You would think from this look that Darth Maul is the center of the film. It's the greatest joke of the film. (Image Courtesy of: youtube.com)
Quick Take: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is an ambitious attempt to extend a universe that falls upon its creator's own poorly devised decisions with terrible concepts, bad acting, and storytelling that never knows where to draw the line between the dramatic, the comedic, and the boring.
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***This review is an in-depth analysis of a movie from 1999 that expects the reader to have seen the film. If you have not, you can read on, but it will likely have less of an effect and also spoil you on story beats throughout a movie that is not entirely worth seeing.***
I was six years old when Stars Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released in theaters, and it was the first time I can remember being exposed to the Star Wars Universe. I loved it. I watched it more times in theaters than I can remember watching any other film in theaters.
For years thereafter, I held the movie in high regard. I could ignore Jar Jar Binks and barely noticed the poor acting because I fixated on the world, the concepts that I fantasized about from Pod Racing to the Duel of Fates. In this way, George Lucas' return to the Star Wars universe is a success.
However, this success is an illusion, helping to entice those not paying too much attention from the flaws that come as early as the opening crawl. As John Williams' score blares brightly, the movie promises stories of the "taxation of trade routes" and tales of how the "Congress of the Republic endlessly debates".
While there is nothing wrong with telling stories of political drama, these promises are not suited for a series that has never been greatly admired for its intelligence. Quickly, it becomes clear these attempts at selling the early conflicts of politics in a galaxy far far away.
This is a fairly simple story in its construction that is made complicated in ways the story cannot properly handle. Two Jedi Master Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson) and Padawan Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) are sent to deal with a conflict on Naboo only for their attempts to save Naboo's Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) to lead them to Tatooine where they meet a specially powerful boy named Anakin (Jake Lloyd).
Nothing in the main story is truly important to the trilogy as a whole. It is the side stories that matter. The fight for Naboo is a long boring affair where many major players are background the rest of the way, but it helps to sneak in Anakin as well as the politics helping Senator Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) gain power.
For this reason, this movie is almost superfluous. This is somewhat intentional as the Naboo threat is ultimately a "phantom menace", a threat used purely to get Palpatine in power. It is the most intelligent part of a movie that does not try too hard to be intelligent but also the defining negative attribute of a bad movie.
***This review is an in-depth analysis of a movie from 1999 that expects the reader to have seen the film. If you have not, you can read on, but it will likely have less of an effect and also spoil you on story beats throughout a movie that is not entirely worth seeing.***
I was six years old when Stars Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released in theaters, and it was the first time I can remember being exposed to the Star Wars Universe. I loved it. I watched it more times in theaters than I can remember watching any other film in theaters.
For years thereafter, I held the movie in high regard. I could ignore Jar Jar Binks and barely noticed the poor acting because I fixated on the world, the concepts that I fantasized about from Pod Racing to the Duel of Fates. In this way, George Lucas' return to the Star Wars universe is a success.
However, this success is an illusion, helping to entice those not paying too much attention from the flaws that come as early as the opening crawl. As John Williams' score blares brightly, the movie promises stories of the "taxation of trade routes" and tales of how the "Congress of the Republic endlessly debates".
While there is nothing wrong with telling stories of political drama, these promises are not suited for a series that has never been greatly admired for its intelligence. Quickly, it becomes clear these attempts at selling the early conflicts of politics in a galaxy far far away.
This is a fairly simple story in its construction that is made complicated in ways the story cannot properly handle. Two Jedi Master Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson) and Padawan Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) are sent to deal with a conflict on Naboo only for their attempts to save Naboo's Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) to lead them to Tatooine where they meet a specially powerful boy named Anakin (Jake Lloyd).
Nothing in the main story is truly important to the trilogy as a whole. It is the side stories that matter. The fight for Naboo is a long boring affair where many major players are background the rest of the way, but it helps to sneak in Anakin as well as the politics helping Senator Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) gain power.
