Fun movie, but lacking in a few key areas

Rating: 5/10 (4 March 2009)

The Phantom Menace is an entertaining blockbuster, but not a classic. It is lacking in a few key areas that keep it from greatness.
I suppose it is a testament to the staleness of The Phantom Menace's plot that it's taking me a long time to remember it. Two representatives from the Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are on a mission to negotiate some sort of treaty with the Trade Federation who have blockaded the planet Naboo. The Trade Federation leaders are in league with Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), the evil Sith Lord, and they are ordered to eliminate the Jedi. Soon Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan discover the Trade Federation plans to invade Naboo and take the leader Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) hostage. They rush to the Queen's rescue, who has already figured out the Trade Federation's plans. They must defeat the Trade Federation's stupid droids first, which makes for some good fun. Along the way they meet Jar-Jar, the clumsy Gungan who joins them on their journey (more on him later). During their escape the Queen's ship is damaged and they are forced to make an emergency landing on Tattooine. While searching for spare parts Qui-Gon finds a nine year old slave named Anakin Skywalker, who is surprisingly gifted with the force. He has the highest midi-chlorian count ever recorded, little microbes that connect people to the force. By gambling on Anakin Skywalker in a podrace (a very entertaining sequence), Qui-Gon is able to free Anakin but not his mother; he simply lacked the funds. He joins the gang back to Coruscant where they mount a mission to free Naboo. While this story is fun and all, it doesn't compare to blowing up the Death Star.
I will start with the most common criticism of the movie: Jar-Jar. He is extremely annoying and he does not have any redeeming qualities. Jar-Jar remains one of the strangest characters in the Star Wars franchise. It is hard to believe people working on the film thought he would be a funny character. The final Gungan battle is a joke because of him and we just want the movie to get back to the lightsaber duel.
The concept of midi-chlorians is unpopular for good reason. The very thought of humans having a biological understanding of how people connect with the force takes away a lot of its mystery. The potential to become a powerful Jedi has nothing to do with who you are anymore. It's all biology. I prefer to ignore that part of the movie.
Jake Lloyd is not a particularly good child actor and his acting ranges from merely passable to pretty bad. I understand Lucas's reasoning for casting a child as Anakin. Seeing him as a young, innocent child arguably makes his transition more dramatic, and his fear of not seeing his mother again is somewhat more moving than it would be if he was a teenager. Unfortunately I think Lucas wasted some good opportunities with this decision. Anakin is sort of pushed to the side because of his age. He is the subject at hand but he is really just a tag along, because what can he do? They can't start the love story, although they hint that it will happen. Anakin and Obi-Wan can't really become friends because of the age difference. They sort of skip that step and just establish that they became friends in Episode II. Perhaps the worst impact this has is that it makes The Phantom Menace feel far too removed from the other two movies. It probably has the least replay value.
One of the better things about TPM is Liam Neeson, one of the best actors in the Star Wars series. Qui-Gon is very interesting, if a bit distant. The fact that he disagreed with the council made the Jedi order much more dynamic and seem less drone like. It is a shame he had to die, because he really carried this movie. His friendship with Obi-Wan was the best written relationship in the prequels. Yet despite these praises, the performances overall are still very wooden. The actors sound and act like their minds are elsewhere, which makes the movie boring even when they are surrounded by beautiful special effects. Natalie Portman gives one of the most uninspired performances in the series. The problem with the characters in the prequels is that they are not distinct enough. We just don't care enough about them.
Finally, we get to Darth Maul, who was the highlight of this movie. Maul was the perfect silent type villain. His final lightsaber duel was the best in the prequels and arguably in the whole series. We get to see the Jedi in their full blown glory with great sword choreography. He commands the screen in all of his scenes and is kept mysterious. I should also mention Darth Sidious. His role is small but he makes a strong impression. "Eliminate them. All of them." is a bone chilling line.
The Phantom Menace is the most lighthearted Star Wars movie and it has a very fun spirit, with some dark undertones. The Jedi know there is another danger lurking but they really do not know what is in store for them in the future. The Phantom Menace is a very appropriate title for the movie. Yet the plot and acting is so stale, and since Anakin Skywalker doesn't really do anything, it's my least favorite Star Wars movie.
Superman fans should keep an eye out for Terence Stamp (General Zod), who plays Chancellor Valorum.