What I love about TPM is that it actually explores a planet. Naboo isn't just 'swamp planet' like Hoth is basically just 'cold planet' and Tattooine is just 'desert planet'. It has multiple biomes like earth, it has swamps, but also big lakes, a whole underwater cave system with interesting fauna, a native humanoid species with a cool settlement design and a human city with an actual culture like unique clothing and architecture. I don't know any other planet where they've done the same. It's honestly insane how one-noted every other planet is compared to this one.
No kidding, it makes the Galaxy in Star Wars feel so small when you talk about these one biome planets. I get having a few planets like that, and Lucas did a good job at making more than one place on some of these planets. But if there were more realistic planets with more than one thing to them, the Galaxy could have felt so much bigger.
@@ln108 I think the way Lucas did it is pretty much perfect. Tattooine is a desert world and if there are a lot of livable planets you'd have to imagine that plenty of them are barely clinging on to that status. It also makes complete sense to have a cold, icy planet like Hoth be used as a hiding place for escaping rebels. Even Endor being mostly a giant forest makes sense, and the fact that we only see these few random planets on the outskirts of the empire makes sense. You could see even in the original movie though that that's not all there is, because Alderaan is clearly meant to look a lot like Earth, and is shown to be like Earth in Episode III. Naboo is clearly meant to be like Earth as well. Coruscant likely was similar to Earth until it was turned into a massive city, and it makes sense that a galaxy spanning civilization would have cities that span entire planets. The reality is that planets like Earth with all the variety we have are probably a lot more rare than those with roughly similar conditions all over the planet. I think Lucas got this right, but I'm not gonna sit here and pretend like the disney fanfic did, because they just lazily copied most of it from Lucas's movies.
@@johnwatsoniv384 I don't really fault Lucas at all because he did great with very limited technology and filming locations. In fact he helped pioneer filmmaking as we know it. I think there's parts in the Prequels where it was a little lazy, like the other desert planet (Geonosis) and the Water Rainy Planet (Kamino), but overall they weren't completely direct repeats of previous planets and Geonosis not being Tattoine helps for the story. On the other hand, Jakku was exactly like Tattoine and functioned like Tattoine. It feels like it's Abrams was trying to be George Lucas, but just having to make it "new" somehow. I think Extended Universe did a good job with filling in the gaps Lucas had, while respecting his work and then the Sequels have just shit on Lucas' work and flipped the fans off while doing it.
Perhaps force speed takes up a lot of stamina and he needed it to best maul. Also the second time the doors closes earlier than before. 11 seconds the first time and 9 seconds the last time if I'm not mistaken. Obi Wan might have not expected the indeterminism.
There are many factors to consider. Force speed is probably a more composite ability than its name lets on. I imagine learning how to use Force speed also includes bodily augmentation so that the user doesn’t instantly die. As for Obi-Wan maybe he was tired or wished to save his strength against Darth Maul, or maybe he wasn’t confident enough to time his deceleration and not fall into the pit or not hitting at the barriers at full force.
A) You can't keep running forever - you get tired, especially in the middle of an intense duel B) And even if he tried running with Force speed, he could run the risk of still running headfirst into those red ray shields if they close
Well it isn’t an issue if you consider the fact that it is extremely draining to use. Just look at how tired and strained Yoda was after lifting the X wing, or that pipe from crushing Anakin and Obi wan in episode ll. In an intense duel, it wouldn’t be smart for Obi wan to use all of his energy just to catch up. Especially since he had no way of knowing that they would be separated by the ray shields.
When the two Jedi use 'Force Run' on the Droid Ship, they are using it to run away from the danger. In the Maul duel, you cannot expect Obi-wan to use 'Force Run' to head straight into danger! This would have been totally reckless, if not borderline suicidal.
I hadn't thought of the "Force Run" in comparison to Luke's "Force Jump" before. It's a minute detail that is often overlooked. Thanks for bringing it to light.
The Phantom Menace has always been my favorite prequel and I love the tiny blip in time it represents before the Clone Wars, before the Empire. There's a cozyness to it's smaller scale conflict. I love that it has child friendly moments, top notch action, and slow political exploration all in the same film. What reviewers call unfocused I call versatile.
Bingo. People don't get that we needed to see the Republic BEFORE the wars that fucked up the galaxy. It's a way of showing us just how much the galaxy lost to get to ANH....
Totally agree! I love how TPM shows the innocence of it’s time. Because it is a time of relative peace within the Order and the Republic itself, a time that feels impossible in most other cases except the end of ROTJ. You feel more connected to the environment and the world with this movie, which I have always loved about TPM. The stark contrast between that innocence and light and the darkness of ROTS is a way of storytelling in itself. You see how far the Republic had to fall so that the good people were ousted.
Yeah this is how I feel about The Phantom Menace too. Like a brief capture of how the Star Wars galaxy really is when there isn't a major war going on in the background. Seeing the outer rim through Tatooine, how Coruscant is, both the wilderness and developed side of Naboo, it's a neat microcosm of that universe.
