Review: Star Wars I The Phantom Menace Isn't As Bad As You Think
- Dec 6, 2017
- 2 min read
Trade disputes? Congress? Taxation? The scrawl hasn't even finished and I'm already confused.
Turning back time to almost 40 years before Return Of The Jedi, The Phantom Menace puts a young Obi Wan (Ewan McGregor) and his master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) in a twisted mess of politics and wars. As the Trade Federation blockade the planet of Naboo, Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) seeks aid from The Republic and The Jedi Order. But a mysterious figure watches from the shadows as a dangerous game begins.
I'm not here to defend The Phantom Menace. It's not a good Star Wars movie, what it is is a decent political thriller in space with a few godawful characters, looking at you Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best). Seriously, his description reads, gratingly obnoxious. But aside that, Jake Lloyd's bad acting and some cheesy dialogue, I kind of enjoy it.
Neeson and McGregor are pretty much perfectly cast, the action is solidly entertaining and the plot, while often unfocused, is fairly interesting. But it isn't Star Wars. Star Wars is action it's adventure, it's not political asylum and negotiation. Phantom Menace lacks much of the fun of A New Hope, instead opting for some strange combination of that, and its own sense of "realism".
Ask anyone and they'll likely declare this movie to be the film equivalent of bin juice, but it really isn't. It's far from perfect, and there's plenty of crap to point the finger at but hey, Darth Maul is pretty cool, most of the effects hold up, the pod race is a lot of fun and I'll be damned if I don't openly declare my love for John William's phenomenal score. Give it a watch, just don't expect the Star Wars you know.
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