Looking back on Star Wars, part 6: The Phantom Menace (1999)

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The thing is, even by today’s standards, much of the CGI in The Phantom Menace still looks amazing. And for as insufferable and annoying as Jar Jar Binks acts (and sounds), having a fully CGI main character interacting with live actors was certainly groundbreaking for its time. Even so, some of the digital cinematography does look more photorealistic in some scenes than they do in others. The palace grounds of Naboo and the planet-wide urban landscape of Coruscant? Breathtaking. Gungans battling Battle Droids on an open grassy plain? It looks more like a well-rendered video game cutscene than a piece of cinema.

The film, however, reserves some of the best effects for what’s, undoubtedly, the central action set-piece of the entire movie–the Pod Racing scene. While it does get a little silly at times, what with the two-headed alien announcer and Sand People taking pot-shots at the racers, it’s still an extremely thrilling sequence. With the exception of some close-up shots of Lloyd’s Anakin and his podracer, everything is digitally produced, from the canyons, to the heat waves, and definitely the crashes.

…the climactic [lightsaber] duel isn’t just fast, it features some of the best silent acting of any Star Wars movie. The way in which Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul fight–and pause in-between–reveals so much about who they are as characters.

Yet ask any Star Wars fan about what they consider the best thing about The Phantom Menace, and they will, without hesitation, say Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s (Ewan McGregor) fight with Darth Maul (Ray Park, voiced by Peter Serafinowicz). In order to show what the Jedi were like in their prime, Lucas felt that, unlike the sword fights from the Original Trilogy, the new ones needed to be “energetic” and “fast.” Park himself was a martial artist, and Neeson had previous sword training from working on other movies like Excalibur (1981) and Rob Roy (1995). That may have made stunt coördinator Nick Gillard’s job easier, as he incorporated multiple sword fighting styles (and tennis) into the Jedi’s combat techniques.

As a result, the climactic duel isn’t just fast, it features some of the best silent acting of any Star Wars movie. The way in which Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Maul fight–and pause in-between–reveals so much about who they are as characters. Maul himself looks particularly striking, with his devil-like facial features and animalistic ferocity. Accompanied by John Williams’ “Duel of the Fates,” a score that rivals even his “Imperial March,” and you have a recipe for the best lightsaber duel in all of Star Wars to date.

Unfortunately, the rest of The Phantom Menace varies in quality, mostly bad. For every great performance from Nesson as the stoic, down-to-earth Qui-Gon, and Ian McDirmand’s reprisal as Palpatine, most of the actors feel wasted. Otherwise excellent performers Natalie Portman as Queen Padmé Amidala, Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, and even Terence Stamp as Chancellor Valorum say their lines without the slightest bit of conviction. It is easy, though, to forgive Jake Lloyd as Anakin though, considering he was only eight-years-old at the time. Though it’s still hard to get over his, “Now this is podracing!”

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Besides, when you watch and rewatch The Phantom Menace, you soon realize that it’s not the actors’ fault; it’s the script. Despite having the same running time as Return of the Jedi, the movie feels longer because of its dreadful pacing. Unlike the previous Star Wars movies, Lucas, for whatever reason, decided to bog this one down with loads of exposition, broken up by Jar Jar’s random outbursts and clumsiness. From the time Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Padme, and the Queen’s entourage arrive on Tatooine, it takes almost 30 minutes until the pod racing sequence. And although Lucas may have beaten Game of Thrones to the punch when it came to politics in fantasy settings, it’s still hard to make trade talks and senate debates exciting.

What outraged Star Wars fans, though, is how The Phantom Menace gave a “scientific” explanation for the Force. Instead of being a mystical energy field that anyone, with the proper training and discipline, could tap into, one’s Force potential depends on how many microscopic organisms were floating around in your bloodstream. And these “midi-chlorians” also made Anakin’s mother, Shmi (Pernilla August) pregnant, meaning that the future Darth Vader is the product of a virgin birth? Needless to say, it seemed a bit much that Lucas turned one of the most iconic villains of all time into “Space Jesus.” More controversial, however, were the accusations of racial stereotyping based on how various alien creatures were portrayed, particularly Watto (voiced by Andy Secombe) and Jar Jar.

So yes, audience and critical reactions towards The Phantom Menace grew increasingly negative over time. Considering how much Star Wars had become such a huge part of the cultural landscape by then, it also had a negative effect on some of its actors. Nesson almost retired from acting because of it. Lloyd eventually would, as he was subjected to years of bullying at school because of his role as Anakin. Tragically, he would later be diagnosed with schizophrenia. As for Ahmed? Being branded by fans as “the worst Star Wars character of all time” almost drove him to suicide.

Next. Looking back on Star Wars, part 5: The Expanded Universe (1991-2014). dark

Yet there are those who have a definite soft-spot for The Phantom Menace. After all, it was the inspiration for a Weird Al Yankovic parody of “American Pie” that’s a surprisingly accurate retelling of the movie. Despite seemingly dying, Darth Maul also gained as much of a following, if not more so, than Boba Fett. Also, when Lucasfilm re-released The Phantom Menace in 3D, it surpassed $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide. Not too shabby for what was once considered the worst Star Wars movie. Besides, the worst that Star Wars had to offer would come a lot sooner than anyone could have foreseen.

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