Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

In the mid 90’s, I borrowed the Star Wars videos from my cousins and became a fan of some of the greatest movies ever made. I was quite pumped for the special editions in 1997 and was not disappointed. Since I became a Star Wars fan, I had heard about the prequels that were due but my mind couldn’t imagine such a thing. Adding to a film franchise after more than a decade since the last installment was something I had not experienced before, let alone a prequel. Once I saw the first trailer in 1999, I was completely blown away by the special effects. Seeing the classic film characters in a new film was also incredible. I could tell however that “Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace” was not going to be just like the original films. One might believe that to be a bad thing but there are reasons for what writer/director George Lucas did. After helping his friend Steven Spielberg on “Jurassic Park”, George Lucas saw that it was possible to tell the back-stories of the Star Wars characters. He had pages of back-stories of the characters from the 70's and from these, he began to write. “Episode I” contains groundbreaking technology that is still impressive today, important plot points such as the first meeting between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi and a story that sets up an entire saga. I don't think it was ever meant to outdo its predecessors unlike what many die-hard fans were hoping for.

When that first spaceship appeared after the opening text, I knew for certain that this was not going to be exactly like the classic Star Wars films. The inclusion of the line “I have a bad feeling about this” must have pleased the hard core fans. I really loved the shot of the lightsabers turning on in the dioxygen. Subsequently the Jedi are trying to break into the bridge and despite the blast doors being closed, their progress is only delayed. Nute Gunray’s response of “This is impossible”, combined with John Williams familiar theme, creates a feeling of excitement. These Jedi are far more skilled with a lightsaber than Luke or Vader and it makes sense. In the classic films, Luke is just learning and Vader is half machine. Qui-Gon is experienced and Obi-won has youth with at least a decade of experience in the field. The rescue of the Queen and her party in the street is also very neat. So what about Jar Jar? In my opinion, I don’t mind him all that much. I understand the distain that long-time fans have for him but personally, I am more impressed with him as a CGI character. He provides a few moments of genuine humor that will be addressed later. Watto is a character that I like for certain. I tend to like characters that are selling something or who are ready to swindle at a moment’s notice. I also like a cheater or braggart who gets his just deserts and that makes Sebulba a favorite character of mine as well. I love the moment for example when he sabotages Anakin’s pod engine. After a number of years, some special effects start to look dated but not these three characters so that is impressive. Qui-Gon’s betting scenes on Tatooine provide entertainment. We get to see where Obi-wan learned how to bargain. Qui-Gon is only concerned with getting off the planet and so he uses Watto's greed and his intuition to come out the winner. Other funny moments include when Qui-Gon controls the chance cube with the Force and when he catches Jar Jar’s tongue. Liam Neeson’s acting in those scenes is the main source of humor. The podrace is a thrilling part of the film that pays reference to automobile racing in real life. This is another sequence that years later continues to entertain thanks to the special effects, sound and other cinematic elements. Lucas himself once raced but an accident on the track caused him to change his direction in life. The sound of Sebulba’s pod is very cool. I laugh at the Tusken Raiders when the announcer acknowledges them. It is as if they are on a Jumbotron at a sporting event. Back to serious storytelling, Anakin mentions after the race how hard change is for him. He is faced with leaving his mother in slavery and can’t imagine life without her. This is quite important in the next few movies as he promises to return and free her. I like the portrayal of the Galactic Senate. Its scale and the ability for the delegations to float up to the Chancellor’s chair is pretty neat. On a humorous note, I like how Wookies and ET’s show up in the session meeting (no wonder E. T. recognized Yoda back in 1982). Qui-Gon appears to be the only one who believes in Anakin where as the Jedi Council and Obi-wan are very wary of him. Obi-wan is depicted as a very obedient Jedi apprentice and this is in line with the character from the classic films. It is suggested that this is not the first time that Qui-Gon has been at odds with the council when Obi-wan says that Qui-Gon should be on the council by this point in his career. Qui-Gon appears to be following what the Force is telling him personally. He is still respectful of those in authority over him in that he does not train Anakin behind their backs but his quarrel appears to be against arrogance that is creeping into the order. Qui-Gon knows that Anakin is destined to become a Jedi and so when the council decides against Anakin’s training, Qui-Gon suggests another alternative: to skip the youngling stage and make Anakin a Padawan learner under him. Interesting how the council’s only problem with this course of action is that Qui-Gon cannot have two apprentices. This reveals that they too understand that Anakin has a great destiny as a Jedi but they still sense danger. Despite the fact that Obi-wan is on the council’s side, he admits that he is ready to become a Jedi Knight. I feel he does this out of respect for his master and out of gratitude for what his master is trying to do for him. I am glad there is that moment when Obi-wan apologizes for his disagreement. Considering the coming fight, it is important that Qui-Gon and Obi-wan resolve their differences.

