Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace (1999)

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Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace (1999) – G. Lucas

I saw this (and dismissed it) twenty years ago but Amon (aged 9) was ready to check it out (after already watching eps 4 through 9).  We are deposited very quickly into a seemingly complicated dispute between the Trade Federation (run by some lizards) and the Planet Naboo (led by Queen Amidala/Natalie Portman). Two Jedi Knights (Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi) are dispatched to Naboo to stop what turns out to be a plot by the Federation (in conjunction with The Sith) to take over the planet, including its underwater minority group, the Gungans. In order to escape and regroup, the jedis take the Queen and a random accident-prone Gungan (Jar Jar Binks) to Tatooine where they meet slave kid, Annakin Skywalker, who wins a pod race to earn money to get them parts to fly their ship back to uh, I forgot, back to Naboo where they have to make a last stand against the Sith (and their main fighter, Darth Maul, who we were calling Darth Small last night) and an army of robots.  Annakin is strong with the force but Yoda and Samuel L. Jackson (a jedi master, so not just good at foot massage) are worried about what they sense is the possibility of the dark side in him (no duh). In the midst of this confusing plot, there is some razzle dazzle, a lot of CGI creatures, and some obvious and not-so-obvious foreshadowing.  But really, not much suspense because we know who can die and who cannot.  Liam Neeson is rather boring. I hope we don’t have to watch Episode 2 now because I fell asleep the last time.