I know it's an old topic, but if anyone here is willing to help me out, I'm planning to write up a quick 'review' of sorts on "The Phantom Menace" and why I didn't like it (to send to a 'friend'). I'm doing this all on fuzzy memories from 1999 (or whenever it was released in theaters)... I don't want to watch the movie again.
I'm confident that my memory will be enough, but just in case- I was hoping some of you could help me out. Toss some of your own comments my way. Talk about the things you hated most. Don't worry, my intent isn't to plagerize you. In fact it won't ever be 'published' anywhere anyway.
This is just going to be a friendly flame war between two faceless online personalities. :)
The only thing I hated about this movie was Jake Lloyd's acting....which is probably why we've never seen him in anything since.
Other than that I thought "Phantom Menace" totally rocked!
I liked Phantom Menace. The only thing I didn't like between the two was that I can't believe that Anakin was left so unguarded in his development. I thought the Jedi Council looked fairly incompatent in handling the growth and development of someone with so much potential (and potentially negative) power.
Other than that, I've liked them so far.
I recall being the same age as my son is now, when I first saw Star Wars. My son has abuot the same reaction to PM as I had to SW so I'll give Lucas credit for doing something well.
What I recall most fondly from the first was a lot of the 'quotable dialog'..."Lock the doors...and hope they don't have blasters..." "She's rich" "No reward is worth this" "I am not the committee!". I sorta missed that in the prequels, until I realized a lot of that stuff was there, "..the negotiations *were* short" and some of the banter between Obiwan and Anakin early in AofC, but...it was deliverd fairly subtely by the actors and there was a lot more action going on around so it was not as obvious, but it was there if you pay attention
But..I've liked the first two prequels
Really??? That's surprising.
It always sounds bizarre to me when people support this movie. :)
The only thing I hated about this movie was Jake Lloyd's acting....which is probably why we've never seen him in anything since.
Actually, the actor who played Anakon in AotC made a good point about people getting on Jake Llyod; that being as an actor the kid was only 7 or 8 or something so..give him a break :) Personally, I didn't mind him that much.
Post Edited (06-23-04 16:22)
I liked the portrayal of the Republic in the movie, and it showed insights into Jedi life and culture that were interesting, if not what I had imagined (the whole raised from babyhood bit for example).
I did not like the Walt Disney elements of a supernaturally-competent preteen and the goofy sidekick, (I know it is redeundant to knock Jar Jar, and don't want to set off a stream of Jar Jar hate posts). Using Anakin as a catalyst seemed OK. Having him successfuly fly a fighter craft stretched the bounds of belief.
So I gave the whole thing a C+, if I pretended it had nothing to do with Star Wars, just an expensively made kiddie film.
-Ed
Like everyone else, I was annoyed by Lucas' pandering to the pre-teen demographic. Jar-Jar was simply irritating, for obvious reasons. "Midichlorians" = 'nuff said. Jake Lloyd is inexperienced as an actor, yes, but Anakin was poorly written. We didn't see so much as a hint of internal conflict; he was a moon-faced little kid, and his significant role in destroying the Trade Federation's flagship was stretching it a bit. Haley Joel Osment could have played the part more effectively. There were other, smaller instances, such as the two-headed announcer at the podrace, but yes, the kiddie kontent was bothersome.
Natalie Portman was also annoying. This may be due to the fact that she doesn't think girls can enjoy Star Wars and had never watched any of the previous films for that reason, which seems to indicate she's not inclined to put much care or finesse into the role - not to mention the fact that Amidala is not the most interesting character around. The racism was sort of uncomfortable (Watto = Jewish, in the second film he even had a wide-brimmed black hat; the Gungans = Jamaican/Italian; the Trade Federation Viceroys = French/Chinese), but that's a whole different subject.
On the other hand, I enjoyed most of Attack of the Clones. It wasn't incredible, but the last hour or so was entertaining, and the rest was passable - more so than Phantom Menace. The Jedi Council's incompetence was interesting, and I think intentional. We finally see some connection between the old films and the new. Hopefully Episode III will see Lucas more confident after the twenty-year hiatus from screenwriting that handicapped him with Phantom Menace.
