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par HanSolo » Mar 30 Avr 2019 - 11:38 Sujet: TPM : les critiques presse
par Courleciel » Mar 30 Avr 2019 - 17:55 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par HanSolo » Mar 30 Avr 2019 - 19:02 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Courleciel » Mar 30 Avr 2019 - 19:04 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Sergorn » Mar 30 Avr 2019 - 19:15 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Courleciel » Mar 30 Avr 2019 - 19:40 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
Sergorn a écrit:En 1999 on était encore beaucoup à penser/espérer qu'on aurait "LA GUERRE DES ETOILES" au début du film et non Star Wars, d'autant qu'on avait encore ça deux ans plus tôt lors de l'ES.
-Sergorn
par HanSolo » Mar 30 Avr 2019 - 19:44 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
Sergorn a écrit:En 1999 on était encore beaucoup à penser/espérer qu'on aurait "LA GUERRE DES ETOILES" au début du film et non Star Wars, d'autant qu'on avait encore ça deux ans plus tôt lors de l'ES.
-Sergorn
par Sergorn » Mar 30 Avr 2019 - 20:00 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
Du coup c'est vraiment au cas par cas et y a pas toujours de logique là dedans.Courleciel a écrit:oui mais les déroulants de l'ES ne commençaient ils pas par "Star Wars" ?
par Uttini » Mar 30 Avr 2019 - 20:05 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Courleciel » Mar 30 Avr 2019 - 20:46 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
Sergorn a écrit:En fait Marvel c'est funky parce que selon les films ils vont traduire ou non les titres : ainsi on "Les Gardiens de la Galaxie" ou "L'Ere d'Ultron" ou le "Soldat de l'Hivers"... mais à côté on traduit pas Infinity War. Ou cas amusant on a Ant-Man mais bien "Ant-Man et la Guêpe" pour la suiteCourleciel a écrit:oui mais les déroulants de l'ES ne commençaient ils pas par "Star Wars" ?
Non justement, en 1997 je m'attendais à voir "Star Wars" à l'écran car toute la promo parlait de la trilogie Star Wars ("Guerre des Etoiles" était utilisée pour le titre FR d'ANH sur les affiches), mais non on avait bien LA GUERRE DES ETOILES sur le déroulant en salle et sur VHS.
L'OT avec "Star Wars" en déroulant FR n'est arrivée qu'avec l'édition DVD de 2004 (où les déroulants avaient été refaits numériquement dans toutes les langues, anglais compris).
-Sergorn
par HanSolo » Mer 01 Mai 2019 - 15:22 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Uttini » Mer 01 Mai 2019 - 16:03 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Thephx8 » Mer 01 Mai 2019 - 16:07 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Jim-my » Mer 01 Mai 2019 - 16:18 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par HanSolo » Mer 01 Mai 2019 - 16:29 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Jim-my » Mer 01 Mai 2019 - 16:32 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Uttini » Mer 01 Mai 2019 - 16:54 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Boba Fett » Mer 01 Mai 2019 - 16:59 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Thephx8 » Mer 01 Mai 2019 - 17:02 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Sergorn » Mer 01 Mai 2019 - 17:19 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
) évoquaient bien Liam Neeson en Obi-Wan et Ewan McGregor en Anakin. Et honnêtement sur le principe j'avais pas de mal à l'imaginer : Neeson semblait bien coller à l'image de mentor associée à Obi-Wan et Ewan on avait son image de bad boy de Trainspotting qu'on aurait pu imaginer coller à Anakin à l'époque. Uttini a écrit:Au début, on nous le présentait comme un personnage révolutionnaire, comme un personnage important de l'histoire, pas comme un pitre de service. Bon, son allure mettait le doute, mais bon...
par Thephx8 » Mer 01 Mai 2019 - 17:30 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par HanSolo » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 8:52 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
La presse américaine se déchaîne littéralement sur le film de Lucas : "Beaucoup de brio mais peu d’esprit" (The Hollywood Reporter), "De l’illusion mais pas de magie" (Variety), "Un film fantôme" (Time), "Une déception et une grosse" (Newsweek).
