IT’S BEEN said so often that it’s now something of a cliché — popular culture is where a lot of people turn these days in search of myth, meaning and a general sense of community. Nowhere is this spiritual hunger more obvious than among science fiction fans, some of whom camped outside theatres for weeks — even a couple of months — to claim the best seats in the house when the new Star Wars movie arrived.
The first film, released 22 years ago, was noted by many Christians for its religious parallels. Central to the film was Obi-Wan Kenobi’s death at the hands of his treacherous former disciple, Darth Vader. Obi-Wan’s body vanished, leaving behind only empty robes, while his spirit went on to guide his new acolyte, Luke Skywalker. The allusions to Christ’s death, resurrection, and continued presence were too strong to ignore.
The sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, delved even deeper into questions of morality, temptation, and the like. The shocking discovery that Darth Vader was actually Luke’s father — a fact that made the possibility of Luke’s own fall from grace seem that much more plausible — was followed by the even more amazing revelation that even an arch-villain such as Vader could be redeemed by love.
These are incredibly potent themes, especially in a series aimed squarely at children, and fans had every reason to hope that The Phantom Menace, the new film set in the years before the evil Emperor gained control of the galaxy, would tap into these archetypes. But somehow, it doesn’t.
The problems begin with the introductory crawl, which goes on and on about taxes, trade disputes and other mundane political matters. We are then introduced to two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his young apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). They are supposed to negotiate a treaty, but they are immediately attacked by assassins, and it’s one thing after another for the rest of the film.
Along the way, they pick up some new friends, including the teenaged Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman), the floppy-eared alien Jar Jar Binks (voiced by Ahmed Best), and, most fatefully, a nine year old boy named Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd). But nowhere in the ensuing tale do we see any of the charisma, chemistry or depth of character that made the original trilogy so much fun to watch. (The droids C-3PO and R2-D2 never even get a chance to reenact their old Laurel-and-Hardy routine.)
Lucas does throw in a few new religious motifs. Unless the sequels say otherwise, it seems Anakin — the boy who will one day become Darth Vader — was virginally conceived. And there is much talk among the Jedi about a “prophecy” concerning a “chosen one” who will “bring balance to the Force.” Qui-Gon thinks Anakin is that chosen one. But we know that Anakin is, if anything, destined to bring about a great deal of imbalance.
So, is the prophecy wrong? Is the ‘chosen one’ someone else — Anakin’s future son Luke, perhaps? Or was Anakin just a failure as a messiah? And why didn’t we hear about this prophecy in the original films? The Phantom Menace leaves these and other questions unanswered, though the sequels, due to arrive in three and six years, may settle things.
I’m not too hopeful, though; and I say this not as a critic but as a fan who counts The Empire Strikes Back among my five favorite films. Say what you will about ‘the Force’ and the various eastern influences on Lucas’s philosophy, but there was a soul — a spiritual momentum — to the original trilogy that this new film lacks.
“Don’t lose sight of the moment,” says Qui-Gon to his young apprentice. It’s a principle that Lucas — who was too busy either trying to recapture old glory, or setting up future installments to make The Phantom Menace a decent film in its own right — should have taken to heart.
— A version of this review was first published in BC Christian News.
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