“The Phantom Menace” Review

“The Phantom Menace,” released in 1999, served as the first installment of the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy and was followed by 2002’s “Attack of the Clones” and 2005’s “Revenge of the Sith.”

In 1999, filmgoers eagerly anticipated the latest “Star Wars” film: “The Phantom Menace.” Not only was it the first “Star Wars” film in 16 years, but it was the start of a new trilogy which would serve as a prequel to the original trilogy, showing how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader. 

The buildup towards this film was insane with people going nuts over an incredible teaser poster and, when the teaser trailer came to theaters, people would buy film tickets, see the trailer and then walk out of the theater not seeing the film that was playing. People waited in line for days just to be among the first to see “The Phantom Menace” in theaters and when the film finally was released, people were in shock. This film disappointed so many that “Star Wars” fans were in denial of how bad it was with many returning to see the film multiple times to see if anything had changed. 

As a kid, I grew up with the completed prequel trilogy and I remember somewhat enjoying “The Phantom Menace” but, as I grew up, I realized that the film was not good. “The Phantom Menace” remains the most despised film in the “Star Wars” franchise and, while not my least favorite film in the saga, nears the bottom of my “Star Wars” ranking.

Taking place 32 years before the events of “Star Wars,” the film sees a Jedi Master named Qui-Gon Jinn, played by Liam Neeson, and his Padawan Learner young Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Ewan McGregor, travel to the planet of Naboo to resolve a trade dispute with the Trade Federation (excited yet?). When negotiations go badly and the Jedi find themselves on the run from the Federation, they rescue Queen Amidala, played by Natalie Portman, along with a Gungan named Jar Jar Binks, played by Amhed Best, and leave the planet to prevent her from being killed. 

When they find themselves stranded on the desert planet Tatooine, our heroes run into a 9-year-old slave named Anakin Skywalker, played by Jake Lloyd, who proves to be strong in the Force. After freeing Skywalker, our heroes travel to the planet Coruscant where they meet Naboo’s representative in the Galactic Senate, Senator Palpatine, played by Ian McDiarmand, and they resolve to go back to Naboo and fight the Trade Federation’s gigantic army of battle droids. 

Meanwhile, a mysterious Sith warrior named Darth Maul, played by Ray Park, surfaces and works with the Federation to control Naboo and find the Queen which leads to our heroes fighting in an epic battle against the droids and the Jedi dueling with the Sith warrior. 

This plot might seem dull and confusing, but that’s because it is. The main plot of the film revolves around a trade dispute and a blockade and other political dribble that isn’t very interesting. As an adult, I can follow the political struggles, mainly because I’ve done research on how this works, but imagine being a kid or a casual filmgoer watching this film. It’s incredibly difficult to understand the motivation of our characters. 

On top of that, the world that the world creates doesn’t make much sense. Like how Naboo has a queen which is democratically elected and how she is 14-years-old. I don’t want to discriminate based on age, but who the hell would elect someone that isn’t old enough to drive into governing an entire planet? The Queen also wears these ridiculous outfits that, quite frankly, make Bjork’s swan dress look modest. 

The acting of “The Phantom Menace” also feels lifeless with many great actors, like Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson and Terrence Stamp, giving bland, monotonous performances. This could be that the world of “The Phantom Menace” was almost entirely created with Computer Generated Imagery. When an actor has nothing to look at besides a green or blue screen, it can be difficult for the actor to believe that what their character is seeing is really in front of them. 

The only people who give good performances are Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. McGregor captures the wisdom of Alec Guinness while also portraying Kenobi as a reckless young man. Whenever he talks, I hear the voice of a young Obi-Wan. 

McDiarmid also portrays Palpatine well because he knows that most people watching know that he will become the dark Emperor. Because of this, McDiarmid is able to portray a calm, kind person but also subtly acts like he is plotting something because he is. There are also scenes where Palpatine becomes Darth Sidious and wears a dark hood, obscuring his face, and talks to the film’s villains. Whenever he addresses the leaders of the Trade Federation, he’s incredibly intimidating.

Two actors I will address are Amhed Best and Jake Lloyd who gave bad performances, but got a lot of hate from fans. I guess this is because Jar Jar is one of the most annoying characters ever made and Jake Lloyd was portraying Darth Vader as a child which made their bad performances too much for fans. 

The film stars (From Left) Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Jake Lloyd and Ewan McGregor as Queen Amidala, Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

However, the hatred that they received is completely unjustified. Amhed Best received so much hatred from “Star Wars” fans that he considered suicide and Jake Lloyd retired from acting due to being bullied for his role. I find Lloyd’s harassment to be especially disgusting because he was a kid. Everyone else in “The Phantom Menace” gave a bad performance and, in Lloyd’s defense, he was a child actor who was still learning. Actors have to put faith in their directors and believe that what they are saying is believable. The fault of the bad performances lies in the bad writing and direction by George Lucas, not in the actors themselves. 

This kind of disgusting behavior from “Star Wars” fans hasn’t subsided, especially when you research the online harassment director Rian Johnson and actress Kelly Marie Tran received after the release of “The Last Jedi.” 

The computer generated effects are also starting to show their age while the effects of the original trilogy remain timeless. This is especially clear in the final battle where a CGI army of Gungans and a CGI army of droids fight and none of it looks convincing. 

“The Phantom Menace” also was the first theatrical film to have a main character, Jar Jar Binks, created using a new CGI technique called motion-capture: where an actor is replaced with a digital character. While not abysmal, Jar Jar isn’t that convincing as a character because the lighting surrounding him feels less natural than when it’s on Liam Neeson. Thankfully, this kind of technology would be improved in films like “The Lord of the Rings,” “Avatar” and even the other “Star Wars” prequels. 

Jar Jar Binks, played by Amhed Best, remains one of the most despised characters of cinema with many taking issue with his prominent presence in the film, his annoying comedy and the perceived racial stereotype of Jamaican culture.

While there is a lot to hate in the film, there are also a few other elements that deserve praise. The podrace scene, which occurs when our heroes are on Tatooine, sees Anakin race in a dangerous sport that resembles a Roman chariot race and is just as entertaining. 

Using CGI, George Lucas was able to create incredible landscapes for the planets seen in this film. When the Federation marches on the Naboo capital city, it looks like a real city is being invaded. 

John Williams also gives a fantastic score and the final lightsaber duel where Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan fight Darth Maul is one of the most phenomenal things ever seen in a “Star Wars” film. In the original trilogy, the most intense lightsaber duels were fought between two people and were choreographed like samurai fights in Akira Kurosawa films. 

In “The Phantom Menace,” the fight is two Jedi against a Sith warrior with a double-bladed lightsaber and is acrobatically choreographed with flips and kicks that are incredible to watch. The John Williams composition “The Duel of the Fates,” which plays during the fight, is one of the most epic pieces of music composed for film and the entire fight scene is the perfect combination of cool and intense. 

Despite some excellent elements, “The Phantom Menace” remains one of the worst films in the “Star Wars” saga but it is also a watchable film. This film is nowhere near as bad as science fiction films like “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” or “Alien: Resurrection” and it isn’t even my least favorite “Star Wars” film. Also, if you’re one of those people that really think this film stole your childhood, you are the worst kind of immature. 

On the bright side, “The Phantom Menace” did spawn the song “The Saga Begins” by “Weird Al” Yankovic which parodies “American Pie” by Don McLean.