Indifférent, George Lucas rappelle qu’en 1977 Star wars avait subi le même traitement de la part des journalistes. Et de déclarer que "dans une situation comme celle-ci, avec autant d’anticipation et de matraquage médiatique et publicitaire, il est impossible d’être à la hauteur de l’attente. Je suis totalement conscient que certains fans vont être déçus. D’un côté parce qu’ils sont devenus trop vieux - le film est fait pour les enfants. De l’autre, parce qu’ils ont des espérances incroyables auxquelles il est impossible que le film réponde. Je ne suis pas le Messie, mais un simple cinéaste".
Allociné a écrit:La Menace Fantôme très controversée
16 juin 1999 à 12:58
Malgré le succès commercial de La Menace Fantôme, la presse américaine s'acharne sur cet Episode 1, révélant régulièrement de nouvelles controverses.
Le mythe de Star Wars est-il en train de s’effondrer? Si on en juge par la profusion d’articles assassins publiés à l’encontre de l’oeuvre de George Lucas, rien n’est moins sûr. Visiblement vexée par succès triomphal de La Menace Fantôme (300 millions de dollars de recettes en quatre semaines), la presse américaine, qui a littéralement descendu cet Episode 1, se venge en déversant dans ses colonnes des flots de critiques au parfum de scandale. En quelques semaines, George Lucas est passé de l’arriviste machiavélique au raciste discret, sans oublier son homophobie latente et sa sournoise capacité à plagier ses collègues.
A trois semaines de la sortie américaine de l’Episode 1, une incroyable hystérie commence à gagner les esprits. Des reportages montrent déjà des fans de Star Wars en train de camper devant les cinémas pour être sûrs d’avoir les premières places. Des webcams, placées devant ces cinémas en question, témoignent jour après jour de leur ferveur. Or, la rumeur la plus insidieuse provient justement du Web. Selon les mauvaises langues, George Lucas aurait payé ces gens pour amplifier le phénomène et garantir ainsi une affluence record pour le premier week-end d’exploitation de La Menace Fantôme. Suspecté d’être un homme d’affaires avant d’être cinéaste, George Lucas reste stoïque, préférant ne faire aucun commentaire.
La seconde attaque provient du Los Angeles Times et du Wall Street Journal. Ces deux quotidiens respectables avancent que de nombreux personnages issus de La Menace Fantôme représentent des caricatures raciales insultantes. Pour étayer leurs critiques, les journalistes font unanimement référence à Jar Jar Bink, un extra-terrestre amphibien et gaffeur. Afin d'accentuer le caractère comique du personnage, George Lucas l’a affublé d'un accent semblable à celui des habitants des Caraïbes. Une idée déplacée, selon certains, qui laisse à penser que George Lucas serait raciste. Dans la même veine douteuse, Watto, insecte géant avide de gagner de l’argent, ferait penser à un juif, et Nute Guray serait le stéréotype d’un asiatique en raison de sa corpulence physique et d'un accent typique.
Par la suite, la presse américaine s’est efforcée de démontrer que Lucas est homophobe. En dépit d'un raisonnement imparable - Jar Jar Binks présente des caractéristiques homosexuelles mais comme il a aussi des attitudes grotesques, il est donc insultant pour les gays -, les critiques n’ont pas réussi à arracher un seul mot à George Lucas. Ahmed Best, l’acteur qui a doublé Jar Jar Binks, s'est contenté de cette réponse pour enterrer la polémique : "Jar Jar n'est sûrement pas homosexuel. Mais si les gens se sentent fiers de penser qu’il est le premier personnage gay de la saga Star Wars, c’est bien".
La dernière polémique en date est vraisemblablement la plus inquiétante. De nombreuses personnes ont remarqué quelques similitudes entre l’univers de La Menace Fantôme et celui de Dinotopia, un livre de James Gurney. Tout porte à croire que George Lucas se serait largement inspiré des dessins de James Gurney pour bâtir la ville royale de la planète Naboo. "On me demande souvent quel était mon rôle dans la création du design de La Menace Fantôme. Mais je n’en ai aucun...", confirme l’auteur de Dinotopia. "Actuellement, je suis en contact avec les responsables de LucasFilms pour mettre au clair ce problème de ressemblance". Il faut savoir que George Lucas était impliqué en 1994 dans le développement de l’adaptation cinématographique de Dinotopia, l’année même où il rédigeait le scénario de l’Episode 1. Vous pouvez vous faire votre propre opinion en comparant le site officiel de Dinotopia, rubrique The Waterfalls City, avec des photos de la planète Naboo, disponibles sur le site officiel de Star Wars. C.V
par Sergorn » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 9:00 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par DarkNeo » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 9:01 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par HanSolo » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 9:29 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
Sergorn a écrit:Ca fleure bon le montage promo comme photo.
