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Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace had just finished. I was in the cinema, sitting there, gob-smacked. At that point, the only word I could think of to describe Episode 1 was, “Wow.”
In my opinion, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, is not just the best Star Wars movie, it’s one of the best movies ever.
I’d always been a fan of Star Wars, ever since I saw A New Hope, and I was looking forward to watching Episode 1, and seeing how it compared to the other three classics. Well, I wasn’t to be disappointed. Episode 1 far exceeded my expectations, and I was amazed at how good this movie was. I know many people will disagree with me, but I just can’t see why! I have this movie on video, and I’ve watched it a total of 15 times. That alone shows just how I feel about The Phantom Menace.
There are many, many reasons why I love this movie so much, and I’m going to explain them to you.
Let’s start with the backbone of any movie, the plot.
The Galactic Republic ruled much of the galaxy, and it was a time of peace. The galaxy was watched over by the Jedi Knights and Masters, and they rulers were the members of the Galactic Senate. The Galactic Senate is a government, where thousands of delegates, representing every planet in the galaxy, met regurlarly in the Senate Chambers on the central world of Coruscant. There they wrote the laws of the Republic and settled the disputes that sometimes arose between planets.
One problem that the Galactic Senate came across was the argument over the taxing trade routes. The Trade Federation (an organization of merchants so powerful that they had a representative in the Galactic Senate, just as if they were a planet,) wanted more control in the outlying star systems, and the outlying planets objected. After many meetings in the Senate, and lots of arguing between the Federation and the outlying planets, the Trade Federation lost patience, and took drastic action. They chose the small, beautiful planet of Naboo, and blockaded it, surrounding it with battleships so that no spaceships could land or take off from the planet. They had hoped that the 14-year-old Queen Of Naboo, Queen Amidala, would quickly agree to their demands. But the young Queen refused to give in.
Tension in the Senate grew worse and worse, and they decided to send 2 Jedi Ambassadors to deal with the situation, worried that the Federation’s actions might lead to open warfare. The Jedis that are sent are Qui-Gon-Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan-Kenobi.
As you can guess, the ‘talks’ did not work out, and it did lead to open warfare, with the Jedis in the middle of it. The Jedis side with Queen Amidala and Naboo, and the story goes on from there. I won’t tell you any more, as it will completely ruin one of the best plots I’ve ever seen in any movie!
You will meet lots of new characters in Episode 1. One of these is Qui-Gon-Jinn. He is an experienced Jedi, and he has accomplished so much that he will soon be a part of the Jedi Council (a group of 12 Jedi masters, who tell the Jedi what to do on their missions.) Q ui-Gon is very quiet and thoughtful, and has an extremely strong way with the Force. Liam Neeson does an excellent job playing Qui-Gon, and George Lucas made an excellent decision in him.
Queen Amidala is another new character. She is Queen Of Naboo, and at 14 she is very young for the job. But Amidala is very strong (and occasionally stubborn,) and she is willing to do anything for her people and her planet. She is accompanied everywhere by her maids, and one of them is Padme. Padme will play an important role in the movie later on. Amidala is portrayed brilliantly by the lovely Natalie Portman, and she has an excellent career in fron of her, judging by this performance.
The comedy of the movie has to be the floppy-eared, water-loving alien, Jar-Jar-Binks. The 2 Jedi meet Jar-Jar on their travels, and he stars throughout the movie. Many people thought Jar-Jar was annoying, but I am not one of them, as you can tell by the title!! I thought he was quite funny sometimes, with his stupid antics and his strange ‘accent’. But remember everyone, Jar-Jar was directed towards the kids, so he’s not going to be wonderfully funny for everyone.
You will also get to meet characters such as Senator Palpatine, who is Naboo’s representative in the Galactic Senate. Palpatine may seem like a nice character who is trying to help Amidala, but you will find out as the movie progresses, that he may not be who he claims to be. Also, I believe he is someone else in this movie as well, and I also think he’s been in the other 3 movies. I won’t tell you who I think he is, but I’ll let you guess.
