Star Wars: The Phantom Menace [Episode I] (1999) Dir: George Lucas
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The prequel trilogy received a lot of distain and resentment from much of the Star Wars community, with some reason in fairness, with the vast majority of unhappiness being lobbied at this first film in particular.
Now, I agree with a lot of the criticisms given to this film, but the phrase "time makes the heart grow fonder" seems to apply very well here. As much as this film's issues are undeniable, I have to say, I enjoyed my rewatch of this far more than I expected.
The narrative is admittedly not the strongest, but it does just about enough to set up the rest of the trilogy, and it features some immensely cool moments all but the most stubborn of fans can genuinely enjoy.
The inevitable lights lightsaber battles are, as expected, the highlights of the film, especially the climactic "duel of the fates" - which is one of the best of any Star Wars film. The duel is also made exponentially better with the dramatic and incredible composition of John Williams. If there is one thing Star Wars never gets wrong, it's the score.
The CGI has also, for the most part, aged quite well, considering this film came out in 1999. The film's cast is also remarkably star-studded, with some of Hollywood's big hitters featuring.
Ewan McGregor stars as the iconic Obi-Wan Kenobi - this might be his worst performance as the much loved Jedi, however he does his best with the average-at-best writing. He also executes his lightsaber choreography pretty well, a trend that continues in his other outings in the trilogy.
Alongside him is another iconic actor in Liam Neeson - who gives the best performance of anyone, although I must admit that really isn't difficult. His stoic performance is perfect for his role of Qui-Gon Jinn.
A young Natalie Portman gets a pretty substantial role here, and, much like the others, does her best with the dialogue.
Did you ever hear the tragedy of Jake Lloyd? It's not a story George Lucas will tell you. His acting career and passion was unfortunately ruined after this film's release, but I honestly believe the negativity directed at him was largely unfair. His performance isn't amazing, but I wouldn't classify it as terrible either.
Ahmed Best had the unenviable job of trying to make Jar Jar Binks likable. The character's infamy should tell you everything you need to know about his performance. Honestly, there was no saving this character. He should never have existed in my view.
Ray Park plays one of my favourite characters in all of Star Wars, but also one of the most wasted in the entire saga; Darth Maul. I truly wish he had been used for more than he ultimately was, but the scenes he is in are each the best moments of this film.
Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels each return as the eternally popular and iconic R2-D2 and C-3PO, and bring their typical quirkiness and comedic timing to their characters.
I will also list off a number of supporting actors who I feel are worth mentioning briefly; Brian Blessed as Boss Nass, Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine, Lewis MacLeod as Sebulba, Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu and a young Keira Knightley as Sabé.
Overall, this film is not nearly as terrible as most people will tell you, I truly believe the reason it gets so much hate is that it could never reach the expectations of a die hard Star Wars fandom. That said, the film does not help itself at all.
Although, I still have a lot of sentimental love that lingers for this film - as well as a new appreciation for some of the positivity this film has.
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