DarkNeo a écrit:Ah oue. En faite, rien n'a changé.
par Sergorn » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 10:08 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par HanSolo » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 11:39 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
The actors are wallpaper, the jokes are juvenile, there’s no romance, and the dialogue lands with the thud of a computer-instruction manual. But it’s useless to criticize the visual astonishment that is Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace. With this epic and the trilogy that preceded it, George Lucas has built a pop-culture monument that packs all of history – war, religion, myth, art, science and those old reliables, good and evil – into a mystical grab bag that plays like a kiddie cartoon. There’s a less fancy explanation for why Phantom Menace will inspire fetishistic worship: It’s loaded with cool stuff. And reasonable facsimiles thereof are on sale at your local Force emporium.
Episode I is set thirty years earlier than the original saga, Episode IV: A New Hope, but some things never change. A royal babe is in trouble. Not Princess Leia; this time it’s Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman). The Trade Federation sends battleships to her planet, Naboo, to persuade her to sign a dodgy treaty. To her rescue come two Jedi knights: old pro Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). You’ll recall that Alec Guinness played Obi-Wan the first time, and McGregor does a deft job of matching up with him vocally. ^Vhen Federation types send in droids for the kill, the Jedis link up with Anakin Sky walker (Jake Lloyd), a nine-year-old slave who will grow up to marry the queen, father the twins Luke and Leia, and turn from the Jedi cause to the dark side as Darth Vader. Got that?
Good; here’s what else you should know: Phantom Menace, which cost $115 million, lacks the crude freshness that Lucas lavished on the low-budget ($10 million) original in 1977 and the fluid storytelling that director Irvin Kershner brought to The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 – still the best in the series. But Menace is light-years ahead of the uneasy mix of furry Ewoks and Freudian psychology in Richard Marquand’s 1983 Return of the Jedi. As for Lucas’ directing skills, his work with actors still belongs to the “Don’t emote, just stand there” school. But in terms of visual sophistication, already discernible in 1973’s American Graffiti, Lucas ranks with the masters. He has always been more articulate with images than with words. Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo in the original, has famously chided Lucas, “You can type this shit, George, but you sure can’t say it.”
McGregor is saddled with lines like, “I have a bad feeling about this.” And Neeson must answer, “Be mindful of the living Force, my young Padawan.” Ouch! Is it a coincidence that Phantom Menace and James Cameron’s Titanic – whose box-office record ($1.8 billion worldwide) Lucas is chasing – were made by men with a poet’s eyes and tin ears?
Comic relief – and, boy, does this movie need it – arrives with scene-stealer Jar Jar Binks, a gangly, floppy-eared Gungan, voiced hilariously by Ahmed Best but otherwise a fully digital creation. Jar Jar is an alien amphibian who lives in an underwater city and speaks in a pidgin English that still gets the point across. “Mesa in bombad troubles,” says Jar Jar as he nabs food off plates with his long tongue and guides the Jedis in a submarine that gets chewed by a killer fish. Digital marvels abound, along with appearances by old favorites such as Jabba the Hutt and Yoda, who leads the Jedi Council on the planet Cor-uscant, along with Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson). Lucas surpasses himself in the creature department. Jar Jar’s nemesis, Boss Nass, is a wonderfully odious menace. And Watto, the slave driver, is a fat-slob fly who manages to levitate on tiny hummingbird wings.
The human element is hard put to keep up. Neeson has a natural warmth but too few opportunities for humor. Portman, a beauty and a gifted actress at eighteen, is stuck with an underwritten character – at least Carrie Fisher was allowed to bring her verbal snap to Princess Leia. And McGregor, a live wire in Trainspotting and Velvet Goldmine, spends the film’s first half trailing Qui-Gon like a lap dog. Happily, McGregor comes into his own in the final scenes, suggesting that the next two episodes, due in 2002 and 2005, will let him cut loose.
