Re- release gives Star Wars prequel an extra dimension
1999 fi lm still has its glaring faults, but 3- D version’s spectacle is worth seeing on the big screen
STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 — THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D Starring: Ewan Mcgregor, Liam Neeson and Natalie Portman Directed by: George Lucas Not rated in B. C.: violence Running time: 136 minutes
A long time ago in a ... Oh, who are we kidding? Sure, it’s been 34 years since the Star Wars saga, the film that launched a thousand lunch boxes, first landed on the big screen. But between sequels, prequels, re- releases, pay TV,
Clone Wars, VHS, DVD, Blu- ray and the Christmas Special, we’ve never been more than a few months away from some new iteration of George Lucas’s famous space saga.
Each time one of the films returns, Lucas makes a few special modifications — adding computer- generated background characters or souped- up explosions, letting Greedo shoot first, or making Darth Vader yell, “Nooo!” Yet somehow, he has never seen fit to have Jar Jar Binks die in a fiery landspeeder crash, which would earn him the renewed adulation of his older, disillusioned fan base.
This newest release of 1999’ s Episode I — The Phantom Menace delivers the story of Darth Vader’s boyhood years in stunning three dimensions, and while it may not change the strengths and faults of the story, it makes everything in it much more arresting to behold.
The opening crawl is still almost criminally boring, as it sails into the 3- D distance. “Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic.” Really? Do tell. “The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute.” Wait, is this Star Wars or the parliamentary channel?
But no, for the most part, the greatest pleasure to be had in watching The Phantom Menace in 3- D is just being able to watch it on the big screen once again. Darth Maul’s bad guy with a $ 25 face- paint job looks supremely menacing when projected larger than life, and the Galactic Senate chamber, while mostly a blur, allows a quick peek at a delegation of Wookiees and another of those stumpy horticulturalists from E. T.
The embarrassment in these riches remains Jar Jar Binks: “Me- sah comin’ at you- sah in three- D- sah!” And watching the film this time, I noticed he gets a battlefield promotion to Gen. Jar Jar, which is a bit like promoting lettuce to a main course.
Star Wars has no special anniversary at present, but it has been five months since the series’ release on Blu- ray . Fans of the older films can take heart in the fact that Lucas plans to unveil one chapter per year until 2017. I’m looking forward to Episode IV: The Reprieve From Jar Jar. Now that’s the will of the Force.