Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

I can just about remember the day, and the excitement, of gong to see Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace back in 1999. This was the first Star Wars film I saw in cinemas and I loved it! The younger me couldn't get enough of the thrilling lightsabers fights, the pod-racing and even Jar Jar Binks. Then there was Attack of the Clones in 2002 and Revenge of the Sith in 2005 which I also enjoyed but gradually came to the realisation that these films weren't all that for those who grew-up with the original trilogy. 

George Lucas had shown he can create stunning visuals and setup a story but when it came to dialogue and characters, there was something missing for these fans, particularly with The Phantom Menace (TPM), which the originals did succeeded with. Some years on since I rewatched any of these, now seemed like a good opportunity to see how they held up and time had been kind to a trilogy that had seen so much criticism...

Pitched as the prequel trilogy that would tell the story of how Darth Vader went from a good Jedi to an evil masked lord, TPM instead focuses on a young Obi Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Qui Gon Jin (Liam Neeson) as they essentially discover the Sith have returned and try to help bring peace to the galaxy. This is all in a time when the Jedi had their own fancy temple and a council led by Yoda, before he was reduced to living in a swamp. Along the way they meet a very young Anakin Skywalker who they believe could be 'the chosen one' and while the film hints that something bad might come of this, it's all too brief and any sense of foreshadowing is glossed over. 

I can't lie; this film is far from perfect and there is a lot wrong with this. The dialogue is wooden, Lucas' staging and camera work feels stale, and the way the story handles Anakin as a young, "whipee" kid betrays the sense of suspense we should have as he's introduced to Yoda for the first time. I'm not saying he should have been an angsty emo but rewatching this had me cringing more than a few times. Then there's the infamous trade negotiation aspect of the story which I'll say could have been interesting if it was handled correctly but the script is flat and is never more apparent than in these scenes that occupy most of the second act.

But it's not all bad and there were plenty of moments I was still able to enjoy. The casting of Neeson as a wise Jedi master was a brilliant decision, Darth Maul is underused but makes for an excellent and striking villain, and that pod-racing scene is certainly one of the franchise's highlights. McGregor, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid and Samuel L. Jackson all do their best with a clunky script but thankfully the decision to cast them pays off later in the series. 

However, it is a shame that the first film of the prequels got off to such a rough start. It has its moments, particularly in the third act when things do get exciting, but this needed someone else in the director's seat I'm sorry to say. The great Irvin Kershner took the series to new heights with Empire Strikes Back and I feel the people around Lucas were unable to say no to him which leaves us with a film that's bursting with ideas but just can't seem to get the pieces together for a more enjoyable experience,