For now, the human focus is on Anakin, and the demands of the role – a messiah and an anti-Christ – put undue pressure on Lloyd, who was eight at the time of filming. You will search Lloyd’s face in vain for the Darth Vader to come or for the agony of a boy forced to leave behind his slave mother, Shmi (Pernilla August), to begin his Jedi training. Lloyd shines in the lighter scenes, especially when Anakin enters a Podrace so perilous that ordinary humans can’t tolerate the speed. The race is pure exhilaration. “Whoopee!” yells Anakin. Indeed. In this virtual universe – the video game supreme – Lucas is the king.
The Phantom Menace remains a mystery. He’s Darth Sidious, the Sith lord who appears cloaked or as a hologram. This baddie leaves his battles to Darth Maul (Ray Park), a horn-sprouting apprectice who wears makeup that suggests the unholy union of Marilyn Manson and Kiss. It’s Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan who take on Darth Maul and his double-edged light saber, in a battle royal that will spawn spinoffs and more accusations against Lucas for crass commercialism.
Your reaction to Phantom Menace will depend on what level you’re watching it on, just like playing a video game. Beginners will log on, enjoy the surface thrills and shut down. Intermediates will play again to see what they missed. Experts will study plot details like they’re cosmic tea leaves. In short, Lucas has changed the way we look at movies by making multiple viewings a part of the game. No wonder he’s cashing in. This is not to doubt Lucas’ sincerity in building a dream world – even a digital heart wants what it wants. Me, I’ll take The Godfather when it comes to film franchises, but it’s Lucas – still pushing the creative envelope at the dawn Èf the new millennium – who knows how to make audiences an offer they can’t refuse.
par Sergorn » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 11:41 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
La "polémique" autour de TLJ est assez minime a coté de celle qui a accompagné la sortie de TPM!
If it were the first "Star Wars" movie, "The Phantom Menace" would be hailed as a visionary breakthrough. But this is the fourth movie of the famous series, and we think we know the territory; many of the early reviews have been blase, paying lip service to the visuals and wondering why the characters aren't better developed. How quickly do we grow accustomed to wonders. I am reminded of the Isaac Asimov story "Nightfall," about the planet where the stars were visible only once in a thousand years. So awesome was the sight that it drove men mad. We who can see the stars every night glance up casually at the cosmos and then quickly down again, searching for a Dairy Queen.
"Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace," to cite its full title, is an astonishing achievement in imaginative filmmaking. If some of the characters are less than compelling, perhaps that's inevitable: This is the first story in the chronology and has to set up characters who (we already know) will become more interesting with the passage of time. Here we first see Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Yoda and R2-D2 and C-3PO. Anakin is only a fresh-faced kid in Episode I; in IV, V and VI, he has become Darth Vader.
At the risk of offending devotees of the Force, I will say that the stories of the "Star Wars" movies have always been space operas, and that the importance of the movies comes from their energy, their sense of fun, their colorful inventions and their state-of-the-art special effects. I do not attend with the hope of gaining insights into human behavior. Unlike many movies, these are made to be looked at more than listened to, and George Lucas and his collaborators have filled "The Phantom Menace" with wonderful visuals.
There are new places here--new kinds of places. Consider the underwater cities, floating in their transparent membranes. The Senate chamber, a vast sphere with senators arrayed along the inside walls, and speakers floating on pods in the center. And other places: the cityscape with the waterfall that has a dizzying descent through space. And the other cities: one city Venetian, with canals, another looking like a hothouse version of imperial Rome, and a third that seems to have grown out of desert sands.
Set against awesome backdrops, the characters in "The Phantom Menace" inhabit a plot that is little more complex than the stories I grew up on in science-fiction magazines. The whole series sometimes feel like a cover from Thrilling Wonder Stories, come to life. The dialogue is pretty flat and straightforward, although seasoned with a little quasi-classical formality, as if the characters had read but not retained "Julius Caesar." I wish the "Star Wars" characters spoke with more elegance and wit (as Gore Vidal's Greeks and Romans do), but dialogue isn't the point, anyway: These movies are about new things to look at.
