The beauty of a Hollywood strike is that it forces the large studios to cowl for the dearth of latest movies by rereleasing older footage for us to get pleasure from on the large display as soon as extra. Nonetheless, touring backward doesn’t all the time yield pleasing outcomes. Working example: Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, the primary in George Lucas’ prequel saga, and sometimes considered the worst Star Wars flick till Disney got here alongside, mentioned, “Maintain my beer,” and produced The Rise of Skywalker.
Twenty-five years have handed since The Phantom Menace blasted onto screens, mandating the Mouse Home to rerelease the fantasy epic in theaters to have fun the event. Out of curiosity, I made a decision to enterprise into the wild with my two daughters to expertise the divisive movie on the large display, and … properly, that is one expertise I most likely ought to have nixed altogether.
Full disclosure: I loved The Phantom Menace again in 1999. On the time, I wasn’t the most important Star Wars fan. I had seen all of the movies and loved the Particular Editions just a few years prior, however I by no means thought of myself a religious follower. The Phantom Menace teaser knocked my socks off with its dazzling visuals and breathtaking motion, however I’m a sucker for summer time blockbusters with splashy particular results. So, whereas I hadn’t sat round for over 15 years awaiting the subsequent chapter within the beloved franchise, I used to be excited for The Phantom Menace and received swept up within the advertising hype to the purpose the place I gleefully collected the TV guides that includes Drew Struzan’s masterful art work. I spent a whole weekend transferring gravel from my yard so my dad would give me sufficient cash to purchase the soundtrack. I used to be all in.
Sadly, when Phantom was launched, it was promptly met with blended opinions from critics. The consensus on the time was that Phantom did not reside as much as its huge hype however nonetheless offered thrilling leisure.
My household missed out on opening day tickets however returned on Friday afternoon to witness the large occasion. I loved the movie sufficient to see it just a few extra instances on the large display. Principally, I beloved John Williams’ rating. Every time I heard “Duel of the Fates” in a online game, trailer, or promotional tie-in, I simply needed to see Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.
As detailed in a earlier article, I spent the subsequent 12 months defending Lucas’ imaginative and prescient from snotty Matrix followers. I by no means noticed Phantom as a traditional, nevertheless it was visually thrilling and in contrast to something I had seen earlier than. Like many others, I took a wait-and-see strategy, trusting that Lucas’ full imaginative and prescient would spherical out the rougher edges.
Alas, Assault of the Clones sucked, and Revenge of the Sith proved solely marginally higher. Lucas’ failure was full. I positioned The Phantom Menace on my shelf and by no means regarded again. I skipped the 3D launch in 2012 and solely returned to particular sequences—particularly the Pod Race and the aforementioned lightsaber duel—on YouTube all through the years. The Phantom Menace was lifeless, buried, a weird relic of the late 90s that had withered to oblivion.
Then, one thing occurred. The children of that late 90s period grew up and began writing blogs, resulting in a reevaluation of the prequel trilogy. All of a sudden, articles popped up in all places (together with ComingSoon) explaining how good Phantom, Clones, and Sith have been—the followers have been responsible for his or her lofty expectations, not George Lucas. Disney’s botched trilogy and subsequent TV exhibits and spinoffs additional cemented this concept into the general public psyche. Hell, many begged Lucas to repurchase the rights to Star Wars from the Mouse Home in order that he might launch a correct continuation of his saga. Time, it appears, heals all wounds.
As acknowledged, I took my youngsters to see The Phantom Menace, hoping, nay, wanting, to have my opinion modified. On the very least, I’d get pleasure from a nostalgia-fueled romp that may transport me again to my youth and reinvigorate my love of the franchise.
Eh, not a lot.
All these years later, Phantom is simply as messy and contrived as in 1999, if no more so. Lucas presents just a few neat concepts and a handful of thrilling set items, however the admittedly colourful visible results can not overcome torpid course, flat performing, and remarkably dangerous dialogue. The movie suffers from a scarcity of ahead momentum. There’s no ticking clock, no sense of urgency. Issues simply type of occur, after which the movie ends.