At last, the days of merely accepting Episode I as "not that bad" are behind us. At last, we the days shall come where it is accepted as a masterpiece. I love how the prequels in particular consistently knock their first act sequences out of this world.
@@deckzone3000 Nope. That doesn't work. The whole "the only reason the sequels are unpopular is because it's just cool to hate whatever new Star Wars content gets released" argument has been debunked by the fact that Mando, Rogue One, Andor and TCW are incredibly popular. History isn't just going to automatically repeat itself and the sequels aren't just going to automatically have the same story as the prequels. If this were the case, then "history would've just repeated itself" and the prequels would've been immediately popular just like the OT, instead of having the delayed popularity that they've had.
A popular critique is "this movie is unnesessary and we should have started with the Clone Wars". The reason we didn't see the Clone War through all trilogy is because life of heroes didn't depend on it and it wasn't war for their survival as in OT, it was polotical game controlled by Palpatine from both sides. Separatists were destined to lose and Republic - take over whole Galaxy to become Empire, the ultimate purpose of the clone army was to eliminate the Jedi. Therefore only important parts were the setup for the war, how it started and how it ended. TPM shows that Anakin was once an innocent boy (which implies everyone can fall into darkness), why Anakin is so important, his strong attachment to his mom, why Obi-Wan wasn't right teacher to him, why he hates Tatooine, Jedi rules, Palpatine becoming chancellor, world building, etc...And of course, podracing and Darth Maul.
Contrary to what some people think the clone wars isn't that important to the story of the prequels. The most important thing is how it starts and how it ends. The phantom menace is very important to the story of the prequels. It explains what kind of person Anakin is, why he can't let go of his loved ones, why Padme means a lot to him, that he is a talented person. There are much much more but since the entire trilogy is about Anakins rise and fall it is crucial to the story. Also the saga is supposed to be watched 1-6, their complaint only makes an iota of sense if you watch 4-6 first.
This critique contradicts the one where the critics say we didn't know why Anakin fell. Yes, we do. The Prequels took it's time to show us how he started before he got in the order, so we know why his upbringing was different. How he got this attachements. Starting from the Clone Wars would rob us of that. In the Clone Wars we do not get his background. We get the middle of his fall.
Lucas made the point that it was important to show Anakin as an innocent child because it made his transformation into Vader actually mean something. As he said, 'you can't show a monster turning into a monster - that's not a story'.
The multiple layers of creative detail, symbolism, and storytelling further cements the fact that George Lucas is truly one of the greatest artistic minds of all time. The prequel love is here to stay and as time goes on, they continue to age like wine... While the original trilogy is the OG... People often overlook how much more thought went into the prequels... The story, lore, lightsaber choreography... All of it.
still, even if it weren't _that_ good, it's always bothered me that a certain sector of the film/reviewing world just starts _picking_ on a movie or a series of movies in an unfair way that actually shapes the way most people who won't ever bother to watch, much less appreciate the film, to even give it a fair chance. I feel the same way about Zack Snyder's stuff but that's another story for another day.
Completely agree about the music on this film. People often would listen to Duel of the Fates or the Imperial March when talking Star Wars music but the ambient tracks on this film are magical. Go to 2:05 on the track "He is the Chosen One" or "The Chosen One" and just listen to that rendition of Anakin's theme. The music somehow FEELS innocent and aspiring, like Anakin's character in this film. He has innocent hopes and dreams that he wants to achieve, (he wants to see the galaxy and help people and be a hero) but you can also feel those dark undertones and references to Vader's theme, and some more melancholy parts that foreshadow what's to come for this innocent little boy. Perfect.
All of Anakin's themes in episode 1 (3 or 4 themes in the complete recordings) are for me the most sublime pieces John Williams has ever made, simple as that. The level of sensibility and beauty are unmatched. Add to that the ones in episode 2 like Shmi's funeral or Approaching Naboo. He really got the soul of the Skywalker saga, and he depicts Anakin through his music at the exact same level George Lucas did. There won't be a better match than the one they had ever.
I’m a musician, I’m doing a level music atm, I’ve been doing music for nearly 15 years now and hearing George Lucas explain the way he wrote the films using the techniques used in symphony’s built by the greats and just applying them differently. It makes me appreciate these movies so much more than I already do!
George Lucas is an artist of the highest order, with class, wisdom and sensibility and I am so glad people do appreciate the multiple layers of artistic work he manages to use to make his films.
@@-solidsnake-he was beaten and battered by the very people he loved and tried to serve. but it was ultimately the fandom that stabbed him. George is Anakin and we deserve what we got.
Finally someone who gets it! I did grow up with the OG trilogy and I’ll never forget skipping school for the TPM premiere. I loved every minute. Especially the opening scene. I was so stoked to finally see a young Obi Wan kicking ass. My favorite quip is when he says, “oh don’t worry, this hasn’t been a day for warm welcomes” to Jar Jar before they dive into the water. It’s his most authentic Ben Kenobi moment for me. AOTC is actually my favorite of them all but I never understood the hate for this flick either.