Of course, there are some characters you will recognise from the previous 3 movies, but they are a lot younger. Obi-Wan-Kenobi is one of them. He is the apprentice of Qui-Gon-Jinn, and is very head-strong, and doesn’t always think before he acts. He is very different from his master, but has learnt everything from him. Obi-Wan is very brave and courageous, and is excellent with his Lightsabre. As you will already know, Obi-wan played a big part in Epside 4: A New Hope, as the man who introduced Luke Skywalker to the Force. Obi-Wan is played by Ewan McGregor, who also does an excellent job.
There is also the sweet, kind boy Anakin Skwalker, who the Jedis meet on Tattoine. Anakin is the slave of Watto the junk dealer, and lives with his mother in a tiny little house. He is VERY strong with the Force, and he is the only human who can drive a Pod-Racer (I’ll tell you more about Pod-Racing later.)
As you can guess, Anakin is the main villian from A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. Anakin Skywalker is also, Darth Vader. How a sweet little boy (although he can be very annoying,) like Anakin can turn into someone like Darth Vader, I do not know, but I expect we’ll find out in the next 2 Episodes. Jake Lloyd is Anakin Skywalker, and although he can be annoying, he does a good job. Although, I think George Lucas could’ve chosen someone a little better for the part.
So, you may be wondering who the villains are in this movie. Well, there are many, including the Trade Federation Battle and Destroyer Droids, the leaders of the Trade Federation (although these guys aren’t very scary, and aren’t really villains, just…annoying aliens who are against the Jedis,) and the ultimate villians: the 2 Sith Lords, Darth Maul and Darth Sidious.
Darth Sidious is a strange character, quiet and sinister. He tells Darth Maul what to do. Darth Maul is covered in red and black face paint, and has horns on the top of his head. He is drenched in the Dark Side, and has amazing skill with his double-sided red Lightsabre. Maul is one of the best characters in this movie, but he only says about 10 words, and doesn’t get enough on-screen time.
There are many more characters such as Captain Panaka, Mace Windu and the historic Yoda you will meet during this movie. Unfortunately, you don’t get to see Yoda and Mace much, but they are supposed to have a big part in Episode 2.
The special effects were ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!! All the explosions, battles, vehicles, and lasers were awesome, and it’s really the icing on the cake. The Phantom Menace surely has the best special effects in any movie ever, and I can see people having a very difficult time trying to beat it!!
So, overall this movie is spectacular. It combines everything a great movie needs, and mulitplies it by 10. This is why I think Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, is one of the greatest movies, EVER.
Thanks for reading, Ant.
In my opinion, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, is not just the best Star Wars movie, it’s one of the best movies ever.
I’d always been a fan of Star Wars, ever since I saw A New Hope, and I was looking forward to watching Episode 1, and seeing how it compared to the other three classics. Well, I wasn’t to be disappointed. Episode 1 far exceeded my expectations, and I was amazed at how good this movie was. I know many people will disagree with me, but I just can’t see why! I have this movie on video, and I’ve watched it a total of 15 times. That alone shows just how I feel about The Phantom Menace.
There are many, many reasons why I love this movie so much, and I’m going to explain them to you.
Let’s start with the backbone of any movie, the plot.
The Galactic Republic ruled much of the galaxy, and it was a time of peace. The galaxy was watched over by the Jedi Knights and Masters, and they rulers were the members of the Galactic Senate. The Galactic Senate is a government, where thousands of delegates, representing every planet in the galaxy, met regurlarly in the Senate Chambers on the central world of Coruscant. There they wrote the laws of the Republic and settled the disputes that sometimes arose between planets.
One problem that the Galactic Senate came across was the argument over the taxing trade routes. The Trade Federation (an organization of merchants so powerful that they had a representative in the Galactic Senate, just as if they were a planet,) wanted more control in the outlying star systems, and the outlying planets objected. After many meetings in the Senate, and lots of arguing between the Federation and the outlying planets, the Trade Federation lost patience, and took drastic action. They chose the small, beautiful planet of Naboo, and blockaded it, surrounding it with battleships so that no spaceships could land or take off from the planet. They had hoped that the 14-year-old Queen Of Naboo, Queen Amidala, would quickly agree to their demands. But the young Queen refused to give in.
Tension in the Senate grew worse and worse, and they decided to send 2 Jedi Ambassadors to deal with the situation, worried that the Federation’s actions might lead to open warfare. The Jedis that are sent are Qui-Gon-Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan-Kenobi.
