Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

As much as I've always liked the movie, the glory peaked with this...


An unforgettable blast. Unmatchable hype.

I remember when I saw this at the theatre as I haven't seen it since. I wasn't too disappointed but there were still some things that seemed silly or out of place. Evan McGregor was extremely stiff as Obi-Wan, thankfully he is a lot better in the sequels. Jar Jar wasn't that bad really, what I really hated about the film was turning the force into some sort of parasites called Midi-chlorians. To this day I can not for the life of me figure out why someone didn't talk Lucas out of this stupidest thing in Star Wars history.

Depends on your age when you saw it and the impact it had on your life.

I can imagine that both trilogy's caught at similar age (between 6-12) would have had a similar impact.

The Phantom Menace was a kid?s movie is Star Wars and it's a good film and stands up by itself.

The problem was the expectation.

Bjorn Heimdall said:

I remember when I saw this at the theatre as I haven't seen it since. I wasn't too disappointed but there were still some things that seemed silly or out of place. Evan McGregor was extremely stiff as Obi-Wan, thankfully he is a lot better in the sequels. Jar Jar wasn't that bad really, what I really hated about the film was turning the force into some sort of parasites called Midi-chlorians. To this day I can not for the life of me figure out why someone didn't talk Lucas out of this stupidest thing in Star Wars history.

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You are a real dope. Midi-chlorians are NOT the Force!!! They are microscopic organisms that have a psychic link with the Force; it's these little guys that can manipulate the Force, and therefore, because the midi-chlorians follow our brains' intentions, allows beings to manipulate the energy field. This is said very clearly in the movie. Fanboys should try using their senses to actually listen to the dialogue, instead of trying to find flaws that they can whine and rant and harass Mr. Lucas about. Dim-bulbs, the lot of ya...

Ok I was wrong but that doesn't make it sound any less silly and it is still a completely pointless and far fetched way to "explain" something which needed no such explanation in the first 3 films.

kongisking said:

You are a real dope. Midi-chlorians are NOT the Force!!! They are microscopic organisms that have a psychic link with the Force; it's these little guys that can manipulate the Force, and therefore, because the midi-chlorians follow our brains' intentions, allows beings to manipulate the energy field. This is said very clearly in the movie. Fanboys should try using their senses to actually listen to the dialogue, instead of trying to find flaws that they can whine and rant and harass Mr. Lucas about. Dim-bulbs, the lot of ya...

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...and you are a petulant child! You should use your senses and read the post you so blithely diminish! Did you miss the "some sort of" qualification.

I agree and read it as disappointment at the move AWAY from a mystical article of faith to a scientifically explainable phenom...dull and uninspiring.

Problem with Phantom and Attack was too much exposition and an inordinate focus on tedium...oh and bad casting, acting, research, jar jar, self indulgence, Lucas surrounding himself with yes men, and lack luster artists.

But just that...

Luke, I didn't have a father!

...Didn't Anakins mother ever consider how she ever concieved in the first place? Maybe it should have been Star Wars;The Phantom Pregnancy? or maybe she was artificially inseminated by a protocol droid?

After that very touching scene in ESB after Lukes hand has been sacrificed for the sake of paternal illumination and the playing out of the dominant alpha male role I always wonder if it would have had the same effect as the milkshake conversation between the Jones boys on the Goodyear blimp?

Luke may well have become a jedi -like his father before him, but Darth could never uphold that sentiment.

Still, it must have saved him an absolute fortune around fathers day.

I remember seeing it with a friend and really liking it. However, upon repeated viewings it lost some of it's appeal. I don't think it's a terrible film but it does have a lot of potential that it never reaches and Jar Jar really kills the atmosphere in many of the scenes.

Like others have said, I don't think there's any way it could live up to the hype and expectations surrounding it.

Ah, definite childhood memories there. There was a time you couldn't play during recess, have free-time in school or walk somewhere without someone mentioning it.

