Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Review
What happens in The Phantom Menace?
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace begins with a trade negotiation turned betrayal. After the Federation refused negotiations, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are forced onto the planet of Naboo, where they meet the Gungan named Jar Jar Binks. After escaping some droids, the group saves Queen Amidala and transports her to Coruscant. Unfortunately, the starship has malfunctions, and the group is forced to land on Tatooine. Qui-Gon and Padmé, one of the queen’s handmaidens, meet Anakin Skywalker, and their fate of leaving the planet rests on the young boy’s shoulders.
Who are the characters in The Phantom Menace?
The three main protagonists in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace are Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Queen Amidala.
Qui-Gon is a Jedi master. He is a calming influence on Obi-Wan, and a great teacher. He is very well versed in all things Jedi, and a great friend of the council. Although a strong Jedi, he does not always agree with the ways of the council.
Obi-Wan is a young Padawan, strong in the force like his master. He is a more skilled swordsman than Qui-Gon, but he carries many of the characteristics that made his master such a strong Jedi.
Queen Amidala is the queen of Naboo. She is a strong leader whose heart lies with her people. She navigates the world of bureaucracy with ease but always feels more comfortable with her people.
The Phantom Menace Review
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is a movie I haven’t watched in a long time though I watched it a fair bit as a kid for whatever reason it’s been about 6 or 7 years since I last saw it. I have always personally preferred the story of the original trilogy and that group of characters though I may have let the public perception of The Phantom Menace influence my opinion. However, upon my re-watch of this film, I remembered why I enjoyed it in the first place.
To get the stuff I didn’t like out of the way, I was not a huge fan of the pacing in this film as it really started out slowly then picked up for like 20 minutes, and then had a slow middle until the pod race. The character of Jar Jar Binks has always been a hot topic amongst Star Wars fans and after this watch, I can say that he had some funny moments but there were also quite a few times he annoyed me and wasn’t very funny. The dialogue could also be a little stale and boring and while most of the time I didn’t think it was the actors’ fault there were a few odd line deliveries.
Now to discuss what I liked, I thought the characters themselves were all pretty good and I wanted to know more about them. As someone who was shown the films in release order ( started with the original trilogy and then the prequels) I really thought it was cool to see a younger Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Yoda. The whole purpose of these prequels was to tell the story of Anakin Skywalker ( played by Jake Loyd) and I liked kid Anakin for the most part.
Yes sometimes he could be a little bland and emotionless but otherwise, he felt like a kid. Obi-Wan ( Ewan Mcgregor) was definitely my favourite character in the film and I liked seeing his journey as a padawan. The story is only okay as I enjoyed the whole part of the Jedi being bodyguards but the whole political talk was not my favourite element. The action in this film is quite good and the lightsaber battle that is at the end is one of my favourites and has really cool fighting choreography.
All in all, this movie has some highs and lows but I definitely see it in a more positive light than before and am happy I saw it again and would recommend watching it with the other Star Wars films. So hop on Disney+ and head on over to a galaxy far far away.