Part one of a great fantasy series

Rating: 10/10 (18 February 2006)

George Lucas' Star Wars is the fantasy movie series by which all others are judged. In Episode I, young Anakin Skywalker is discovered by Qui-Gon Jinn and events are set in motion that change the galaxy forever. Lucas combines science fiction elements with Campbellian mythological structure to form a unique creation. Lucas uses fantasy motifs such as numbers and imagery. The thematic representation of technology also plays an important role. The Phantom Menace is a solid beginning for the saga.
Numbers have always been important motif in fantasy. In the West, the key number has always been three (the Holy Trinity for example). In the East, the magic number is four. Lucas rewrites these rules and the number that keeps recurring in Star Wars is two. The Force has two sides, embodied by the Jedi and the Sith. The noble Jedi tend to work in groups of two: a master and a Padawan learner. A master is forbidden from having more than one apprentice at the same time. The evil Sith are similar in this regard: "Always two there are, no more, no less, a master and an apprentice." The importance of the number two is also evident in the planet of Naboo. The humans and amphibious gungans, though initially distrustful of each other, form a symbiont circle and are very much interdependent. This idea pays off when they join forces at the end of the movie.
Image patterns also play an important role in Star Wars. The Sith wear black cloaks and are also associated with the colors white and red. Darth Maul is an evil and menacing villain. His appearance (he is horned with red and black skin) is very much demonic in the Judeo-Christian tradition. In contrast, the Jedi and other heroes are associated with earth tones and naturalistic settings.
The Phantom Menace portrays technology as always fallible, often bad and never a match for the power of nature and humanity as embodied by the Force. The armies of the Trade Federation are mechanical and automated. They ravage the bucolic Naboo, plowing through forests and disturbing wildlife. The fallibility of technology emphasized in the heroes' difficulty in repairing their ship on Tatooine and in the final battle between the gungans and the droid army. The droids are mechanized and have a completely uniform movement. The gungans are less organized but more clever and resourceful. They are able to hold their own against the droids. The droids' control ship is eventually destroyed and they all shut down, unable to operate without central control. In addition, the droids are useless, throughout the movie, against the Force wielding Jedi.
The Phantom Menace may be the weakest of the Star Wars titles, but it is still a great film. It is a powerful illustration of both the potential of humanity and the danger inherent in the abuse of technology or of power in general. 10/10