Word: wanly
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...plot is familiar to anyone with access to a computer or magazine. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), hoping to settle a dispute between the flabby Republic and an insurgent Trade Federation, find Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) on the planet Naboo. Diverted to Tatooine, they meet the boy Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who has a mysterious force--perhaps the Force. They amass for a fierce face-off against battle droids and the malefic Darth Maul (Ray Park...
...unwisely lusting after the Pharaoh's mistress--and you will unleash a nonstop barrage of special effects. That would be O.K. if The Mummy's computer whizzes had generated something fresh, but it's pretty much shape-shifting and meteorological anomalies as usual. These batter into senselessness the wan efforts, led by Brendan Fraser as the chief tomb robber, to impart a sort of cheeky, Indiana Jonesish air to this hopelessly overwrought and deeply dopey movie...
...acting cancels its effect. Watching the movie, one aches for a certain glory, but the camera never seems to linger long enough, and the awe and agony that pervaded the original movies never registers in the faces of Ewan McGregor or Liam Neeson. When those actors, respectively playing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon, "swim" into an underwater metropolis at the start of the movie, one feels a tinge of wonder, but it is immediately muddled by over-done special effects. Often, the music is off (John Williams' score seems affixed, chopped up by Lucas' manic pace). And of course...
...marked the beginning of the famous Star Wars Trilogy. Against the backdrop of a rebellion against an evil galactic Empire, the conflict between the Light and Dark sides of the Force is epitomized by the characters that have become a part of our cultural identity: Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, etc. Star Wars reflects and explores several fundamental themes of human nature, including loyalty, honor, adherence to right and perseverance against wrong. After The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the Star Wars phenomenon continued to grow, and it is about to receive a fresh jolt...
...being a bit of a fan myself. I can still remember the first time I watched what is now known as "Episode IV"--squirming in disgust as the heroes are locked in the trash disposal with that ugly serpent thing, the nail-biting encounter between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan, that adrenaline rush you get during the sequence where Luke successfully blows up the Death Star. And while I didn't think I'd be too excited about the release of "The Phantom Menace"--I figured I could see it sometime in August, when the shows are no longer sold...