Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – 3D (U) ***

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – 3D (U) ***

Dir: George Lucas

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson

Synopsis: Set before A New Hope, before the Clone Wars and Darth Vader’s rise to power, The Phantom Menace follows Jedi Knight Qui-Gon-Jin as he tries to avert a war between the planet of Naboo and the evil Trade Federation and its droid army. However, when stopping on Tatooine for repairs, he and his apprentice Obi-Wan-Kenobi come across a boy called Anakin Skywalker who, Qui-Gon believes, will fulfil a prophecy to bring balance to the force.

Verdict: I remember going to see this when it first came out in 1999. Being only 10, I was blown away by the special effects, the building upon of the original trilogy and the story itself. Now, looking at it afresh as a 23 year old, I can see that the visual effects (by today’s standards) aren’t that amazing, the story is cheesy, the acting isn’t brilliant and, oh yes, Jar-Jar Binks is annoying as hell.

I also feel quite good that I have my Cineworld card which meant only £1.80 or so to get in for the 3D, as there wasn’t really any discernable difference between the original and this 3D offering – the only noticeable thing being that the text for alien translations was actually standing out from the film, and someone had blatantly edited in extra bits to be there just for 3D. This was a disappointment, as I was looking forward to seeing some amazing 3D action in the Podrace and space battles, but was left with nothing any more thrilling than the norm.

Having said all this, the childish geek in me still enjoyed it, and as I never got the film on DVD, it was refreshing to see the extended and added scenes, hence the middle-of-the-road rating.

While this trilogy is nowhere near as good as the original, it is still great to take the kids to see on the big screen to pique their interest in the franchise. Here’s hoping for a re-release of the original three, but without the non-existent 3D.

The Muppets (U) ***

The Muppets (U) ***


Dir: James Bobin

Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper

Synopsis: The Muppets haven't performed together for years, and an evil oil tycoon is out to get his hands on the studio and destroy it to get to the oil underneath it. Their only hope comes in the shape of Walter, who gets them back together to do a $10million fundraiser and save the studio.

Verdict: Possibly the most endearing thing about The Muppets is how they embrace the fact that they are so very cheesy (with a character like Fozzie Bear, how could you not embrace it?) and use it to their advantage. By doing this, some of the lower quality jokes seem funnier, and the genuinely funny jokes are improved as well.

Of course, being a Muppets film, there are lots of song and dance numbers, ranging from the heart-felt and touching, to the downright daft. You will most probably leave the cinema with Starship's 'We Built This City' in your head after they all fix up of the theatre to it.

Whilst The Muppets invariably steal the show, the humans Amy Adams and Jason Segel are really well suited to the film, both playing on the cheesy-ness of the franchise to create characters as daft as the Muppets, and  Chris Cooper does the villain role to match.

With a host of celebrity cameos which show just how popular and enduring Jim Henson's creations are, this film is great for kids and just as enjoyable for adults.