For this reason, this movie is almost superfluous. This is somewhat intentional as the Naboo threat is ultimately a "phantom menace", a threat used purely to get Palpatine in power. It is the most intelligent part of a movie that does not try too hard to be intelligent but also the defining negative attribute of a bad movie.
Can I really make a joke that is bigger than the fact that Lucas thought it was a good idea to have Jar Jar feature in this movie? (Image Courtesy of: independent.co.uk)
Where does Phantom Menace go so bad? It tries too hard with bad material. Lucas writes a movie that is not funny yet forgets to be dramatic for the sake of its poor comedy. His dialogue is fairly stilted though it might have sounded better if he was a stronger director.
Lucas wastes a talented cast with direction that hampers them. The only actors that survive the first act with decent performances are Liam Neeson (Schindler's List) and Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting). Meanwhile, Jake Lloyd and Ahmed Best as Jar Jar would be completely defined by their poor performances for the rest of their careers.
As I noticed in my childhood, there are positive concepts to Phantom Menace, additions to a Star Wars Universe filled with intriguing ideas. While the Gungans are dreadfully annoying and stereotypical, their city is a fascinating and underused environment while the Planet Core creatures are equally underutilized gems.
By way of pure design alone with his cool look and double-edge lightsaber, Darth Maul became a fan favorite even though he was poorly represented as the movie's villain with one exciting action scene and barely a word said. Podracing was also an idea that could inspire imagination though is wasted on a scene filled with lazy editing with the same shots used multiple times over.
It is easy to point to the CGI use in this movie as the defining characteristic of its failings, but not much truly looks bad, just dated. For its time, it was a marvel, but there is a wear that comes with computer generation and is less evident with practical effects. This wasn't just a Lucas problem but an issue of time period as too often filmmakers would forget to use these new tools and be defined by them instead.
Ultimately, this is the Star Wars universe, and any story told in it will have some imaginative merit because it allows those involved freedom of their own ideas. Lucas though just seems to get lost in his own mind with no one around to reign him in with a tale that needs far more focus.
If you can simply sit back and shut off your brain, this movie is not completely horrible, but that is the best compliment I can give it after repeated viewings. Perhaps due to nostalgia, it can hide its flaws to some, but it grows more and more frustrating on reflection.
Lucas wastes a talented cast with direction that hampers them. The only actors that survive the first act with decent performances are Liam Neeson (Schindler's List) and Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting). Meanwhile, Jake Lloyd and Ahmed Best as Jar Jar would be completely defined by their poor performances for the rest of their careers.
As I noticed in my childhood, there are positive concepts to Phantom Menace, additions to a Star Wars Universe filled with intriguing ideas. While the Gungans are dreadfully annoying and stereotypical, their city is a fascinating and underused environment while the Planet Core creatures are equally underutilized gems.
By way of pure design alone with his cool look and double-edge lightsaber, Darth Maul became a fan favorite even though he was poorly represented as the movie's villain with one exciting action scene and barely a word said. Podracing was also an idea that could inspire imagination though is wasted on a scene filled with lazy editing with the same shots used multiple times over.
It is easy to point to the CGI use in this movie as the defining characteristic of its failings, but not much truly looks bad, just dated. For its time, it was a marvel, but there is a wear that comes with computer generation and is less evident with practical effects. This wasn't just a Lucas problem but an issue of time period as too often filmmakers would forget to use these new tools and be defined by them instead.
Ultimately, this is the Star Wars universe, and any story told in it will have some imaginative merit because it allows those involved freedom of their own ideas. Lucas though just seems to get lost in his own mind with no one around to reign him in with a tale that needs far more focus.
If you can simply sit back and shut off your brain, this movie is not completely horrible, but that is the best compliment I can give it after repeated viewings. Perhaps due to nostalgia, it can hide its flaws to some, but it grows more and more frustrating on reflection.