As you can guess, the ‘talks’ did not work out, and it did lead to open warfare, with the Jedis in the middle of it. The Jedis side with Queen Amidala and Naboo, and the story goes on from there. I won’t tell you any more, as it will completely ruin one of the best plots I’ve ever seen in any movie!
You will meet lots of new characters in Episode 1. One of these is Qui-Gon-Jinn. He is an experienced Jedi, and he has accomplished so much that he will soon be a part of the Jedi Council (a group of 12 Jedi masters, who tell the Jedi what to do on their missions.) Q ui-Gon is very quiet and thoughtful, and has an extremely strong way with the Force. Liam Neeson does an excellent job playing Qui-Gon, and George Lucas made an excellent decision in him.
Queen Amidala is another new character. She is Queen Of Naboo, and at 14 she is very young for the job. But Amidala is very strong (and occasionally stubborn,) and she is willing to do anything for her people and her planet. She is accompanied everywhere by her maids, and one of them is Padme. Padme will play an important role in the movie later on. Amidala is portrayed brilliantly by the lovely Natalie Portman, and she has an excellent career in fron of her, judging by this performance.
The comedy of the movie has to be the floppy-eared, water-loving alien, Jar-Jar-Binks. The 2 Jedi meet Jar-Jar on their travels, and he stars throughout the movie. Many people thought Jar-Jar was annoying, but I am not one of them, as you can tell by the title!! I thought he was quite funny sometimes, with his stupid antics and his strange ‘accent’. But remember everyone, Jar-Jar was directed towards the kids, so he’s not going to be wonderfully funny for everyone.
You will also get to meet characters such as Senator Palpatine, who is Naboo’s representative in the Galactic Senate. Palpatine may seem like a nice character who is trying to help Amidala, but you will find out as the movie progresses, that he may not be who he claims to be. Also, I believe he is someone else in this movie as well, and I also think he’s been in the other 3 movies. I won’t tell you who I think he is, but I’ll let you guess.
Of course, there are some characters you will recognise from the previous 3 movies, but they are a lot younger. Obi-Wan-Kenobi is one of them. He is the apprentice of Qui-Gon-Jinn, and is very head-strong, and doesn’t always think before he acts. He is very different from his master, but has learnt everything from him. Obi-Wan is very brave and courageous, and is excellent with his Lightsabre. As you will already know, Obi-wan played a big part in Epside 4: A New Hope, as the man who introduced Luke Skywalker to the Force. Obi-Wan is played by Ewan McGregor, who also does an excellent job.
There is also the sweet, kind boy Anakin Skwalker, who the Jedis meet on Tattoine. Anakin is the slave of Watto the junk dealer, and lives with his mother in a tiny little house. He is VERY strong with the Force, and he is the only human who can drive a Pod-Racer (I’ll tell you more about Pod-Racing later.)
As you can guess, Anakin is the main villian from A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. Anakin Skywalker is also, Darth Vader. How a sweet little boy (although he can be very annoying,) like Anakin can turn into someone like Darth Vader, I do not know, but I expect we’ll find out in the next 2 Episodes. Jake Lloyd is Anakin Skywalker, and although he can be annoying, he does a good job. Although, I think George Lucas could’ve chosen someone a little better for the part.
So, you may be wondering who the villains are in this movie. Well, there are many, including the Trade Federation Battle and Destroyer Droids, the leaders of the Trade Federation (although these guys aren’t very scary, and aren’t really villains, just…annoying aliens who are against the Jedis,) and the ultimate villians: the 2 Sith Lords, Darth Maul and Darth Sidious.
Darth Sidious is a strange character, quiet and sinister. He tells Darth Maul what to do. Darth Maul is covered in red and black face paint, and has horns on the top of his head. He is drenched in the Dark Side, and has amazing skill with his double-sided red Lightsabre. Maul is one of the best characters in this movie, but he only says about 10 words, and doesn’t get enough on-screen time.
There are many more characters such as Captain Panaka, Mace Windu and the historic Yoda you will meet during this movie. Unfortunately, you don’t get to see Yoda and Mace much, but they are supposed to have a big part in Episode 2.
The special effects were ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!! All the explosions, battles, vehicles, and lasers were awesome, and it’s really the icing on the cake. The Phantom Menace surely has the best special effects in any movie ever, and I can see people having a very difficult time trying to beat it!!
