
Image from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt000000120915/
Alright alright alriiiiight, let’s do this. Wow I haven’t written for nearly a month! When I first started this page, the aim was to do at least one of these a week. But then along came uni placement, which is still awesome! But the thing is when you’re not use to do doing full days of work 5 days a week, when you get home you just want to crash (or start watching every Studio Ghibli film…which is exactly what I’ve been doing). I’m not complaining about having to work hard, but my body still needs a lot of adjusting! So, with that comes a lack of motivation to write…but it’s a Sunday and I’m feeling recreational.
I don’t think that the Phantom Menace (1999) is a great film. Then again, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it “awful” either. I think that one of the reasons it gets such a bad rap is because of what it could and should have been, especially in light of what came before. George Lucas in the late 70s-early 80s dazzled audiences with the greatest Sci-Fi trilogy of all time. A classic adventure tale with unforgettable characters, story and cinematic moments that will never be forgotten. So, does the Phantom Menace live up to this? Well, not quite. But I’m here to judge it as a film in its own right. That said, if it has continuity errors or messes with the ethos of that which came before, then I think that’s a problem to note.
They say that time heals all wounds, and whilst the Phantom Menace has many from which it won’t recover, it is interesting to see on the internet that many have become more favourable to the prequels as a whole. Again, this could be because of time, as well as a combination of other things. One of the contributing factors would certainly be the clone wars series, which gave fans the things that they felt were missing in the prequel trilogy. Another reason would be because of a particularly significant portion of the fandom outright hating Disney’s sequel trilogy. The flaws in those films may have led people to appreciate what they overlooked in the prequels.
In any case, let’s start off by talking about what’s great in the film, because there’s plenty to enjoy! No way is the movie ‘unwatchable’. True, it’s boring at times (those flippin’ council meetings!), but if it was on T.V. I wouldn’t change the channel. First and foremost, it’s gotta be the memes…okay I won’t talk about the memes, because the memes helps us to enjoy what’s bad about the movie. There are genuinely great things in this film. First and foremost, Ewan McGregor is a spot-on choice for a young Obi Wan Kenobi. Granted he doesn’t really get much to do in this film…but he does lay the groundwork for who will become most people’s favourite character in the prequel trilogy. The main character of the film is his Jedi master Qui Gon Jinn played by Liam Neeson, who likewise does a fine job. And I’m very glad that Ian McDiarmid is back to reprise his role as Palpatine (who will become the Emperor), the overarching villain of the Star Wars saga. Without him, these three movies would fall apart because several of these villains (aside from Dooku and Maul) are, well…cartoonish to say the least.

Image from: https://www.starwars.com/news/poll-who-is-the-greater-jedi-qui-gon-jinn-or-obi-wan-kenobi
I was talking all things Star Wars with a friend of mine several months ago (he’ll know who he is if he’s reading), and he is someone who really appreciates this film. When I asked him why, one of his reasons was the world building that this film introduced. And when I think about it…he’s definitely right about that. Well I guess it’s more like galaxy building…because there are a lot of new worlds to explore in this film, and they’re gorgeous! From the palace of Theed, Naboo to the city world of Coruscant, there is some really gorgeous imagery to be found here. Imagination is strong with this one, with a hoard of new alien creatures. Some of these are great, some of them are…not so much (looking at you Gungans). I won’t be going down the whole Jar Jar Binks rabbit hole here, but I mostly blame the writing for it. But altogether, this film does a great job at expanding the Star Wars Universe in a way we haven’t seen before.
On top of this, we have two unforgettable sequences, namely the pod racing scene on Tatooine and the final lightsaber duel between Darth Maul, a frightening and worthy opponent to our two Jedi heroes. The music and choreography is stunning, but you already knew that! As good as it is however…I think Anakin and Obi Wan’s fight in Revenge of the Sith is more impressive. Then again, that duel is so gratuitously over the top (in a completely entertaining way), so perhaps people prefer this one for being more tied to realism? Still awesome.

