Star Wars Episode I - Ten Years Later (Review)
In Defence of Jake Lloyd - Four More Reasons Why The Movie Failed
Aug 14, 2009
If the numbers are to be believed, the highly anticipated return of Star Wars to the big screen in 1999, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, was a rousing success. In the eyes and minds of the discerning Star Wars fan, however, it was a monumental disappointment.
The widespread opinion of those that experienced the original trilogy first hand between 1977 – 1983 is that it strayed too far from everything that made A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi magical.
Jake Lloyd, chosen to play the very young Anakin Skywalker – who would ultimately go on to become the iconic Darth Vader – is often singled out as the primary reason for Episode I’s off-putting child-oriented bent. In a recent interview with conducted by Australia’s SciFiTV.com Lloyd confirms he’s been living with the fallout from the film for the past decade, and it clearly hasn’t been pleasant.
With all due respect to Lloyd, at 9 years of age he didn’t have the acting chops to pull off the role. In addition, the material he was given was substandard kid stuff; an insult considering it was supposed to be a Star Wars film and not Pigs in Space: The Legend Continues.
While it’s understandable that Lloyd has borne the brunt of the fans’ discontent, one doesn’t need to dig very deep within Episode I to find examples of creator/writer/director George Lucas having second guessed himself and the strength of his own legacy while shaping the film.
Nute Gunray
Alien creatures big and small are nothing new in the Lucasfilm universe. Thus it came as shock when the reptilian Trade Viceroy Nute Gunray – the first character to appear on screen in a speaking role – began spouting dialogue delivered with an atrocious pseudo - Asian accent that wouldn’t have made the cut for even the worst dubbed-over Chinese kung-fu film. Sad indeed, and an introduction that left die - hard fans squirming in their seats.
Lucas created an entire universe with the first three films where English was not required in order for the characters to communicate. Subtitles or a droid interpreter solved the problem quite nicely, and the fans went along for the ride without questioning the why of it all. Sadly, Lucas drained any exotic appeal out of Episode I by straying from his original tried and true approach.
Jar Jar Binks
Lucas committed the ultimate sin by going for cute twice in one movie. First Jake Lloyd, and then Jar Jar Binks, with whom Lucas tried for Police Academy-styled slapstick and promptly got raked over the coals by fans and media alike for the insult. The character was all but written out of the second and third films as a result. Nobody mourned his departure.
It would seem that during his 15+ year hiatus from filmmaking Lucas forgot he’d created true comic relief in C3P0 and R2D2. They gave Episodes IV – VI a lighthearted vibe when necessary and should have been given more room in Episode I.
The Force
The Force, the centerpiece of the Star Wars universe, was reduced to a cosmic joke. Described in the original Star Wars by Obi-Wan Kenobi – played by the stellar Sir Alec Guinness - as “an energy field created by all living things, that surrounds and penetrates living beings and binds the galaxy together,” it was presented as a mystical source of power. No grand explanations were offered, nor given, nor required.
In Episode I, however Lucas slapped the fans with the news that the Force was in fact the result of having supercharged blood. “Midi-chlorians,” as he called them, “microscopic life-forms that reside within the cells of all living things and communicate with the Force.” More than any self-respecting fantasy fan wanted or needed to know, and information that only served to punch truck-sized holes in healthy escapism.
The Death of Darth Maul
In what is easily the most perplexing executive decision handed down in the Lucasfilm universe – aside from giving Jar Jar Binks life – was the death of Darth Maul.
The character’s ominous demon samurai-esque image, complete with a unique double-bladed lightsaber, was the focal point for most Episode I advertising. Lucas himself referred to Maul as “a figure from your worst nightmare,” yet the character was sent onward at the end of the film. Granted, he was offed by the Jedi tag-team of Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor, but sci-fi geekdom had a hard time digesting his premature death.
In retrospect, a showdown between Maul and Anakin Skywalker in the second or third films (played by Hayden Christensen) would have been preferable to watching the prequel trilogy’s only example of a backbone being cast into oblivion so quickly.
 |