So, overall this movie is spectacular. It combines everything a great movie needs, and mulitplies it by 10. This is why I think Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, is one of the greatest movies, EVER.
Thanks for reading, Ant.
Page:
Papa Santos wrote:
> I thought Lucas wasn't going to release any of the Star Wars films
> on DVD until the whole Prilogy had been completed; and then
> Lucasfilm would release a bumper six-disc box set of all six films,
> no doubt costing a bomb for all the unfortunate loving fans.
He probably realised he could release the films on DVD and then re-release them every Christmas, Each time with new Packaging and "Extra features". Then when the series was complete he could still offer a 6 DVD Box set and still charge a fortune.
Now I wonder where I got that idea from?
> I thought Lucas wasn't going to release any of the Star Wars films
> on DVD until the whole Prilogy had been completed; and then
> Lucasfilm would release a bumper six-disc box set of all six films,
> no doubt costing a bomb for all the unfortunate loving fans.
He probably realised he could release the films on DVD and then re-release them every Christmas, Each time with new Packaging and "Extra features". Then when the series was complete he could still offer a 6 DVD Box set and still charge a fortune.
Now I wonder where I got that idea from?
> The UK will actually get the DVD one day before those in the US.
> This is because they will get it on Tues 16th October.
Oh, I see. That's why ;)
Get back to talking about Partridge.
> This is because they will get it on Tues 16th October.
Oh, I see. That's why ;)
Get back to talking about Partridge.
Just incase anyone was wondering, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace will be released on DVD on 15th of October.
No price has yet been announced, but the added extras of this 2-Disc set have. (To whet your appetite, they will, including the film itself, add up to 480 minutes of pure Star Wars goodness).
The special features are as follows:
Audio commentary by Writer/Director George Lucas; Producer Rick McCallum; Co-Editor and Sound Designer Ben Burtt; Visual Effects Supervisors Scott Squires, John Knoll and Dennis Muren and Animation Supervisor Rob Coleman.
7 Deleted scenes with SP FX completed for the DVD release!
Hour long documentary entitled ‘The Beginning’
Multi angle storyboard to animatic to finished film feature
5 Behind-the-scenes featurettes that take a look at The Phantom Menace’s storyline, design, costumes, visual effects and fight scenes
Production, Advertising and Poster galleries
1999’s ‘Duel Of The Fates’ Music video
12 part web documentary series
Original Theatrical trailer and launch trailers
7 TV spots including the ‘tone poems’
And get this. The UK will actually get the DVD one day before those in the US. This is because they will get it on Tues 16th October.
No price has yet been announced, but the added extras of this 2-Disc set have. (To whet your appetite, they will, including the film itself, add up to 480 minutes of pure Star Wars goodness).
The special features are as follows:
Audio commentary by Writer/Director George Lucas; Producer Rick McCallum; Co-Editor and Sound Designer Ben Burtt; Visual Effects Supervisors Scott Squires, John Knoll and Dennis Muren and Animation Supervisor Rob Coleman.
7 Deleted scenes with SP FX completed for the DVD release!
Hour long documentary entitled ‘The Beginning’
Multi angle storyboard to animatic to finished film feature
5 Behind-the-scenes featurettes that take a look at The Phantom Menace’s storyline, design, costumes, visual effects and fight scenes
Production, Advertising and Poster galleries
1999’s ‘Duel Of The Fates’ Music video
12 part web documentary series
Original Theatrical trailer and launch trailers
7 TV spots including the ‘tone poems’
And get this. The UK will actually get the DVD one day before those in the US. This is because they will get it on Tues 16th October.
I thought Episode I was awesome and a great way to start the saga!! Cant wait till the II and III episodes - Im still quite baffled at how they will all link up with the originals though!!
Ant wrote:
> Mewtwo wrote:
> How OLD are you ANT obviously you grew up either
> too late to miss
> the magic of the Original Star Wars Trilogy
> or your more intrested
> in Special Effects and chilidsh
> charactors than in Classic Sci-Fi
> adventure.
No, I just
> prefered Episode 1-the lightsabre battles were brilliant!!
Also,
> I'm 13. A few years older than you, obviously.
