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

Well, with Solo coming out, I figured I should probably watch the Star Wars movies again.  It's been about six years since I watched most of them, so I figured now is as good a time as any to revisit a galaxy far, far, away.  I'm going to be watching these in chronological order, so without further ado, let's start with the infamous Phantom Menace...

"I'll try spinning.  That's a good trick."

-Anakin Skywalker

During a trade dispute, an organization called the Trade Federation, which is being manipulated by Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), forms a blockade around the planet Naboo.  Two Jedi Knights, the keepers of the peace in the Galactic Republic, are sent to negotiate with the Trade Federation, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).  The Trade Federation quickly tries to assassinate them, forcing the Jedi to flee to Naboo.  With the help of a creature called Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), they manage to rescue the Queen of Naboo(Keira Knightley), and a group of her people and escape the planet.  Their ship damaged, they are forced to land on the remote, desert planet of Tatooine, in order to find parts.  They are joined by a local, slave boy, and talented pilot, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who the group becomes reliant on to help repair their ship, so they can save the people of Naboo.

What Works:

This movie gets a ton of (well-deserved) flack, but there are a few things I like about the movie.  First off, I think the podrace is an excellent sequence, apart from the occasional bit slapstick comedy.  It establishes that Anakin is a skilled pilot and it's pretty miraculous that he can actually do this.  The sequence looks really good and watching most of the competition get, literally, wrecked is fun.

I also think the lightsaber battle between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Darth Maul (Ray Park) is pretty awesome.  Darth Maul may not get much to do in the movie, but he looks awesome, and the battle itself is very exciting with an awesome musical score.  It also has the best scene in the movie, where (SPOILERS)

Qui-Gon gets run through with Maul's lightsaber.  It's one of the only times any of the actors convey emotion in this movie, and Ewan McGregor is great.

Finally, I do think Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor do as good of a job as they can, considering the lines and direction they are given.

What Sucks:

I could never do justice to critiquing Phantom Menace like Mr. Plinkett does over on Red Letter Media, but I will give some points out.  First, let's get the obvious out of the way: both Jar Jar Binks and Anakin Skywalker are pretty insufferable.  Jar Jar is one of the worst movie characters of all time.  He is irritating, immature, and adds nothing to the plot.  The only thing he does is piss people off.  As for Anakin, he's just irritating.  Child actors are, in general, not very good, and that proves true here.  It would have been nice to have maybe teenage Anakin in the story instead.  But both of these characters are pretty awful.

Next, I want to talk about Keira Knightly and Natalie Portman.  The whole movie we are led to believe that Keira is the Queen and Natalie is just a handmaid, but it's the exact opposite of that.  It makes literally no sense.  Why is Keira the one making all of the decisions?  She doesn't consult with Natalie at all the whole movie.  Why not just keep Natalie a handmaid.  The "story" would work fine, actually better, if Keira stayed the Queen, and Natalie stayed the handmaid.  Plus, why in the world is the Queen of Naboo cleaning R2-D2.  It makes no sense whatsoever.

Speaking of things not making sense, let's talk about the story.  It makes no sense whatsoever.  I have no idea what anyone is trying to do.  Darth Sidious' plot makes no sense.  Yes, it gets him elected Chancellor, but I don't know what else he is trying to accomplish.  The political scenes are so dry and boring that I can't help but zone out during what may be important information.  Tonally, this movie is a mess, with mundane political dialogue in one scene, and the next having Jar Jar stepping in poop.

Finally, the direction is a mess.  None of these characters are interesting.  They rarely show any emotion.  It's like they don't care what's happening.  If they don't care, why should I?  Plus we don't ever seen any of the people on Naboo suffering at the hands of the Trade Federation.  What's the big deal?  Are they starving and dying?  Show us!

Verdict:

The Phantom Menace is a sporadically entertaining mess.  I think Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor are fine.  The podrace, and the final lightsaber battle are both awesome.  But the structure, writing, directing, and acting are all a mess for the most part.  I felt no emotions except irritation with Jar Jar and Anakin.  It's not a total loss, but I can't say I would recommend it.  

 4/10: Bad