Image from:https://starwarsblog.starwars.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/qui-gon-maul.jpg
Okay I’ve talked the good, let’s get on to the not so good. The story itself has great elements, but as a whole, it’s just not that captivating. It’s probably not why someone would sit down to watch it. You only have to read the opening title crawl for the yawns to set in. Taxation hooray! And honestly, I often seem to forget a lot of this movie’s plot and have to go back to remind myself! Part of the beauty of the original films was their simplicity. Their stories were great because they had clearly defined and simple goals that were easy to understand. This allowed story to be character driven, rather than plot driven, which is what the Phantom Menace is. Kids would have no idea what’s going on in half of this film, and I don’t blame them. It’s not all bad, and they’ll still enjoy it (I certainly did) but it’s a significant downgrade in the story department.
And what about the other villains? The Viceroy and his band? They’re just far too goofy to be taken seriously in my opinion. A lot of this I put down to their design; and also, the fact that they’re complete cowards. But I guess the cowardliness (and many other things) is what Palpatine is able to take advantage of.
Should they have started with Anakin Skywalker as a child? I’m not really sure to be honest. But one thing that this prequel trilogy messes up royally is their decision to keep Anakin and Obi Wan apart for the greater part of the runtime. And this is true of all three films. We don’t really get to see this great friendship that Obi Wan describes to Luke in A New Hope (1977). I mean, we see them be ‘friendly’ with each other, but the majority of their adventures are only talked about in episodes 2 and 3. In the Phantom Menace, they don’t really have much to do with each other. They do have a few scenes, but the emphasis is more on Anakin and Qui Gon, rather than Anakin and Obi Wan.
Funnily enough, whilst I think this is the weakest of the three films of the prequel trilogy, I think that one’s that follow have worse dialogue. Don’t get me wrong, there are some shocking lines in this film, but Attack of the Clones (2002)? *shudders in horror*. Revenge of the Sith (2005) is also guilty of this, but it has so much in it that works that I can somewhat overlook it.

As for the faith perspective, I don’t actually have a lot more to add regarding the Force than what I said in my original trilogy reviews. Be sure to check those out if you haven’t already, as I break down the Force from a Catholic perspective in each of the three films. There a few references that are worth noting, however. Bringing “balance to the Force” is perhaps the most common, as well as the prophecy of the “chosen one”. Many places and stories have “chosen one’s”. What is more, Scripture is full of people who are chosen by God, in both Old and New Testament.
For now, I want to focus on the Old Testament. God chose many individuals to be deliverers, prophets and kings. Many of these ‘chosen’ were in anticipation of the One who was promised: The Messiah. This is especially true of those figures such as King David. What is interesting to note however, is just how flawed they were. They would often to mighty deeds in the name of God but would also fall so far from grace. The Messiah on the other hand, Jesus Christ, fulfilled the promises made in the Old Testament, and was perfect. Through Him, the world is redeemed.
Now let’s look back at the Phantom Menace. The Jedi council speak of the prophecy of the “chosen one”, who would “bring balance to the Force”. Qui Gon believes Anakin Skywalker to be this very person. He is even born of a virgin, as his mother claims that “there was no father”. Despite this, I think that Anakin does not so much resemble the Messiah, but more of an Old Testament ‘chosen’ figure. The only parallels between him and the messiah is that of prophecy and virgin birth. But that’s where it stops, because whereas Christ was perfect, Anakin Skywalker takes a very very dark turn. And that’s where he most resembles many Old Testament figures, who started off promisingly but then fell. Nevertheless, he is able to redeem himself through the help of another, his son Luke Skywalker. That’s why I’d say Luke is much more like Christ. Although imperfect, Luke is able to bring about his father’s redemption; his father who came before him, similarly to Christ who redeems all including those who came before and prefigured him (provided they freely accept that redemption of course).
I wonder what the Jedi mean when they say, “bring balance to the Force?” in the prequel movies? Whilst I love Star Wars, I’m not a huge buff who knows the ins and outs of the lore. I have my guesses and my theories about what they might mean but find it a bit ambiguous. Perhaps someone can explain it to me. Do they mean a balance of the light and the dark? That’s what would strike me first but knowing the Jedi council that doesn’t seem right…they believe the Sith to be extinct, and want it to stay that way. If they do mean this, then obviously it’s not a particularly Christian idea, because in Christianity the ‘dark’ or ‘evil’ is not a thing in itself, but a lack of a good that ought to be there. There can never be a balance. *shoulder shrug*.

Lastly, I’ll say that because I saw the prequels at a young age, midi-chlorians don’t peeve me off as much as it would a lot of others who grew up with the originals. But I’m still sympathetic to the view that they tend to demystify the Force, and in the context of the saga, it weakens the film. What made the Force a really interesting concept in the beginning is the fact that it isn’t really ‘explained away’, other than a fact than it is an ‘energy field…that binds all living things”. Explaining how it works is a dicey decision, as it loses its ambiguity and makes the understanding narrower. For many it would really stunt the imagination.
All in all, it’s a decent film with great moments, but also strange story decisions that make it understandably disappointing to many. Still, it has improved with time, and may still in years to come.
Caveats
· Sci fi violence
· Some Gnostic influences
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