Lucas' desire for Darth Vader is that he be viewed as a tragic character. This is why Anakin is young and innocent in “Episode I”. Just as Luke’s plot followed Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” story motif, so does the plot of Luke's father’s. Anakin is destined to be a Jedi but he doesn’t want to leave his mother. There are multiple shots of Anakin on the landing platform when he arrives at Coruscant so this is when he is “crossing the threshold”; he is in a new and unfamiliar world. When he enters the droid control ship, it appears as though all hope is lost inside this “whale”. Lucas also uses the story archetype of “rags to riches”. Anakin starts off as a slave and later becomes…well, we know. Because Anakin is born in the Outer Rim, he has to use his talents in whatever way he can. He was not identified by the Jedi as an infant and so his abilities are best utilized in the podraces. The scenes on Coruscant reveal however that Anakin can easily be tempted by the dark side of the Force because of his age. All Jedi have been trained since infancy and Anakin has fear over losing his mother because of the nine years he has spent with her. Yoda understands the danger of training Anakin but he does foresee an important destiny for Anakin. It is an uncertain fate but important and this fact is revealed at the end of the movie. To see Yoda at the head of a grand council was new but exciting. When you watch “The Empire Strikes Back” now, Yoda goes from being a local dweller of Degobah to being an exile. The midi-chlorians are an interesting invention of Lucas. I sort of support the idea of midi-chlorians because it creates a link between the physical and spiritual. I feel that science doesn’t prove the absence of a supreme being but rather the existence of one. The Force is still mysterious despite the existence of microscopic life forms that act as a link with the Force. The midi-chlorians are therefore proof unto those not in the Jedi order that the Force is real. The classic movies take place in a time when not only the Jedi are extinct but also the galaxy under the Empire has apostatized from a belief in the Force. This mirrors today’s world because Atheism is on the rise and religion is being suppressed. Being that this movie is a prequel, we know what is going to happen but not how it is going to happen. This creates some drama. Through this movie, we get to see Anakin as a great pilot and why Obi-wan took it upon himself to train Anakin as a Jedi. I knew that Anakin was going to marry Queen Amidala and so the character of Padme really through me for a loop. I was paying more attention to the one scene between Anakin and Amidala in Coruscant than the many between Padme and Anakin. The one little problem I have with the script is that Padme should have talked to Anakin again prior to the meeting with Boss Nass to show that she had "returned". Darth Maul’s double-bladed saber was so cool back in ’99 and still is. Apparently the makeup of Darth Maul was kept a secret from cast members until the scene when he shows up in the climax and the doors open. I love how Darth Maul uses the Force to take a droid and open the door out of the hanger. In this climax, we have four simultaneous stories as opposed to two in “Empire” and three in “Return of the Jedi”. Lucas is undertaking more complexity in his storytelling. The pace at which Obi-wan and Maul fight is very neat in that we have rising action and the climax of that fight is cool. When I saw Qui-Gon’s lightsaber on the floor, I knew the fight was not over but I never expected such a quick end to Darth Maul. This may have upset some die hard Star Wars fans also. My favorite Jar Jar moment happens in the climax as he surrenders quickly. The subsequent victory of the Gunguns is also humorous in that one-minute they are being rounded up and the next they are knocking down the “victors”. The diminuendo of the film has Palpatine acknowledge Anakin, which is an important plot point. Palpatine’s rise to power has also begun and the ironic thing is that it is depicted as quite a positive thing at the end of this movie. Things may not have gone perfectly according to his plan such as Amidala returning to Naboo and the death of Darth Maul but the result was what he wanted anyways: his election as Supreme Chancellor. As mentioned, there are religious and historical references in “Episode I”. A virgin birth would normally make Anakin a Christ-like symbol but because we know Anakin’s destiny, he reflects Lucifer more but this will be talked about in the review for “Episode III”.

