Movie Review: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

It would be easy to walk out of "The Phantom Menace" and say you loved it. Many did back in 1999, and nearly nineteen years after the film's release, the hype has worn off and people have openly dissected the first of Lucas's prequel trilogy. I reviewed this movie a little over three years ago. It was back when I first began reviewing films and the review is...to put it lightly....not all that great. That said, for the sake of nostalgia and sentimentality, I will leave that review up. When I first saw "The Phantom Menace" (roughly twelve years ago) I loved it. My young self was riveted by the space battles, Darth Maul, and seeing young Anakin Skywalker. Years have gone by since I watched this film from beginning to end, and seeing this film in its entirety awakened me to a harsh truth: The Phantom Menace is not a very good movie. This has been talked about and disputed for years. In fact, so have the following two Star Wars prequels. This is without a doubt one of the most hated film series of all time. And before I review Phantom Menace, I will disclose with full honesty that I do not hate this film in the slightest. There are good things about this movie, but they are suffocated by the negatives which eventually consume the movie as a whole. Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) is a jedi master who travels with apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) in an effort to protect Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) from the revival of the sith. Along the way, Qui-Gon meets Anakin Skywalker, a slave on the planet Tatooine, who he senses is strong with the force. I said there are positive elements to Phantom Menace and that was no lie. John Williams score for this film is wonderful and I was thoroughly intrigued by Darth Maul (Ray Park) the apprentice of Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid). The last battle sequence between Darth Maul, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Qui-Gon Jinn was highly entertaining and saves a rather stale film. The rest of Phantom Menace, to sum it into one word, was boring. At this point in film history, no Star Wars film had ever felt flat or boring. However, Phantom Menace broke that track record and meanders for the majority of its 133 minute run-time. The sub-plot of the film revolves around a trade negotiation involving Queen Amidala (Portman) who is being coaxed by Palpatine (McDiarmid) to sign a contractual agreement. Not only is this a snooze-fest, but the political subplot is muddled and confusing. Which brings me to my next flaw; that visual muddling happens whenever the film relies on CGI. Not only do the special effects look dated in 2018, but in many sequences (like the Podraces) the CGI is so poorly filmed and constructed that it becomes blurry and misshapen. The race sequence--which I love in a nostalgic way--is truly an eyesore. Speaking of Anakin Skywalker, Jake Lloyd received a ton of hate for this role. I don't blame him or his acting in the slightest. Lloyd was doing the best with what he had (a so-so script and odd expectations). While reading about this movie, I stumbled upon a quote from producer Rick McCallum. He said that Lloyd was "smart, mischievous, and loves anything mechanical-just like Anakin." This strikes me as odd because nothing in that gives us any indication about his acting abilities. The casting for this film was so hap-hazard there really is nobody to blame except the production company.  It's hard for me to criticize a Star Wars film. Writing the Rogue One review was one of the harder pieces I had ever written on film. To that I will reiterate that I do not hate this film. There are positives, but they are overshadowed by the negatives which seem to dictate the majority of this movie. I still have an Anakin Skywalker, pod-racing mug from '99. Then there's the poster of young Anakin looking downwards, while the shadow of Darth Vader looms near, still hanging in my bedroom. The film's impact on pop culture and the world of film can still be felt today, and while there are definitely many cons, the pros still live. Overall, The Phantom Menace is boring and poorly made, but that doesn't stop the film from having iconic elements that live in the Star Wars hall of fame eternally. Two stars= C