Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
“I have a bad feeling about this” – Obi-Wan
Ok, let’s go in order. I know, I know, the fourth, fifth and sixth parts (in further texts we’ll refer to them as the “original trilogy” aka “4-5-6”) are the best parts of the series (I absolutely agree) and chronologically came out first, but let’s this time go through the films via “Star Wars” (SW) chronology… and thereby also get to know those who haven’t encountered this series (i.e., those remaining seven non-believers 🤣).
For absolute beginners (ignoramuses), let’s summarize SW like this – distant (potentially alternative) future. Humans coexist equally with aliens (who are most often humanoid in form). Space travel between planets (and systems) is quite a common thing. Weaponry in the form of various guns, blasters, energy cannons and other things is assumed. Spacecraft from small fighters to huge (size of a small town) destroyers that can destroy planets beyond recognition. Planets across the Universe exist in every form you can think of with different degrees of development of different civilizations. From planets where only futuristic cities exist, through those reminiscent of the wild west (à la “Firefly”), to swamp civilizations or desert planets with Bedouin tribes… whatever you can imagine. Of course, all kinds of robots/droids are also assumed.
And on top of all that, interplanetary politics plays an important role…
Also important for SW is the concept of the Force. It exists in each of us as an energy field (energy, ki or chi, mana), but there are individuals who learned to use this energy (i.e., are strongly connected with the Force) for different purposes and manifest different supernatural/magical skills (telekinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance, all the way to physical manifestation of the Force, for example, lightning shooting from your fingers). These strong in the Force are most often divided into Jedi, who believe in Order, balance, equilibrium, self-control… and on the other side are Sith, who believe in the dark side of the Force, giving in to impulses, dark thoughts, creating chaos. And in addition, these sides use special types of lightsabers which are also a sign of recognition of those who are connected with the Force and some of these two orders. To summarize – Jedi, good guys. Sith, bad guys.
Also, the order of films was 4-5-6, 1-2-3, and finally 7-8-9 (not to write the full name of each part).
And now let’s turn to the plot of the film “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”.
Some kind of order in the Galactic Republic (Galactic Republic; imagine it as some kind of democratic federal union of planets, which can be light years away from each other and which has existed for a long long time, so even some SW fans will recognize the term The Old Republic) was shaken by the trade megacorporation (The Trade Federation) which found an excuse to blockade planet Naboo and is preparing an invasion of it. The Supreme Chancellor (something like presiding officer) of the Galactic Republic sends as diplomats two Jedi – Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his student (padawan) Obi-Wan Kenobi to negotiate with the Trade Federation. However, Darth Sidious, a powerful Sith Lord, orders the megacorporation’s leaders to kill the Jedi.
Our brave and wise Jedi, however powerful, can’t alone fight an army of enemy robots/droids, so they flee to planet Naboo, and along the way save a native of that planet, the silly Jar Jar Binks, and by coincidence, with the help of this strange long-tongue (in every sense), they manage to reach the planet’s capital, and in addition save young 14-year-old Queen Padmé Amidala and part of her entourage, and all together flee the planet in a small spaceship, with the goal of reaching the main planet (seat) of the Galactic Republic, Coruscant.
However, their ship is damaged in the blockade, so they had to land on desert planet Tatooine to find the necessary parts to repair the ship. And there the paths of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan cross with nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, who, with his mother, serves as slave/servant/mechanic for a cunning trader of various junk. Qui-Gon is convinced this boy is “The Chosen One,” who should bring balance to the Force and that Destiny (or rather, the Force) assigned him some higher purpose.
Meanwhile, Darth Sidious doesn’t sit with crossed arms, but plans to eliminate both the Jedi and Queen Padmé and therefore sends his creepy apprentice (Darth Maul) to solve his problem.
And all these events lead to upheaval within the Republic, which also leads to the replacement of the Supreme Chancellor, and the experienced and measured but ambitious Sheev Palpatine is elected as successor who intends to resolve the crisis with planet Naboo.