{:)
Your age explains a lot. You were born in 88 or 89, Over a decade after the original Star Wars. I very much doubt Episode 1 will be remembered as a great film of the 1990's let alone the 20th centery.
> Mewtwo wrote:
> How OLD are you ANT obviously you grew up either
> too late to miss
> the magic of the Original Star Wars Trilogy
> or your more intrested
> in Special Effects and chilidsh
> charactors than in Classic Sci-Fi
> adventure.
No, I just
> prefered Episode 1-the lightsabre battles were brilliant!!
Also,
> I'm 13. A few years older than you, obviously.
{:)
Your age explains a lot. You were born in 88 or 89, Over a decade after the original Star Wars. I very much doubt Episode 1 will be remembered as a great film of the 1990's let alone the 20th centery.
Mewtwo wrote:
> How OLD are you ANT obviously you grew up either too late to miss
> the magic of the Original Star Wars Trilogy or your more intrested
> in Special Effects and chilidsh charactors than in Classic Sci-Fi
> adventure.
No, I just prefered Episode 1-the lightsabre battles were brilliant!!
Also, I'm 13. A few years older than you, obviously.
{:)
> How OLD are you ANT obviously you grew up either too late to miss
> the magic of the Original Star Wars Trilogy or your more intrested
> in Special Effects and chilidsh charactors than in Classic Sci-Fi
> adventure.
No, I just prefered Episode 1-the lightsabre battles were brilliant!!
Also, I'm 13. A few years older than you, obviously.
{:)
I agree with Mr. Grix.
I wanted so badly to like Ep 1 as much as the original trilogy, but it's just impossible with the amateurish-looking film Lucas has spouted out. I do still like the film, but my enjoyment only really comes from the couple of scenes which are worth watching: The Podrace, The lightsaber Battle, The Gungan War with the Federation robots, and the Space dogfight.
What ruins the film is the terrible stiffness of the characters (Neeson and a few others excluded). Queen Amidala is so wooden she's like a plank, and I could never accept Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan. I kept on thinking of him from his Trainspotting days and expecting him to suddenly shout, "Hey, Qui Gon! Choose Life, Choose a f*kin big lightsaber! Aie, but I chose not to choose life. I chose to ruin this film".
With respects to the plot, I couldn't have concocted something as crap as this if I'd tried. What's better: the gruelling War between the evil Empire who want to control the galaxy, and the small band of Rebels eager to liberate it, or: Some stupid company placing Trade Embargos on a little planet? It's Star Wars, not bloody Economics!
What annoys me the most is that this film didn't have to be bad. If Lucas had just let some other people help out, it could've been really good, and actually worthy of the legendary originals. As it is, the damage has already been done, and fans will now have to accept this mediocre instalment as the beginning of the great saga.
I wanted so badly to like Ep 1 as much as the original trilogy, but it's just impossible with the amateurish-looking film Lucas has spouted out. I do still like the film, but my enjoyment only really comes from the couple of scenes which are worth watching: The Podrace, The lightsaber Battle, The Gungan War with the Federation robots, and the Space dogfight.
What ruins the film is the terrible stiffness of the characters (Neeson and a few others excluded). Queen Amidala is so wooden she's like a plank, and I could never accept Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan. I kept on thinking of him from his Trainspotting days and expecting him to suddenly shout, "Hey, Qui Gon! Choose Life, Choose a f*kin big lightsaber! Aie, but I chose not to choose life. I chose to ruin this film".
With respects to the plot, I couldn't have concocted something as crap as this if I'd tried. What's better: the gruelling War between the evil Empire who want to control the galaxy, and the small band of Rebels eager to liberate it, or: Some stupid company placing Trade Embargos on a little planet? It's Star Wars, not bloody Economics!
What annoys me the most is that this film didn't have to be bad. If Lucas had just let some other people help out, it could've been really good, and actually worthy of the legendary originals. As it is, the damage has already been done, and fans will now have to accept this mediocre instalment as the beginning of the great saga.
At least Episode 2 won't have an annoying small blonde boy in it. If there's one thing directors should learn, it's small boys who say things like 'Yippee' in films should be hunted down and killed on the spot. Take The Mummy Returns (please!!!!!!!!), how that small blonde lad made it through to the end, God only knows.
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