Star Wars Reviews: The Phantom Menace

Directed by: George Lucas
Written by: George Lucas
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Jake Lloyd

It's been ten years in the waiting for a day many of us believed would never come. The Force Awakens marks the beginning of a new trilogy in arguably the most celebrated movie series of all time, but also the end of the involvement of Star Wars' creator, George Lucas, now one of the most divisive people working in Hollywood. In celebration of the new film, I've decided to go ahead and revisit every Star Wars movie to prepare for a what I consider to be my first mature review of them. Some of these movies I haven't seen in years, and I'm keen to see how much each one holds up. Just to get the lesser-great movies out of the way first, I'll be watching them in order of chronology as opposed to actual release date. Starting off, here's The Phantom Menace.

1999 was a wonderful year in film. Fight Club, The Matrix, American Beauty, Magnolia, The Green Mile and countless others. Directors like David Fincher, Sam Mendes and Paul Thomas Anderson were beginning to truly establish their place as the great filmmakers of the early 21st century. Regrettably for them, they battled a beast of anticipation. The 16 year gap between Return of the Jedi and the first prequel was the largest between any two Star Wars movies. Audiences felt they had their dreams come true. A new adventure into the galaxy far, far away and a release to draw the Millenial generation in. Then the movie started. Some liked it, others hated it, and a lot of hope was shattered.

I'll make it clear right away that I don't hate this movie. I don't consider it to be a shameless insult to the original trilogy, nor do I consider it a great movie. It is flawed, and often dangerously, but it does make for a sound popcorn movie when you get past these numerous shortcomings. I surmise that in an alternate universe where the original trilogy doesn't exist, The Phantom Menace was a fine blockbuster that had its five minutes of fame. It entertained people, made money for the studio and then it left as quickly as it came. Being connected to something as cherished as Star Wars has unquestionably left it in the line of fire of film criticism and 17 years later, it still leaves a bad taste in people's mouths. But why?

The issues begin with the iconic crawl of yellow text that begins every Star Wars movie. The opening two lines are "Turmoil has engulfed the engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute." It might contexualise the story, but it's totally devoid of the fantasy element that makes Star Wars what it is. Furthermore, it actually foreshadows what's to come.

The small planet of Naboo is blockaded and later invaded by a monopolistic organisation called the Trade Federation. Why an organisation that facilitates trade has its own private army, I don't know but I'll accept it. Two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and a young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are deployed to resolve the issue, and in their travels meet a young Anakin Skywalker, who they believe to be a prophecised 'Chosen One.'

I don't think this movie is entirely sure of its aims. Between the unnecessary over-politicising of the story and the platter of childish jokes, is Star Wars becoming more adult in nature or being dumbed down for more family appeal? I don't know, and I have a unsettling feeling that George Lucas doesn't either.

What's accomplished in terms of character is a bit of a mixed bag. I think Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor make for fine casting choices as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Ian McDiarmid reprises his role as Palpatine as a younger senator quietly pulling the strings of the parliamentary game. Queen Amidala is as flat as a pancake and wooden as a tree. Jake Lloyd is a muppet of an actor and not the best choice for a young Anakin. The villain Darth Maul might appear menacing, but he's devoid of any development and doesn't have any effect on the progression of story until literally the last few minutes.

Controversy is what I really want to address. I need not even mention Jar-Jar Binks, who from his mannerisms, strange dialect and idiocy has marked himself forever to be the most annoying character ever in a Star Wars movie. He's annoying, yes, but it doesn't end there. I don't consider it out-of-field to suggest there's snippets of racism among its characters. Jar-Jar speaks like a black plantation slave, the Trade Federation's leaders are an obvious caricature of Chinese businessmen, and worst of all is Watto, who sounds and acts like the greedy Jewish stereotype.

The special effects have aged reasonably well for a movie released in the late 90s. Lucas has aspired to making his action scenes bigger and bolder courtesy to technological innovation. It doesn't always work out. I find the famed pod race sequence to be a huge bore despite the height of the stakes involved.

The lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul is the real highlight of this movie and puts Lucas' direction to the test. Admittedly the duels of the prequels always have been excessively choreographed, but they aren't without their joys. CGI technology and a stunning score make for a fine combo.

So for final words? It would appear that Lucas made the effort to acquaint himself with more modern filmmaking styles, but being in the field of business for decades has arguably eroded his storytelling ability. The Phantom Menace left Star Wars fans deeply disappointed back in 1999 and it's obvious why. If you try to separate it from the franchise and look at it just as an action/sci-fi movie, it's far more watchable than often credited for. Or that's just me thinking positive.

My Rating: 7/10