What fate awaits our Jedi, in which direction will young Anakin’s life go and will Queen Padmé regain control and reestablish peace on her planet, you’ll find out in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”!
History writes that, after the original trilogy (4-5-6), George Lucas had no desire at all to deal with SW sequels (allegedly he also canceled some that were potentially planned), but he was fascinated by the idea of telling what was happening in the past that led to events from the fourth part (the film “A New Hope”). And with the advancement of computer technology (CGI), this enabled him to create SW as he originally envisioned it. A (much) visually richer world (because in the film “A New Hope,” war had taken its toll and destruction and misery are everywhere), with diversity and splendor of civilizations.
Also, Lucas now created the film so it had several mini-plots that connected to each other.
The approach to Jedi and how they fight was also changed compared to the original trilogy. The period around “The Phantom Menace” (and the next two films) represents, in a way, the peak of Jedi power and abilities, which led to the idea of showing them as capable fighters with lightsabers, so action coordinators created styles combining different “sword-fighting” martial arts and thus created different styles of how Jedi fight (in accordance with SW world lore).
And filming locations for the film varied. From film studios, to Tunisian deserts and the city of Tozeur (to represent planet Tatooine), Italian Caserta palace and beyond…
Visually, the film really was a candy for the period when it appeared (and even now is, if we’re honest). Simply the effort could be seen to make the SW universe seem “alive”. Beautifully presented planets, civilizations, costumes, races, pod racing, visual and CGI effects. How much this was used, the fact speaks that the film was being edited for two years after filming. Almost every frame of the film had some visual/CGI effect inserted.
Music is also one of SW world’s trademarks. And how could it not be when John Williams was hired again, who did a great job with the original (4-5-6) trilogy too. And now he again balanced epic action numbers with dramatic and emotional ones. But, Williams decided to deviate a bit from previous SW films, and have his melodies have more mysterious, and less war/militaristic note. Along with the famous opening number, the composition “Duel of the Fates” is perhaps the most effective in the entire film (especially when you see the scene it accompanies).
Action is also excellent and much improved compared to the first part, so you’ll have the opportunity to see Jedi and their fighting style, and although we’ll have opportunities to see that, this action scene is, without exaggeration, perhaps one of the best (if not the most significant) not only in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” but also generally in the SW universe. And besides it, worth mentioning are also the races young Anakin participates in (pod racing).
Let’s touch a bit on acting…
Qui-Gon was played by legendary Liam Neeson (whom I last mentioned in reviews of the solid “Taken” trilogy, and you also know him from classics like “Schindler’s List,” “Darkman,” “Batman Begins” and “Michael Collins”). He really had “presence” as a Jedi, but again, not classic, but mildly unorthodox (there’s also that Grey Jedi category, which is a very interesting concept), because he didn’t blindly follow teachings of the Jedi Council and had a bit his own view of good and evil and the Force (but was a member of the good guys team). George Lucas really relied on this actor’s authority that he’d be a role model for many young colleagues on set.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was played by excellent Ewan McGregor (“Trainspotting,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Fargo”). Interestingly, one of the reasons for choosing this actor was also that he greatly resembled the late Alec Guinness (who played old Obi-Wan in the original trilogy), but the actor decided to raise this similarity to a higher level, so he even had a vocal trainer so his voice would sound as similar as possible to the late actor, and in addition he studied some of his roles because of movement and behavior. In combination with talent, all this contributed to him remaining one of the most memorable characters in all SW films.
Incredibly talented Oscar winner Natalie Portman (“Black Swan,” “Jackie,” “Closer,” “V for Vendetta,” “Leon the Professional”) was 18 years old at the time of filming, and was chosen among 200 candidates. It was a challenge to find a young actress who should have the attitude of a ruler, but can also show vulnerability, as immortal Carrie Fisher once did as Princess Leia. The choice was good, you’ll agree. And to immediately answer the male readership, I’d choose Natalie Portman over Keira Knightley, and that without thinking. 😁
Young Anakin Skywalker was played by Jake Lloyd, who was chosen at casting among 3,000 children, because, according to producers, besides talent, he showed something mildly mischievous and loved technology, just like Anakin as they envisioned him. Unfortunately, the actor experienced a lot of harassment and trauma from peers and media because of this role, so he soon stopped acting, and in addition had psychological problems as older.
