Review of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) by Ethan P — 18 Dec 2015

The Phantom Menace was overall a disappointment for me. The film has more of the intricate landscapes, fun action and exotic creatures of the first movies, but none of the depth. We are not introduced well to any of the characters, but simply dropped into a piece of action and expected to catch up. Also the tone of this film is almost entirely silly, boyish fun and sarcasm. It feels like it was geared for 8 year olds and has none of the grim, high-stakes tension that existed in the other movies. The plot is very loose in this story and has little drive. The attempt to save Naboo is mostly a lame one. None of it feels important or makes you want to care.

For a film that's supposed to shed light on the past, I felt left in the dark. The relationship between the Federation, the Senate and the Republic wasn't totally clear to me. Almost all of the characters are paper-thin action heroes that spurt dumb dialogue and don't get developed at all. Anakin is a know-it-all little brat who barely even needed to speak, but would never stop talking. We don't get any background on potentially intriguing characters like Darth Mal, Darth Sidious, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan. We are just supposed to assume their reputations and awesome power. Jar-Jar Binks and the rest of the eccentric aliens irritate me. The only two moments I appreciated were the thrilling pod race with its beautiful high speed chases, and the battle between Darth Mal and the two Jedi. But again, we barely even get a hint of why that's important.