The plot details (of embargoes and blockades) tend to diminish the size of the movie's universe--to shrink it to the scale of a 19th century trade dispute. The stars themselves are little more than pinpoints on a black curtain, and "Star Wars" has not drawn inspiration from the color photographs being captured by the Hubble Telescope. The series is essentially human mythology, set in space, but not occupying it. If Stanley Kubrick gave us man humbled by the universe, Lucas gives us the universe domesticated by man. His aliens are really just humans in odd skins. For "The Phantom Menace," he introduces Jar Jar Binks, a fully realized computer-animated alien character whose physical movements seem based on afterthoughts. And Jabba the Hutt (who presides over the Podrace) has always seemed positively Dickensian to me.
Yet within the rules he has established, Lucas tells a good story. The key development in "Phantom" is the first meeting between the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and the young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd)--who is, the Jedi immediately senses, fated for great things. Qui-Gon meets Anakin in a store where he's seeking replacement parts for his crippled ship. Qui-Gon soon finds himself backing the young slave in a high-speed Podrace--betting his ship itself against the cost of the replacement parts. The race is one of the film's high points, as the entrants zoom between high cliff walls in a refinement of a similar race through metal canyons on a spaceship in "Star Wars." Why is Qui-Gon so confident that Anakin can win? Because he senses an unusual concentration of the Force--and perhaps because, like John the Baptist, he instinctively recognizes the one whose way he is destined to prepare. The film's shakiness on the psychological level is evident, however, in the scene where young Anakin is told he must leave his mother (Pernilla August) and follow this tall Jedi stranger. Their mutual resignation to the parting seems awfully restrained. I expected a tearful scene of parting between mother and child, but the best we get is when Anakin asks if his mother can come along, and she replies, "Son, my place is here." As a slave? The discovery and testing of Anakin supplies the film's most important action, but in a sense all the action is equally important, because it provides platforms for special-effects sequences. Sometimes our common sense undermines a sequence (for instance, when Jar Jar's people and the good guys fight a 'droid army, it becomes obvious that the droids are such bad fighters, they should be returned for a refund). But mostly I was happy to drink in the sights on the screen, in the same spirit that I might enjoy "Metropolis," "Forbidden Planet," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Dark City" or "The Matrix." The difference is that Lucas' visuals are more fanciful and his film's energy level is more cheerful; he doesn't share the prevailing view that the future is a dark and lonely place.
What he does have, in abundance, is exhilaration. There is a sense of discovery in scene after scene of "The Phantom Menace," as he tries out new effects and ideas, and seamlessly integrates real characters and digital ones, real landscapes and imaginary places. We are standing at the threshold of a new age of epic cinema, I think, in which digital techniques mean that budgets will no longer limit the scope of scenes; filmmakers will be able to show us just about anything they can imagine.
As surely as Anakin Skywalker points the way into the future of "Star Wars," so does "The Phantom Menace" raise the curtain on this new freedom for filmmakers. And it's a lot of fun. The film has correctly been given the PG rating; it's suitable for younger viewers and doesn't depend on violence for its effects. As for the bad rap about the characters--hey, I've seen space operas that put their emphasis on human personalities and relationships. They're called "Star Trek" movies. Give me transparent underwater cities and vast hollow senatorial spheres any day.
par DarkNeo » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 12:17 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par HanSolo » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 12:28 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
Sergorn a écrit:Sinon moi je vais poster la critique de Roger Ebert ...
par Sergorn » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 12:43 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
Mais il n'est jamais revenu dessus donc on ne sait pas si son avis à évolué ou pas. J'aurais bien aimé voir ce qu'il aurait pensé de la Postlogie... When George Lucas first conceived the idea for Star Wars, it was just a movie. Over the course of 22 years, it has grown into a full-blown phenomenon - an event that gives promoters orgasmic shivers and makes theater employees wish they could take a week off. When it comes to unbridled anticipation generated by the release of a film, The Phantom Menace has antecedents. Gone with the Wind was the entertainment event of the '30s. Goldfinger was so popular that some movie houses stayed open 24 hours a day to meet demand. And Star Trek: The Motion Picture had Trekkies and Trekkers standing in lines for hours on end. Yet, in terms of both intensity and widespread interest, the motion picture industry has never seen anything like this before, nor is it likely to in the foreseeable future (not even in 3 years, when the next Star Wars movie is released). The hype has dwarfed the film, reducing it to a cultural footnote. Even Lucas, who will reap the majority of The Phantom Menace's financial windfall, is concerned. In New York on May 9, he was quoted as saying, "People should have a well-rounded life. I'm happy that Star Wars stimulates young people's imagination... but when you get a situation like this where you have so much hype and expectation, a movie can't possibly live up to that."
