When George Lucas announced he would produce a prequel trilogy for Star Wars, you can only imagine the reaction of Star Wars fans. Pandemonium? Ecstasy? These words don’t even begin to describe their excitement. The Jedi nation screamed with delight over the news that three new films would be released by the man who created a universe that millions had grown to love. These prequels meant more lightsaber battles, more music by John Williams, more dogfights in space, and more new worlds for audiences to discover. In addition, it promised to portray the evolution of Obi Wan Kenobi, the creation of the Empire, and the origins of Darth Vader. With all that the first of the prequels, The Phantom Menace, had going for it, what could possibly go wrong?
The Phantom Menace opens with the familiar sounds of spaceships soaring through space. Quickly, we learn there is a trade dispute between the power hungry Trade Federation and the peaceful kingdom of Naboo. To quell tensions between these factions, two Jedi are sent to negotiate a peace deal. They are Qui-Gonn Jin, an old Jedi master, and his young apprentice Obi Wan Kenobi. Before they can reach their destination, they are attacked by an army of droids, so all plans for a negotiation are hindered. Jin and Kenobi flee to the planet of Naboo, which has been invaded by the Federation. The Federation is scheming to capture Queen Amidala and force her to sign a treaty that legitimizes their takeover of Naboo,. but The Jedi arrive and safely evacuate the Queen and her court. In the midst of the escape, they travel through an underwater kingdom and end up rescuing one of its inhabitants from an attack. This creature, named Jar Jar Binks, ends up befriending the two men. Unfortunately, during the escape, Jin and Kenobi’s ship becomes damaged. This forces them to search for a place to land and have their ship repaired.
They end up landing on the planet of Tatooine where they meet a young boy and his mother, who are slaves. The Jedi have no money, so Jin tries to convince their master to replace the part at no cost. During their conversation, Jin realizes the boy has some unique abilities. This young boy’s name is Anakin Skywalker, and Jin immediately notices that the Force is strong within him. He also recognizes that this child might be the one who the ancient Jedi prophecy foretold would restore the balance of the Force in the universe. Jin learns that Anakin is also a pod racer, which requires strong instincts, and based on this discovery, he comes up with a plan. It appears that Anakin’s master has a fondness for gambling so Jin makes a wager that if the child wins the race, he will give Anakin his freedom and the missing part to the Jedi for free. Skywalker wins the race and his freedom, and the Jedi get the part for their ship. Skywalker joins Jin and Kenobi and they fly to the planet, Coruscant. This is not only the capital of the Republic, which rules the galaxy, but also is the home of the Jedi Council.
Before the three successfully escape, they are intercepted by a mysterious figure revealed to be Darth Mull. He is an apprentice of the Sith Lord who are very strong in their knowledge of the dark side of the Force. He almost vanquishes Jin as the Naboo group barely gets away. Upon their arrival in Coruscant, it immediately becomes apparent that there is turmoil in the Republican government. The Queen meets with the Senate and pushes for a strong response to the invasion of Naboo. The Senate, instead, requests the ambitious Naboo representative, Palpatine as their new ruler. The Queen urges a no confidence vote in their motion. Palpatine eventually becomes the new leader of the Republic and promises to make changes to restore peace in the galaxy. The next scene shifts to a Jedi Council meeting where Jin seeks permission to train Anakin as a Jedi. His request is denied, so he recommends Obi Wan as an alternate, which the Council reluctantly approves. Afterwards, the Council’s leader, Yoda, warns Jin that the boy is too old and and has traits that could prove disastrous. Meanwhile, the Queen ignores the pleadings of Palpatine and decides to return to Naboo, where she and the Jedi knights attempt to rescue the planet from Federation control.
Okay, so after writing the summary of this plot, I’m a little exhausted, which points out one of the biggest weaknesses of The Phantom Menace. This film attempts to introduce a hodgepodge of characters, ideas, and storylines that it miserably fails to tie in with the general plot of the Jedi and Anakin.
