Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace
Writer: George Lucas
Cast: Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn), Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Natalie Portman (Queen Amidala/Padme), Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker), Ian Mcdiarmid (Senator Palpatine), Pernilla August (Shmi Skywalker), Oliver Ford Davies (Sio Bibble), Hugh Quarshie (Captain Panaka), Ahamed Best (Jar Jar Binks), Anthony Daniels (C3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Frank Oz (Yoda), Terence Stamp (Chancellor Valorum), Brian Blessed (Boss Nass), Andy Secombe (Watto), Darth Maul (Ray Park), Lewis Macleod (Sebulba), Warwick Davis (Wald/podrace spectator).
Star Wars the Phantom Menace came out in 1999, lines at the movies where long, the wait for me was about two hours before we finally reached the inside; Had to wait another hour because the theater had reached it's max capacity. The Matrix was playing around the same time, the manager had to wait till the Matrix was over before we were allowed in. By the time we sat down and watched the movie, it was about midnight, and lets just say my friends all looked like we got hit with a very large bat, not because of the time or how tired we were, it was the films content, what had happened to a great movie, became something horrible, the disappointment was written on all are faces as we left the theater. The film was a discussion for a long time, it was just one of those things that you bring up every now and then. Lets just say between 1999 and 2015 my friends and i had gone over many talking points, how and why? the film went the way it did. The conversations we had were lengthy, not because we are die hard fans because some of us were right on target on some of the subject matter. Below i will begin with what went wrong with the Episode one film, so bare with me.
Rant: Lets start with the trade situation, embargo whatever, between the Trade federation and the Galactic Republic. First it was a bit confusing because the Sith wanted the Federation to attack Naboo, but yet they put up a blockade that was so weak a anyone could just go through it, and they did, remember the Queen's ship. The Trade Federation didn't really put up a fight, which is why the Queen's ship escape so easy. Remember how hard it was to escape from a Star Destroyer back in the day, well here it's a piece of cake. There was a trade embargo, which was posed on the Planet of Naboo, it stopped the planet from any financial, economic, or commercial trades with anyone, or thing; So the Trade Federation puts up a blockade, holds the planet at bay, and all the Galactic Republic does is to send a Jedi Knight, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his Jedi in training Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). The response was actually very bad, because these Jedi were not diplomats, how are they going to tackle on something so important, it could mean the destruction of a planet, so they send the Jedi, i guess blame the Senate, finger pointing actually works sometimes.
The reason behind that action ceases to amaze me, it really just angers me, because they actually screwed things up for the Republic, the Jedi were not trusted, so the Trade Federation decided on capture instead. Or tried to capture them, because the Trade Federations are morons and instead of handling the situation, they consulted with the Sith, and the Sith being who they are wanted the Jedi's dead. The confrontations between the Jedi and the Trade Federation was weak, it was if they need a bit of action to get the story to move a bit, or maybe focus on the action and forget the horrible dialog that between all the characters in the opening sequence.
The biggest disappointment to me is the way Anakin was written in, his actions did not even give off the vibe that he was force sensitive. The son of a slave, he was conceived, and that is pretty much all you get. A slave of Watto who would not sell anything, but since the Jedi were present it made things easier, because it was the only hope of ever establishing the connection, which was forced by Qui-Gon-Jinn (Liam Neeson). Every time Anakin was present, it would be Jedi talk. Trying to get the right, convince the boy he is something special. I would see Anakin as a tech junkie, a builder, mechanic, or a smuggler. Anakin was a bit odd, yes i know he was young, but his actions are more like Han Solo than a Jedi. The gut feeling was a bit too much for me. The only thin Lucas could've done here was have the boy dream of another place, a light sword at his side, a duel of some kind like Empire Strikes Back did with Luke. There was no indicator that he was force sensitive, it was only suggested by the other characters, the scenes didn't make any sense. What about trying to put anger, rage, have him move somethings out of pure rage, but instead the master Jedi talked him into it.
The next problem is the villain, Darth Maul, he is probably the coolest looking bad guy, but the character only had about 10 min of screen time. The way George Lucas used him in the film, i did not like at all, with the light saber duel of fates battle was the only exception. Have Maul as a villain in the next film, better than the Count in the "Attack of the Clones." The battle was great up until Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) killed the best villain in the saga. I truly believe a Jedi in training up against a beast like Maul would've never even happened. The battle was cool, but the ending of the battle wasn't very cool, Maul dying by the hands of a Jedi in training really made me angry. To compare Star Wars: Empire Strikes back to Episode one is disheartening, because Lucas could've handled the duel of fates between three iconic characters, for example. In Empire the main villain Darth Vader didn't give in to the Republic so easy, everything they did came to a halt because the Empire was always two steps ahead, that being said imagine if Vader would've gave up the search for the base on Hoth, or even the duel at the end where Vader tells Luke the vital information that pushes him over the limit, and refuses to except that Vader is his father. Really great scene, the actors both hit the emotional side well, they both were becoming something bigger than the story itself.
