twentieth Century Fox
This month differentiate the 25th anniversary ofStar war : Episode I — The Phantom Menace . The movie , the opening installment in George Lucas ’ Prequel Trilogy , wasthe first Star Wars moviein 16 years when it was unfreeze . Shortly after it shoot theater in May 1999 , though , it became the mark ofa lotof vitriol and criticism . Star Wars fans fit into it look a prequel that matte up of a piece with the enfranchisement ’s Original Trilogy . rather , what they have was a CGI - gravid , refined , and accidentally stiff epic about , among other things , shaver slavery , trade law , and senatorial politics . In a caboodle of ways , the moving picture could n’t have been more different from 1977 ’s swashbuckling , poof tale - likeStar Wars : Episode IV — A New Hope .
Over the past few years , a lot ofStar Wars fanshave adopted a much kinder tone when discussingThe Phantom Menaceand its fellow prequels . That ’s been due , in no small part , to the lackluster lineament of Disney ’s Sequel Trilogy . For many of the looker who were introduce at a new age to Star Warsthroughthe prequels , the film also defy a especial , nostalgic place in their hearts . With that in mind and , in honour of its forthcoming anniversary , it ’s deserving asking : IsThe Phantom Menacereally as tough as so many fans remember ? Or is it as good as some of its younger supporters conceive ?
20th Century Fox
Having lately rewatched it , this writer would indicate that it ’s neither . The Phantom Menacemay , in all actuality , be one of the biggest mixed bag in blockbuster picture account .
The good, the bad, and the ugly (not necessarily in that order)
To be totally absolved : The writing and acting inStar Wars : Episode I — The Phantom Menaceisreally tough . Lucas , for all of his many persuasiveness , has never had a great ear for talks ( as both Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford havepublicly noted ) , and that ’s on full display inThePhantom Menace . His unfitness to truly pass along with worker results in distractingly stiff tour from Natalie Portman , Jake Lloyd , Samuel L. Jackson , and plenty of others , too . Only Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid manage to give memorable performances and emerge fromThe Phantom Menaceunscathed .
While Ahmed Best also did n’t deserveanyof the hate that he got from Star Wars fans afterThe Phantom Menace‘s sacking ( nor did any of the film ’s actors ) , Jar Jar Binksisdistracting . The CGI that was used to fetch the character to life has n’t get on well , andThe Phantom Menacenever quite figures out how to have his goofy personality make horse sense within its relatively dark larger story . It ’s clear that Lucas felt like he had to lighten up the film somehow , but many of his attempts to do so do n’t finally shore .
sports fan have , of course , been pointing out these flaws inThe Phantom Menaceever since it was released . Notallof the criticisms that have long been levied against the film seem as valid while you ’re watch it , though .
The movie’s visuals are massively underrated
The Phantom Menacehas often been criticized for its lustrous , svelte artistic , which like a shot divide it from the gloriously blue looking of the Original Trilogy . But , despite what those criticisms might suggest , The Phantom Menaceis frequently astonishing to look at . David Tattersall ’s cinematography remains appallingly underrated . Together , he and Lucas fill the film with pictorial , painterly shots that not only mesmerize , but also reinforce the film ’s composition of systemic corruption . Notice , for instance , how the shadows of the Jedi Council ’s get together room on Coruscant betray how far from the light the Jedi have fallen by the time the cinema begins .
Other images hold multiple significance , like the above dead reckoning of Padmé , which spotlights how small she is compare to the size of the insane asylum that wall her and simultaneously put her in the ardent luminescence of a windowpane ’s light — supporting the motion picture ’s position of her as an angelic figure of speech . The below image , meanwhile , visually incorporates Darth Sidious ’ ( McDiarmid ) cosmos as a double agentive role for the Sithandforeshadows how he keeps the full scope of himself and his plans from even his apprentice , Darth Maul ( Ray Park ) .
Outside of its still shots , The Phantom Menacealso delivers sequences of stunning , transportive lulu and elegance , like Obi - Wan ( McGregor ) and Qui - Gon ’s ( Liam Neeson , long before he was an senior action star ) underwater journey to the glowing metropolis of Gungan City . John Williams ’ mark , one of the Star Wars franchise ’s best , only further elevates many of these moment , includingThe Phantom Menace‘s unforgettable , thrillingly well - choreograph and paced climactic lightsaber duel between Qui - Gon , Obi - Wan , and Maul .
clip has a wont of being either exceptionally genial or not to films likeThe Phantom Menace . twenty - five years after its release , it ’s percipient now which of the criticisms that were straightaway levy against it hold material free weight , and which were just tempestuous outbursts from fans who were disappoint that they did n’t getA New Hope 2.0 .
George Lucas clear went into the plastic film want to make something dissimilar than the original three Star Wars movies , and that intent is observable — for salutary and for spoilt — in every here and now ofThe Phantom Menace . It ’s a greatly flawed smash hit , but one that is still subject of make unforgettable moments and images , which is more than can be pronounce about some of the Star Wars form of address that have followed it .
Star Wars : Episode I — The Phantom Menaceis streaming on Disney+ . It is also presently play in theaters across the country .
