In fact, to say that they were hyped would be the
understatement of the century. Details of the film were kept under heavy lock
and key, major news outlets covered every inch of the film leading up to its
unveiling, and films showing the prequel’s trailers had fans buy tickets solely
to see said trailers. Said fans also lined up for the premiere weeks in
advance. The film was already becoming a cultural explosion, and ever since
then, there’s never been anything like it.
Unfortunately, that’s not for all the right reasons.
Receiving a mixed critical reception at the time, the film was held under
extreme scrutiny by many die-hard fans of Star Wars, although there were just
as many that were forgiving of the film despite its objective faults. Its
reception has more or less improved as time goes on, so to kick off my
retrospective, let’s take a look at both the good, and the bad, in The Phantom
Menace.
Set over thirty years before the events of A New Hope, Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor, respectively) are sent to investigate a Trade Federation blockade around the peaceful planet of Naboo. When it becomes apparent that the federation intends to invade the planet, the knights and the planet’s queen (Natalie Portman) travel to appeal to the Republic senate. Along the way, they come across a young boy named Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who has an unusual connection with the Force, and also discover that they are hunted down by Darth Maul (Ray Park), a Sith lord bent on destroying them.
It’s a tricky task to be reviewing this movie, and to even
know where to begin. The Phantom Menace has been deconstructed and analyzed
from head to toe so many times that to talk about it proves fruitless. YouTube
producers of RedLetterMedia even made an hour long comedic video review
breaking the film down, which I highly recommend everyone watch. I’m perhaps a
bit more positive on the film, but still acknowledge there is much about it
that doesn’t hold up.
What was perhaps the most underwhelming element of the film
was its treatment of its characters and pre-established Star Wars lore. The
Phantom Menace is a peculiar case as it doesn’t have any definitive
protagonists, becoming more of an ensemble piece than any Star Wars film before
it. Gaining the most screentime of the cast are Neeson and McGregor, who I will
admit are quite engaging to watch as a well-matched double act. Qui-Gon doesn’t
have much of any real character, with Lucas perhaps having nothing on paper to
define him with other than the words wise and stern. However, through Neeson’s
performance, Qui-Gon becomes arguably one of the franchise’s most underrated
characters. Neeson plays the role with a tender fatherly presence, establishing
a reliably wise and no-nonsense internal command, but is also not without his
own vices of pure stubbornness to achieve specific goals. McGregor, despite the
fact that the following sequels would give him better material, does embody
what a young Alec Guinness would probably act like. The character hasn’t quite
evolved into the classic wise sage he’s known for, but does possess much of the
classy grace and knowledgeable sophistication of the older incarnation, as well
as the spry sense of humor.
The rest of them I could take or leave. As both Queen
Amidala and Padme, Natalie Portman is relentlessly monotonous and perhaps even
miscast, not that the screenplay gives her anything of value to work with. She
particularly highlights George Lucas’ weakness as a director; in that he can
get the most out of his visuals, but when it comes to performances, he isn’t
much of an actor’s director, meaning that they often come across as bored or
overcompensating. The latter of which is embodied by Jake Lloyd,
whose excitable Anakin doesn’t feel like the child that would eventually become
Darth Vader, and whose leaden delivery of the poor dialogue makes his
inexperience all too apparent. There are some scene stealers like Pernilla
August and Ian McDiarmid who actually give some conviction to their
performances, but these qualities are too few and far between.
The most infamous of all the characters comes in the form of
the notorious Jar Jar Binks, voiced and performed on set by Ahmed Best. Since
before the film was even released, this character has been the subject of
intense scrutiny for his pandering childish antics, cringe-inducing dialogue
and speaking patterns, his uselessness in the grand scheme of things, and
particularly for his racial insensitivity, with ears resembling Rastafarian-esque
dreadlocks and his character feeling like a bumbling stereotype. It truly says
something about how unpopular a character is that even Borat, a character
intentionally designed to offend and shock, was less controversial. That even
extends into a running theme with The Phantom Menace, in that it features
several notable racial stereotypes, with the winged junkyard dealer Watto
featuring Jewish undertones, and the figures of the Trade Federation fitted
with thick Middle-Eastern and Asian accents. Such a thing alienates much of the
audiences you wish to attract, and while I will say that the Jar Jar character
and the other stereotypes don’t irritate me as much as others, the poor way
that they are misused is inexcusable.
With that kind of weak slate, it’s Darth Maul who becomes
the unsung hero of the film. Given very little dialogue by Lucas, the character
often shows up stalking the Jedi taking the queen to the senate, and even
without much of a character being established on paper, is thoroughly intimidating
by the obvious torturous trials he’s been subjected to, and especially because
of his fear-inducing presence, as well as Ray Park’s fabulous way with his
trademark double-sided lightsaber. It’s just a shame that the film often
sidelines him for long stretches, and that the character’s tenure
in the prequels is cut short... pun intended.