Ahmed Best lent his voice to silly Jar Jar Binks… well, he didn’t have it easy. The Gungan character (the race Jar Jar belongs to) was a big target of audience and media criticism (for many he’s still the worst character in SW universe), because it was considered this character embodies all negative stereotypes of dark-skinned people, especially Jamaicans… and the criticism spilled over onto the actor himself who experienced great unpleasantness because of it. But, people who worked on set defended both the character and the actor. Over time, the audience started feeling sympathy for this character, and even interesting theories started appearing.
Interestingly, Ray Park was part of the stunt team, but people liked his demonstration (concept) of using a lightsaber so much, they eventually offered him the role of Darth Maul.
Worth mentioning is legendary Samuel L. Jackson as high-ranking Jedi Mace Windu on their council. You know him from many excellent films, and we mentioned him in the great documentary-motivational film “Coach Carter”.
There’s also Ian McDiarmid as the always calm (but also worried) Chancellor Palpatine, and we all know how important his role is… interestingly this actor was Palpatine in the original trilogy too.
There are many more actors who lent voices in the original trilogy and returned here, and we’re talking about roles of R2-D2, C3PO… not to list them all now, because there are quite a few, and they’ve honored the SW world.
The film addressed many universal motifs. There’s, for example, the “hero’s journey” (there’s also a book about this archetype, which I can’t get around to reading!), then playing with Christian motifs (Darth Maul who in appearance resembles the devil, as well as Anakin’s immaculate conception like Jesus Christ). There was great influence of Asian culture, especially Japan and Korea (e.g. Qui-Gon with hairstyle and behavior greatly resembles a samurai, as well as Obi-Wan’s position as his student-protégé), as well as works of Akira Kurosawa. A lot was borrowed from martial arts and zen culture and meditation (Qui-Gon is a play on words for qigong). Of course, the Force and idea of good and evil draws heavily from yin-yang motif, but also from Zurvanism. Of course, everything ultimately revolves around the struggle of good and evil (both externally and within man himself), as well as hope that everything can be brought into balance.
Now, 25 years later, when we look at what all was spawned from the SW world after “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” it can’t be said the film is (so) bad. Visually it was impressive for that time (keep in mind that year the first “Matrix” appeared as well as “The Mummy”) accompanied by great music. It started explaining to us the world before the best trilogy (4-5-6), gave indication that action scenes with Jedi would be dynamic. Well, acting of certain actors was debatable, as was plot development.
But, only now can you see “The Phantom Menace” had its charms.
And I’m weak for Star Wars themes, so I’m maybe a bit softer toward the film than I should be… but I was a kid when it appeared. 😀
And by the way, the film on a budget of 115 million dollars broke a billion… not bad, right?
And a few more curiosities:
- Liam Neeson wanted to act in a SW film so much, he signed the contract without looking at the script 😅
- 12-year-old Keira Knightley stubbornly wanted to be in the film (because she was a big fan) although her parents tried to talk her out of the audition
- During filming of lightsaber scenes, Ewan McGregor persistently imitated sword sounds, although George Lucas told him several times sounds would be added to the film later
- In the scene with the galactic senate, there’s a race of E.T. aliens, as Lucas’s homage to his friend Steven Spielberg’s film
- When they’d dress and make them up identically, people had trouble distinguishing Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley… and this included Keira’s mother
- Natalie Portman skipped the film premiere because she had to study for final high school exams
- Darth Maul had one intense monologue about fear, but in the end wasn’t included in the final film version
- Yoda isn’t presented digitally in the film, but a puppet was used, because technology still couldn’t “deliver” the creators’ vision
And you, dear reader, how did The Phantom Menace seem to you?
Trailer
Imdb | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic
Release date: 1999
Format: Film
Runtime: 136 minutes