Before I discovered the internet, I actually never knew anybody considered it a disappointment. I just assumed everyone liked it as much as the original trilogy, I know I did. I can see its flaws now, but I still enjoy it for what it is.

One great story I heard from my science teacher is that a kid got pulled over for speeding 10 miles or so above the speed-limit, when told he was speeding by the officer, he did the Jedi mind-trick thing and said "You did not catch me speeding." The officer laughed so hard, he let him go.

Ah, definite childhood memories there. There was a time you couldn't play during recess, have free-time in school or walk somewhere without someone mentioning it.

Before I discovered the internet, I actually never knew anybody considered it a disappointment. I just assumed everyone liked it as much as the original trilogy, I know I did. I can see its flaws now, but I still enjoy it for what it is.

One great story I heard from my science teacher is that a kid got pulled over for speeding 10 miles or so above the speed-limit, when told he was speeding by the officer, he did the Jedi mind-trick thing and said "You did not catch me speeding." The officer laughed so hard, he let him go.

Being a long time fan and seeing the originals (except SW) on the cinema I was really excited to see this movie. Back in 1999 as a 25 year old I felt like a kid again with the hype surrounding it.

As someone posted earlier the trailer was probably the peak of the excitement, A DOUBLE BLADED LIGHTSABRE, HOLY F*CK.

I enjoyed the movie. I didnt like Jar Jar Binks and I thought that adding in stuff like trade taxations and blockades was a bit boring. The end ceremony was unnecessary as was the underwater monster scene. Almost like a show off the effects kind of filler sequence.

I know there are things in the movie that arent great, but how could it have lived up to 16 years of expectation? Maybe its impossible to achieve. I dont know. I do know that it felt like it was more aimed at a younger audience, more so than the OT, (apart from the Ewoks who were in thEre for kids / marketing). But I think the OT didnt have the same kiddie feel that Phantom Menace has.

I also think that the perfect ending to the movie would have been at moment in Qui Gonns funeral when Yoda and Mace Windu question which Sith they killed, master or apprentice, and the camera cuts to Palpatine. That would have made a nice dark ending and then carry on the next 2 with a darker theme.

This is how the prequels should've been, check out the trailer to The Old Republic:
http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/deceived-cinematic-trailer

Much better than anything in the prequels, even if it's only 4 minutes long.

The Man said:

As much as I've always liked the movie, the glory peaked with this...


An unforgettable blast. Unmatchable hype.

Click to expand...

This coming from the same guy that loathes KOTCS? I don't believe it. Phantom Menace is just as over-the-top, irreverent and, admittedly, endlessly entertaining as Crystal Skull was. This isn't the The Man I know and disagree with. What did you do with him? You better not have hurt him, 'cause nobody can fight with The Man except ME, the Chief Commander/President/Dictator-for-life KOTCS Defender-In-Chief Supreme Chancellor!!!!!!!!

The Man said:

As much as I've always liked the movie, the glory peaked with this...

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An unforgettable blast. Unmatchable hype.

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I have to say, whenever I see the shot of little Ani with his helmet and goggles sitting in the middle of a huge space battle, I feel a bit sick. Honestly, what terrible casting - why did George think this was a good idea? It just destroys any tension for me and turns it into a Disney film. (Oh and that bit with the big CGI fish what a load of crap).

graz said:

I have to say, whenever I see the shot of little Ani with his helmet and goggles sitting in the middle of a huge space battle, I feel a bit sick. Honestly, what terrible casting - why did George think this was a good idea? It just destroys any tension for me and turns it into a Disney film. (Oh and that bit with the big CGI fish what a load of crap).

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If you watch The Beginning on the DVD, you'll see a couple of kids who would have worked far better than Yippee Lloyd.

Most horrendous, though, is the notion that Natalie Portman would find her first arousal with this young bowlhead. Vomit, indeed.