Story-wise, Lucas doesn’t fare any better. Lucas’s script is
full of painful exposition and cheesy dialogue, and the delivery of said
dialogue is very hit or miss depending on the actor quoting them. Exchanges
like Anakin’s “Are You an Angel” speech as well as most anything that come out
of Jar Jar’s mouth are of specific note, and the examples of poor dialogue go
far beyond that. I could spend all day noting examples of it, but for brevity
purposes, I’ll just move on.
The actual layout that Lucas has established is something I
could see working under more competent hands fleshing out his concepts and
characterization, but all of it is wasted on very bare bones disinterest, and
the political angle of the film, with Lucas essentially subjecting us to
faux-CNN debates once we reach the planet Coruscant, overbear the adventure and
excitement that we should be feeling from a Star Wars movie. Lucas also has
trouble in continuing the spirituality nature of the Force, for In another
controversial decision, Lucas establishes that the Force works on microscopic
life-forms populating the air called Midi-Chlorians, which help Force sensitive
individuals understand the will and power of the Force. It seems like an
attempt by Lucas to retain the spirituality and philosophical nature of the
Force, but also needlessly tries to give it a feeling of scientific grounding.
Much of the writing has too much going on for him to handle, with the newly introduced Jedi
council – including Frank Oz reprising his role as Yoda – shoehorned in for
quick cameos sitting around and twiddling their thumbs, a short-lived conflict between the surface dwellers and undersea Gungans of Naboo, and the film never achieving a proper balance between the
grandiose and the small scale. By the time the climax begins, with the film
cross-cutting between four separate battles with four wildly different tones
(this was Battle of the Five Armies before Battle of the Five Armies), one
can’t help but feel exhausted by the sensory overload on display. I can only
imagine the hoops poor Ben Burtt had to jump through when he was piecing this
movie together.
Even Lucas’ visuals have hit or miss qualities.
Photographically, this doesn’t feel like a Star Wars movie in any way, shape,
or form. Because of the exposition heavy screenplay, DP David Tattersall (who’d
contributed sublime work to The Green Mile that same year) is forced to resort
to very basic and very flavorless framing and camera movements, often static
and lacking anything in energy. Also, despite Lucas’ otherwise seamless
integration of CGI, several sequences such as the battle between the gungans
and the droids of the Trade Federation look much too cartoonish and clean. Such
things prove a misguided turnaround from the masterclass practicality of A New
Hope, with the enamored Lucas going a bit too crazy with the digital tools at
his command.
However, let it not be understated that the effects artistry
of the film is superb. Despite his reliance on CGI, Lucas integrates most of it
with fabulous attention to detail, and it also helps that Lucas retains on-set
practicality and miniature effects for some added realism, making the
enhancements feel more natural. Even Jar Jar Binks, despite several shots
looking out of place, still feels natural thanks to Ahmed Best actually
interacting with cast members to give them something to react to.
These visuals are at their flashiest in the several epic
set-pieces, where Lucas seems to be at his most playful and high energy, such
as sequences like the pod-race midway through the film, which showcases plenty
of high-speed intensity, a genuinely good sense of humor, nail-biting stakes,
and some of Ben Burtt’s greatest sound work in the saga thus far. In fact, the
film actually becomes stronger ear candy than eye candy, with Burtt retooling
and reintegrating the iconic Star Wars sound effects while continually
expanding its library, but even better is the score by John Williams. Even if
Lucas lost his footing in the years between trilogies, Williams suffered no such
stumbles, continually developing and expanding his legendary collection of symphonies
with more experimentation and new majestic melodies, including the powerful
Duel of the Fates that drives Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan’s climactic confrontation
with Darth Maul.
Simply put, The Phantom Menace is a wildly misguided mess of
intentions. Lucas’ fascination with computer generated artistry comes at the
heavy expense of character and coherent storytelling, muddled in convoluted
politics and even directly contradicting the lore of Star Wars. That said, do I
think it’s as bad as it was built up to be?
Yes and no. The movie isn’t irredeemable, as Lucas’
technical proficiency is on useful display, and he manages to get some
genuinely fun set-pieces and solid performances on display, but wasting the
talent he had at his fingertips on storytelling this unbalanced and characters
that weak is criminal. The film is at least entertaining in areas, but it’s an
objectively, wildly uneven and mediocre movie, and oddly enough sees Lucas
becoming no different from the over-controlling studios that he hated for
years.
Then again, The Phantom Menace still has enough in its favor
that it can’t really be the worst the saga has to offer us. For more on that,
join me in the next review…
**1/2 / *****
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