Halfway by the image, my 8-year-old was quick asleep, and my 16-year-old was so aggravated with “the speaking rabbit” that she might barely take a look at the display at any time when he appeared. She appreciated the Darth Maul lightsaber combat and the area battle however famous that neither is on display lengthy sufficient to understand. Lucas cuts to a different sequence each time you begin to get invested in the good things. I used to be shocked at how rapidly Duel of the Fates ends; three fast scenes and we’re already witnessing Qui-Gon’s noble finish.
None of those FX-heavy sequences carry any weight as a result of we do not know why anybody is combating. Even in any case these years, I nonetheless can’t clarify the story. So far as I can inform, Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) orchestrates a blockade on Naboo to realize energy within the Senate, and that’s about it. Many of the movie focuses on Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson) making an attempt to free Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) from his slave grasp, regardless that the child appears to have it fairly good on Tatooine. The sluggish and drawn-out midsection depends on absurd twists and turns to ship the famed Pod Race, which Qui-Gon orchestrates with out a lot urgency, regardless of the movie’s repeated emphasis that “they’re operating out of time” to save lots of Naboo. Then there’s one other boring interlude on Coruscant earlier than the all-out motion finale.
Admittedly, the Pod Race nonetheless seems nice, regardless of an abundance of slapstick and infantile humor that undermines the depth.
Sure, Darth Maul remains to be a cool villain, regardless of showing in lower than seven minutes of display time:
Finally, nothing in The Phantom Menace is critical to the overarching story. As an alternative, this primary chapter performs like a kind of tie-in books that delivers just a few nuggets of backstory for followers to discover earlier than the primary occasion. Certain, it’s form of enjoyable to see Anakin’s origins, but additionally not important, particularly since he’s a totally totally different particular person at first of Episode II. Followers wished to see the Clone Wars, Emperor Palpatine’s rise, and Anakin’s downfall, all discovered (and rushed by) in Episode III, rendering The Phantom Menace (and Assault of the Clones) as little greater than a colourful visible FX reel.
I gained’t delve into the harsher criticisms different shops have coated over time. Nonetheless, what actually bugs me about The Phantom Menace is how foolish the complete enterprise is. For instance, our heroes take turns by chance successful their respective conflicts in the course of the remaining battle. Jar Jar by chance kills a dozen or so droids along with his clumsy antics, Anakin saves the day by by chance firing rockets into an enormous donut, Padme defeats the Commerce Federation solely as a result of they mistake her for a decoy, and Obi-Wan defeats Darth Maul by sheer luck. Is that this Lucas’ manner of claiming the Power guides every thing?
Why not have Anakin destroy the command ship through the use of the Power? Why not have Padme concoct a technique that doesn’t depend on luck to succeed? Why not enable Obi-Wan to destroy Darth Maul throughout their preliminary lightsaber combat? Why not morph Jar Jar right into a decided warrior keen to die for his individuals? Why not reveal the ability of the Power versus the powers of darkness in a manner that captivates and thrills audiences like the unique Star Wars did in 1977?
This movie is so irritating.
After I first entered faculty, my roommate had Photoshop put in on his laptop. It was my first style of the expertise. Desirous to strive it out, I rapidly sketched a drawing, scanned it into the pc, and painted it with digital instruments. The outcome was some nifty colours utilized to a awful drawing — and that’s The Phantom Menace in a nutshell. Lucas was so excited to play along with his CGI toys that he rushed by the screenwriting course of, neglecting basic story features like character and construction. Certain, his visible palette is outstanding, if not overstuffed, however the basis it’s utilized to lacks pathos.
Sadly, The Phantom Menace nonetheless sucks
Individuals love Star Wars a lot that they overlook its flaws. However right here’s a query: in the event you take away the Star Wars identify from The Phantom Menace, wouldn’t it nonetheless maintain up? What would your response be in the event you watched The Phantom Menace with no regard for Star Wars — its previous or cinematic legacy?
I believe it might be trashed by critics, or at finest, attain cult standing amongst sci-fi lovers. Its points are just too nice to disregard. As a lot because it pains me to say it, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace sucks. Twenty-five years later, it’s time to place apart the nostalgia, settle for the reality and transfer on.
