Comments on: Star Wars at 30: ‘Every Saga has a Beginning’ http://filmjournal.net/mike/2007/05/28/star-wars-at-30-every-saga-has-a-beginning/ Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:37:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.0 by: The Big Whatsit » Blog Archive » Star Wars at 30: The worst programme ever made http://filmjournal.net/mike/2007/05/28/star-wars-at-30-every-saga-has-a-beginning/#comment-13366 Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:17:28 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/mike/2007/05/28/star-wars-at-30-every-saga-has-a-beginning/#comment-13366 [...] The sad thing about the Holiday Special is that it ain’t just bad, in a Phanton Menace type sense of irritation, but it’s boring and meaningless too. It makes the prequels look generally like they were written by Harold Pinter. I’m almost at a complete loss to emphasise so completely what was wrong about it; indeed Lucasfilm have exorcised it from their collective. Heck George, I can forgive you for Jar Jar, because I know how bad it can really get… [...] […] The sad thing about the Holiday Special is that it ain’t just bad, in a Phanton Menace type sense of irritation, but it’s boring and meaningless too. It makes the prequels look generally like they were written by Harold Pinter. I’m almost at a complete loss to emphasise so completely what was wrong about it; indeed Lucasfilm have exorcised it from their collective. Heck George, I can forgive you for Jar Jar, because I know how bad it can really get… […]

]]> by: The Big Whatsit » Blog Archive » Star Wars at 30: The Ratings Explained http://filmjournal.net/mike/2007/05/28/star-wars-at-30-every-saga-has-a-beginning/#comment-13364 Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:16:07 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/mike/2007/05/28/star-wars-at-30-every-saga-has-a-beginning/#comment-13364 [...] In any case, and whilst trying to put out of my mind the ‘no stars’ shambles that it is the Star Wars Holiday Special, we reach the lowest rated of the movies, the commercially massive and critically reviled The Phantom Menace. It has its moments, but TPM remains a massive disappointment, mainly because Lucas intentionally plumped for a kids flick whilst paying the lightest of lip service to his long haul supporters. I think it was Alan Hansen who once said you don’t win anything with kids, and here it proves to be the case. Jake Lloyd, who was ten when the movie hit the screens, looks like he has a lot of fun portraying Anakin as a child, yet his is a thankless task, transforming Darth Vader into an annoying, all-American munchkin, which looks wrong even as a set of words on the screen. It just about stays within the realms of plausibility that he wins the pod race on Tatooine. However, once his larking around in space leads to him destroying the enemy starship, any viewer’s patience must have been stretched to breaking point. Throw in Jar Jar Binks (who is conspicuously reduced to cameo roles after TPM), a Jedi Council that does nothing but sit around prissily, spectacularly dull scenes set on Coruscant, acting that shows clear signs of nerves at being set against a green screen, Liam Neeson never looking that interested in his work, and the usual lame gags, and it’s obvious the film is in trouble. The proceedings are very nearly saved by the late appearance by Darth Maul, his sizzling lightsabre battle, and some rather gorgeous effects that are occasionally mixed in with the inspired use of Cesena’s Royal Palace as a location. None of these are quite enough. It’s Jake and Jar Jar that set the tone, and TPM gets a shabby two Darths for its trouble. [...] […] In any case, and whilst trying to put out of my mind the ‘no stars’ shambles that it is the Star Wars Holiday Special, we reach the lowest rated of the movies, the commercially massive and critically reviled The Phantom Menace. It has its moments, but TPM remains a massive disappointment, mainly because Lucas intentionally plumped for a kids flick whilst paying the lightest of lip service to his long haul supporters. I think it was Alan Hansen who once said you don’t win anything with kids, and here it proves to be the case. Jake Lloyd, who was ten when the movie hit the screens, looks like he has a lot of fun portraying Anakin as a child, yet his is a thankless task, transforming Darth Vader into an annoying, all-American munchkin, which looks wrong even as a set of words on the screen. It just about stays within the realms of plausibility that he wins the pod race on Tatooine. However, once his larking around in space leads to him destroying the enemy starship, any viewer’s patience must have been stretched to breaking point. Throw in Jar Jar Binks (who is conspicuously reduced to cameo roles after TPM), a Jedi Council that does nothing but sit around prissily, spectacularly dull scenes set on Coruscant, acting that shows clear signs of nerves at being set against a green screen, Liam Neeson never looking that interested in his work, and the usual lame gags, and it’s obvious the film is in trouble. The proceedings are very nearly saved by the late appearance by Darth Maul, his sizzling lightsabre battle, and some rather gorgeous effects that are occasionally mixed in with the inspired use of Cesena’s Royal Palace as a location. None of these are quite enough. It’s Jake and Jar Jar that set the tone, and TPM gets a shabby two Darths for its trouble. […]