I'm a star wars mega fan ( I'm a stormtrooper in the 501st legion. Represent) I enjoy everything starwars and I try not to be too picky about the movies. Too many people bash the prequels to bantha fodder, they really weren't THAT bad, you're just comparing them to movies that have had 20 years to gain the magic that they have. I always compare Jar Jar's silly humor to that of C-3PO in ANH, and I compare Hayden Christiansan's bad acting to Mark Hamill's. Ep.III has an extreme potential to rock.
ONE MEGA COMPLAINT with prequels, and really it's my only one.
TOO MUCH COMPUTER ANIMATION!!!!
I think alot of the imanginative force behind the original trilogy is the costumes and aliens etc.
I really like the way people forget that Luke was a whiny ass little punk when Obi-Wan got hold of him. In fact he remained just as annoying through the Empire Strikes Back.
People are always knocking Lucas, but I admire the guy. His movies and the accompanying merchandise have made him enough money that he can do what no other producer-director can do. Make his own damned movies the way he wants with no interference from anyone. It is his story and he can make it the way he wants.
If you don't like it , don't watch.
I think the biggest problem for Phantom Menace was the build up. When the original Star Wars came out, there was no frame of reference, so we were all suitably wowed. Now, after a successful trilogy, we're all expecting something as wowing. It's basically impossible to recreate that.
That said, the acting of Anikin in Phantom Menace was far better than the Anikin in Attack of the Clones. I still haven't been able to finish that movie.
Oh, and Jar-Jar sucks, but then so do the Ewoks.
the CGI destroyed it not that it was anything good to begin with
trek_geezer: "I really like the way people forget that Luke was a whiny ass little punk when Obi-Wan got hold of him. In fact he remained just as annoying through the Empire Strikes Back."
Luke was annoying because his character was written to be annoying. Baby Annie from Phantom Menace was annoying because he was a horrible actor and made George's dry dialog even drier.
trek_geezer: "People are always knocking Lucas, but I admire the guy."
I admire the Star Wars universe. I liked the original movies. And I even like some of the spin-off projects that other people have created. And I understand that George is to thank for all of it. But I don't admire the man at all, not with his sleazy money grubbing "I need all the cash I can carry and then some" tactics. I'm sure I don't have to list any examples of those. We all know how George can be. It's pathetic.
trek_geezer: "His movies and the accompanying merchandise have made him enough money that he can do what no other producer-director can do. Make his own damned movies the way he wants with no interference from anyone. It is his story and he can make it the way he wants."
Granted, he can (and should be able to) make his movies any way he wants . But since I've put some of my hard earned money into George's pockets I'm at least entitled to give my opinion of his work. As is everyone else who likes or dislikes it, also.
trek_geezer: "If you don't like it , don't watch."
That's not so easy to say about a movie- at least not Phantom Menace, anyway. I went into the theater expecting to like it. I was very disappointed. I decided to give George's prequels a second chance by renting Attack of the Clones. I didn't like that movie either. So now I will take your advice and decline from seeing the third installment.
...BTW, trek_geezer, I didn't really mean to single you out and attack your entire post. It was just the one that I felt I could respond to the best. No hard feelings, right? This is all just my opinion. :)
I only thought that Jar-Jar and the whole queen and Annie thing sucked. The space battle was okay. The settings were nice, but the real treat was the lightsaber duels. That's probably why the second one sucked more because the tense Jedi battles weren't there.
Alright, we all know Jar-Jar sucked. He's easy to rip apart, so I won't even bother to get into annoying Jar-Jar specifics.
What I don't understand, though, is how someone can say "Jar-Jar was terrible, but the rest of Phantom Menace was okay." Jar-Jar was such a huge portion of Phantom Menace that he can't be overlooked that easily.
Take away Jar-Jar and you take away more than half the movie.
Were the Jar-Jar-less parts of Phantom Menace good enough to overshadow Jar-Jar completely? Or better yet, would they have been able to stand alone if Jar-Jar wasn't a part of the story at all?
I love the LOTR trilogy. But I wouldn't if J.R.R. Tolken put a fluffy, cuddly, walking, talking pink teddybear type character into at least 50% of his story.
I enjoyed Spielberg's Minority Report. But I wouldn't have if Spielberg cast a soft, squishy, giant purple dinosaur as Tom Cruise's Pre-Crime assistant.
