revenge of the Sith lets loose, unafraid to go over the top. This is a film that revels in its grandeur and embraces its eccentricities. For the first time since the original trilogy, we are reminded why George Lucas became such a revered name in blockbuster entertainment.  He swings for the fences and delivers a thrilling, unabashed space opera.

The Clone War is nearing its end and Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) continues to rally support and gain power in the Senate. He has taken Anakin (Hayden Christensen) under his wing, a relationship the Jedi Council fears. While there is little doubt the Republic is winning the war, the Jedi express concern that Palpatine may be priming himself for a dictatorship once the fighting is over. Anakin becomes caught in the middle, asked by both Palpatine and the Jedi Council to spy on the other.

Though the plot relies on politics established by the previous two films, Revenge of the Sith wisely brings its characters to the forefront and uses the politics as a backdrop for the action. Anakin’s transformation has precedence in the story and we see how Palpatine poisons his mind with tantalizing stories of Sith Lords who have conquered death. This possibility excites Anakin, who grows increasingly fearful that he will lose his wife, Amidala (Natalie Portman). By giving Anakin a clear motivation to turn to the Dark Side, Mr. Lucas brings some much-needed focus to the film.

Perhaps because of this newfound focus, the acting, which was a weak point in both of the earlier prequels, is stronger. Hayden Christensen lacked the subtlety to make Anakin’s initial steps toward the Dark Side believable in Episode II, but his weaknesses as an actor are less of an issue in Episode III, a film with few subtleties. Here, his cheesy line delivery is almost well suited to the film’s tone.

Natalie Portman isn’t given much to do other than look distraught and weep (both are things she excels at), and Ewan McGregor continues his strong work as Obi-Wan. Even Samuel L. Jackson gets some memorable scenes in a part specifically tailored to his strengths – looking cool and delivering passionate monologues. Mr. Jackson has a way of making even the blandest of exposition sound like a sharp one-liner.

The true scene-stealer of Revenge of the Sith, however, is Ian McDiarmid. He is a thrill to watch in his scenes with Mr. Christensen as he gains Anakin’s trust before luring him to the Dark Side. Mr. McDiarmid has the quiet, screen-commanding presence typical of a British thespian but is equally convincing when called upon to shout at the top of his lungs and shoot lighting bolts from his fingers. As the central villain of the entire saga, both qualities are essential.

Mr. Lucas allows a number of scenes to enter over the top territory, a choice that works because of the film’s operatic grandeur. Where else should the climactic battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan take place but on a volcanic planet where lava explodes around them? And while Palpatine bides his time revealing his true motivations, the wonderfully named General Grievous (voiced by the film’s sound editor, Matthew Wood), a caped, asthmatic robot, serves as the antagonist.

Visually, the film is as stunning as we have come to expect from the new Star Wars films but Episode III is also vibrant and colorful in a way its predecessors were not. The sets and costumes are imbued with an almost expressionistic style, making it perhaps the most visually interesting Star Wars. Even a relatively simple set such as the Chancellor’s office is painted lavish hues of purple. Take also, for example, the scene when Anakin and Palpatine converse in a balcony seat at an opera. The scene, which is exquisitely shot, offers occasional glimpses of the performance – ribbons streaking through a watery sphere – and we are reminded that the Star Wars films take place in a richly detailed and fully realized world. Even in his final (to date) film, Mr. Lucas finds room to continue exploring and inventing in his fictional universe.

When watching Revenge of the Sith, one gets the impression that George Lucas is giving it everything he’s got. His energy and enthusiasm can be felt in every scene. Many viewers will likely continue to put the original trilogy on an untouchable pedestal but with Episode III, Mr. Lucas has created an extravagant and supremely entertaining movie, as wild and exciting as one can ever hope for from a Star Wars film.

- Steve Avigliano, 2/21/12

Revisiting Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002): Written and directed by George Lucas. Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Lee. Rated PG (Bloodless violence and some smooching). Running time: 142 minutes.

2 stars (out of four) 

On the surface, Attack of the Clones seems to offer everything we have come to expect from a Star Wars film – lightsabers, blasters, a woman with her hair in a bun. As a standalone film, however, it’s a mess. Strip away the familiar settings, characters and John Williams score and what we have is an overlong political thriller, all exposition and no payoff.

