Episode I: The Phantom Plot

I saw Star Wars Episode I for the first time last night on Sky Premier. Yeah, yeah, I know, I've been living under a rock since before the theatrical release. I was very disappointed. The special effects and computer-generated stuff were as stunning as you'd expect, but still.... It wasn't very well cast. Jake Lloyd playing Anakin Skywalker was pretty good, but too young; a kid that age building droids and a demon pod racer - do me a favour. I'm not quite sure why Ewan McGregor had to have an English accent; he doesn't do them that well, unlike Liam Neeson whom I thought excellent. I suppose Natalie Portman was cute though.

As for the plot.... dear, oh dear. It was the same basic plot as the original Star Wars movie, but more muddy and with less substance, though I concede that my recollection of the other movies is sketchy at best. I haven't seen Star Wars since 1977 or The Empire Strikes Back since 1980, and The Return Of The Jedi not at all. Darth Maul was totally wasted. A superb villain - much more menacing than Darth Vader, for example - yet he did almost nothing except kill Qui-Gon Jinn and then get sliced in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi. I don't understand that; he could have run and run as Darth Vader did. He should at least have survived until the next movie. Oh, and whoever dreamt up Jar Jar Binks deserves a severe slapping. A totally crap character with a risible jiveass accent right out of Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, blatantly placed there to be made into soft toys. Jeez, George, didja think you weren't going to make any money, or something?