Ain't a problem, that 's why we post things, to get a reaction. I know the prequels aren't what was expected, but I think more of the blame lies with the fact that the original trilogy was just that, original for it's time. We're so used to the FX and stuff now it's hard to WoW people anymore.
As far as the characters, I think George should have been smart enough to hire some good directing talent. Everything written about him says that he is not an actors director. Which may be one reason little Jake Lloyd didn't come across so well. Wasn't The Empire Strikes Back way better than Star Wars? Georgie didn't direct it .
I will be seeing the next one, because it does look pretty kick ass from what I've seen.
My disappointment with the prequels was that the focus had changed from the originals. Star Wars, due in large part to its more limited budget, was very much a character-driven movie. It built the characters and relationships between Luke, Obi Wan, Han, Leia, Chewy, and the droids. We get a sense of mystery about the background of Obi Wan that allows him to be a good mystic guide for Luke. Luke is too naive to really make it on his own, so he needs a worldly-wise friend (enter Han Solo). This type of pattern of character-driven storyline continues throughout the original Star Wars. The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi muddy that pattern a bit, but by then we already know the characters and their relationships with each other. Instead, we get to learn about the Force through a new mystic guide, Yoda, who has his own mysterious background.
Then come the prequels. Since Lucas assumes we all know the characters and their futures, he instead focuses on action and wacky hijinx. I don't have a problem with CGI except when it is obvious and detracts from the story. Jar Jar was obviously not there in several scenes. The race in the beginning does establish Anakin as a good flier, but seems to conflict with Episode IV - why has this race never come to the attention of Luke, who is relegated to chasing Wamp rats through Beggar's Canyon (I think that was the name). I realize the prequel was made later, but if the stories are all to fit together, the original trilogy and its stories have to be considered. The prequels are no longer about building anything; they are about special effects and inside jokes since the audience already knows the eventual outcome.
Sorry for the extra long post; I was a pretty major Star Wars geek (saw the first movie in the theater over twenty times, including twice where I sat through it four times in a row--you could do that back in the olden days). I was disappointed in the shift to action movie from character movie. Also, I'm an English teacher, so essay writing is kind of a natural for me. . .
mmmmmmmmmmm.....Natalie Portman
eh oh excuse me. I actually liked both prequels as well. Unfortunately they weren't nearly as good as the CLONE WARS cartoons. Those ROCKED!!!
Well put Derf.
I like The Phantom Menace, however I did have two problems with it. I was going to make you think I was referring to Jar-Jar and then mention Jake Lloyd, but it seems kind of pointless now. I HATED Lloyd. Watching the movie, I got the impression that he felt he was the ***STAR*** of the entire movie. Later I read some comments from someone who attended some publicity event with him (I forget who it was, I think it was an actress) and they said there was barely enough room in the place for Lloyd and his ego.
The other thing I didn't like about PM was that Annakin was the one who built C3PO. Supposedly he was builting him to help his mother on the farm, but he's not exactly designed for menial chores, he's always said that his main function is as a translator. Besides, did Annakin buy a kit or something? 3PO looks exactly like other droids. I half expected two of the kids looking at his racer to be named Han and Lando. I also thought the idea of him building his own pod racer in secret was stupid. Yeah, I can just picture Lloyd dragging these giant 8 foot long turbines through the center of town and nobody notices. Also, if Obi-Wan spent so much time with C3PO and R2D2, why doesn't he recognize then in Star Wars? Of course it's because that movie was filmed first, but considering that, maybe they shouldn't have had him spend so much time around them in the prequels.
>Actually, the actor who played Anakon in AotC made a good point about people
>getting on Jake Llyod; that being as an actor the kid was only 7 or 8 or
>something so..give him a break
There have been many actors even younger than Lloyd who managed to deliver their lines without sounding like they had a swelled head.
>why has this race never come to the attention of Luke, who is relegated to
>chasing Wamp rats through Beggar's Canyon
Maybe something happened and they discontinued the race, or maybe they banned humans from competing.
>Unfortunately they weren't nearly as good as the CLONE WARS cartoons.
>Those ROCKED!!!
According to the latest issue of Starlog, they're going to be making more of those, and somewhat longer (I think 10 minutes each, don't have it handy).