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I am a fan of the Star Wars saga. I have always enjoyed the movies and I believe those who were disappointed are not being objective about this movie at all. I'll admit that I was expecting more from this movie in some aspects. The main problem that overall people really have with this movie and many don't even realise it is that one of the major plot elements, the conflict between the Naboo, and Gungans was not brought to the forefront with more of a sense of danger. I think Lucas was caught in a bind presentation wise because he wanted to bring the Jedi's conflict to the forefront and it cost this movie in the long run. There were specific scenes in the first three films that put the raw dangers of the Empire to the forefront.Examples of these scenes are when Luke returns home in 'A New Hope' to see that his only family in the universe have been killed, Han Solo being frozen in carbonite just after he and Leia realised their love for each other in 'Empire Strikes Back, and when Luke is tested and tempted by the Emperor, the Emperor apparently two steps ahead of Luke in 'Return of the Jedi.'All the while in the movie there were references to an invasion and people dying of catastrophic numbers but this was not for me at least brought to the front page. Qui Gon tells the queen at one point that he can't fight a war for her but with the way the cowardly Neimodians and weak droids are pushed around I don't see why not.The Gungan droid battle should not have been relegated to a mere distraction and even if it were the Gungans had no casualties. Even though I know Lucas wanted to preserve the PG rating I still think he should have brought the grittiness of the conflict equally through the major characters eyes. Just a pinch more of Dramtic punch would have done th trick. He had done that so well in all of the other Episodes and ultimately the dangers of the conflict were not evenly distributed. However this movie still is a remarkable achievment. The imagination and talents of many people still flow through this movie. The realisation of the underwater Gungan city, the podrace sequence, and the Duel of the Fates is visuallly amazing. I don't think the performances are wooden. I like Natalie Portman's portrayal of the young Queen. Jake Lyod's Anakin is very raw and he has an unpolished quality that naturally comes through for me. 'How does this wideeyed boy become so disenchanted with his life that he believes his only recourse is the Dark Side?'These elements are done very well and are typical Star Wars fare. To me this movie is a great opening act introducing the world to the players and eludes to future events. For me this movie sure teases the appetite for more and I know that I will see Attack of the Clones because of the questions left unanswered by The Phantom Menace. As a stand alone film this movie was an incredible movie experience.
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