This film did feel different from The Originals, but it also still felt like a Star Wars film. What helped me get into The Prequels was cause I had read the EU Books. While Lucas had set rules that authors were not allowed to do stories about the events around this era; they were allowed to talk about it briefly. It was interesting how some of what they said did happen in The Prequels. Also that commentary Lucas was talking about when he said music is important in the story, goes to what I said in another video comments section where John Williams was talking about the difference between working of 1-6 vs 7-9.
I agree. There are hints of JarJar being more than what he appears to be. The dive in the the water is great since his character is suppose to be clumsy. Also his lucky shots during the battle at the end of movie. Yoda was the same from Empire. Also all his lucky shots from the battle. It's to bad we will never see George's complete vision since Disney didn't use any of his story for the sequels.
That’s exactly what I miss in current Star Wars. Peak Jedi fighting and solving political drama with a dark undertone and impending doom. I am patiently waiting for a movie / show where they finally go back to a time where the Jedi order is still intact.
@@thegreypath1777, I gotta ask... why? Star Wars has been doing pretty well ever since Filoni took the reigns. Is there something I should be aware of?
And don't forget that Lucas also helped with political and philosophical star warsa novels like "Shatterpoint", "Darth Plagueis", "Shatterpoint" and "Labyrinth of Evil".
The politics was not so complicated there but it was made unclear by narrative. I hadn't understood for a long time what was the whole blockade about..
@@grantavakjan9488 When I was young my head canon was that the bad guys want to take over the planet of Naboo and the good guys have to stop them. That was enough for me. But sometimes with any movie the more you watch it the more you pick up on certain details especially as I got older. It all makes sense once you watch the whole trilogy. Palpatine wanted the seat of chancellory so he orchestrated the crisis on Naboo to kick out Valorum then took his place. And the rest is history.
And it surprisingly doesn’t look at blatantly cgi as 2 and 3. I dont know how they did it but the digital components are really well done and appear more real despite being older than 2 and 3
Those blockade ships also remind me of the hovering platforms used in the senate. I never noticed that it looks like there is a Death Star in their center.
You never noticed that? I thought it was so clear that it was a big sphere blowing up, like an obvious reference to the Death Star. Just like how Anakin flies a ship inside and fires torpedoes at a reactor core that collapses and explodes just as he's escaping, just like in Return of the Jedi.
Very refreshing to hear someone praise Williams not for his big concert arrangements of his themes but rather for the quiet tapestries he weaves to set the tone for scenes. That Trade Federation music is haunting and metallic-sounding, it’s eerie and wonderful at the same time.
"I'm happy that Phantom Menace is getting the respect it deserves." Based, me too. "Phantom Menace and Return of the Jedi are my favorite Star Wars movies." Phantom Menace and Return Of The Jedi are my favourite Star Wars movies too and Disney's sequel trilogy is not canon, in my opinion.
@@SpartakMs83 Seriously? I respect your opinion, even though I disagree. But I can name SEVERAL movies worse than TPM that aren't even Star Wars.... A Good Day To Die Hard. Alien Resurrection. Independence Day: Resurgence. Batman & Robin. Mission: Impossible 2. You really find TPM worse than any of these? Hahaha.
Thanks for making this! I agree wholeheartedly. I find it so difficult how many so called "fans" recommend not viewing this one in a Star Wars marathon. My brother and I saw it in theaters as kids no less than 7 times and saw it again in theaters as adults when it released in 3D. We had never seen the additional pod racing shots either so it was an incredible experience.
I’m glad you painted this in good light. I absolutely loved the prequel trilogy, it always baffled me that it was hated so much. I mean sure it had flaws, but so did the original trilogy.
The droid control ships are even cooler when you realize they're not only shaped like the Death Star but exactly like the harbor of Carthage, the great trading power that got into a war with, and was completely destroyed by, the Roman Republic/Empire. Calls back to the OT and ancient history at the same time, while foreshadowing the upcoming war and rise of the Empire.
Totally agree with everything you said! There's so much poetry (as would Lucas has called it) in it! Also like the idea of orchestrating themes in different way. "It's all about father and sons"... You forgot to mention the shots of the invasion right after the opening sequence, with the familiar Trade Federation march music. That epic scene really impressed me in the cinema, seeing all the droids and massive vehicles on such a scale!
I'll never understand the hate people back then had for the prequels. They blew my mind away in the cinemas and I loved every second of them. We should have cherished George Lucas back when we still had him. It hurts my heart to see what Star Wars has become
You kind of answered your own question. People don't like new stuff being added to what they know. Those that saw the originals back in the day, disliked the prequels. And those that grew up with the prequels dislike the sequels. And the kids and teens that saw the sequels will hate the next trilogy if there ever is one.
We hated them because they were incredibly bad. They are still incredibly bad. The only people who liked them when they came out were around 10 and under. When I was that age I thought Surf Ninjas was amazing. Its not, I grew up, maybe its time you did the same.
@@deckzone3000 No, thats complete nonsense. We who saw the originals and loved them couldn't wait for the prequals. And many of us love things like Rogue One and the Mandalorian. Its not new things we hate, its low quality trash.
