"Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace"

Title: "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace"
Director: George Lucas
Producers: R. McCallum and G. Lucas
Editing: B. Burtt and P. Smith
Composer: John Williams
Starring:
- Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn
- Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Natalie Portman as Queen Padme Amidala
- Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker
- Ian McDiamid as Palpatine/Darth Sidious
- Ray Park as Darth Maul
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
- Kenny Baker as RD-D2
- Frank Oz as 'The Voice Of' Yoda
- Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu
- Keira Knightley as Sabe (The Queen's Decoy)

Plot and Critical Review: The Galactic Republic is in a period of decline, with its bureaucracy bloated and corrupt and its economy deteriorating. In response to a taxation on trade routes, the greedy Trade Federation organizes a blockade of battleships around the planet of Naboo. Hoping to resolve the matter, the Supreme Chancellor dispatches two Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, to negotiate with Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray. Unbeknown to them, the Trade Federation has become in league with the evil Sith Lord Darth Sidious who orders them to kill the Jedi and invade Naboo with an army of battle droids. Narrowly evading death, the two Jedi stow aboard landing craft and escape to Naboo. There Qui-Gon saves local Gungan outcast Jar Jar Binks. Indebted to the Jedi, Jar Jar leads them to the underwater Gungan city of Otoh Gunga, where the Jedi unsuccessfully attempt to persuade the Gungans to help the people of Naboo, though they are able to obtain a transport to reach the Capital city of Theed on the surface.

Queen Amidala of Naboo is captured by the Federation army, but is rescued by the Jedi. The Queen escapes Naboo with the Jedi on her personal starship, which is damaged on its way through the blockade surrounding the planet, forcing them to land on the nearby desert planet of Tatooine for repairs. Qui-Gon ventures into the settlement of Mos Espa with Jar Jar and R2-D2 to a junk shop to purchase a new hyperdrive generator. In fulfillment of the Queen's wishes, they allow one of her handmaids, Padmé to journey along with them. There they meet a young slave child named Anakin Skywalker. After spending time with Anakin, his mother Shmi Skywalker, and their droid C-3PO, Qui-Gon senses a strong presence of the Force within him, and suspects he may be the Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force. Qui-Gon makes a bet with Anakin's owner, Watto, to enter him in a podracing tournament, and that if Anakin wins, he will be freed. Anakin manages to win the race and joins the group to be trained as a Jedi, but he is forced to leave his mother behind. Before they leave, they are attacked by Darth Sidious' apprentice, Darth Maul, who was dispatched to capture the Queen.

The Jedi escort the Queen to the Republic capital planet of Coruscant so she can plead her people's case to the Galactic Senate. Qui-Gon, meanwhile, attempts to persuade the Jedi Council to train Anakin as a Jedi, but they refuse as Anakin is too old and has too many attachments which would risk him turning to the dark side of the Force. Within the Senate, Senator Palpatine of Naboo convinces the Queen to move for a vote of "no confidence" in the Supreme Chancellor so they can vote for a new Chancellor who will help end the conflict. She pushes such a vote, but grows frustrated with the lack of action by the Senate, ultimately deciding to return to Naboo with the Jedi.

Back on Naboo, Padmé reveals herself to be Queen Amidala, the other "Queen" having been a decoy for her own protection. The Queen convinces the Gungan people to form an alliance against the Trade Federation. While the inept Jar Jar leads his people in a battle against the droid army and the Queen moves in to capture Viceroy Gunray in Theed, Anakin commandeers a vacant starfighter and joins the dogfight against the Federation droid control ship in space, using his skills (in tandem with the Force) to destroy it which deactivates the entire droid army on the planet below. The Jedi, meanwhile, encounter Darth Maul once more and engage him in a two-on-one lightsaber duel. Qui-Gon is killed in the battle, but Obi-Wan manages to kill the Sith apprentice. Senator Palpatine is elected as the new Supreme Chancellor, the Federation Viceroy is sent to stand trial for his crimes, Obi-Wan is bestowed the rank of Jedi Knight, and the Jedi Council reluctantly allows Anakin to become Obi-Wan's apprentice.

16 years is a long time to wait for anything. When rumors began circulating that George Lucas was considering making an additional three films to compliment the overwhelmingly popular "Star Wars" trilogy of the late 70s and early 80s, fans everywhere held a collective breath of hope. In 1993 Lucas confirmed that he would indeed make three more films and that he would lean heavily on state-of-the-art CGI technology in the creation of new worlds, characters, and action sequences to bring the "Star Wars" universe to a whole new level.