The Man said:

Most horrendous, though, is the notion that Natalie Portman would find her first arousal with this young bowlhead. Vomit, indeed.

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LOL!

graz said:

I have to say, whenever I see the shot of little Ani with his helmet and goggles sitting in the middle of a huge space battle, I feel a bit sick. Honestly, what terrible casting - why did George think this was a good idea? It just destroys any tension for me and turns it into a Disney film. (Oh and that bit with the big CGI fish what a load of crap).

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You know what makes me feel a bit sick? When I see the scenes in the trailer with Jar Jar, especially when he talks, steps into doodoo, and shocks his lips on the pod. That was the downfall alright.

As far as the kid with the goggles, had George Lucas not seen Jingle All the Way before he cast that kid?

The Man said:

If you watch The Beginning on the DVD, you'll see a couple of kids who would have worked far better than Yippee Lloyd.

Most horrendous, though, is the notion that Natalie Portman would find her first arousal with this young bowlhead. Vomit, indeed.

Click to expand...

Yes there is something vaguely disturbing about Queen wotsits relationship with little Ani. In the first one he looks about 5 and she looks 25. For some reason in the second one he's aged about 15 years and she's stays pretty much the same.

They clearly don't have social services on Tatooine do they? First Ani's Mum is letting him risk life and limb to take part in Pod races and then she lets him go off with two blokes who promise to look after him and he ends up flying around in space and being eyed up by a woman twice his age! Disgusting parenting if you ask me...

The best Star Wars Episode 1 review!

The best Star Wars Episode 1 review. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Someone posted this on the RPF forum. It's in 7 parts and each part is about 10 mins long:

Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKtZmQgxrI

Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG1AWVLnl48

Part 3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdQwKPVGQsY

Part 4.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOlG4T1S2lU

Part 5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBvp1r2UpiQ

Part 6.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORWPCCzSgu0

Part 7.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIWKMgJs_Gs

I've only seen about half of the first video, but I thought I might use this thread as an opportunity to give my opinion on George Lucas and the Star Wars films. To me, A New Hope is the only masterpiece in the series, for that was the film that opened up the imaginations of cynics all the over the world, the film which masterfully combined elements of mythology with Buck Rogers, and it is a film that I consider to be The Wizard of Oz of the 1970's. All the other films are, in my opinion, either good or bad unnecessary sequels or prequels. That's right, even Empire Strikes back is, in my opinion, an unnecessary sequel; don't get me wrong, it's a good movie, but it's still an unnecessary sequel, and it's certainly no masterpiece like the first film. Those who know my opinions on the Indiana Jones films, know that this is a stark contrast, since I said that I consider all four Indiana Jones films part of a single masterpiece. So you see, I'm not a Star Wars fan, I'm just a film lover who feels that A New Hope is a masterpiece, while the other films are just good or bad.

I certainly agree with most individuals who say that The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones are the worst films in the series, but this never really bothered me. Many of my favorite filmmakers made at least one film that I didn't enjoy; Akira Kurosawa is one of my favorite directors, but I didn't like either Kagemusha or Scandal, but that doesn't change the fact that he directed Dersu Uzala, Rashomon, Ikiru, Dreams, Drunken Angel, Stray Dog, Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, The Bad Sleep Well, Yojimbo, and High and Low. Now George Lucas hasn't directed that many masterpieces, but neither did Stanley Kubrick. Despite Episodes 1 and 2 being bad films, that does not change the fact that George Lucas directed A New Hope, American Graffiti, and THX 1138, three masterpieces right there, an impressive feat for any person. So come on people, I understand you have your criticisms of Lucas, but he is still a great filmmaker, even if he did make a couple of bad films, he's not deserving of all the hatred he gets. But then again, I never purchased the dvds of the original trilogy, and still have my vhs tapes of the original cuts, so I've never really cared about Lucas' director's cuts, and maybe that is where most of the anger against him is coming from, and if that's true, I completely understand.