# Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

### reviewed by
DeWyNGaLe

STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE by DeWyNGaLe (John Sylva) Rating: A+

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There is only one word in the English language that can describe my feelings right now. That word is "Woah!" Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, which is the most anticipated movie of the century, was released into theaters this week. Many early reviews have trashed The Phantom Menace, accusing it of not developing characters, and stating many other negative aspects of the film. How could you dare trash this amazing masterpiece? Many reviewers have reviewed the film in comparison to the other three Star Wars films that were released from 1977-1983, but not the actual film itself. Well, here's a review of the film itself, and I hope it's what you are looking for.

The Phantom Menace takes place a few decades before the events in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope occurred. In The Phantom Menace, we are introduced to two Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), who is a newcomer to the Star Wars series, and Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), who is depicted in Episodes IV, V, and VI by Sir Alec Guinness. The two Jedi are off to save the innocent planet of Naboo from the evil forces of the Trade Federation, which is threatening to take over the planet. Upon their arrival at Naboo, they come across a creature of the species "Gungan", named Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), who they have tag along for their adventures to serve as a guide to them. The two came to Naboo to hopefully rescue the 14-year old Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) from the planet before it is too late to save her life. Knowing that the Trade Federation isn't in existence on the remote planet of Tatooine (sound familiar from Episode IV?), they take her there to hide her, and on their journey, discover a young child named Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) who they believe has the force strong inside of him. Also discovered at Tatooine is a new Sith, Darth Maul, played by Ray Park. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan realize that he has Jedi training and could be a huge threat to themselves, as well as the worried Queen Amidala.

Above is a basic plot outline of The Phantom Menace, but there are many more details to each one of the plot, which all tie into Episodes IV, V, and VI. One of these major plots is the fact that Anakin Skywalker is actually a young Darth Vader, and if you have seen Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, you know so. The Phantom Menace ties in with Episodes IV, V, and VI in every way. It was amazing how George Lucas enabled everything to fit together so nicely, making it seem as if this film was released before the other three Episodes.

The acting in The Phantom Menace isn't what I would call the best acting in a movie ever, but it certainly added much content to the film. Liam Neeson and Natalie Portman in particular stood out from the cast, making every line that came out of their mouths believable and realistic. Ewan McGregor, who I think should have been used more in the film, turned out the best performance of his career in the time that he was present on screen. Many reviewers are also trashing Jake Lloyd's simple but effective performance as the young Anakin Skywalker. Remember folks, he is supposed to be nine years old, so most likely his acting performance will be very immature and childish. Considering Jake Lloyd was supposed to be playing a nine year old, he did a great job. Ahmed Best, who brilliantly voices the cute, realistic, and hysterical Jar Jar Binks, was sometimes hard to understand, but added much comic relief to the film.

Although I have stated some characters were underused, I am not saying it took away from the film at all. The point of Episode 1 was to build a bridge to the next two Episodes, and that it did. Sure, I would have loved to have seen Darth Maul for more than ten minutes, or some more of Samuel L. Jackson's character of Mace Windu, but nothing was taken away from the overall effect of the film.

Where do I even start about the marvelous special effects? I guess I will just put it plain and simple- The Phantom Menace contains the best special effects you will ever see in a film. The armies of battle droids, the ships flying through the air, and the amazing podrace sequence soar above any special effect that I have ever seen used in a film. Those who were wondering if The Phantom Menace would have better special effects than The Matrix have now had their questions answered. The special effects in the lightsaber battle scenes are extraordinary. The choreography during these sequences is much better and are much more exciting than the lightsaber battles in Episodes IV, V, and VI.

The use of sound in The Phantom Menace is overwhelming. I can certainly award The Phantom Menace with the loudest movie I have ever seen. Don't get me wrong, the sound is not loud and obnoxious, and it is loud when it should be loud, and quiet when it should be quiet. The sound of podracers and ships speeding through space were the most effective of the many different sound effects in the film.

Costume design and makeup both added quite a bit to the film as well. As you can probably tell, Queen Amidala makes up the majority of each one of these categories. Her outfits are so original, creative, and fun, it is amazing. Others, such as the eerie Darth Maul, or Senator Palpatine (later to become the dreaded Emperor Palpatine seen in Return of the Jedi), all of the outfits for each and every character are stunningly original.

What George Lucas has done with The Phantom Menace is simply genius. How many filmmakers would be willing to do a prequel to the biggest movie saga of all time with little known actors, sixteen years after the last one has been released? I can only think of one, and that would be George Lucas. The Phantom Menace is done with style, and I mean George Lucas style. It follows pretty much the same feel, despite what others say, that Episodes IV, V, and VI followed. Although comparing the film to others is not any part of my rating, The Phantom Menace soars above all three of the other Star Wars films. In almost every way, The Phantom Menace stood out. I would say it is most like 1983's Return of the Jedi, which used to be my favorite of the Star Wars bunch, but has now been replaced with this brilliant piece of work, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

The Bottom Line- Argue with me all you want to, but I think I just found the best movie of all time.

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