Ive been defending this film since I was first able to use the internet, back in the mid to late 2000s, I'm so glad people are finally coming around. One day I am certain this film will be regarded as one of the greatest in cinema.
Ep I was the first SW movie I watched as a kid and is still my secret favorite. I love the aesthetic, with the wonderful designs and still so much being done practically before the fully digital era. Also, seeing the Jedi in their prime like this was unparalleled and truly made me fall in love with the concept. Not to mention the beautiful soundtrack, which I listened to countless times and is still my favorite of the saga.
I grew up with the Original Star Wars (Pre 90's Edit's) on VHS. I never understood the hate for The Phantom Menace. I enjoy this film as much as you do and I personally think it's the best of the prequels.
@Antonio-GransciI can't speak for others, but to me the prequels had 2 jobs. Explain the rise of the emperor. This I think it did quite well. 2 explain how anakin became Darth Vader. This it did terribly. Anakin in ep 2 and 3 is just an annoying man child, and the transition just isn't convincing. Watch karate kid 3 to see how this could have been done so much better.
Tbh I think a lot of people went into TPM with an idea of what it would be like already in their heads from decades of speculation. Unsurprisingly it was different from what they expected and that made them hate it. TPM is a masterpiece that is thankfully getting the praise it deserves now that people are looking at it from an open perspective.
I was a child of the Original Trilogy, grew up with it, read the books and played the games through the 80's and 90's and was really excited when The Phantom Menace came out. And I loved it. I never got the backlash. It came out shortly after George did the 'remastered' versions of the original movies and I think people were nervous about the new technologies and people jumped on it to express their displeasure about him 'ruining' their favorite movies. But to me it's a perfect space-fantasy story straight out of the old swashbuckling movies. Taken on its own, it looks like a classic good-defeats-evil story; but knowing the whole story, you realize that the real villain actually won and there's a darker tone to it.
The word “attachment” really interfered with people’s ability to understand what Lucas was trying to say about the Jedi-the Jedi love, without loving selfishly. The Jedi we see in the prequels and the TCW are able to love without clinging, without being “attached”. Jedi who grew up in the Order do not commit mass murder out of grief or join Sith Lords in order to save the people precious to them.
literally just the noises, sound effects, and music alone make these movies perfect for me. they're so satisfying to watch it's unreal. the nostalgia hits every time and i'll watch them a hundred times over. they never get old and the aesthetic is just perfect i don't know how to explain it, but you did a pretty good job in this video lol
The days that I was in fear to speak up about how much I loved the prequels are finally behind me, thanks to jar jar Abrams and Disney. Prequels had the most exciting environment design, vehicle design, character design, and the best music. My dear John Williams composed the new trilogy but I don't remember a note. But when I walked out of the cinema right after the duel of the fate, it was already engraved into my brain for the rest of my life! The prequels are so much deeper and more complicated, everything has both sides and in between, and makes you think about another 1000 things. I think it's such a pity that so many hardcore star wars fans couldn't appreciate it and then made George Lucas feel heartbreakingly disappointed and fed up and eventually made the decision to sold it to the devil and caused every bit of the chaos today. Some of us fans did this. We forever lost something truly great. It looks to me that, most fans who didn't like the prequels were hoping to have a simpler storyline with prince and princess, sword fight and space wizards, when the story suddenly became so complicated, they lost their minds. Just like how Matrix reloaded lost most people when characters started talking. Modern audience only wants the packaging, not the substance underneath. No wonder we get more and more stupid blockbusters these years. Because we asked for it. (Imagine if George Lucas really got his way to boldly implement his original concept of having jar jar as the ultimate boss behind palp, how cool would that be? Unfortunately we would never know.)
I'm pretty sure george said he had the most fun making phantom menace and it shows, the entire movie is fun, lol it goes from fun, to fun, to guess what more fun, pure childlike enjoyment.
The people who hate on this film are not in touch with their inner child thats my take on it, the goofyness just irriates them, I loved the whole thing even jar jar.
@@dancorneanu9144 Exactly he's "the fool" archetype, the force protects him like it would a child, I'm not like well read on the tarot at all but yeah, lucas kinda knew what he was doing to put it lightly lol
@@JoyfulUniter From what I know, Jar Jar was based on Goofy and pratfall comedy (F Troop for example). He has multiple roles: to show Padme's compassion, to lead the Jedi, to offer Padme the solution to the Trade Federation problem, to serve a a distraction, to show Qui Gon's view (the force and importance in everything), to serve as a vehicle for children, to serve as a scapegoat for the corrupt politicians. He is a C3PO with more plot relevance.
I watched the original trilogy on vcr when I was 4 years old, then watched the prequals on dvd a year later. I remember the difference very clearly: the originals were more about plot while the prequals were about sounds, imagery, and lore. The prequals basically did what halo 1 did. They're not really better or worse than the originals but they are different. The difference throws a lot of people off
@@deckzone3000 Yes lightsaber fights. Actually prequels had great acting but cheap dialogue. It’s bland because George called dialogue a sound effect. similar to a dog barking.
