“Phantom Menace” redeemed

George Lucas can now add Glenn Beck to the list of people who don’t like the Star Wars prequels. Beck saw Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 3D and said the CGI wizards at Industrial Light & Magic should use their technology to make Lucas go away.

The common consensus among Star Wars fans is that the prequels are not as good as the original trilogy. Some might go so far as to say that Lucas ruined Star Wars with abominations like Jar Jar Binks and Hayden Christensen.

However, not everything about the newer movies was bad. And since when did Glenn Beck become a movie critic? Lucas deserves some credit for the things he got right in Episode I, if for no other reason than to piss Beck off. Here are 10 good things about Episode I:

1: Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn

As Obi-Wan’s mentor, Neeson does a great job conveying the serenity and wisdom of a true Jedi master. His acting reminds audiences that Neeson starred in Schindler’s List and makes it hard to believe he also made The Grey and Battleship. The character of Qui-Gon is pretty badass: a powerful Jedi who won’t play by the Council’s rules.

2: Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan Kenobi

Establishing continuity between young Obi-Wan and Alec Guiness’ great performance in the original trilogy must have been hard, but McGregor pulls it off. It’s cool to see a character fans know so well as a brash young learner.

3: Darth Maul

He has horns on his head. He has red skin. He has a two-bladed lightsaber. Like all the best villains, he spends more time killing than monologuing.

4: Natalie Portman as Padme Amidala

Padme is an important part of the storyline and not just an idle love-interest. Portman makes the idea of a 14-year-old queen somewhat believable. She didn’t deserve the indignity of being hit on by a nine-year old.

5: Coruscant

Star Wars viewers finally got to see the capital of the Republic/Empire, from its massive Senate Chamber to the Jedi Temple. There are plenty of references to the Old Republic and Jedi Order in the original Star Wars films; in Episode I people finally got to see what that looked like.

6: Lightsaber combat

The lightsaber duels in the original trilogy were memorable for their drama, not action. Advances in technology allowed for a faster pace and more movement in the new movies. It also means there is more lightsaber action: in Episode I, viewers get to see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan take on an army of droids, and fight Darth Maul.

7: The Naboo N-1 Starfighter

It may only have two laser cannons instead of an X-Wing’s four, but the N-1 is still a pretty hot machine. It’s one of the few craft in the new movies that wasn’t ripped off from something in the old ones. This is a sleek, distinctive design; it looks like a cross between a traditional starfighter and a hot rod.

8: Ian McDiarmid as Darth Sidious

McDiarmid’s portrayal of Sidious in all three of the new movies is flawless. He is just as evil as one would expect the future Emperor to be. I still get chills when he turns to nine-year-old Anakin and says “we will watch your career with great interest.”

9: Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu

Samuel L. Jackson as a Jedi Master? Why not?

10: The CGI

Star Wars went on to become more like a computer-generated than a live-action film series, but it is important to remember how ground-breaking the effects in Episode I were. Everything looks startlingly realistic; the colors and shapes are muted enough in this first attempt to make everything believable. The Gungans are pretty annoying, but there are also massed armies of droids, starships, and the planet-wide urban sprawl of Coruscant to look at.