Review of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) by Victor T — 16 Dec 2015

Normally I write a synopsis but with this film I have no idea what was the ultimate plot due to the oversaturating amount of subplots.

Reviewing the prequel trilogy is a demanding task as one could easily rant about its problems and story inconsistencies (which is what most people do) and because a lot has been said about them, so there is almost nothing you can add (a perfect example of a review that says every problem this trilogy has is Red Letter Media´s Mr Plinkett), but I will be fair and mention the good and the bad. On the good side the first instalment has undeniably impressive fighting choreography, the action sequences are a fest to the eyes, the new designs feel connected to the Star Wars universe, some ideas (like the Ben Hur homage) are somewhat clever, it takes advantage of technology and provides an impressive expansion of the universe, Ewan McGregor is the perfect choice for a young Obi Wan, "Duel of Fates" is among the finest compositions that Williams has ever made but the rest of the score is bland for a Star Wars film, it is the only prequel that has an actual production design and cinematography, instead of overloaded green screen; and the CGI is impressive for its time and it pushed the limits of new filmmaking (for better or worse). Now let's address the negative side: The dialog is just awful, the story is nonexistent and lacks focus, the characters are forgettable (even the bizarrely beloved Dart Maul as he doesn't do anything other than flips and taking out a cool lightsaber, even the also inactive Boba Fett had more going on), there are numerous inconsistencies with the original trilogy, it gave audiences the most annoying, useless, ridiculous and stupid character of all time and the one that's the focus of almost every scene; severe pacing issues that go from extremely rushed resolutions to endless sequences, painfully obvious "twists", an unnecessary addition of politics that goes nowhere, Lucas directing is as amateurish as in "Star Wars" (thus explaining the dreadful acting), painful to watch "comedy", the decision of making Anakin a child is one of the dumbest ideas Lucas has ever had (an that's saying a lot), a script that is filled with plot holes, and finally Lucas just destroys the spiritual essence of the saga in such an insulting way (I honestly can't think of a better word to express that decision) by trying to give a more scientific angle to a space fantasy!

"The Phantom Menace" is undeniably the biggest disappointment in cinematic history. It is poorly written, directed and executed; but it also shows that Lucas doesn't care about his creation or the fans that made him the successful businessman he is now. It is undeniably a bad film but not the abomination many claim it is, but please don't say it is a good film just because of the cool looking villain, because it has the name Star Wars or the showoffy action.