I don't know man. I'd understand it if you said that the OT had a much more 'simple' plot compared to the prequels but the latter has a wealth of plot and character to delve into
I was very much the target demographic of the Phantom Menace when it came out. I think that's why it's special to me. It is geared towards children because: - Two Jedi knights in the hero party do cool Jedi things many times. They are powerful but also respectable (unlike Rey and Kylo) - simple but powerful aesthetic taste: bright and colourful environments especially on Naboo, shiny technology, everything looks somehow fresh and more high fantasy -like than in any other episode - Duel of the Fates with Darth Maul, with the catchy tune - The goofy comedy of Jar Jar Binks might be cringy for adults and teens, but not so much for children. Personally, I couldn't understand why people hated him so much. I had so much fun laughing at him. What the movie lacks, however, is the dramatic emotional depth of Revenge of the Sith or the Return of the Jedi. But that didn't matter so much as a child. Action and shiny things were the main point. I was sold, especially when opening Christmas presents 😅
In a “what if” scenario. Obi-Wan could have used the force run ability to catch up to Qui-Gon and Maul during duel of the fates. If he had done that, Qui probably wouldn’t have died and Anikan would have had the master that he deserved. If Qui survived, Anikan may not have succumbed to the dark side through Palpatine’s manipulations.
Using the force requires stamina and energy, perhaps Obi-Wan was simply too tired or exhausted to manage it at that moment after fighting the duel for so long. Alternatively, maybe he *was* already using it, and we don't bother to visually show it because both he, Quigon and Maul are all using it so relatively they move at the same pace and it would just look silly to play the fight at 2x speed.
I still love the way the film looks with the model ships. you can even feel the film grain which is lost with modern movies I'm not a film snob but Movies lost that magic when they switched to digital.
I saw TPM in the cinema in 1999. Pretty much all of my Star Wars loving friends enjoyed it. It was only when they started hearing all the hipster negative opinions that many changed their tunes and claimed to hate it. I’ve always thought it was stunning.
It’s amazing and awesome to see the generation of kids that grew up with Star Wars become adults and evangelize the prequel trilogy. Believe it or not, there will likely be a generation of kids growing up with the sequel trilogy who will someday grow up and do the same for it.
I have so much love for this movie, despite all the naysayers I feel nothing but the thrill of joy watching it even after all these years. Glad to see it getting the recognition it deserves!
I was born in 81 so I grew up watching the OG Star Wars. My mum let me have the day off school when I was 17 to watch the phantom menace on opening day. I always though it was awesome
Thanks for the video Connor. I am reminded of the care and forethought that was actually put into "The Phantom Menace". THIS is how you make Star Wars with a respect to the past, while still introducing the new. It can only be told by the Maker, and not by a soulless monolith of a company that is the very embodiment of the Empire itself...
Phantom Menace was the first SW I saw because my parents buyed it on DVD back in 2000. I have so much triggers each time I see it as I was 5 at the time
This was the 1st Star Wars film I ever saw as I was only 6 or 7 at the time. Only thing of the original trilogy I saw was a trailer on a few vhs I had at that time. Not fully understanding everything and why it was called episode 1 and who 'Dark' Vader was etc. Few years later when i was a bit older and understood the series more, seeing all the films (up to Attack of the Clones at the time) and learnt all the characters were and how to pronounce their names correctly lol. Phantom Menace will always hold a special place in my heart cos its what started it all off for me.
As you mention Sidious/Palpatine being introduced as a hologram like he was in Empire, it's kind of interesting to note that he's introduced in this manner twice, once as Sidious and then again as Palpatine.
It's really good to hear a TH-camr not crying about how terrible Episode I was and how it destroyed his childhood. The prequels are finally getting the recognition and respect they didn't get over 20 years ago. Maybe a lot of things would have been different and Star Wars would never have been sold to Disney.... 😢
She is ridged and has a weird accent while working in a royal capacity. Just like her double. It makes sense really. Their customs are different than ours. Granted it wasnt explained well, it does make sense.
Did you watch this after publishing? Did you see the deathstar/control ship comparison sequence and genuinely think yeah, this is good? I cant imagine how many people closed the video after the like 10th time switching back and forth. THE CIRCLE IS FORESHADOWING GUYS! THEYRE BOTH SPHERES! THE WRITERS ARE AMAZING fuck me
I remember when this movie first came out. My biggest complaints or question on storytelling with it is the age of Anakin. The actor did a decent job, but he is too young for the role. Anakin should be 12 to 14 years of age and his dialogue reflects this, especially with Queen Amidala. However, the choice was made to make it very clear he is eight years old. With that aside, my favorite character is the true phantom menace, Darth Jar Jar.
Watching this movie again recently made me realize how great this movie is. Darth mauls scene near the end was incredible, still makes me excited to this day
12:24 It should’ve been used again when Kenobi was running down the hall to catch up to Qui Gon & Maul. He must’ve forgotten he could do that so the plot could happen.
