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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:
Ooh... Deja Vu.
Episode one sucks, big time. It's as if George Lucas wrote it, and then forgot to read through it again.
I'm not talking about mistakes in the script, but the fact that the story never really rolls, like Empire, Hope or Jedi did... well not so much Jedi, but Hope and Empire are both great examples of superb story telling, when the stories don't have to be that complex.
To people that say: "Well, it's the first in the series... it's bound to be hard to write..." I say: "When you watched A New Hope, did you get irritated?"
Yes, A New Hope, start of the "old" trilogy, introduced characters, set scenes, and made the thing very fun to watch...
Now in the new trilogy, at least so far, we have paper cut out characters, with no offense to the actors, because they did all they could with it... but there was no emotion in the script. Awful.
He can't direct either... personally, I think George Lucas needs a slap. He might go home then, and think about what he's done.
The FIRST Star Wars film! The beginning of a legacy!
RUINED!
Stupid George.
And that bloody Jar Jar too.
Actually... the more you watch it, the easier it gets to not want to run for the doors, saddle up, and go hunting Lucas. He'll always be irritating though... unless your mental age is a tad low.
Music? Pah! Good piece of music is at the end, with the Duel of the Fates really coming into use for the FIRST bloody time in the whole of the film... apart from that it's the plain old Star Wars themes... Not saying they aren't good to listen to, but they are different for every film, and Ep 1 wasn't good enough.
Then there was the unbelievable hype as well... Lucas, if you want to know how to make a good prequel, watch The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. I can't see millions of obvious lead ons to the sequels in that... and there shouldn't be any in your sodding films either. I watch films because I want to be surprised, shocked and entertained... leave the "I'll be watching your progress very closely young Skywalker" to the pathetic low life American scum, who jack off to the theme tune... and go and write a sodding story!
In tribute to Lucas, I'm not going to go back and read this post through.
Episode one sucks, big time. It's as if George Lucas wrote it, and then forgot to read through it again.
I'm not talking about mistakes in the script, but the fact that the story never really rolls, like Empire, Hope or Jedi did... well not so much Jedi, but Hope and Empire are both great examples of superb story telling, when the stories don't have to be that complex.
To people that say: "Well, it's the first in the series... it's bound to be hard to write..." I say: "When you watched A New Hope, did you get irritated?"
Yes, A New Hope, start of the "old" trilogy, introduced characters, set scenes, and made the thing very fun to watch...
Now in the new trilogy, at least so far, we have paper cut out characters, with no offense to the actors, because they did all they could with it... but there was no emotion in the script. Awful.
He can't direct either... personally, I think George Lucas needs a slap. He might go home then, and think about what he's done.
The FIRST Star Wars film! The beginning of a legacy!
RUINED!
Stupid George.
And that bloody Jar Jar too.
Actually... the more you watch it, the easier it gets to not want to run for the doors, saddle up, and go hunting Lucas. He'll always be irritating though... unless your mental age is a tad low.
Music? Pah! Good piece of music is at the end, with the Duel of the Fates really coming into use for the FIRST bloody time in the whole of the film... apart from that it's the plain old Star Wars themes... Not saying they aren't good to listen to, but they are different for every film, and Ep 1 wasn't good enough.
Then there was the unbelievable hype as well... Lucas, if you want to know how to make a good prequel, watch The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. I can't see millions of obvious lead ons to the sequels in that... and there shouldn't be any in your sodding films either. I watch films because I want to be surprised, shocked and entertained... leave the "I'll be watching your progress very closely young Skywalker" to the pathetic low life American scum, who jack off to the theme tune... and go and write a sodding story!
In tribute to Lucas, I'm not going to go back and read this post through.
Star Wars Episode 1 was good but I'm more interested in how it will link up to Episode 3.
Haven't you already posted this before? Still, I don't think Ep1 is a patch on the first one. In fact, I'd go as far as saying it's not very good. Each to his own, I s'pose.
Best film ever? I have to disagree. Star Wars Episode 1 was a good film but I think it was no where as good as the earlier Star Wars films. Darth Maul was just not a good a bad guy as Darth Vader. The pod racing was fast and furious but I felt it could have been better.
However it did spawn the famous quote "Fear lead to anger, anger to hate, hate leads to suffering" and of course suffering did occur when Final Fantasy ripped off the quote for it's own private use. :D
However it did spawn the famous quote "Fear lead to anger, anger to hate, hate leads to suffering" and of course suffering did occur when Final Fantasy ripped off the quote for it's own private use. :D
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.
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