The Phantom Menace Review

DADADADADADADADADADADADADADADADADA-DADADADUMDUMDUMDUMDUMDUMDUM! Okay, yeah. I’m shutting up now. You know, The Phantom Menace is actually a decent movie. Definitely not a masterpiece, but it’s pretty decent. Words are not enough to explain how disappointed people were when they walked out of the theaters after watching The Phantom Menace. Fans all over the world had waited 16 years for the next installment of this incredible series. Only, it wasn’t incredible now! Okay, so. Why do I think The Phantom Menace isn’t an atrocious piece of garbage? Because it’s not. It’s kind of bad, but it’s not terrible. Okay, moving on to the review.

The Phantom Menace’s greatest problem is its story, and the fact that there’s nothing here to make us believe that this is Star Wars. Literally like 30 minutes of the movie are taken up by political discussions. Its other problem is that much of the movie just fails to be interesting. It’s a pretty solid movie until the Jedi travel to Tatooine. Then things go downhill. We basically get a bunch of dramatic scenes until the pod race, which is pretty much the highlight of the movie. Then we get more talking, and even more talking, and even more talking. Then we have one final battle, and the movie’s over. That’s pretty much it.

This movie has so much wasted potential. The plot in and of itself is excellent, but it’s dragged down by mediocre performances, pointless dialogue, and endless political debate. When I say the dialogue is pointless, I mean it. In some places it’s just painful. But oh, it gets so much worse in Attack of the Clones. SO. MUCH. WORSE. So, just enjoy it being bad rather than atrocious. Some of the performances are just bad in places. I don’t want to single out Jake Lloyd as he was just a kid after all, but yeah… His performance is pretty darn bad. Even Ewan McGregor’s acting is horrendous in places. However, Liam Neeson is excellent as always, and Natalie Portman is decent, if a bit over the top. John Williams’ score is excellent. And the final duel in the movie is possibly the best of the series. But in all honesty, when compared to the original trilogy, this movie is vastly inferior. Still though, if it’s a rainy Saturday afternoon and you have nothing to do, watching The Phantom Menace isn’t the worst idea you could have. You’ll probably have a fun time. 3.5/5 stars.

Comments

Revenge of the Sith Review

I’m sure you’ve probably heard that Revenge of the Sith is just slightly better than The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. In my opinion, that is completely untrue. Revenge of the Sith is a masterpiece. Let me explain why I think so. First of all, the plot here is just so much better. Even the dialogue is greatly improved. It’s still not perfect, but it’s only cringe-worthy in a few scenes. That in and of itself is a huge improvement. Secondly, George Lucas has the power of his own legendary original trilogy behind him this time. Finally, we get to witness Anakin become Darth Vader. And it’s glorious. We finally get a little bit of believability when it comes to why Anakin turned to the dark side. This time, it’s not just because he was an arrogant brat. We’re finally able to believe that he was pushed over the edge. On a technical level, everything is flawless, and the CGI still looks incredible today. The acting is far better this time around, and Hayden Christensen i...

Incredibles 2

Incredibles 2 picks up right where the first left off: superheroes may be illegal, but the world’s greatest superhero family is still fighting crime uninhibited. Until, of course, they’re forced to stop. Soon, however, Elastigirl gets an offer that allows her to fight crime and fight for the legalization of superheroes. All is well. Incredibles 2 was the sequel everyone wanted, but no one expected. Arriving in theaters 14 years after the original, it might have been easy for the world to assume Pixar simply had nothing else of substance to offer from the world of the Incredibles. The world would have been very wrong. The film sees Brad Bird, director of the original film, make his triumphant return to the series. He wrote the film as well, ensuring the film’s singular, streamlined vision. Bird directs the film spectacularly, maintaining a consistent tone throughout and establishing an effective blueprint for the world the Incredibles inh...

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Review

Ah, Peter Jackson. You sly son of a gun. Let’s hear it for him, people. He split one short book into three. Actual. Movies. And they were like three hours long each. Dang, that takes talent. If only it had worked. Yeah, that’s right. We all knew (except for me, as I was a wee lad at the mere age of thirteen or something) that there was absolutely no way this movie could live up to the hype. Congratulations, we were all right. Except for me, of course. I was wrong. That’s not to say that this movie is an atrocious wasteland of absolute filth like Batman & Robin. Compared to that movie, An Unexpected Journey is basically Return of the King or The Dark Knight. But heck, even a terrible movie like Star Trek: Nemesis could claim that honor. So, on to the review. An Unexpected Journey opens in dazzling fashion, with the infamous Smaug (does anyone know how you actually pronounce his name?) destroying Erebor. Soon enough, the dwarves arrive and the quest has begun. What is it I d...

SkyWorld

Search This Blog