Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
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Star Wars: Episode I
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George Lucas has also been an innovator in the way he used the internet to promote the making of each of the Prequel Trilogy films, keeping fans up-to-date with the production of each film through "webisode" video featurettes. |
THE PHANTOM MENACE was the first film in the new trilogy and tells the story of how the young Anakin Skywalker came to the attention of the Jedi, setting the galaxy on a path that would lead to a dark rule under the oppressive Galactic Empire. The decision to tell a prequel story was one that was not without its challenges. Foremost, the audience views the film already understanding what the story’s climax will be. In this case, Darth Vader is redeemed to the light side of the Force and reverts to being Anakin Skywalker. Lucas, in deciding to make the prequels, made a choice, on behalf of his audience, the story of how Anakin became Vader was more important than any story that could be told about the events that unfolded after the overthrow of the Galactic Empire at the end of RETURN OF THE JEDI. The decision made, Lucas embarked upon a four-year journey from 1995 to 1999 to bring the story of Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side of the Force to fans of the original trilogy as well a new generation of movie-goers.
Lucas has, on occasion, stated that he was prepared to make new STAR WARS movies at the point in time when the technology was available to bring the “vision” of the prequel story to the big screen. On this point, Lucas can thank James Cameron for pushing the boundaries of technology-driven storytelling that required the development of computer-generated effects to enhance a scene in a film. In 1989 and 1991 respectively, THE ABYSS and TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY, both Cameron films, used computer-generated images to provide additional impact to the storytelling of the films. Industrial Light & Magic, the Lucas-owned special effects house, were pushed by Cameron to develop these CGI effects. TERMINATOR 2, in particular, was regarded as a game-changer and was acclaimed by both the film-making industry and movie-goers for the obvious advancement it achieved in the use of computer effects. From that time, the early 1990s, screenwriters began to expand the scope of their storytelling in the knowledge that special effects houses were capable of delivering what was described on the page. From 1991 to 1999, culminating with the release of THE PHANTOM MENACE, CGI transformed from an extraordinary achievement to commonplace, as ever-increasing computing capability allowed effects companies to replace hand-built models with digital wire-frame ones!
"Writing the script was much more enjoyable this time around because I wasn't constrained by anything. You can't write one of these movies without knowing how you're going to accomplish it. With CG at my disposal, I knew I could do whatever I wanted". |
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Once the screenplay was completed and Lucas had confidence the effects could be delivered, he commenced the casting process. The film’s three lead characters were Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn and Padme Amadala, along with a ten year old Anakin who would enter the story about a third of the way into the film. The most difficult role to cast, in terms of the audience’s understanding of the original trilogy, was Obi-Wan. Sir Alec Guiness had played the character in the original trilogy, so Lucas had to find an actor who bore some resemblance to Guiness, could affect a similar accent and could bring the contemplative, restrained presence of old Jedi Master to a younger version. The casting of Scottish actor Ewan McGregor was a master-stroke that elevated the movie’s acting talent to above-average. The production also announced that it had secured popular Irish actor Liam Neeson in the role of a Jedi Master. Neeson was not only popular; he also brought above-average acting capability and, in conjunction with McGregor, gave fans a sense of relief that THE PHANTOM MENACE was attracting such talent. Natalie Portman, who had shown great capability as a teenage actress in films like Luc Besson’s THE PROFESSIONAL, was cast in the role of Padme Amidala, the Queen of Naboo and future love interest for Anakin. Finally, Jake Lloyd was cast as Anakin Skywalker. The decision to make Anakin nine years old in THE PHANTOM MENACE was a key story-point for Lucas, who felt that his separation from his mother would have more of an impact on a younger boy than what he had initially written, which was for Anakin to be twelve years old.
The premise of the story was politically motivated, opening with a blockade of the planet Naboo by the Trade Federation, a faction of the Galactic Republic the audience quickly learn are working with a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious to manipulate events to bring down Supreme Chancellor Velorum. Arriving on board the Trade Federation flagship, Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi have been sent to negotiate a settlement to the blockade, but soon realise the odds are stacked against them as they are attacked without warning. They escape to the surface of Naboo and discover that the Trade Federation are in the middle of a full-scale invasion of the planet. They meet one of the planet’s native inhabitant – a Gungan – named Jar Jar Binks and he reluctantly helps the Jedi to escape the Trade Federation forces and then, eventually, to locate Princess Amadala and transport her to safety. Despite the presence of the much-maligned Jar Jar Binks, the first part of ‘The Phantom Menace’ exhibits a tone that is a cross between the original STAR WARS and RETURN OF THE JEDI. The first act is very similar to the original film where the story’s two heroes are on a mission to rescue a princess and must flee a far superior opponent before they are all killed! The ‘politicisation’ of the story was an interesting decision by Lucas. The film’s sub-title THE PHANTOM MENACE was a clear indication that there was more going on than meets-the-eye and that the story’s real antagonist was lurking in the background manipulating events much like the power-brokers in Machiavelli’s THE PRINCE.
