Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Movie Review

Released: May 19th 1999

Length: 133 Minutes

Certificate: PG

Director: George Lucas

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Jake Lloyd, Natalie Portman, Ian Mcdiarmid, Ahmed Best, Anthony Daniels, and Ray Parks.

Star Wars is an undisputed sci-fi classic and when the announcement of a prequel trilogy came over twenty years ago, the anticipation was enormous. When the new series of films finally arrived in 1999 with The Phantom Menace, fans were left disappointed by George Lucas’s new vision for his grand space opera. With the release of “The Force Awakens” bearing down on us, I think it’s time I shared my own thoughts on every main entry in the Star Wars saga, beginning with Episode I.

The Phantom Menace kicks off the prequel trilogy with the invasion of Naboo by the Trade Federation and their army of battle droids, who aim to capture Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and force her to sign a treaty over a trade dispute. In the midst of this political scuffle, two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jin (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) must uncover the true force behind the invasion, while also coming to terms with the discovery of a young boy remarkably gifted with powers of the force named Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd). Judging by the plot summary I have just given, you may be left scratching your head at the themes the film homes in on. That’s because The Phantom Menace doesn’t do a very good job of drawing the viewer into its story and it continues to commit this critical mistake across much of the running time. Episode I is a plodding exercise in frustration when compared with the original films, where just about everything that happened was interesting and relevant to the plot. Aside from a few scant moments of excitement, the ultimate issue with Episode I is that it’s dull; when the action heats up at the end of the film, I really get into it but almost everything else is all talk and no engagement. I can see what they were trying to go for here; they wanted to capture the more civilised age of the republic, to show how careful and politicised everything was before the Empire’s big takeover. But instead of immersing us in the varied and expansive worlds that are introduced with the modern filmmaking technology, the plot instead repels and jars the audience with endless chatter and political rhetoric which doesn’t tell us anything about the characters, factions or lore that were hinted at in the original trilogy.

The characters of The Phantom Menace are sadly just as boring as the plot; to this day, I’m not too sure what kind of filmmaking mind-set caused an almost complete elimination of any emotion or acting substance, but it’s here to stay for this movie. Qui-Gon is a blank slate, never changing his emotions in any way over the course of the film, Jake Lloyd’s acting is horribly wooden and the same goes for Queen Amidala, making the little chemistry they have together almost entirely useless. The Jedi Council is also very disappointing, a basic set of robed figures that do little more than sit around in a room for most of the film. And then there’s Jar Jar; what was once a serious point of contention for racial stereotyping and overzealous child marketing is now merely a serious annoyance that endlessly sticks out like the sore thumb he is. Even the characters in the film seem annoyed by his presence, but try as they might to weed him off, he just doesn’t go away. While most of the characters fail, there are a couple that redeem the cast; Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan has a light sense of charisma which the other actors fail to bring to their roles. Darth Maul however is by far the best aspect of the entire film. What is it that makes him a solid villain? From you moment we first see him, you can tell that he means business; he has a very intimidating and sinister image and this is backed up by his ferocity in battle. Ray Parks gives a brilliant physical performance filled with dazzling stunt work and to top it all off, he is a man of few words and as a result, his presence is never diminished by awkward dialogue.

The computer generated imagery used in the Star Wars prequels have long been a topic of criticism and in Episode I, they definitely show their age in certain areas. The most notable of these are characters such as Watto, the Gungan leader Boss Nass and the battle droids; when they’re right up in front of the camera, looking like a video game cut-scene, it’s obvious that they aren’t actually there and this really hurts the film’s believability. Despite this issue, when the computer effects are kept at a distance, I feel that they don’t get in the way nearly as much. What the special effects do best though is introduce us to countless new worlds, not to mention give off a tremendous sense of scale. From the expansive landscape of the Naboo capital to the vast metropolis of Coruscant, the film does work in this regard to draw the viewer into its universe. In addition, the film also boasts some brilliant cinematography, editing and music. Duel of the fates by John Williams is an astounding compliment to the final lightsaber battle, while the action itself is fluid and organised, with many long shots of the environments placed alongside panning and medium shots of the characters. It’s a well-produced film that ends up being dragged down by its weak plot and underwhelming characterisation.

It’s endlessly debated among the fans, but in my eyes, The Phantom Menace remains the weakest entry of the entire saga; the plot is slow and tedious, the characters are mostly flat and by the time the film finally does get interesting in the third act, you’re left wishing that the film made more of an effort to keep you invested. A few good performances alongside some well thought out production values just barely keep it from being wholly unwatchable.

Rating: 2/5 Stars