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In Reply to: My 2¢ on Star Wars:The Phantom Menace posted by Tom S. on May 26, 1999 at 10:08:47:
Sorry, but this was the most disappointing film from Lucas since Howard the Duck, IMHO. My wife and I didn't see a critical review until after we saw the flick. After we saw it however, we compared our views with the pro's and both felt that many of the negative reviews were actually kind, even soft-ball. Perhaps pre-pubescent kids and videogamers will like this entry in the "new" trilogy enough to support it through repeated viewings, but by comparison with the original this effort suffers badly in my estimation.For one thing, the moppet playing the future Darth Vader was far too young to be believable as an action hero; my suspension of disbelief was shot from the get-go. Not to mention the fact that Yoda assessed the obnoxious little brat to old to be trained as a Jedi! C'mon, give me a break! BTW, I'm weary of Lucas excusing these implausabilities by saying that the Star Wars series is *just a fantasy*. To paraphrase Yoda from "The Empire Strikes Back" (i.e. the "there is no try, either do or don't do" speech): there's no try, calling it a *fantasy* doesn't excuse logic flaws, it is either a good film or it isn't!
Whether you're willing to see them as such or not, the racial stereotypes were all over the place, from the Jamaican Stepin' Fetchit "Jar-Jar" to the hook-nosed alien slave owner with a Yiddish accent. I guess in Lucas' zeal to produce a thirties style action serial he got carried away with some of the less palatable conventions of film-making from the period. Of course all of this is within the film's subtext and no doubt an unconscious act on Lucas' part, but these observations were made by more than a few, and not simply crackpots or over-reactive critics paid to form dissenting views.
Finally, the new trilogy has few characters the audience can actually grow to care about, and this is a fundemental flaw in "idea" movies where characters take a back seat to spectacular effects or an underlying moral conviction held by the filmaker. Unfortunately, since this kind of motion picture is based on a very simplistic good vs evil theme to begin with it MUST have strong characters to carry it along or the story falls apart (i.e. as it did here).
So, my final conclusions: Is the movie worth seeing? Well, maybe, ONCE. Personally, I recommend movie goers slip around the corner to a screen showing The MUMMY (i.e. one of the best action films I've had the fortune to see in a long long time!). In other words, if you haven't seen it already, by all means go! Hey, it's certainly more fun than SW/EpI, and it holds up well on repeat viewings to boot. Simply put, Brendon Fraser pulls off the serial-style hero role with panache; better than anyone since Harrison Ford! Also, if you're into effects, this pic has 'um big time! What more can you ask from a well rounded popcorn flick?
Good viewing,
AuPh
It incorporated "Lost in Space" FX w/ "Avengers" style while constructing an intelligent riveting plot. The only item that was telegraphed, was: viewing scenery as computer code.But, maybe I would've enjoyed "Mummy" more if the new THX theatre was actually THX & a certain urban couple would've stopped playfully yelling (a must concerning the rock concert VOLUME of the center channel ... as if any other speaker was working) at eachother throughout the entire movie.
IMHO, Brendon Fraser was much more believeable as "Goerge of the Jungle" or that other movie "Blast From the Past". In today's stars, I'd allocate Keanu to action & leave the interpersonal stuff to Brendon. Kenau Reeves stunk up the screen in "Much ado about Nothing" as much as Jason Robards in "Julius Ceasar" & I'm not about to give him another drama. Although, he was almost passable in "Walk in the Clouds", but Brendon Fraser does that sort of role much more believeable. I say that to place my opinion in context, not to belittle Brendon just to indicate his limitations. Semi-permeable membranes have more depth tha Brendon's prowess as a reluctant albeit competant swashbuckling adventurer.
I agree with you completely about Matrix. IMHO, Matrix is the first cyber-movie that's firing on all cylinders. Where "Star Woes - Abysmal I" relied on rather ho-hum special effects to carry a weak story with cardboard and stereotypical characters, Matrix had spectacular visuals with interesting, complex characters in a chilling, well told story worthy of repeat visits. Keanu finally hit his stride with this one; let's hope he can keep it up!As for Brendon Fraser, my wife and I thought he pulled off the swashbuckler role amazingly well. We were both pleasantly surprised [Mummified? :-)] and now consider him every bit the action hero that Harrison what's-his-name was in those Indiana something-or-other flicks! We've actually seen The Mummy on four occasions (note: as opposed to ST-EI, which only saw our cash on one occasion) and have yet to tire of it! Those who assume that it's simply a hip remake of the old Universal horror film from the 30's are in for a pleasant shock.
BTW, if you want to see just how wide a range of acting chops Brendon Fraser has, check out Gods and Monsters; my jaw went slack --- this dude can ACT!
AuPh
PS: Eat your heart out George Lucas, Titanic still rules!
Titanic st... sunk, get over it! Lets not keep it st.. sinking up the screen.PS: it's StarWars-E1 not StarTrek.
I guess you've set sail with the Titanic backlash; no problem, it happens with all hugely successful films.BTW, sorry 'bout the "T vs W" confusion; at least I got the "Star" part right! ;-)
AuPh
Plausible opinions. Myself I enjoyed the movie tremendously. However your discussion does have one flaw. Your following comment suggests that you felt it ridiculous that Yoda would feel that the child was too old to begin training..."Not to mention the fact that Yoda assessed the obnoxious little brat to old to be trained as a Jedi!" Actually in the Star Wars universe, potential Padawan learners are identified by the age of 6 months, so Anakin is technically too old. (Okay, okay, you can call me a Star Wars geek now)
Sorry you didn't enjoy the movie. I am motivated to go see the Mummy--maybe I'll catch it this week.
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