Indeed, when you get right down to it, The Phantom Menace is a movie, and can be treated as such. Those who have camped out at a theater box office for three-plus weeks may disagree, as may those who have spent $500 on an advance charity screening, but, in the end, everyone will be doing the same thing, regardless of whether they're the first admission or the last: sitting in a darkened theater, staring at the screen, and absorbing the sounds and images that represents the vision of a film maker who has left an indelible imprint upon two generations of movie-goers. Consideration of the movie, with its strengths and weaknesses, deserves to be divorced from an analysis of the Star Wars phenomenon. This is not the greatest film ever made, as some fans would have you believe, nor does it signal the death knell of artistic motion pictures, as high-brow critic-prophets cry out.
So what about the movie? How close does it come to meeting the astronomical expectations placed upon it by a frenzied fandom and a curious public? The best place to start is with the storyline, which does an effective job of fulfilling its three-fold purpose: telling a self-contained tale set in the Star Wars universe, setting up the first trilogy, and remaining faithful to the previously-established mythos. We already know how everything ends. Now it's time to learn how it all begins. The Phantom Menace starts in familiar fashion: the Lucasfilm logo materializes, followed by the words "Star Wars", then the introductory crawl - all are done in accompaniment to John Williams' score. It's the kind of opening that brings a twinge of nostalgia to those of us who were there, in theaters, in 1977.
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor, keeping his clothes on throughout), are on a diplomatic mission to the planet Naboo, where they hope to negotiate the end to a blockade of the planet organized by the Trade Federation. When they arrive, however, they find themselves caught in a trap sprung by the mysterious Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), who is making a play to take control of the Galactic Republic. After surviving an attempt on their lives in a planet-orbiting space station, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan end up on the ground in the midst of an invasion by an army of droids. After meeting the amphibious Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), they move to save Naboo's teenage ruler, Queen Amidala, from possible execution. That involves taking her and her retinue (including her favorite squat droid, R2-D2) into space. From Naboo, the action moves to the desert planet of Tatooine, where the two Jedi encounter young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), a slave child with amazing potential in the Force, then to the capital world of the Republic, and finally back to Naboo. Meanwhile, Darth Maul (Ray Park), Sidious' minion, is tracking the Jedi with dire intentions.
Even though this film takes place some forty years before Star Wars, there are plenty of familiar faces. In addition to R2-D2 (again played by Kenny Baker), an "unfinished" C-3PO (voice provided by Anthony Daniels) is around for a segment of the story. Jabba the Hut has a brief cameo, and Yoda is in a couple of scenes. There's also Senator Palpatine/Darth Sidious, who will eventually become Return of the Jedi's Emperor Palpatine. And new actors are on hand to play the familiar parts of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness in the original) and Anakin Skywalker.
Plot-wise, the film borrows a lot, at least in terms of structure, from Return of the Jedi. After a rousing opening sequence, things slow down for a while. Then, on Tatooine, there's an amazing racing sequence featuring "pod" space ships. Finally, the film concludes with three separate, simultaneous story threads all building to a climax. The martial arts-influenced light saber duel between Darth Maul and Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan is the best that The Phantom Menace has to offer - a virtuoso action sequence directed with skill and understanding of what an audience craves from this sort of confrontation. Those looking for influences will find that Lucas draws from sources as diverse as TV sports commentary and religious traditions (there's a "Chosen One" - not Keanu Reeves - and a virgin birth). Attempts to provide a more scientific explanation for the Force are ineffective, however. Ben Kenobi's quick tutorial in the original Star Wars should have been allowed to stand on its own. Adding physics to the metaphysical doesn't work.