I had to do multiple checks of locations, spellings, and characters to make sure they were correct as I typed up this review. Initially, I thought it was good that George Lucas was responsible for the direction for the new trilogy. Unfortunately, he didn’t think anyone else needed to help him with the screenplay. This was a tremendous oversight that hurt the quality of the film. The most noticeable weakness of the screenplay was Its inconsistent pacing. For instance, one minute we’re watching a meaningful scene that shows Jin counseling Obi Wan. Then, the moment is suddenly interrupted by an explosion or the nonsensical ramblings of Jar Jar. Both which, by the way, do little to create interest or advance the plot. In addition, the action sequences tended to drag on longer than necessary, and I found myself growing more and more impatient for them to end. The Phantom Menace could have benefitted from incorporating more characters from the original trilogy but instead chose to feature only Obi Wan and a few quick shots of Yoda. I will admit that the special effects were impressive, but there were times when they detracted from the realism of the action sequences and curbed what little emotion there was in the film.
Although The Phantom Menace missed the opportunity to bring some of the old characters back, it did create some interesting new ones. I really liked the character of Qui-Gon Jin. Liam Neeson lends both poise and dignity to this Jedi, and he is one of the strongest parts of the film. I also thought Darth Mull was an excellent villain. As a mysterious, dark mercenary, he successfully embodies the dark side of the Force. It’s probably more than a mere coincidence that the best moment of the film was the lightsaber fight that featured these two outstanding new characters and included Obi Wan. As for the rest of the cast…umm…they weren’t so great. Jar Jar is Jar Jar and I’ll leave it at that. Queen Amidala is a noble character, who is disappointingly dull and one-dimensional. In addition, every animated figure from the many droids to the monsters simply clutter up the film.
A major shortcoming of The Phantom Menace is that the whole story revolves around only one character, Anakin Skywalker. The film would have been much more interesting if it had spent time developing some of the other characters rather than focusing on this young boy. Once again, this is the result of a pathetic screenplay and brings up a few questions. First, why make the main character a young boy? Was it to appeal to younger audiences? This severely restricts his storyline and limits any character growth in the film. Other than loving his mother, what other admirable qualities does Anakin have? Also, why use a long pod race to demonstrate his talents and abilities? Why not show him using his unique skills to solve an everyday problem or show him struggling to understand the Force? The pod race itself brings the flow of the film to a crawl and is the perfect example of an action film relying more on special effects than substance. It’s easily the worst scene in the entire film. Sure, they try to throw in his friendship with Queen Amidala, but it’s ultimately just fluff. Skywalker should be the most fascinating character in the film, but because of a weak screenplay, he becomes more of a prop than a personality.
Despite these complaints, there are elements that I liked about this film. As I mentioned earlier, I loved the exciting lightsaber battle. What I didn’t mention was the dramtic musical score that accompanied this scene. This piece was composed by John Williams and is easily his best work of the second trilogy series. The screenplay may have fallen flat, but the space battles reeled me back in every time the ships roared and careened across the screen. This shows the immense talent of the Lucasfilm special effects team, who truly brought this film to life. And, a major highlight was seeing a young Yoda in his prime as one of the leaders of the Jedi Council.
Overall, I’m glad that George Lucas decided to return and make The Phantom Menace. It served as a springboard for the following two Star Wars prequels, which I truly do enjoy. While The Phantom Menace isn’t very good, there are parts of it that are still fun to watch. For instance, the action scenes, other than the pod race, are entertaining, and I found any character who knew the Force interesting. On the other hand, the screenplay is a mess, and I was bored by anyone who wasn’t a Jedi. If you like Star Wars, I believe you’ll still enjoy the film. If you don’t, though, this may be a slow, almost painful movie-watching experience for you.
My overall rating stems from my thoughts as a movie critic balanced delicately with my Star Wars fandom. Yes, I still watch this movie now and then. During each viewing, though, I find myself pressing the fast forward button at least a half dozen times. Anyone else who watches it would be wise to do the same.
Brian’s Rating 5/10
You can start at the beginning of Brian’s Star Wars journey here: https://soundvapors.com/20-20-movie-review-star-wars-episode-iv-a-new-hope-1977/