Re-Watching the Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace hit theaters 20 years ago. Some people hate it and the whole prequel trilogy. I have heard it called the worst movie ever. I have seen worse.
Okay, maybe there is too much comic relief from Jar Jar Brinks. I guess he is one of the reasons people hate this movie. Stretches where he is not onscreen do seem a bit better than the ones with him. His screen time is reduced in the next two films.
I can’t be too harsh about the performance of Jake Lloyd. He was really young and some directors might not be good working with young actors. He was the only really young actor in the main cast, so that probably made his acting stand out.
Ewan McGregor is good as Obi-Won Kenobi. If he gets to return to the role someday, that could be nice. I like Liam Neeson as the older Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn. Maybe a lot of that is because he is Liam Neeson. Neeson and McGregor have some nice scenes together.
I heard someone once say that the prequels needed a Han Solo type. That might be true.
The Midi-chlorians appear for the first time. This idea, that there are microscopic lifeforms that indicate Force ability, has not been popular and I think the movies staring with the Force Awakens avoids mentioning Midi-chlorians. I don’t hate this concept but I see why some people do. It takes some mystical and mysterious and tries to give it a scientific explanation.
This is a flawed movie. I don’t hate it and I don’t love it either. It has been interesting to see some of the think pieces try to explain why the movie is better than its reputation.
Okay, maybe there is too much comic relief from Jar Jar Brinks. I guess he is one of the reasons people hate this movie. Stretches where he is not onscreen do seem a bit better than the ones with him. His screen time is reduced in the next two films.
I can’t be too harsh about the performance of Jake Lloyd. He was really young and some directors might not be good working with young actors. He was the only really young actor in the main cast, so that probably made his acting stand out.
Ewan McGregor is good as Obi-Won Kenobi. If he gets to return to the role someday, that could be nice. I like Liam Neeson as the older Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn. Maybe a lot of that is because he is Liam Neeson. Neeson and McGregor have some nice scenes together.
I heard someone once say that the prequels needed a Han Solo type. That might be true.
The Midi-chlorians appear for the first time. This idea, that there are microscopic lifeforms that indicate Force ability, has not been popular and I think the movies staring with the Force Awakens avoids mentioning Midi-chlorians. I don’t hate this concept but I see why some people do. It takes some mystical and mysterious and tries to give it a scientific explanation.
This is a flawed movie. I don’t hate it and I don’t love it either. It has been interesting to see some of the think pieces try to explain why the movie is better than its reputation.
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