The film begins on Coruscant with a failed attempt to assassinate Amidala (Natalie Portman), who has been elected Senator in the ten years between this film and the last. She has returned to the capitol planet to vote on the creation of an army for the Republic, a military force that would be used to quell the growing separatist party and… already the film has lost us. George Lucas has responded to criticism regarding Episode I’s confusing politics by writing an entire film about them.

But let’s set all that aside for now. What is important is that Amidala is in danger and two old friends are assigned to protect her – Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and the all grown up Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). Following a second attempt on the senator’s life, Anakin becomes her personal bodyguard while Obi-Wan follows up on a clue left by the assassin.

His investigation leads him to the rainy planet Kamino where he learns that a clone army is already being built for the Republic. Who ordered this secret army and when? Perhaps answers will be found on the drab, desert world of Geonosis where Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), leader of the separatist movement, hides.

Somewhere in here is the potential for a good detective story but Attack of the Clones is all mystery and no intrigue. We’re always a few steps behind the film, grappling to understand political motives when we should be absorbed in the action. This is what happens when the motives of characters take a backseat to those of committees, senates and councils.

The few characters we have to cling onto aren’t much to speak of. Mrs. Portman is even stiffer than she was in the first. Count Dooku is a perfunctory villain and Christopher Lee’s performance feels strained, particularly in comparison to the actor’s portrayal of Saruman in The Lord of the Rings (which played in theaters the same year as Attack of the Clones). Only Ewan McGregor gets away unscathed; his Obi-Wan is charming, personable and the sole character worth rooting for.

Hayden Christensen, the poor guy, is horribly miscast. His take on Anakin is all wrong. Anakin’s innate abilities have made him cocky but rather than playing the character with a sort of self-assured charisma, Mr. Christensen is unlikable from the get-go. He is whiny and full of himself, oblivious that he comes off as a real prick. He’s the guy you meet at a party and immediately know you don’t want to talk to. I suppose at least half the fault here lies with Mr. Lucas for writing the character this way but, man, you’d think the protagonist of the whole trilogy would at least make for tolerable company.

Then there are the would-be romantic scenes, so clumsy and awkward they threaten to derail the whole film. Mr. Christensen hits on Mrs. Portman with pitiful pick-up lines, ogling her like a pervy teen. The two have no chemistry together and their scenes become labored exercises in clichés that would sound uninspired on a soap opera.

The only moment when Attack of the Clones works is in a scene late in the film when our heroes are tied to stone pillars and face a gladiatorial public execution. The three monsters that show up to kill them look as though they have been lifted from some glorious, forgotten B-grade horror film, and what fun it is to watch Obi-Wan, Anakin and Amidala thwart them!

Even this is short lived though. The troops march in and the battle that ensues is disorienting because we don’t know which side to root for. If Palpatine’s Republic army is a prototype for the Empire from later episodes, aren’t the separatists the good guys? Count Dooku is said to be dabbling in the Dark Side. So he’s on the politically correct side, but the wrong side of the Force? Again, why is George Lucas making everything so complicated? By the time we get to Yoda’s thoroughly silly fight scene, we’ve lost all interest in the film.

Much of the action goes unexplained and the plot becomes so muddled and unclear that multiple viewings are necessary to follow it all. Why, for example, was Amidala the assassination target and not one of the galaxy’s thousand-or-so other senators? And who is behind it all? That these important details should remain obscured from the audience through to the film’s end is absurd. The special effects are amazing as expected but without a coherent story to anchor them, they are just window-dressings. Attack of the Clones is a failure of storytelling, though at least it’s a failure set to a John Williams score.

- Steve Avigliano, 2/17/12

Revisiting Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace

With the 3D re-release of The Phantom Menace arriving in theaters Friday, I thought I would take a look back at the Star Wars films and reassess them. I have long been a fan of the series but never gave myself the opportunity to watch them from an unbiased perspective. Beginning today and continuing over the next five weeks I will do just that. I will review them not by comparing them to one another or ranking them, but by looking closely at each and discussing their strengths and shortcomings as standalone movies. I will include a brief wrap-up post following the Return of the Jedi review. (Note: The review below is not of the 3D re-release, which I have not yet seen, but was written after revisiting the film on DVD.)

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Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999): Written and directed by George Lucas. Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Ahmed Best and Ray Park. Rated PG (Blasters, lightsabers, the usual). Running time: 133 minutes.

