It's been called a shameful money-grabbing exercise, but does Star Wars Episode I still stand up thirteen years on in 3D?Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was a disappointment to the millions of fans who rushed to their local theatres back in 1999, fuelled by their nostalgia of the classic trilogy of 80s movies and subsequently expecting a new film of the same quality to send them happily into a new century. Such expectations were always going to be near-impossible to match, so it's no wonder that the majority of viewers found their lofty dreams unfulfilled two hours later, but having watched Episode I again in 3D (and on the big screen for the first time for me) today, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that accusations of this entry in the saga being its worst appear to have been blown wildly out of proportion. As you'll no doubt remember if you saw it first time round, the storyline of this prequel to the Luke Skywalker adventure is as follows: Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) must race across underwater cities, desert planets and ancient temples in order to foil a plot by the evil Sith Lords to bring about political chaos and subsequent galactic anarchy. In reality, there are many diversions from this quest, including a meeting with the loathsome Jar Jar Binks- no less irritating than he was first time round, a thrilling pod-race with young Anakin Skywalker that's rendered wonderfully on the big screen along with the added third dimension, and of course the epic final battle between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and the dual-lightsaber wielding Sith Darth Maul set to the iconic Battle of the Fates theme crafted by series composer John Williams, each of which benefit hugely from being back in the cinema where they belong. What I think you'll notice most, though, this time around is just how much there actually is to like (love might be overexaggerating) about Episode I- the sounds, the stunning visual tour de forces that are the film's major setpieces and even the plotline fared remarkably better in my books this time around, leaving me with a far more positive stance on the much-hated opening to the three prequels than I ever had before. Simply put, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace belongs in the cinema, where the sound and sight of the iconic theme tune crashing onto your screen with its title scroll at its opening seem full of mystery and splendour once again, and where even perhaps the least eventful of the six movies can become an engaging adventure of love, childhood and war that will appeal to newcomers just as much as it will to those of you who've been there with George Lucas since the very beginning.
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