Now lets go back, way back to episode one, the main duel. The lightsaber duel was awesome, but it was missing emotion, and not only did it kill the scenes, but when Qui-Gon-Jinn died, the scene was empty, and what Lucas wanted dissipated from the start. First, you do not kill off a character like Darth Maul, maybe have him retreat or win the duel, while Obi-Wan barley manages to escape, taking his teacher to safety. Meanwhile Padme and her guards meet up with the Jedi, helps them escape from the clutches of the darkside. Instead maul was cut in half, and despite John Williams beautiful musical score, the scene didn't really mean anything. Episode two had many bad guys, but they didn't come close to Maul; not that i want to complain, but he was a minor part of the story, but could've been so much more. Maybe if this duel would've occurred in episode 2 the tensions between characters would've been strong, emotional, and since Qui-Gon was killed in the hands of Maul, either way the story rises to new level of emotion, Obi-Wan is skilled enough, and now Anakin could help him in the duel.
I grew up with the Star Wars films, they were a part of my childhood, these movies meant a lot because i remember the filmmaker George Lucas used to be a man with awesome ideas, his team of people were carefully picked, these guys were the best, and that's what i remember. He is a great director, but sometimes other folks have ideas that can add to the beauty of the saga, instead he controlled every aspect of the film. I understand it is his baby, but, you still need input, someone, somewhere had to of told him, " George The podrace was long, Anakin Skywalker's character is stupid." Where was that particular person in the early stages of the film. I really hate to rage over a film, but this film was really bad, it had no story, the characters were somewhere but not part of the story, because if they were, the performances would've been so much better.
All in all the film special effects were amazing, probably the thing that really took the film by storm. I could go into how they used too much CGI and what made the older films great, could've saved Episode One. The opening weekend was about 210,600,000 (non-US), August 6, 1999. Opening weekend 64,810,970 (US), (May 21,1999). Total budget for this film was 115,000,000. Total gross 1,027,044,677. The film still did well even though it had major problems, the studio still got the bank and more. The film had some great things, like Darth Maul, Padme, Obi-Wan, John Williams awesome score, special effects, C3PO, R2D2, and the Jedi council was pretty cool. My standards are high because fans have been waiting to see this film, Episode One, for a very long time. With that being said, this film should've been better, and shame on them for not setting their bar high enough, because if they could just go back and tweak somethings, this film would be a classic in the making, but yet it fell short. The story of Anakin would be better if they played out simple, without explaining the Force, delete the duel towards the end of the film and have Maul give chase to the Jedi, and all and i mean all the Jar Jar scenes should be deleted. Keep the race, but make them less dramatic, noble, esteemed warriors something better than what we saw on film. And as far as Anakin is concerned, have him dream about future, not what they had in the film. Cut the podrace short and continue with the Jedi's protecting the family because Darth Maul is in the same location. Sometimes by avoiding danger can be just as good as the duel itself. The film forgot about the bounty hunters, all the scum that the planet offers.
The Star Wars franchise has a special place in my heart, unlike other folks reviewing this film i found it hard to bash a film i love so much, what i mean is the Star Wars universe. George Lucas brought us wonderful characters that all ages can enjoy. The music of John Williams, to the first time Luke Skywalker held his father's lightsaber. The film as a whole is a huge franchise that everyone can relate to, no matter the time. The Star Wars universe will always be, it is what i grew up on and always cherish, my kids and their kids will no of it, the concept and the joy will always be a part of my life. Do i like to trash a film that i love?, no they're not the older films. The concept and characters is what i love the most, and memories of greatness is what i remember from the past. I set my bar high because i knew what this concept, characters all in one are capable of doing to an audience on film. The very thought of a Jedi dueling is a very cool concept, it is what we as fans wait for on film, either way my rants are not as strong as they could be because i held back a bit, but at least i got a chance to review one of the films.
Coming soon to the silver screen, Star Wars Episode 7 will hit the theaters, an just like all fan boys, i will be there to see it. Hopefully my next review of the franchise will not be as harsh. Thank you, for supporting my reviews and hit me up on facebook, have any comments leave them, always happy to take them all.
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