Phantom Menace was one of the funnest cinematic movie experiences of my life. I still love it to this day, and objectively, still think its a great movie. Glad someone is giving it the respect it never got.
The fact that episode one had nicest ships like at the end is because they are from naboo and not republik. Yes Naboo is in Republik but you get the point😅
I would literally love to see your whole commentary on the prequel trilogy over a number of videos. This video was great. Please do more of this please ☺️☺️
The male actor that played Jedi cruiser, Radiant VII, pilot Antidar Williams was Silas Carson who also played Nute Gunray, the Nemodian that destroyed the Jedi cruiser. Silas Carson also played Senator Lott Dod and Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi.
It's a good opening for a good movie, ignore the incessant whining by the OT boomers, and thank them for the current state of the franchise after they drove George to sell it to Disney. But on the topic of the Force Speed scene, there's only one other instance in TPM where that likely probably definitely would have come in handy: when Obi-Wan was running through the laser gates to catch up to Qui-Gon and Maul, and because he fails to clear the last gate in time, Qui-Gon dies and that pretty much guarantees Anakin's fall to the Dark Side (hence the title of the song being Duel of the Fates, it's about the fate of the Chosen One i.e. Anakin being decided by who survives the battle with Maul).
That entire duel is excellent. The fact that a Sith Assassin, not a full fledged apprentice, was able to hold his own against a Jedi master and his padawan shows the hardcore training a Sith undergoes.
As someone who also grew up with the prequel trilogy, I loved the phantom menace since the beginning. I was around 7 when I was introduced to starwars and the phantom menace was a stellar masterpiece to me as a kid and still to this day one of my favorites alongside revenge of the sith. Starwas From the OG to the prequels was amazing and the new stuff will never compare. 😥
Hahaha yesss finally someone who loves this movie too, it's so amazing easily my favorite 1 - 6 are like all masterpieces in their own right but to me 1 is the best there isn't a single uninteresting moment.
Nice to see Episode I getting some love. It’s the best looking prequel film due to the practical elements. People forget that this stuff is made for kids & people need to get over their arrested-development issues and just accept the silly elements rather than insist every modern SW project be a dark gritty Saving Private Ryan story.
George Lucas was not perfect, but he was never bad at telling a story, both in the telling of the story and also in the nature of film as a visual medium. It was never the story that let the movies down, it was the characters, and the dialogue, his story was fine.
George Lucas is such a rare artist in that he was actually able to self fund his works at budgets that compete with the corporate studios. The idea that episodes 5 to 3 were effectively 'indie' films is mind boggling and incredibly inspiring. The amount of creative control he had on these films shows through to every fine detail. He built teams of the most talented artists and technicians and then created the central framework they could all contribute to. I have watched some interviews about the company culture of ILM at the time the prequels were being made and it was a place where people of any role could contribute their ideas. Of course, it would have to be a great idea to make it into the film, but damn that is a great way to run a creative business.
One thing that bothers me is that there is only about 18 years between episodes 3 and 4, and yet the Jedi and The Force have gone from being well known and respected/feared to being seen as myth like we view King Arthur and Merlin. Han, who is old enough in Ep. 4 to have been a kid during Ep. 3, sees the Jedi as a “hokey religion” and the force as “simple tricks and nonsense.” Even Motti on the Empire side refers to Vader’s “sad devotion to that ancient religion”, indicating he too thinks it’s an old fairy tale. I think Lucas made the Jedi far too prominent and well known in the prequels to fit the original trilogy.
Neither Han nor Motti react in a way that indicates they see the Jedi/ Force as myth. They don't believe in it, that's all. The universe is a big place.
'For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic....' Yeah, not prominent at all. A lot of people don't believe in the Force/Jedi because they're all gone and dead.
@@Onezy05 that illustrates my point though. They were the superheroes of the galaxy for over a thousand generations, and essentially forgotten or dismissed as fiction in less than 2 decades?
@@toddhensley880 A lot can happen in nearly 2 decades - especially under an authoritarian system which most likely suppressed information about them too.
The phantom menace is my favorite star wars movie. That said, obiwan could have used the force sprint to catch up to Qui-Gon as they went through the massive laser gates during their duel with Darth Maul. If he had, Qui - Gon might still be alive and maybe Anakin doesn't turn to the dark side.
You talked about everything under the sun in this opening sequence except the one thing I wanted, that stuck with me since I was a teenager and saw it in the theater an embarrassing number of times in the summer of ‘99: that mindfulness dialogue. Qui-Gon completely explains mindfulness a decade or so before it became such a buzzword. “I have a bad feeling about this.” “I don’t sense anything.” “It’s not about the mission, Master. It’s something elsewhere… Elusive.” “Don’t focus on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs.” “But Master Yoda told me to be mindful of the future.” “But not at the expense of the MOMENT. Be mindful of the LIVING FORCE, my young padawan.” If that’s wrong it’s because I wrote it from memory. Some more gems about the Force sprinkled throughout the film: “The Force will guide us.” “Relax, we’re not in trouble yet.” “Feel, don’t think. Use your instincts. May the Force be with you.” “Your focus determines your reality.” I really appreciate the care George put into maintaining a mystical spirituality through the Force in his prequels, reminiscent of Yoda’s training in TESB. Something entirely missing from plasticine Disney Star Wars. I’ve always been an unapologetic fan of The Phantom Menace, even during the lean Mr. Plinkett years. Thanks for the insightful video and salient commentary clips.