As you might expect with a Star Wars movie, we see familiar names and new faces. As with “A New Hope”, Lucas was interested in using unknown actors. Ewan McGregor is the nephew of Denis Lawson who is Wedge in the classic Star Wars films and I love that fun fact. McGregor spent a lot of time studying Alec Guinness from many movies and it shows. For those fans that don’t like the cast of unknown actors in “The Phantom Menace”, I would like to point out that Natalie Portman would later in her career win an Oscar. Even before she was cast as Padme, Portman's performance in "The Professional" in 1994 proves that she had chops. Erik von Detten (Sid from “Toy Story”) and future Oscar nominee Hailey Joel Osmond tried out for the part of Anakin and I sort of wish I could see what would have happened if either one got the part. This was my first Keira Knightley movie, even though she is quite invisible in her role. She even fooled Portman’s mother. Oscar nominated actor Liam Neeson was cast to accomplish the same purposes that Guinness had when filming the first Star Wars movie. Qui-Gon needed to be played by a respected actor that the other actors could look up to. This was my introduction to Neeson and he has done some great movies since. Before "The Phantom Menace", he had a dramatic reputation thanks to "Schindler's List". Afterwards, he gained a tough guy reputation. It is nice that Warwick Davis is in the film too. Familiar names of those behind the scenes include soundman and editor Ben Burtt and of course the great John Williams. His “Duel of the Fates” from this movie is masterful. The special effects from “The Phantom Menace”, even though they appear simple today, were astounding back in 1999. The sheer volume of them was something never seen before and I don’t think that the character of Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings” could have been possible without Jar Jar being his predecessor. Before “Episode I”, big blockbusters would contain amazing special effects shots but the quantity of them was limited as evidenced in films like “Armageddon”, “Titanic” and “Independence Day”. After “Episode I” came films like “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and of course “Avatar”. Just as “A New Hope” left other special effects movies of the era in the dust, “The Phantom Menace” pushed other filmmakers to increase the volume of difficult special effects for better or worse. Thus began the “digital age” of Hollywood. This mirrors how the original Star Wars films helped to create the Blockbuster era. Spielberg’s “Jaws” was the first Blockbuster in 1975 and “Star Wars – A New Hope” kept audiences coming to the movies in huge numbers. Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” saw the first extensive use of CG organic characters and “Episodes I” created worlds and thousands of characters out of nothing. In the Oscars ceremony of 2000, it was battle of quantity vs. quality. Quality won with “The Matrix” taking all the Oscars it was nominated for so that is kind of unfortunate.

