Every Great Story Has A Starting Point

Rating: 9/10 (4 March 2013)

It's hard to review the Star Wars saga and not say things that haven't been said a thousand times already. However, I'm going to take a different approach when reviewing the series, reviewing them in their proper chronological order rather than the order they were originally released. As we review the series in episodic order, we'll start off with Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, the most critically malled, panned, torn apart entry in the series. Never before has there come a film that has been so hyped and so hated by many Star Wars fanatics, and still to this day, nearly 14 years since the film's original release, the film still gets a ton of crap poured upon it. When the film was released in 3-D a year ago, instead of being excited, many were moaning and groaning and resorting to a certain internet reviewer's 90 minute review of the film.
But what do I think about The Phantom Menace. To be perfectly honest, I like the movie, I like the movie a lot. We all have things we like and dislike, and The Phantom Menace is surely one of those things I like. The reason I like the movie so much is because it is the most light hearted of the saga, much like the first entry in the Harry Potter series. It has it's dark moments, but compared to the dark elements in the following installments, they're like a walk to the ice cream store with Ewoks. This film is mostly upbeat and starts off the story of one man, who at this point in the story is a little boy working as a slave on the planet Tatooine. His name is Anakin Skywalker, and although Jake Lloyd's not the best child actor I've ever seen, he's far from the worst. He's an open minded fellow, just like many of our youthful selves and when things go wrong, he just keeps pushing forward and looking on the bright side of things. He's like a lot of us when we are 9-10 years of age.
Little Anakin is discovered by a Jedi Master named Qui-Gon Jinn, a peasant clothed girl named Padme, a dim witted, yet jolly amphibian called Jar Jar Binks and a walking trash can droid called R2-D2. All of them are caught within the midst of a trading dispute, a dispute putting the lives of many people living on Padme's home world of Naboo in danger. While repairing their ship, Anakin is able to win a pod race as well as his freedom and Qui-Gon and his party take him with them to the planet of Coruscant so Padme's queen can speak about the dispute to the senate and Anakin can go to the Jedi Order to be trained as a jedi. Because Anakin is too old and unusually strong with the force, the Jedi council doesn't allow him to be trained, but the benevolent Qui-Gon vows to teach him anyway, believing him to be the Chosen One, the one destine to bring balance to the force. Anakin accompanies Qui-Gon and his party back to Naboo where Jar Jar leads his Gungan tribes against the droid army, Padme and her forces talk to the Trade Federation leaders about a treaty, Qui-Gon and his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi fight the evil Darth Maul, and Anakin is inadvertently hurled into the space fight just above Naboo. Qui-Gon is unfortunately killed by Darth Maul during the duel and Obi-Wan vows to teach Anakin, everyone celebrating the Trade Federation's demise as Anakin becomes Obi- Wan's padawan.
The plot is complex, but simple to understand after a few viewings. This is the film that had the biggest shoes to fill, and although it left a few spots unfilled (until Episodes 2 and 3 came along), it answered a very pivotal question that plagued people's minds since Episode 6 when Anakin's backstory was touched upon for the first time. How exactly did Anakin become Obi-Wan's apprentice? It also established the trouble that would eventually lead to the Clone Wars and in time, the Galactic Civil War as seen in Episodes 4-6. The scheming Senator Palpatine, portrayed in this film as a kindly man, is pulling the strings and quietly planning out the events that will eventually lead him to become Emperor. And Ian McDiarmond prevails triumphantly playing the young Palpatine, lean and handsome before becoming mangled and hideous.
Liam Neeson is also grand as Qui-Gon, a calm, collective and cool Jedi-Master who believes in the Living Force and that all creatures have a purpose. His apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, portrayed by Ewan Mcgregor, is the complete opposite, viewing many lifeforms as pathetic, although, as seen in Alec Guinness' take on Obi-Wan, his opinion would change overtime and this is what he teaches to Luke in the original trilogy. Padme, portrayed by Natalie Portman, is a pretty and sweet teenage girl, who's leadership skills make her stick out, which makes sense because it's revealed that she's the real queen. And Jar Jar, well, Jar Jar has his moments, but he's not the cinematic abomination he's often made out to be.
There are also many other famous actors seen throughout the film, such as Samuel L. Jackson, Keira Knightley, Ray Park, Frank Oz and Anthony Daniels. Can you believe that young Vader built C-3P0? Other than a few minor aspects like puppet Yoda (which would later be replaced by digital Yoda), The Phantom Menace is a pretty good popcorn film and a great first entry in the always unfolding Star Wars saga, fully displaying the mythology and philosophy at the very heart of the series. I believe the message George Lucas was trying to get out was that even the galaxy's greatest enemies start out as good beings, optimistic beings that would go down a tragic path. Anakin Skywalker's path would become more tragic as Episode 2 and 3 would unfold. More on that next time.