This movie challenged my little kid brain to understand politics, war, and trade. It was unmistakably made with kids in mind, and that’s amazing that a kids movie could be loved by adults and also expand theirs and their children’s knowledge of real world events and history.
The prequels are AMAZING. And one thing that particularly stands out is the world building. Everything feels so natural and relaxed. So alive. Lucas is a true genius.
Lol this is a joke right? These movies are just complete garbage you have just have to be brainwashed to like these movies? Like where is the greatness? It’s all poorly thought out garbage that makes no sense. I don’t watch star wars for boring space politics I watch it for the war which is apart of the name. Yes politics and war are intertwined but politics should never be the main focus. Yall need to watch mr plinkets review.
TPM just feels more grounded that any of the other prequels. I think it's a mix of being shot on film, the continued use of practical effects mixed with the newer CGI stuff and the just unbelievably good sound design (somehow far better than the ones that followed). It just looks and feels amazing. It has issues but it's my favourite of the prequels.
The level of creativity in these films is utterly unrivalled by any film produced in the last decade. What has happened to Hollywood? (We all know the answer).
THANK YOU I always disliked the complaint that it was 'boring cuz muh tax politics' when it's purposely showing a different time in the galaxy and actually lulls you in with a false sense of security (like the Jedi themselves) before hitting you with the fact that there's more going on than meets the eye
The Prolouge in the original SW book was from the "Journal of the Whills," as I remember. The ancient Order of the Whills, was a mysterious group of beings that recorded the history of all that happened. I use to have that book - the EXACT same one shown in your video. That prologue always attracted me. Awesome post!!
phantom menace was the best experiences of my life in a theater. the pod racing, the intro, duel of fates, padme, darth maul, even jar jar was amazing, i even like anakin, even when he grew up. some people just dont understand what anakin had to go through to become darth vader. they make fun of it like some joke but it shows most of humanity doesnt have a soul.
Can be also appreciatethe rhyme here that the heroes are onboard a small and quite defenceless ship against the overwhelming presence of the bad guys' evil donuts? This evokes the opening of A New Hope. It's ansolutely brilliant!
Loved the first episode, never understood the hate. I grew up with the original trilogy and episode 1 blew my mind. The world building throughout all three episodes is a masterclass in how to kick off a franchise. People can hate Lucas and the prequels as much as they want but the prequels literally kickstarted star wars as we know it today more than the original did.
I am so happy that true Star Wars fans, such as yourself, are finally becoming a loud voice in the community. There's been too much Lucas-bashing for too long.
As a gen z child this was the first bit of star wars i ever watched. It's fcking magic. Hooked me and became my childhood. Man i wanna be 7 again live was good back then
No matter the movie, people will always not like the remakes/sequels of movies. I am glad to see the prequels getting love since all 6 movies are important. Together they show the story of Darth Vader/Skywalker and everything required for him to bring balance to the force. The sequels defiently deserve the hate they get but that's a story for another time.
Ive been made fun of, looked down on, and spat on (literally) for years for saying that TPM is my favorite star wars movie. Glad to see someone else point out some of the things that I love about it.
Having only seen the Star Wars movies recently (in chronological order) I can have a fairly objective take that is independant of how old I was seeing each for the first time. I found Ep 1 2 3 to be the best in terms of lore and intreague and storytelling. Ep 4 5 6 really knew how to hold tension and create this sense of the characters racing against the clock all the time making those movies feel like a wild adventure as opposed to a tale told over multiple years. EP 7 8 9 were utter garbage and that's me being nice. The one good think I found about them is the dynamic between Fynn and Poe and their character arcs but otherwise those movies lack everything that made the first six so amazing: boring story, flashy CGI but not appealing in terms of artistique design, no tension, multiple undowings of the original 6 like how Lea somehow becomes a resistance fighter yet again and Sidius is ressurcted making the profecy pointless etc...
The Phantom Menace has ways been one of my favorites, actually, you just have to understand it. And… Qui-gon Jinn is my favorite character. But the opening of this movie is so GOOD! I have to say though, I like the emotional ending of Revenge of The Sith.
Actually in a movie force speed wasn't used again, but in the Jedi Outcast games it was a great tool to win every fight ever ... Force speed is an official ability in the Star Wars galaxy!
What I love about TPM is that it actually explores a planet. Naboo isn't just 'swamp planet' like Hoth is basically just 'cold planet' and Tattooine is just 'desert planet'. It has multiple biomes like earth, it has swamps, but also big lakes, a whole underwater cave system with interesting fauna, a native humanoid species with a cool settlement design and a human city with an actual culture like unique clothing and architecture. I don't know any other planet where they've done the same. It's honestly insane how one-noted every other planet is compared to this one.
