Star Wars: The Phantom Menace went from one of the most highly anticipated movies of all time into one of it’s most derided.
"ANAKIN SKYWALKER: “Will I ever see you again?” SHMI SKYWALKER: “What does your heart tell you?”"
The first time I saw the teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, I was, of course, in a movie theatre. I don’t remember what movie I’d gone to see, but I do remember watching in stunned silence as images of strange creatures and alien landscapes appeared, thinking “Is this for real?” That is until John Williams’ “Star Wars theme” played, and the audience cheered. And after it was over, nearly everyone stood up and applauded as if they’d watched the greatest two minutes in all cinematic history. I didn’t stand up because, well, that just seemed a little silly. I did applaud, though.
I and those in the theatre with me weren’t alone in that level of praise. Many moviegoers in theatres across the country did the same. There were even reports of those who, after learning which movies would feature the trailer, would buy a ticket for the movie, stay for the trailer, then leave before the opening credits. Two minutes of Star Wars may have done more to help the box office performances of Meet Joe Black, The Siege, Wing Commander, and The Waterboy than those movies ever did.
…[The Phantom Menace] was the first new Star Wars film since 1983, back when everyone thought Return of the Jedi would be the last…No wonder fans reportedly camped outside their local theatres a month in advance, or that companies gave their employees the day off when [the movie] finally opened.
Crazy? Sure. But keep in mind these were the days before YouTube; aside from theatres, the only other legitimate way to see the trailer was on Star Wars‘ official website–if it wasn’t shut down due to all the traffic, that is. Moreover, this was the first new Star Wars film since 1983, back when everyone thought Return of the Jedi would be the last. And now we were getting “Episode 1?” The beginning of how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader? With a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, returning favorites like Yoda, C-3PO, RD-D2, and a Sith Lord with a red double-bladed lightsaber? No wonder fans reportedly camped outside their local theatres a month in advance, or that companies gave their employees the day off when The Phantom Menace finally opened.
Not that there weren’t any skeptics, of course. When the creative writing group I was in kept talking about how excited we were for The Phantom Menace, one lone voice begged to differ. “What’s the point of seeing a prequel when you already know the end of the story?” she asked. None of us then realized just how prescient her question really was. Now, twenty years later, a movie that was treated like the Second Coming is now regarded as one of the worst Star Wars movies ever made.
So what happened? How did fans come to see the The Phantom Menace as the beginning of George Lucas’ fall from grace? Did Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), intergalactic Senate hearings, and midi-chlorians forever ruin Star Wars? Did Red Letter Media’s brilliant, blistering, and hilarious seven-part commentary really change the minds of Star Wars fans, or did they just articulate the flaws that were there right from the start? What may have been The Phantom Menace’s ultimate undoing, however, was Lucas himself and his own ambitions.
As far back as The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas hoped to create a trilogy of movies about Luke Skywalker’s father. By the time Lucasfilm finished production on Return of the Jedi, however, Lucas had enough of Star Wars. Aside from putting a huge strain on his health, making them also wrecked his marriage to his wife, Marcia, and the couple divorced right after Jedi’s premiere. There were other projects at Lucasfilm that also took up his time, too. And besides, he didn’t think the technology was there yet to make new Star Wars movies.
…the production spent $100,000 on a Jar Jar Binks suit for [Ahmed] Best to wear on set, only to later realize that, while during the digital animation process, they didn’t need the suit after all.
But thanks to Timothy Zahn’s novels and the Dark Empire comics, Lucas could see that Star Wars was more popular than ever. Not to mention that ILM’s work on James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1992), along with Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993), showed just how photorealistic CGI could become. So by 1994, Lucas began writing not just the script for The Phantom Menace, but also the scripts for the next two movies and detailed backstories for all the new characters, as well. Keep in mind, it took Lucas three years and four different drafts to come up with the shooting script for A New Hope.
The other big difference? Lucas now had complete creative control, something he never truly had during the Original Trilogy. Watching the behind-the-scenes footage, one comes away with the sense that the prevailing attitude on set was, “Whatever George wants, George gets.” That and because of how advanced the CGI effects had become, there’s far more attention being paid on perfecting the visuals than in ironing out the story, or even the actor’s performances.
Case in point: the footage of Lucas and co-editor Ben Burtt digitally editing a scene just so they don’t have to show an actor stepping in front of Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn and sitting down. Or how the production spent $100,000 on a Jar Jar Binks suit for Best to wear on set, only to later realize that, while during the digital animation process, they didn’t need the suit after all. Jake Lloyd mispronouncing Coruscant? Lucas waves it off with a, “If you mispronounce it, that’s okay.”
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.
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.