The Star Wars movies have always relied on the nobility of heroes and the nastiness of villains, and The Phantom Menace is no exception. As Qui-Gon, Liam Neeson brings an unforced nobility to his performance, while Ewan McGregor injects a sense of recklessness into his portrayal of Obi-Wan. Neither is an earthshaking acting job, but the two accomplished thespians are doing more than simply reacting to special effects. On the other side of the Force is Ray Park's Darth Maul (he of the black-and-orange painted face), who doesn't say much, but compensates with menacing stares and quick reflexes. Ian McDiarmid makes for a more chilling villain, even though his Darth Sidious stays in the shadows.
The other characters are a mixed bag. Jake Lloyd's performance as Anakin has been criticized in some circles, but that seems a little unfair. He's enthusiastic, but not polished, and, while there are scenes in which he strikes the wrong note, there are also instances when he's good. Natalie Portman, easily one of today's best young actresses, isn't given much to work with; she's too often in the background (although a couple of her scenes with Lloyd are effective at suggesting a deepening bond). The best performance belongs to Swedish actress Pernilla August (The Best Intentions, Fanny & Alexander), who gives a quiet, dignified portrayal as Anakin's mother. Ahmed Best plays Jar Jar Binks, a computer generated mistake included primarily for comic relief. He will amuse children but annoy adults. Finally, well-respected actors Terrence Stamp and Samuel L. Jackson have welcome cameos.
Plainly, this is not an actors' movie and the director, George Lucas (at the helm for the first time since the original Star Wars), is not an actors' director. Lucas' forte is in creating worlds and pushing the special effects envelope, and, in both of those areas, The Phantom Menace doesn't just meet expectations - it exceeds them. For the most part, Lucas' vision isn't limited to putting spectacular visuals on screen for the purpose of creating a momentary sense of awe. His intention is to craft a wonderful, weird, vast universe that we can experience in a way that no other movie has been able to offer.
The Phantom Menace is a testimony to how far special effects have come. Does Lucas overdo it? Yes. Every scene is crammed with as many aliens, otherworldly creatures, and CGI synthetics as space will allow. Sometimes, it's breathtaking, but there are occasions when Lucas seems to be saying, "See! Look what I can do!" Another problem with the aliens is that some of them are too silly to be convincing, as if the director was placing added emphasis on capturing the adulation of the under-10 audience (something he probably already has). Jar Jar Binks is the most glaring example. He's irritating, and obviously a special effect.
It's in set design that this film triumphs unquestionably. There's a gorgeously rendered submerged city on Naboo, underwater canyons filled with increasingly grotesque and dangerous sea monsters, and a Coliseum-like stadium on Tatooine. Then there's Coruscant, the Republic's capital - a planet where the single city encompasses the entire globe. Views of the world, with soaring skyscrapers and a sky clogged with small spaceships, are as visually stunning as anything to have been shown on screen before. The enormous council chamber where Queen Amidala makes a plea for her people is equally impressive.
When it comes to action sequences, The Phantom Menace is not lacking. There are several battles involving light sabers, the pod race on Tatooine (which clearly owes a debt to the chariot race in Ben Hur), a climactic space battle that echoes the ending of both Star Wars and Return of the Jedi, and an enormously complex war between two completely computer-generated opponents. Lucas has said that The Phantom Menace contains a hard-to-conceive 2000 special effects shots, and the final product makes it apparent that there's probably not a scene in which a computer didn't make some contribution.
In many ways, the music for Star Wars has been as important and enduring as the images. The title theme is as instantly recognizable as a picture of Darth Vader's mask, and the soundtracks for the first three movies have been huge sellers (The Phantom Menace CD will doubtlessly surpass them all). Despite not having composed a Star Wars score in 16 years, John Williams doesn't miss a beat, incorporating familiar notes and new material into a cohesive whole that provides the perfect, epic musical background to the film. Williams' approach also provides foreshadowing. Every time Darth Sidious appears, we hear strains of the "Emporer's Theme" from Return of the Jedi. And "Darth Vader's Theme" is used just once (and then only briefly and in a muted fashion) - when Yoda and Obi-Wan are speaking about Anakin's future.