When it finally opened in theatres "The Phantom Menace" was met with both enthusiastic acclaim and biting criticism. Fans were glad to hear the familiar music, see some familiar sights, and get into the back-story of the trilogy; finding out more about where certain characters came from, etc. Fans were also excited to see the Jedi portrayed as being more active and agile. But when it came to points of criticism, fans were not silent. I'd be willing to list a few examples, but people much more concerned with such things than I have already done so time and time again. Here's at least one website where you can look over a few points of concern: http://www.chefelf.com/starwars/ep1.php

I rank "The Phantom Menace" in the middle of the road. Lucas was under immense pressure to deliver and I genuinely believe he did the best he could. When it comes to something as beloved and legendary as "Star Wars", you know there will be plenty of upset people because it didn't turn out the way they expected. If Lucas decided to produce this film again and try something totally different we can be quite certain that there'd be just as many critics posting hate-blogs as there were in 1999. You're free to come to your own opinion on the issue, but we've got to start somewhere, and Episode I seems the best place.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Content to Caution:
V-2 - Action and violence in keeping with a PG sci-fi/fantasy film. The fighting is mostly bloodless, but one man is run through with a lightsaber and another cut in half by the same.
L-1 - Uncle George keep sit clean for the kiddos.
DU-.5 - No comment.
RT-2 - Anakin and his mother live in slavery along with others an impoverished class of society.
H/S-1.5 - Didn't Darth Maul make you a little nervous the first time around?
CH-.5 - No comment.
S/N-.5 - No comment.

The "Reel Revelation": "A Galaxy (Not So) Far, Far Away - Pt. 1"

"I was born ready." A simple Internet search of this term returned hundreds of instances in which it's been used in films, television programs, advertisements, and printed media. It is probably one of the most used (and abused) sayings in Hollywood. For a time it was probably a pretty smooth line of dialogue, but it has since become a sort of running-joke and doesn't generate more than a smirk or a groan when used in a script. Most of the time it's employed when a character arrogantly or pridefully describes his or her abilities.

Even if you haven't seen any of the "Star Wars" films (although i'm not sure how that's possible given the frequency at which SpikeTV! runs those weekend-long marathons) you've probably at least heard of the character named Darth Vader. You might even know that before Darth Vader was Darth Vader he went by the name Anakin Skywalker. Further still you might know that Anakin Skywalker was believed to be "The Chosen One", a very special individual who, by his actions, would bring balance to The Force (a cosmic energy source, let's leave it at that) and end the battle between good and evil. Those who believed in the prophecy of "The Chosen One" understood that this person would be "born ready" to accomplish this task; that the necessary gifts would be instilled within them from the moment of conception (a miraculous conception brought on by the power of The Force). Let us try and set aside the dramatically obvious parallels to Jesus (or, in a more general sense, the "Messiah Complex") for just a moment as there's more to consider here beyond whether or not George Lucas intended "Star Wars" to be some sort of variation on the Gospel story.

Have you ever felt as if you were born with something inside of you? Perhaps you can think of a particular dream or goal, maybe even a sense of longing or desire that you can remember always having. Even children speak of their dreams in such a way that it seems they've always had them; to become a fireman or a vetrinarian or a teacher. They might have only learned about such occupations days before, but now they are convinced it is what they were always meant to do. In "The Phantom Menace" we have the chance to meet a very young Anakin Skywalker who, despite his circumstances, is full a similar longing:

Anakin: Are you an angel?
Padmé: What?
Anakin: An angel. I've heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They're the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They live on the moon of Iego, I think.
Padmé: [smiles] You're a funny little boy. How do you know so much?
Anakin: I listen to all the traders and star pilots who came through here. I'm a pilot, you know, and someday I'm going to fly away from this place.
Padmé: You're a pilot?
Anakin: Mmhm. All my life.

He speaks of his desire to travel the galaxy as if he was born dreaming of distant worlds. We might not dream of Mars and Jupiter, but we do experience a sort of longing for something beyond this world. Some come to discern that longing early in life while others spend a lifetime trying to figure it out. Countless methodologies and philosophies and ideologies are employed to try and explain it. If "All those who wander are not lost." (Tolkien), then why are they still wandering, and to what destination? We feel the "pull", but can't see whose hands are at the other end of the "rope". We couldn't have dreamt up this desire on our own while we were in the womb...someone put it there; someone who knew us even before we became flesh.

"For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb.

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them. (Psalm 139: 13-16)

God! It was God who knew us while we were yet "in secret" and God who placed within us this deep desire. He who sees all "the days that were ordained" for us saw fit to instill a yearning for something far greater than anything we could ever provide for ourselves. Eternity. And yet we are not born into Eternity itself, but into a world that will pass away. Why bother with the pain and the sin and shame of this temporal life if all we long for is the everlasting joy of God's company?

Think back to Anakin, that young boy with a dream. He may have been born "The Chosen One", but he could not have overthrown all the evil in the galaxy as a baby, could he? He was not born, after all, with the skill to pilot a spaceship or wield a lightsaber. But the power of his dream motivated him to grow in knowledge, skill, and understanding. When the moment finally arrived for him to do what he had been born to do he was prepared because of his circumstances and experiences. We require the same sort of training, and often times it is a lifelong lesson. I'd be on thin theological ice if I said that we're only "ready for Heaven" after a lifetime of experience, for we know that God will call people to Himself as He will. And yet, as we do live, there's something about that deep yearning that makes us want to learn more about our Creator, to study His words and actions, and to deepen our connection to Him through the fellowship of those who trust in His promises.

Jesus came to confirm all of this and to assure us that this inherent yearning doesn't travel in a single direction, that it's not just us who desire to be with God:

"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:1-3)

See you tomorrow- E.T.