Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Review

Like many Star Wars fans of the 1977 Generation - those millions of young (and young-at-heart) movie watchers who were swept off their feet by George Lucas' space fantasy set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," I was really looking forward to the May 1999 premiere of Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the first of three "prequel" Episodes dealing with the rise of the Galactic Empire and the tragic fall from grace of a young Jedi named Anakin Skywalker, a.k.a. Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith.

 Also like many Star Wars fans, I thought that Episode I was a bit of a let down, considering that we had been waiting 16 years for Lucas to return to the tale centered on the Skywalker family and its fateful role in both the fall of the Galactic Republic and the decimation of the Jedi Order.  Maybe it was because it was talkier than I expected, or maybe it was because some of its plot points didn't quite jive with my own preconceived notions of what Episode I would - or should - have depicted. 

 And yet, even though I believe The Phantom Menace isn't the best of the six Star Wars Episodes, I also don't look on it as a pile of Bantha poodoo, either.

Although the film is at times more political than fans would have liked because its story revolved around a trade dispute and the Galactic Congress' inability to resolve it, The Phantom Menace begins to reveal how the Galactic Republic evolved into the evil Empire, how Senator Palpatine wormed his way to be Emperor, and most of all, how and why Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader.

Assets: While it is uneven at times, The Phantom Menace is consistent to Lucas' original back story for the Classic Trilogy of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.  Readers of the novelization of Star Wars: A New Hope will note that the two-page prologue mentions a Senator Palpatine who manipulated his way into the Republic's highest elected office, aided and abetted by corrupt politicians and greedy corporations.  The prologue to the 1976 novel also mentions, albeit without details, that the Jedi Knights were nearly exterminated by treachery and deception.  Thus, Episode I and the Episodes that follow are essential to the Star Wars mythos.

Another thing I find interesting is the way that events in The Phantom Menace mirror those of A New Hope in what Lucas intended to be a music-like progression of themes.  Anakin as a nine-year-old faces some of the same situations his son Luke will face 32 years later...meeting a Jedi mentor, leaving home to "learn the ways of the Force," becoming involved in a galactic conflict, and saving his friends and thwarting - temporarily, anyway - the villains' evil plot in the film's last act.

 Also in the movie's list of assets are the stunning visuals. Star Wars is, of course, a series known for its spectacular vistas of space battles, exotic worlds, and strange creatures, and The Phantom Menace is the first Episode to fully exploit the power of digital artwork and computer technology to overcome the technical difficulties faced by Industrial Light & Magic in 1975 and the early 1980s.  Many fans say that CGI effects aren't as "real" as traditional miniature-and-matte painting effects, but depicting Coruscant's city planet environs would have been nearly impossible with the techniques used to create the Classic Trilogy.

Finally, The Phantom Menace is enrichened by John Williams' Romantic-era styled score, which not only uses the familiar Star Wars Main Theme, the Force motif, and subtle quotations of The Imperial March from the Classic Trilogy, but adds new ones to the repertoire, such as Anakin's Theme and the rousing Duel of the Fates, as well as action cues for the space battles, the Podrace on Tatooine, and even a theme for the accident-prone Jar Jar Binks.

Liabilities:  Even the most forgiving of fans has to admit that The Phantom Menace is not exactly the best of the Star Wars movies, and I seem to be among the more lenient reviewers.  So even as I say in all honesty that I enjoy Episode I a great deal, I'm aware that it has some problems that can't really be fixed without doing a Special Edition version.

 First, let's consider its function - to give exposition.  Most viewers, even those a bit too young to have been members of the 1977 Generation, know how the saga ends: the Rebel Alliance wins the Galactic Civil War, the Emperor is defeated, Anakin Skywalker is redeemed by his Jedi son, and good triumphs over evil.  The Prequel Trilogy, especially Star Wars - Episode I, is intended to set up that story by introducing the characters, whether they were new ones (such as Qui-Gon Jinn, Padme Amidala, Shmi Skywalker, or even the CGI creations Watto and Jar Jar), or younger versions of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and the boy destined to become Darth Vader.  In short, it's the first act of a three-act play, and that's usually the least interesting part.

 Another problem is that Lucas is a decent director, but considering how underwhelming Jake Lloyd's performance is as Anakin Skywalker, I think Steven Spielberg would have been a better choice to helm The Phantom Menace.  Star Wars films aren't renowned for their great acting or dramatic excellence, nor are they meant to be, but considering that Irvin Kershner's adroit handling of his cast in The Empire Strikes Back earned the respect of the saga's fans, maybe Spielberg's skill at working with actors, particularly child actors, would have improved The Phantom Menace somewhat.

The biggest problem for me, paradoxically, is that one of the reasons why the movie is necessary - the political theme - also is the root of my biggest peeve: it's definitely very talky.   If it's not the Sith Lords and their minions plotting to destroy the Jedi, it's either the Jedi Council debating on whether Anakin should be trained as a Padawan or the Senators debating the invasion of Naboo, it's a bit like watching an intergalactic version of C-SPAN.

Final Thoughts: Although flawed, Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace  is still a good attempt to "start" the space-fantasy series on an epic scale.  It is weighed down by its nature as the expository film that deals with the plots and counterplots that will carry on into Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, but it also offers fans some of the same elements that made A New Hope fun to watch: stalwart heroes, imposing villains (especially Darth Maul, who really gets very little screen time considering how prominent he's featured in the promotional campaign), and thrilling space and lightsaber action sequences.  It's not as fresh or exciting as Episode IV was when that film was released in 1977, but it's still worth watching.