]]> by: Mike http://filmjournal.net/mike/2007/05/28/star-wars-at-30-every-saga-has-a-beginning/#comment-2078 Wed, 30 May 2007 13:35:30 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/mike/2007/05/28/star-wars-at-30-every-saga-has-a-beginning/#comment-2078 Thanks for the comments. I guess I can take on board Empire magazine's perspective, that Maul needed to die to allow the following events to take place, but it still seems like a waste of a good baddie... Gavin - is that the book by Terry Brooks? Crikey, I can remember reading his Sword of Shannara novel, all 700 pages of it, and at the end realising I'd ploughed through Lord of the bleeding Rings! But that's a different story... Thanks for the comments. I guess I can take on board Empire magazine’s perspective, that Maul needed to die to allow the following events to take place, but it still seems like a waste of a good baddie…

Gavin - is that the book by Terry Brooks? Crikey, I can remember reading his Sword of Shannara novel, all 700 pages of it, and at the end realising I’d ploughed through Lord of the bleeding Rings! But that’s a different story…

]]> by: Charlie Allen http://filmjournal.net/mike/2007/05/28/star-wars-at-30-every-saga-has-a-beginning/#comment-2068 Wed, 30 May 2007 09:27:18 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/mike/2007/05/28/star-wars-at-30-every-saga-has-a-beginning/#comment-2068 Agreed, pretty much. I do wish Maul would have been used more. He was excellent in the fighting scenes but was given little else to do before being killed off and that was the case with a lot of characters in the movie, real talent, that should and could've been showed off more. Agreed, pretty much. I do wish Maul would have been used more. He was excellent in the fighting scenes but was given little else to do before being killed off and that was the case with a lot of characters in the movie, real talent, that should and could’ve been showed off more.

]]> by: Gavin Bollard http://filmjournal.net/mike/2007/05/28/star-wars-at-30-every-saga-has-a-beginning/#comment-2004 Mon, 28 May 2007 22:20:10 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/mike/2007/05/28/star-wars-at-30-every-saga-has-a-beginning/#comment-2004 At last a review that echoes my sentiments. There's much to like and much to dislike in this movie. Personally I don't like Jar Jar's moments, but my kids seem to. The fight is the most spectacular and Qui Gon becomes quite obviously the most "human" of the Jedi. It's a pity that his arguments on the "Living Force" versus Yoda's view of the force aren't put more plainly (they're a bit more obvious in the book). After all, it's Qui Gon's vision that sets up the "ghosts" of the following films. At last a review that echoes my sentiments. There’s much to like and much to dislike in this movie. Personally I don’t like Jar Jar’s moments, but my kids seem to. The fight is the most spectacular and Qui Gon becomes quite obviously the most “human” of the Jedi. It’s a pity that his arguments on the “Living Force” versus Yoda’s view of the force aren’t put more plainly (they’re a bit more obvious in the book). After all, it’s Qui Gon’s vision that sets up the “ghosts” of the following films.

]]>