Upon their escape from Naboo, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Padme, Jar Jar and R2-D2 are forced to make an emergency landing on the planet of Tatooine, a planet controlled by the over-sized slug creature mobsters known as the Hutts. Unfortunately, this section of the film slows the overall pace of the film. Anakin’s introduction is over-extended by the Pod Racer sequence that is supposed to show his natural skill as a pilot; a point that is necessary to appreciate during the film’s climax. Combined with the need to establish the strength of his relationship with his mother, there’s just too much going and the film begins buckle under the weight of its own storytelling scope. One such example of this heavy-handed exposition is the introduction of Midichlorians, a measurement of how strong the Force is within a particular individual. In order to justify the idea that Anakin has a special purpose, Qui-Gon tests Anakin’s blood and discovers an extraordinarily high Midichlorian count. Upon further discussion with his mother, it is revealed that Anakin was a “miraculous conception”. In this, the 1970s West Coast mysticism of The Force is transformed into the more traditional Christ-allegory, with Anakin being portrayed as “chosen one”, who may or may not be a galactic saviour. Not to put too fine a point upon it, but Jake Lloyd’s performance as Anakin Skywalker feels too much like a child of six or seven years of age, as opposed to one of nine going on ten. Given Anakin’s implied gifts, George Lucas allows Lloyd to get away with far too many child-like responses when he’s inter-acting with more senior members of the cast.
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The Tatooine sequence also sees the introduction of Darth Maul, a Sith Apprentice, who Darth Sidious sends to locate Princess Amadala. While a major drawcard of the film’s promotion, the Darth Maul character is superfluous to the story. Unlike Darth Vader in the original film, Maul has no motivation and acts purely on the basis of direction from Darth Sidious. While Jar Jar Binks has been the most maligned of ‘The Phantom Menace’ characters, Darth Maul, in reality, is the most redundant and, upon reflection, feels the most like a character created to maximise the film’s product licensing opportunities. His presence on Naboo for the film’s climax is a contrivance that allows Lucas to engineer an extended lightsabre duel that elevates the Jedi’s skills to unforeseen levels that transform them into martial arts experts capable of the most extreme physical feats making them almost superhuman!
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As the action moves to Coruscant, the film becomes more reminiscent of RETURN OF THE JEDI, as Lucas manoeuvres his plot into position for the end-run, obligatory space battle. The sequences on Coruscant are necessary, as they establish the political situation and reveal that the Princess and her people are being hung out-to-dry by the Galactic Senate and its powerbrokers. Anakin’s appearance before the Jedi Council is also an important set-up for the next two films, as younger, weirder-looking Yoda warns there are too many conflicts within young Skywalker for him to be allowed to join the Jedi Order. Unfortunately, both the immediate threat to Naboo and Anakin’s training as a Jedi are so plot-driven that a viewer becomes aware that they are being manipulated to acknowledge events that will happen in future films before they’ve even finished watching THE PHANTOM MENACE. The third Act of the film is extremely well executed, but the action does not feel as though it is happening organically. The character’s dialogue is forced and Lucas uses the actors to push the plot forward without giving them the opportunity to take time to emote or reflect upon their circumstance. Much harsher critics of ‘The Phantom Menace’ have levelled this claim at Lucas about the entire film, but it’s not entirely true. There are points throughout the film where both Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson are able to take what they’ve been given and make it feel better than what’s been written. Unfortunately, other interactions do not fare as well. The scenes between Natalie Portman and Jake Lloyd are poor and there’s an air of creepiness about them when put into the context of the prequel trilogy and the relationship that ultimately develops between their two characters.
THE PHANTOM MENACE is all about context. It has more to do with creating the circumstances for the events of the second and third films to unfold. That is why the film only partially succeeds when judged on its own merits. There are parts of the movie that don’t work. Jar Jar Binks, for example. There are parts that work in spite of themselves; such as Darth Maul. It’s hard to blame any particular part that makes it an underwhelming story; it’s a lot of small elements that don’t quite come together to form a whole that’s better than its parts.
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As a viewing experience, the film is a joy to watch. Lucas manages to create worlds that expand the visual mythology established in the original trilogy of movies. Given how much he was able to embellish the worlds of Naboo, Tatooine and Coruscant, he was right to wait for as long as he did before entertaining any follow-up stories to make sure the technology was available to bring his new vision to the screen. There are many who feel that the availability of the technology isn’t necessarily a good thing, as it can lead to reliance upon style over substance. THE PHANTOM MENACE could certainly be charged with that crime, but it would be disrespectful to all of the people who helped Lucas create the worlds shown in the film. The team at Industrial Light & Magic, once again, were instrumental in the developing this technology. Dennis Muren, John Knoll and Scott Squires each headed-up a team that was responsible for delivering the effects for a specific sequence of the film, along with teams that were charged with delivering miniature effects and character animation throughout the entire movie. Despite the scope of the effects work undertaken on ‘The Phantom Menace’, the movie lost out to THE MATRIX when it came to the Awards Season. If THE PHANTOM MENACE had come out in either 1998 or 2000, it would have – arguably – swept all the technical awards before it. However, The Wachowski’s film was so innovative and engaging that the new STAR WARS film and all of its accomplishments paled by comparison. As a measure of audience appreciation, the Internet Movie Database rating for THE PHANTOM MENACE is 6.6, while THE MATRIX is rated significantly higher at 8.7.
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So, is THE PHANTOM MENACE a good science fiction movie? If the examination of the human condition, by way of a future-crisis scenario, is the key criteria, then the answer is no. The film is burdened by the weight of the original trilogy’s mythology and the expectation to provide the context required to build the prequel trilogy to its climax with the fall of Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side of the Force. Really great science fiction weaves the intimate and the epic together to see how people react to both triumph and tragedy. George Lucas, while delivering an entertaining adventure yarn, with awesome special effects, does not allow enough intimacy or character development throughout THE PHANTOM MENACE. At best, it’s too plot-driven. At worst, it’s contrived and relies too much on its technical prowess to cover story many of the obvious story and character deficiencies.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - Production Images
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The CGI replacement Yoda that was added to The Phantom Menace when it was released on Blu-ray.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - Production Posters
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