May the force be with you
Director: George Lucas
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd
The Phantom Menace returns (again) to the silver screen as 20th Century Fox look to cash in (again) on their intergalactic saga with a 3D version of the first film in the series.
We all know the story. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (McGregor) and his Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Neeson) have discovered nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker (Lloyd), a young slave unusually strong in the Force.
While the young Skywalker struggles to come to terms with his fledgling powers, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are dispatched to protect Queen Amidala (Portman) from an impending invasion of the planet Naboo, where they must also contend with a deadly foe named Darth Maul, expertly schooled in the dark Jedi arts and equipped with a menacing double-ended light sabre.
In terms of special effects, The Phantom Menace was already light years ahead of the original Star Wars trilogy and the addition of sparkly new 3D only reinforces this.
The visual imagery leaps off the screen and the additional techno-wizardry really adds oomph to the intricately detailed action sequences, putting the audience right in the heart of the action.
However, apart from the extra dimension, the film remains essentially unchanged, so if you’re one of the die-hard fans of the original trilogy, who view the later films as inferior, then this will probably do nothing to change your mind. However, if like us you enjoy anything to do with Star Wars then this is a great excuse to give the film another viewing.
Genre: Action | Adventure | Fantasy
Age Restriction: PG
Runtime: 136 min
