Review of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) by Bakir K — 22 Apr 2016

Much like "A NEW HOPE", this has a more standalone feel whilst it's following chapters serve more clearly as a two-parter. They can be watched as fun swashbuckling fairy tale -like somewhat more "breezy" adventure movies on their own. They firmly lay the foundation, doing the heft of the world building, but arguably the meat of either gets going after.

The ending basically lays the groundwork for all the themes to follow. Faith), unity between different peoples to achieve victory (The Naboo and the Gungans having to form an alliance, finding it in yourself to do what's right in spite of what those in authority over you may say (Whether it be Qui-Gon defying the council, Obi-Wan coming to debate Yoda, and Padme doing what she feels is necessary in spite of Palpatine's protests which Luke would fully realize in the climax of ROTJ), and even the danger of the centralization of power. (Given how the destruction of the one control ship leads to the aroid army's collapse whilst Palpatine would throughout the films further centralize power around him starting with him gaining emergency powers in AOTC, declaring himself emperor in ROTS, and then finally disbanding the senate entirely in ANH).

Something that's been said about the ending to the movie is that it is pyrrhic with little in the way of the positive that is achieved. It's definitely there as the end has an undercurrent of what's to come with Palpatine managing to become chancellor with an altered version of his ROTJ theme playing during the victory parade. Now I definitely agree about that assessment of the ending in "ATTACK OF THE CLONES", tut there are some positive steps forward here. Anakin gets to become a Jedi, destroys the Control Ship keeps he Droids from wiping out the Gungan army, Obi-Wan defeats Darth Maul not through anger (which is what gets him flying back into a pit) but by recentering himself with his master's philosophy, shows the potential for defiance in contrast to his earlier by-the-book persona when he tells Yoda he'll train Anakin no matter what, Padme finds it to stand up for self and take chances which the lack of got her people conquered outright which bleeds into her characterization in the flowing film, and unity is brought to the two people's of Naboo that is fully vindicated when we see them celebrating liberation fro the Empire together in the updated version of "RETURN OF THE JEDI".