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Techtite's DVD Reviews! |
----------------- Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted! ------------------
------------- Sidebar :: ------------- Anakin, Anakin Anakin... Or should I say, "Anni, Anni, Anni?" Even more than Jar-Jar, this little Darth Vader tyke is the subject of much scrutiny. However, much like the loose plot threads offered in Empire Strikes Back, his story requires more than a little leap of faith. For one, no, he didn't destroy the battle ship by "accident"; the force was with him! As Obi-Wan tells Luke in the first film, it obeys your commands, though often does control your actions. If that malarkey didn't work for you in this film, why did it work so well in the other three? As for his father (or alleged lack thereof); his being "conceived by the force" was only a musement Qui-Gon made as a possibility; not fact. Remember, his mother only claimed to not know how it happened. Some fans smell a Jedi mind trick brewing; a mind trick making her forget the Sith daddy Anakin had. Other fans think Anakin is the prototype of the Clone Wars. Don't be too surprised if he is either. After all, while Lucas can make a Jar-Jar snafu or two, he is also the master of show-stopping plot twists. Speaking of plot twists --even ones that truly aren't-- how shocked will some some "fans" be, when they discover that Senator Palpatine, and the evil Emperor PALPATINE, are one and the same? Given that the same actor played both roles, I thought this was a story thread of the "duh" factor. Apparently not, when so many fans claim disapproval over the alleged "loose plot thread" of Darth Sidius. Darth Sidious is Palpatine! Check out the Intenet Movie Database's web page for that actor. Cool, huh? |
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Star Wars Episode 1 :The Phantom Menace
A Techtite ReviewThe Film : Define irony : the biggest complainers of the first Star Wars film in over a decade and a half, were the ones who begged for it the most! No joke. For 16 years they cry like babies, "Waaah! I want another Star Wars! Waaah! I want another Star Wars! Waaah! I want another Star Wars!" Then Lucas finally gives them one, and the cries morph into, "Waaah! That's not the Star Wars I wanted!" The ironic punchline : then they ask Lucas to grow up. I'm not saying that Star Wars, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace is perfect; it isn't. However, some critical complaints for the film were just plain laughable. Cliffs Notes to Macbeth in hand, many critics sounded more like cafe-philosophers in need of a Pulitzer Prize. You'd think they wanted R2D2 to beep Beethoven's 5th Symphony, or to have the bug-like Watto recite lines by Franz Kafka. Instead, they flame the film for...its immaturity? These same critics forgave Austin Powers 2 for potty humor ad nauseum, yet hated the "juvenile" Phantom Menace...? Fascinating. I do have to admit it: I liked Phantom Menace. Why? Because I wasn't looking for a "mature" documentary on Jedi Knights, nor did I want Martha Stewart to tell me how to make a light saber using a penlight and a big fluffy doily. I went to see an action movie...and, yes kids, this film is a good action flick. This is obvious even in the first five minutes, as we are introduced to the initial armies of the evil Emperor-to-be, Darth Sidius (his "battle droids" are akin to Hitler's initial SS troops, I suppose). Drawn into this initial trap are Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his Jedi mentor Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson). These opening scenes are vintage action flick fodder, with numerous Battle droids proving to be no match for lightning-fast Jedi. It seems the only one surprised at the Jedi's power is the evil Federation leader, whose second-in-command asks agnostically, "Um, have you ever encountered a Jedi, sir?" A great start to the film. Then, yes, there's Jar-Jar Binks. Eesh : too much of a menace, not enough of a phantom (just seeing him is menacing...to your patience!). Much has been said to paint him as the Ewok of the 90's, though at least Ewoks were (sorry, I have to admit it) cute. Jar-Jar is about as cute as a drunk frog. At one point in the movie, his obnoxiousness reaches its peak, as he screeches the line, "Weeeeesa goin' hoooome!" that would cause even the most avid fanboy to wince. Big Lucas blunder here; almost Howard the Duck caliber.
