"Star Wars - The Phantom Menace"- 3D

Saw it yesterday (Feb. 13) and while thoroughly enjoying the music, came away with the same impression I had in the first go-around (1999) - the acting is marginal, the script thin and the story weak ... and most telling - it wasn't made for 3D, and the 3D effects are marginal - at one point, I took off the 3D glasses and could hardly tell the difference; though the 3D effects seemed to vary from scene to scene as I watched without the glasses.

The only exception to the mostly lifeless acting is a young Skywalker (Darth, soon-to-be), played by Jake Lloyd - he did a fine job, though his career seems to have plateaued with Star Wars. Not sure why; his precocious portrait captures nicely the rare talent possessed by Skywalker.

The Darth Maul character is of limited value, and not threatening enough to convey the evil of the Dark Side of the Force. But at his death, we're left with a question: Is Darth Maul the Sith Lord or the Apprentice? They come in twos - the Lord and the Apprentice. That's the question supposedly holding us in suspense, as the camera shifts hintingly to a profile of a rather benign-looking Senator Palpatine. Hmmm, could he, might he ... be ...?

With regard to young Skywalker, Yoda hints at the fear found in him, and what that fear might do:

Yoda: How feel you?
Anakin: Cold, sir.
Yoda: Afraid are you?
Anakin: No, sir.
Yoda: See through you we can.
Mace Windu: Be mindful of your feelings.
Ki-Adi-Mundi: Your thoughts dwell on your mother.
Anakin: I miss her.
Yoda: Afraid to lose her I think, hmm?
Anakin: What has that got to do with anything?
Yoda: Everything! Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you. 

In 1999, and now again, Yoda's comment about fear remains central to the entire Star Wars drama, and relevant to our times, as well. Fear is the path to the dark side, for any of us, and for any nation as well.

This time around, I liked Jar Jar Binks voiced skillfully by Ahmed Best. It was "very rude of me," to dislike him in 1999, and so I apologize.

The story remains disjointed - the bits and pieces are all there - the origins of C3PO and R2D2 are fun to see -  but it's like, "Who really cares?" ... and that's an issue of scripting, for one thing, but mostly of the acting. Most of the time, it felt like everyone would have rather been in a dump kicking bricks barefoot than in this gig. And maybe that's an issue for the director, George Lucas; maybe by the time this work was underway, he was tired of the whole thing.

Worth seeing in 3D?

If you're a Star Wars' Junkie like I am, sure, go ahead. Get some popcorn and a softdrink and settle back for a so-so film that cannot be rescued by 3D.

Otherwise, don't spend your money.

It was a thin film in 1999, and a thin film it remains, 3D or not.