Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace

The Star Wars franchise has a long and interesting history. Now, I've already talked about that when I reviewed Knights of the Old Republic, but I'll give you the cliff notes version.

The first film was released in 1977, and was a smash hit with people lining up around the block to see it. The second film released in 1978 and was much darker in tone but it was just as successful. After that, a whole five years went by before Return of the Jedi was released in 1983. All three films were hugely successful and were a special effects marvel - especially considering the tech at the time and the low budget.

Going Back to the Beginning...

After Return of the Jedi, things went quiet. Fans had to wait for 16 years for the next Star Wars adventure. What they didn't know was that this new set of films wasn't originally going to happen. I realize that doesn't make a lot of sense - after all, we have the films - stick with me for a bit and I'll explain.

Here's how I understand it, the original Star Wars was planned to be a one-off deal. Of course, George Lucas wrangled a contract that would allow him to do a few sequels (which is how we got the original trilogy). Now, the writing process can be a little...overwhelming at times. With that in mind, Lucas put together this massive, complicated backstory that could be told later on. He later shelved the idea of a sequel series, but changed his mind upon seeing the success that other Star Wars properties (a comic book series and Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy) had.

Announced in 1993, pre-production went on from 1994 to 1995 and filming. The films used a lot of CGI to create storyboards and several of the alien species' in the film and the larger budget meant they could go a bit crazy. Filming began in June in 1997 with Samuel L. Jackson cast as Mace Windu, Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn and Ray Park as the villainous Darth Maul.

The film was released on May 16 in L.A. and May 19, 1999 in the rest of the USA. Was it successful? Well...let's put it this way; it was made on a budget of $115 million. It grossed $1,041 billion! So, yeah, it was successful.

The Story

The Trade Federation has an illegal blockade around the planet of Naboo. To end the problem, Jedi knights, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn are dispatched to negotiate a peace treaty. When things go pear-shaped they end up on the planet's surface and have to rescue the Queen Padme Amidala from Federation forces.

They soon find themselves caught up in political intrigue in the Galactic Senate. The corruption in the senate sends them back to Naboo to end the Trade Federation's invasion themselves.

What I Liked

So, what did I like about the film? Well, let's see:

• The visuals are very well done, the CGI looks really good.
• The Pod Race scene is absolutely great, and it was fun to watch.
• Story-wise, it's not bad and there are several points that were really well made.
• The lightsaber work is fantastic! The final duel is a particular highlight for me.
• Speaking of the final duel, John Williams' Duel of the Fates is an epic, beautiful piece of music.

What I Didn't Like

• While the overall story concept is sound, it's also not great. The dialogue is ridiculously corny at times. Sadly, the bulk of that corny dialogue goes to Jake Lloyd and his performance as Anakin Skywalker.
• Jar Jar Binks. Now, I didn't HATE Jar Jar, but in recent viewings I've found that he has been very...irritating. The dialogue and speech patterns are frustrating to listen to, but I was still saddened to hear that the actor who played him had a hard time after the film.

In Closing

At the end of the day, as corny as the film is, it will always have a special place for me. It was the first Star Wars film that I watched in the early 2000s during the dark ages of VHS tapes. The setup was pretty good, and the sadly it wasn't well executed.

Trivia

• Liam Neeson, didn't read the script before agreeing to the role of Qui-Gon Jinn. He received the script for the film, and was so excited to be part of the Star Wars legacy that he jumped at the chance.
• Liam Neeson did a lot of his own stunts. I heard a thing or two about Neeson's swordsmanship as well. He had learned to use a sword for his portrayal of Rob Roy in the 1995 film of the same name. As a result, he would often swing his lightsaber in different patterns that didn't match the choreography and caught his sparring partners off guard.
• Ray Park had a martial arts background, he sent in an audition tape to the producers. They were so impressed with what they saw that they cast him as the Sith apprentice Darth Maul.
• Ahmed Best, the actor who played Jar Jar Binks, at one point was facing a lot of backlash for his role in the film. It got so bad that, at one point, that he considered suicide.
• Ewan McGregor studied many of Sir Alec Guinness' films so he could match the way the older Obi-Wan moved, talked, and acted.