Liam Neeson: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

2. Qui-Gon Jinn - Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Truly there is no man other than George Lucas that can, as if seemingly intentional, force great actors to give bad performances. Everyone in the Star Wars prequels is so full of suck that it's embarrassing. Even with all his talent and ability to give the beat down, Liam Neeson falls prey to Lucas' plan of producing the highest budget garbage-fest there has ever been. Qui-Gon is so boring it's painful and Neeson just seems grumpy throughout the entire movie. (But seriously, can you blame him?) He's just there to be the brief mentor for Obi-Wan in order to motivate Lucas' terrible back story. Everything about the performance is dull and annoying and creates pity for the viewer. The Star Wars prequels, as a whole, were like shoving great, big, beautiful birds in tiny, claustrophobic, sinister cages. What's that parrot? You're colorful, can sing, and can fly? How about you get in this cage for people to look at you and stick their finger at you. That's how it feels watching Liam Neeson in Episode I. So much talent and yet it's purposefully stripped away from him and locked up elsewhere.