In the end, one question remains; what do you remember from the film, that's memorable? I loved the light saber duel; the best ever, without contest. I would also have to disagree with the people reviewing in catatonic theater audiences, who claim nobody reacted during the movie premiere in their city; my home town's audience laughed at the sight of Jawas and Tusken Raiders, applauded R2D2's first heroic act, and on and on. I liked Jedi Council member Mace Windu (Samuel Jackson). I liked Queen Amidala's strength; so strong is this female character that even my sister-in-law, normally against "boy movie" action flicks, went to go see it again in less than a week. Ewan McGregor's performance was perfect. The bottom line is, I liked the film, and will remember it that way. This is not a George Lucas fanboy review. I have seen Howard the Duck and hated it. I have seen Willow and was sadly disappointed. I have seen George Lucas make mistakes. With the exception of Jar-Jar, this isn't one of them. After all, now that it's on DVD, you can skip past any "track" with Jar-Jar in it, with just one simple click of the remote control...so what's the problem? The Star Wars universe always was a wonderful vision by Lucas. It's nice to see both return.
The DVD : This is a two-disc set, with enhancements galore. Admittedly, there doesn't seem to be as much here as there was in Disney's recent Snow White two-disc release, yet the included bonuses are so superior, I almost want to up the rating of this DVD a notch, regardless of the original rating of the film itself. Of course, the biggest draw are the deleted scenes. Seven scenes have been included, which are not rough cuts; they have been made into smooth, final-cut form especially for this DVD. Sadly, such scenes do not include the cameo of Senator Organa (Princess Leia "Organa's" adoptive father), though that's probably because his part was re-cast for the sequels, and Lucas wants to maintain some form of continuity. All seven deleted scenes can be viewed individually, together, or in the form of a "documentary," complete with crew anecdotes. Now, as for what deleted scenes are included. The first two deleted scenes are from the pod race, and include even more action sequences than the original cut. These pod race scenes even include a few aliens that are more ingenious than those left in the film. There's too many quick takes in these two deleted scenes to list them all here; suffice to say, they make an already-cool pod race scene even cooler. Another deleted scene is of the dawn before the pod race, and includes the impressive vista-type visuals some people missed from this film (like when Luke Skywalker watched a duo-sun sunset). There's an extended scene of when Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's sub surfaces, only to find itself close to a waterfall, forcing them to escape the sub before it crashes. There's an extended scene of their arrival to Coruscant, where a longer flight path of their "air taxi" is shown. There's a scene when Anakin says goodbye to an elderly friend in the village, just before Qui-Gon Uses his light saber to destroy one of Darth Maul's spy droids. Last though not least, there's a scuffle between Anakin and an alien boy named Greedo, who as we know gets zapped by Han Solo in the first film. Some may not like to see "young Greedo" any more than young Darth Vader; I think it's a hoot. Best of all, though, is the included documentary. This documentary is perhaps the most alluring ever offered in a DVD bonus disc, and includes a moment you'll hear of in many DVD reviews, of when Steven Spielberg himself visited the set, checking out all of the latest cool "toys" used for Lucas' latest film. This documentary is a full hour long, and worth every penny of the DVD. There is also a nice audio commentary, voiced by seven crew members...including Lucas himself! Folks who are concerned about the risks Lucas took in this film --wondering if he'll make similar snafus in the next films-- might want to hear this comment track. Even Lucas has the impressive humility to admit he made a snafu here and there. However, a few confessions of humanity are not as entertaining as the anecdotes Lucas offers, straight from the man who made the saga happen! As for additions, there are a lot of them. All the original trailers and teasers are preserved on the disc for posterity, including alternate commercials and the way-cool "Duel of the Fates" music video. The submarine and podrace scenes are offered in step-by-step form, from storyboard to film. Five additional featurettes delve into the film's storyline, design, costumes, visual effects, and fight scene choreography. Topping off the short clips is a sneak peek at the game, Starfighter. Best of all, for those with slow modems; the 12-part web documentary is offered, full-screen and complete! Added photo galleries include production art, theatrical posters from around the globe, and a web link to StarWars.com.
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Burnout
Near
Miss
Small
Crater
Large
Crater
Deep
Impact
However, if I were to list the film's flaws,
that would
be it. I liked every other non-Jar-Jar scene
of the film. Obi-Wan is brought to life by McGregor with a youthful
vigor, who approaches a whole army of battle droids with an "I'll
handle this..." bravado, and gives Darth Maul a believable
look-to-kill. Fans of R2D2 get to see Artoo's first heroic act.
C3P0 fans see why he was made. You even get to see how these
droids first met. Yoda is back, as one of the head members of
the still-existent Jedi Council. Jabba the Hutt is one of many
cutely interwoven cameos. Darth Maul is a way-cool villain. Dramatic
film veterans Natalie Portman and Liam Neeson give a certain
class to their scenes (their banter on Tattoine was classic).
Any flaws, other than Jar-Jar, I could overlook...
