This month marks the twenty fifth anniversary of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. The movie, the opening installment in George Lucas’ Prequel Trilogy, was the primary Star Wars film in 16 years when it was launched. Shortly after it hit theaters in Might 1999, although, it turned the goal of so much of vitriol and criticism. Star Wars followers went into it anticipating a prequel that felt of a chunk with the franchise’s Unique Trilogy. As a substitute, what they bought was a CGI-heavy, polished, and unexpectedly stiff epic about, amongst different issues, little one slavery, commerce legal guidelines, and senatorial politics. In loads of methods, the movie couldn’t have been extra completely different from 1977’s swashbuckling, fairy tale-like Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.
Over the previous few years, loads of Star Wars followers have adopted a a lot kinder tone when discussing The Phantom Menace and its fellow prequels. That’s been due, in no small half, to the lackluster high quality of Disney’s Sequel Trilogy. For lots of the viewers who had been launched at a younger age to Star Wars via the prequels, the movies additionally maintain a particular, nostalgic place of their hearts. With that in thoughts and, in honor of its forthcoming anniversary, it’s price asking: Is The Phantom Menace actually as dangerous as so many followers bear in mind? Or is it pretty much as good as a few of its youthful supporters consider?
Having just lately rewatched it, this author would argue that it’s neither. The Phantom Menace could, in all actuality, be one of many largest blended luggage in blockbuster film historical past.
The nice, the dangerous, and the ugly (not essentially in that order)
To be completely clear: The writing and performing in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace is actually dangerous. Lucas, for all of his many strengths, has by no means had a fantastic ear for dialogue (as each Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford have publicly famous), and that’s on full show in The Phantom Menace. His lack of ability to really talk with actors leads to distractingly stiff turns from Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Samuel L. Jackson, and loads of others, too. Solely Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid handle to present memorable performances and emerge from The Phantom Menace unscathed.
Whereas Ahmed Finest additionally didn’t deserve any of the hate that he bought from Star Wars followers after The Phantom Menace‘s launch (nor did any of the movie’s actors), Jar Jar Binks is distracting. The CGI that was used to deliver the character to life hasn’t aged properly, and The Phantom Menace by no means fairly figures out easy methods to have his goofy character make sense inside its comparatively darkish bigger story. It’s clear that Lucas felt like he needed to loosen up the movie one way or the other, however a lot of his makes an attempt to take action don’t finally land.
Followers have, in fact, been mentioning these flaws in The Phantom Menace ever because it was launched. Not all of the criticisms which have lengthy been levied in opposition to the movie appear as legitimate whilst you’re watching it, although.
The film’s visuals are massively underrated
The Phantom Menace has usually been criticized for its vivid, polished aesthetic, which instantly separates it from the gloriously dingy look of the Unique Trilogy. However, regardless of what these criticisms may counsel, The Phantom Menace is regularly astonishing to have a look at. David Tattersall’s cinematography stays appallingly underrated. Collectively, he and Lucas fill the movie with graphic, painterly photographs that not solely mesmerize, but additionally reinforce the movie’s themes of systemic corruption. Discover, as an illustration, how the shadows of the Jedi Council’s assembly room on Coruscant betray how removed from the sunshine the Jedi have fallen by the point the movie begins.
Different pictures carry a number of meanings, just like the above shot of Padmé, which spotlights how small she is in comparison with the dimensions of the establishments that encompass her and concurrently positions her within the heat glow of a window’s mild — supporting the movie’s view of her as an angelic determine. The under picture, in the meantime, visually incorporates Darth Sidious’ (McDiarmid) existence as a double agent for the Sith and foreshadows how he retains the complete scope of himself and his plans from even his apprentice, Darth Maul (Ray Park).
Outdoors of its nonetheless photographs, The Phantom Menace additionally delivers sequences of beautiful, transportive magnificence and magnificence, like Obi-Wan (McGregor) and Qui-Gon’s (Liam Neeson, lengthy earlier than he was an aged motion star) underwater journey to the glowing metropolis of Gungan Metropolis. John Williams’ rating, one of many Star Wars franchise’s finest, solely additional elevates many of those moments, together with The Phantom Menace‘s unforgettable, thrillingly well-choreographed and paced climactic lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Maul.
Time has a behavior of being both exceptionally variety or to not movies like The Phantom Menace. twenty-five years after its launch, it’s clear now which of the criticisms that had been instantly levied in opposition to it held actual weight, and which had been simply indignant outbursts from followers who had been upset that they didn’t get A New Hope 2.0.
George Lucas clearly went into the movie eager to make one thing completely different than the unique three Star Wars films, and that intent is clear — for higher and for worse — in each second of The Phantom Menace. It’s a enormously flawed blockbuster, however one that’s nonetheless able to creating unforgettable moments and pictures, which is greater than will be mentioned about a few of the Star Wars titles which have adopted it.
Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace is streaming on Disney+. It’s also at the moment taking part in in theaters nationwide.
Editors’ Suggestions