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George Lucas seemed unprocurable after all three of the originalStar Warsmovies were met with widespread plaudit from both fans and critic and managed to put up the test of sentence as a 3 of endlessly rewatchable masterpieces . But then , he kick off the prequel trilogy withThe Phantom Menace , the first of many wildly polarizingStar Warsmovies .
The Phantom Menacereceived some of the worst reviews in the saga ’s history and irreparably divided the fan base . A few aspects of the film were rightly criticise , like the sluggish trade wind disputes , but there are mint of saving graces , like Darth Maul and the podracing successiveness .
It’s Not As Bad As People Say
Darth Maul Managed To Be As Iconic And Fearsome As Vader
Lucas ’ next installation of theStar Warssaga was burden with put back Darth Vader , one of the most iconic villains ever create , with an antagonist that was just as unforgettably forbidding . As proven by the sequel trilogy ’s baddie , Kylo Ren , that ’s a lot easier say than done .
Darth Maul , the demonic Sith Lord who takes on Qui - Gon and Obi - Wan inThe Phantom Menace , managed to reach the unacceptable . Maul is just as iconic and fearsomeas Vader ( and , thanks to expanded medium , he ’s just as surprisingly sympathetic , too ) .
The Podrace Is A Riveting Action Sequence
Just when the middle turn ofThe Phantom Menaceis starting to lull with Qui - Gon and co. hanging around the Skywalkers ’ cold Tatooine hometown a little too long , Lucas pull out one of theStar Warssaga ’s groovy set - pieces out of the udder : the Boonta Eve Classic .
Anakin takes part in the podrace to win his own freedom . This sequence is riddled with nail - pungent stress as Anakin ’s closest rival , Sebulba , show up to counteract his racer .
Qui-Gon Is The Saga’s Best One-Off Character
From Jango Fett to General Grievous to the Sarlacc , there are mass of iconicStar Warscharacters who only come along in one chapter of the Skywalkers ’ history . But , arguably , the saga ’s best one - movie character is Qui - Gon Jinn , the Jedi Master who initially discovers Anakin ’s immense Force sensitiveness and proclaims him to be the prophesized “ opt one . ”
view his naivety is responsible for the return of the Sith and the ruination of the beetleweed , Qui - Gon is astonishingly lovable . He ’s the Church Father figure that Anakin needed . When Qui - Gon is chance upon down by Maul in the heartbreaking finis , it paves the fashion for Palpatine to take his place and travel along the untested padawan ’s career “ with great involvement . ”
The “Duel Of The Fates” Is The Best Lightsaber Set-Piece
There are muckle of exalt lightsaber duel in theStar Warssaga , from Obi - Wan ’s volatile confrontation with Anakin inRevenge of the Sithto Luke ’s long - look , ill - fatten out showdown with Vader inThe Empire Strikes Back .
But arguably the most elating , visually stunning , and emotionally engaging of them all is the duel that set Anakin ’s dark fate inThe Phantom Menace , between Qui - Gon and Obi - Wan working in tandem ( and finally separated by a laser barrier ) and a fearless , relentless Darth Maul .
The Phantom Menace Is A Great Origin Story For Anakin
Jake Lloyd ’s cutesy portrait of an eight - year - sure-enough Anakin was criticized whenThe Phantom Menacehit theaters , but the immature doer did a wonderful job of subverting expectation and setting up the grapheme ’s inevitable shift into Darth Vader .
The boy who would be Vader is introduced as a naive yet imposing nestling in the mold of his alienated son , far polish off from the evil overlord he ’s destined to become . The Phantom Menace ’s origin storysets up the inevitability of Anakin ’s tragic fate as a poignant striking equipment .
It Is As Bad As People Say
Trade Disputes Drag The Movie Down
The Simpsons ’ spot - on parody ofThe Phantom Menacepinned down the biggest problem with the motion-picture show . The opening crawl ofCosmic Wars : The Gathering Shadow , theSimpsons - verse translation ofThe Phantom Menace , twit captivating storylines about “ ambiguous duty statutes , ” “ galactic exportation quota , ” and “ amendments to survive trade insurance policy . ”
Lucas had to set up the corrupt government operated by the would - be Emperor , but the political discourse over intergalactic swop earnestly drags downThe Phantom Menace(especially in comparison to the fast - paced , action - packed fairy - tale storytelling of the original trilogy ) .
Jar Jar Binks’ Comic Relief Is Cringeworthy
Ahmed Best brings his all tothe role of Jar Jar Binks , send wholeheartedly to every slapstick bit that Lucas discombobulate his elbow room , and vernal viewers love the character ’s comedic sensibility .
But older audience tend to watch over these scenes through their finger . Jar Jar ’s humor is crass and scatological by nature , which more seasoned viewers recognize as a trite , played - out risible area .
The Action Scenes Are Few And Far Between
There are a few standout action sequences inThe Phantom Menace – from the Boonta Eve Classic to the Duel of the Fates – but the action is too infrequent . When the movie does indulge in action , it ’s thrill ; it just does n’t do it often enough .
These set - patch can be enjoy on their own as YouTube clips , but they ’re baked into the meandering plot of a two - and - a - quarter - hour motion-picture show with long action - free segments .
Yet Another Death Star
Lucas employed yet another Death Star gadget inThe Phantom Menace . The whole final battle is n’t built around bombard a space station with the big businessman to wipe out a planet , but there is a section of Anakin fly a starfighter and using it to fuck up up the droid control ship .
It ’s not literally a Death Star , but it is a villainous space station that the gutsy , bright - eyed hero destroys . This was the third ( and still not the last ) Death Star to be bollix up up inthe last battle of aStar Warsmovie .
Overuse Of Primitive CG Effects
There was no way to guess how much CGI was too much CGI whenThe Phantom Menacewas made , because Lucas had to pioneer CGI technology just to be able to visualize the concept he ’d cooked up for the prequel story .
Now that CGI has steep the blockbuster landscape and that line has been drawn , The Phantom Menace ’s CGI seems excessive . The outcome are groundbreaking , but before Hollywood had quite picture out how much CGI was appropriate to use in a movie , Lucasfilm erred on the side of “ the more CGI , the respectable . ”
NEXT : Star Wars : The Phantom Menace — 10 Things That Still Hold Up Today