The year 1999 is one that I won’t soon forget because “Star Wars” was truly was the only film that people were talking about. Even though my favourite film from 1999 would become "Toy Story 2", "The Phantom Menace" allowed me to see the hype and power of this classic franchise. Many companies closed on opening day to allow for those who wanted to see the film and many fans camped out in front of theaters for weeks before the release. Advertizing and merchandizing were everywhere. When the first trailer was released with “A Bug’s Life”, some people paid full price to see the preview and then left without seeing the feature film. I still like “The Phantom Menace” years later and my experience of seeing it for the first time provides evidence that I am not biased. Once the end credits started, I suddenly realized through John Williams’ theme and the words “Written and Directed by George Lucas” that I had forgotten that I was watching a Star Wars movie. The cinematic experience was such that I was not comparing it with the original trilogy but was instead lost in the storytelling and visual elements. I was sold on the new worlds and characters introduced by “The Phantom Menace” and this is due to the fact that I became a Star Wars fan around 1995. I was more open to new things than other fans and I have met many others like me who were not offended by "Episode I". This leads me to now address those fans that hate the prequels. I have identified six reasons as to why the Star Wars prequels are unpopular with some fans, two of which will be given here. For the remaining four, please refer to my other reviews for the prequels. First of all, as I was saying, the prequels contain new settings and characters (more so than in the case of a sequel). The original Star Wars fans grew up with Luke, Leia and Han fighting in a rebellion against Darth Vader and his evil Empire. I think these fans missed the concept of a prequel. The story of the prequels could not contain these beloved characters because the events of the prequels happen decades before the original story. Even classic characters that do appear in the prequels are younger and therefore different. This isn't like the three years that occur between "A New Hope" from "The Empire Strikes Back" because “The Phantom Menace” takes place 33 years before “A New Hope”. I feel that you aren’t meant to compare "Episode I" with the films from the 70’s and 80’s. I understand the argument that any movie in a franchise has to add something new and that in this case, things may have gone too far. At this point in the story of the saga though, the galaxy is governed by democracy. Citizens are wearing unique clothing and spaceships are not being produced on a mass scale, as would be the case during “a period of civil war”. These movies take place “before the dark times. Before the Empire.” Environments are much more optimistic. Spacecrafts are like Lamborghinis or Stealth Bombers as opposed to Army Jeeps and Tanks. My second reason is that audiences today are blockbuster savvy. Back in the 70’s and early 80’s, movies like “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Superman” and of course “Star Wars” were a kind of entertainment that no one had really experienced in a long time. Talented filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and of course Lucas were the right people at the right time to captivate audiences. Movies in the 70’s had been pessimistic in nature like “The Godfather”, the “Planet of the Apes” series and “The French Connection”. Suddenly with Star Wars, movies were fun again and cinematic heroes & villains were identifiable. By the late 90’s, the average moviegoer was very used to the blockbuster. Some genres were improved such as the science fiction comedy. “Ghostbusters” for example saw the use of high-level special effects. There were also many genres that were invented because of the blockbuster era such as the science fiction adventure comedy (see “Back to the Future”). To go back and revisit a simple morality tale like Star Wars amidst movies like “The Matrix” and “The Mummy” was a gamble. As mentioned, people like change while at the same time desiring a similar experience as their initial one. It is a fine tight rope that has to be crossed. Another problem is that now that people are used to what a blockbuster feels like, how can you top that? The tragedy of “Episode I” is that expectations were too high but that is separate reason that will be discussed in the review for “The Revenge of the Sith”.

The 3D version of “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” was quite a fun experience. Some movies have multiple 3D shots that are poorly converted but “Episode I” had none of those. When you forget about the 3D and focus on the story being told, the conversion has done its job. Any elements of “The Phantom Menace” that bother me are mentally ignored so as not to ruin the overall experience. Every time I watch this movie, I expect to enjoy it less than my last time. For example, in preparation for "The Force Awakens", I watched "The Phantom Menace" expecting to be let down. When the movie was over however, I realized that I still enjoyed myself quite a bit. This always seems to be the case when I sit down to watch this. "Episode I" is one my favorite science fiction films. I think people want to hate “The Phantom Menace” because of what others say and that is sad (this is addressed more in my review for "Episode III"). The film has special effects that are amazing and the story begins the saga very simply. I became a fan of any sort of prequel thanks to this movie. Also, because of this movie, I got to experience a brand new Star Wars film on the big screen instead of enjoying the classic ones on a television for the rest of my life. I was only one month old when “Return of the Jedi” was released and the creation and release of “Episode I” gave me an experience as a sixteen year old that I won’t soon forget.

4.5 Stars out of 5