3 stars (out of four) 

The first Star Wars prequel was in an unenviable position in 1999. By some cultural fluke, George Lucas’s films about a galaxy far, far away had become an absolute phenomenon and two decades later, diehards and new fans alike prepared to sit in theaters and watch the first of three new movies in the series. No other film has had to endure these levels of anticipation, and the hype surrounding Episode I will surely never be replicated. The Phantom Menace was perhaps destined to disappoint many, thrill others and set box office records regardless.

Now that ample time has passed and the prequels have jelled into our collective cultural consciousness much as the original trilogy has, we may look at the film for what it really is. Forget comparing the movie to its predecessors. Throw away any preconceived notion of what it should have been. Taken on its own terms, Episode I is a flawed but undeniably entertaining movie boasting a lighthearted tone and a wonderful sense of invention.

We meet a young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) as he nears the end of his Jedi knight training under Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson). The two have been sent to the planet Naboo to investigate a political squabble. The squabble soon turns into a full-scale invasion by the Trade Federation – a nefarious organization led by a pair of green, robed, noseless aliens – and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan must protect Naboo’s leader, the young and beautiful Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman).

One thing leads to another and they are forced to stop on a familiar planet (familiar to us, not them): the desert world of Tatooine. There they meet a precocious, little, slave boy named Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd). There is something special about the boy, Qui-Gon says. Those familiar with the original trilogy know what Anakin’s future holds but for now he is simply a gifted child. So gifted, in fact, that Qui-Gon decides to buy him from his owner, Waddo (voiced by Andy Secombe), a winged creature with the schnoz of an anteater, and take the boy on as a second apprentice.

Buying the boy will not be so easy though, Waddo explains. Qui-Gon must win Anakin by betting on a podrace, a delightfully dirty (and very dangerous) sport where racers fly hovering vehicles through canyons and caves. Cheating and sabotaging other racers’ pods are not only allowed but apparently encouraged too.

George Lucas and his team of designers and computer animators let their imaginations run wild with this and every other scene in the film. At every turn, Episode I offers us some new, dazzling thing to look at and the sheer joy of taking it all in is intoxicating. I have not yet even mentioned Darth Maul (Ray Park), the silent, shadowy villain with red and black face paint and horns on his head who stalks our heroes. Or the majestic, underwater world of half-fish people who live in giant bubbles. Or the city so big it takes up an entire planet.

The Phantom Menace is a cheerful adventure that hops from one richly detailed world to another. Is the film’s tone sometimes childish? Sure, but that’s no problem since Mr. Lucas has elected to make a children’s film. One that has the ability to draw you into its playful world if you allow it to. (The much-despised Jar-Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), a resident of the aforementioned underwater world, is a grating presence, that much I will concede, but no less so than any other goofy, kids’ movie sidekick.)

If the movie is truly aimed at younglings, however, why is it bogged down with convoluted political exposition? The opening scroll refers to a tax dispute and trade blockades. There are senators and chancellors debating the galactic legality of the Trade Federation’s actions. Surely Mr. Lucas cannot expect children to follow these scenes, much less enjoy them. Can’t the bad guys just be bad guys for the heroes to defeat?

On top of this, the script is encumbered by clumsy, hackneyed dialogue. Mr. Lucas’s strength never was for writing dialogue but this lack was never as apparent in the original trilogy as it is here. The actors deliver their lines in bland, overly serious, faux-fancy talk, looking less animated than the ubiquitous CGI surrounding them.

In another film these issues would be damning. That the film is still a lot of fun in spite of these problems is a testament to the strength of its action. The finale, a sort of Star Wars Greatest Hits that intercuts a lightsaber fight, a space battle, a ground war and a stealthy break-in, is thrilling enough to make you forget all those dull scenes in the Senate and ends the film on a high note.

Is the movie as good as the old ones? Does it have to be? I am inclined to say that Episode I falls more in line with George Lucas’s original vision for Star Wars than perhaps some fans are willing to admit. His original inspiration came from the serialized space operas of pulp magazines and The Phantom Menace offers many of the same pleasures as those adventure stories: strange planets, heroic rescues, epic battles and more than a little cheese. The film might have benefited from trimming the politics and a few dialogue rewrites but these are not serious detriments because the plot is not what is on display here. This is a movie infatuated with its own bright, colorful, zippy self and, now more than ever, I am all too happy to succumb to its gleeful pleasures.

- Steve Avigliano, 2/9/12