Looking at the big picture, in spite of all its flaws, The Phantom Menace is still among the best "bang for a buck" fun that can be had in a movie theater. It isn't as fresh as the original Star Wars nor does it have the thematic richness and narrative complexity of The Empire Strikes Back, but it is a distinct improvement over Return of the Jedi. In fact, after Return of the Jedi, I didn't have a burning desire to return to this galaxy "far, far away," but, with The Phantom Menace, Lucas has revived my interest. Now, it's with genuine regret that I realize the next segment of the series is three long years away.
Some will doubtlessly worry that The Phantom Menace will accelerate the conversion of movie theaters into giant arcades. And, while it's true that special effects-driven movies can be the bane of the industry, The Phantom Menace has far more going for it in terms of heart, plot, and human interest than the likes of Armageddon and Godzilla. This is not a mindless blockbuster designed solely to make a killing at the box office. Lucas, already wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice, is hopefully beyond that (not that he'll refuse the money...). What he has done with The Phantom Menace is to satisfy an artistic craving, and it shows in almost every frame. The director's vision and reverence for his own creation are the two key elements that differentiate this movie from 95% of the others with similar $100 million-plus budgets.
The bottom line? Well, nearly everyone reading this review either has already seen or is going to see the film. It doesn't matter what any critic has to say; but, for what it's worth, you can proceed to the theater with a recommendation from this corner. The Phantom Menace is not a masterpiece, but it's an example of how imagination, craftsmanship, and technological bravura can fashion superior entertainment out of something that is far from flawless.
par HanSolo » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 12:47 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Sergorn » Jeu 02 Mai 2019 - 12:57 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Joysstar » Dim 05 Mai 2019 - 17:35 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par DarkNeo » Dim 05 Mai 2019 - 17:57 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
Joysstar a écrit:EN fait, merci beaucoup pour cet éclairage sur les réactions de l'époque et merci pour l'idée de fil de discussion. ^^
Non, sincèrement, les querelles en raison de Star Wars ne datent pas d'aujourd'hui, mais bel et bien d'il y a vingt ans !
En fait, je crois qu'on a la mémoire courte. '^^
par magiefeu » Dim 05 Mai 2019 - 18:44 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Ras-Al-Ghul » Dim 05 Mai 2019 - 18:46 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Joysstar » Dim 05 Mai 2019 - 19:01 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
magiefeu a écrit:J'avais 3 ans à l'époque.
Ras-Al-Ghul a écrit:C était la guerre en 1999.
En 2002 et 2005, les rageux avaient passé leur chemin (les temps changent)
C'est pour ca que j'ai été etonne du desamour de AOTC sur ce forum.
par Sergorn » Dim 05 Mai 2019 - 19:12 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
Ras-Al-Ghul a écrit:En 2002 et 2005, les rageux avaient passé leur chemin
par Ras-Al-Ghul » Dim 05 Mai 2019 - 19:40 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Sergorn » Dim 05 Mai 2019 - 19:46 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Ras-Al-Ghul » Dim 05 Mai 2019 - 19:51 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par Sergorn » Dim 05 Mai 2019 - 20:24 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par HanSolo » Dim 05 Mai 2019 - 22:07 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
Sergorn a écrit:Donc ça n'a jamais "juste" un truc de geek, y a toujours eu un côté grand public.
-Sergorn
par Sergorn » Lun 06 Mai 2019 - 0:04 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par darkfunifuteur » Lun 06 Mai 2019 - 2:02 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
par HanSolo » Lun 06 Mai 2019 - 8:15 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
darkfunifuteur a écrit:C'était tellement ancré dans la culture populaire...
y a quand même eu les films ewoks au ciné et les séries animées jusqu'à la fin des 80
1985 : Dorothée gagne une victoire de la musique pour ça !
par Sergorn » Lun 06 Mai 2019 - 9:10 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
les années 90 c'est le jeu de rôles, les rares rediffs télé et l'arrivée des romans et des BD
par HanSolo » Lun 06 Mai 2019 - 9:21 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
Sergorn a écrit:Enfin c'est un peu exagéré : c'est le genre d'oeuvre que les gens revoyaient quand ça passait à la TV comme un Retour vers le Futur quoi.
par Sergorn » Lun 06 Mai 2019 - 9:59 Sujet: Re: TPM : les critiques presse
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