Agreed, and in contrast to the "new Trilogy" where each planet hardly get's 5 minutes of screentime and we don't get time to care about it.
Exactly. The worldbuilding of the prequels is unmatched
No kidding, it makes the Galaxy in Star Wars feel so small when you talk about these one biome planets. I get having a few planets like that, and Lucas did a good job at making more than one place on some of these planets. But if there were more realistic planets with more than one thing to them, the Galaxy could have felt so much bigger.
@@ln108 I think the way Lucas did it is pretty much perfect. Tattooine is a desert world and if there are a lot of livable planets you'd have to imagine that plenty of them are barely clinging on to that status. It also makes complete sense to have a cold, icy planet like Hoth be used as a hiding place for escaping rebels. Even Endor being mostly a giant forest makes sense, and the fact that we only see these few random planets on the outskirts of the empire makes sense. You could see even in the original movie though that that's not all there is, because Alderaan is clearly meant to look a lot like Earth, and is shown to be like Earth in Episode III. Naboo is clearly meant to be like Earth as well. Coruscant likely was similar to Earth until it was turned into a massive city, and it makes sense that a galaxy spanning civilization would have cities that span entire planets. The reality is that planets like Earth with all the variety we have are probably a lot more rare than those with roughly similar conditions all over the planet. I think Lucas got this right, but I'm not gonna sit here and pretend like the disney fanfic did, because they just lazily copied most of it from Lucas's movies.
@@johnwatsoniv384 I don't really fault Lucas at all because he did great with very limited technology and filming locations. In fact he helped pioneer filmmaking as we know it. I think there's parts in the Prequels where it was a little lazy, like the other desert planet (Geonosis) and the Water Rainy Planet (Kamino), but overall they weren't completely direct repeats of previous planets and Geonosis not being Tattoine helps for the story. On the other hand, Jakku was exactly like Tattoine and functioned like Tattoine. It feels like it's Abrams was trying to be George Lucas, but just having to make it "new" somehow. I think Extended Universe did a good job with filling in the gaps Lucas had, while respecting his work and then the Sequels have just shit on Lucas' work and flipped the fans off while doing it.
The most common complaint with the force speed is during the Darth Maul fight where Obi-Wan isn’t fast enough for the closing doors.
Perhaps force speed takes up a lot of stamina and he needed it to best maul. Also the second time the doors closes earlier than before. 11 seconds the first time and 9 seconds the last time if I'm not mistaken. Obi Wan might have not expected the indeterminism.
There are many factors to consider. Force speed is probably a more composite ability than its name lets on. I imagine learning how to use Force speed also includes bodily augmentation so that the user doesn’t instantly die. As for Obi-Wan maybe he was tired or wished to save his strength against Darth Maul, or maybe he wasn’t confident enough to time his deceleration and not fall into the pit or not hitting at the barriers at full force.
A) You can't keep running forever - you get tired, especially in the middle of an intense duel
B) And even if he tried running with Force speed, he could run the risk of still running headfirst into those red ray shields if they close
Well it isn’t an issue if you consider the fact that it is extremely draining to use. Just look at how tired and strained Yoda was after lifting the X wing, or that pipe from crushing Anakin and Obi wan in episode ll.
In an intense duel, it wouldn’t be smart for Obi wan to use all of his energy just to catch up. Especially since he had no way of knowing that they would be separated by the ray shields.
When the two Jedi use 'Force Run' on the Droid Ship, they are using it to run away from the danger. In the Maul duel, you cannot expect Obi-wan to use 'Force Run' to head straight into danger! This would have been totally reckless, if not borderline suicidal.
I hadn't thought of the "Force Run" in comparison to Luke's "Force Jump" before. It's a minute detail that is often overlooked.
Thanks for bringing it to light.
And Obi-Wan used also a Force Jump during the duel (with Qui Gon) against Darth Maul.
When should have Obi Wan used force run again? An hour later when he didn’t sprint to get through the red barriers on Naboo to save Qui Gon.
The Phantom Menace has always been my favorite prequel and I love the tiny blip in time it represents before the Clone Wars, before the Empire. There's a cozyness to it's smaller scale conflict. I love that it has child friendly moments, top notch action, and slow political exploration all in the same film. What reviewers call unfocused I call versatile.
Bingo. People don't get that we needed to see the Republic BEFORE the wars that fucked up the galaxy. It's a way of showing us just how much the galaxy lost to get to ANH....
Classic
Totally agree! I love how TPM shows the innocence of it’s time. Because it is a time of relative peace within the Order and the Republic itself, a time that feels impossible in most other cases except the end of ROTJ. You feel more connected to the environment and the world with this movie, which I have always loved about TPM. The stark contrast between that innocence and light and the darkness of ROTS is a way of storytelling in itself. You see how far the Republic had to fall so that the good people were ousted.
Yeah this is how I feel about The Phantom Menace too. Like a brief capture of how the Star Wars galaxy really is when there isn't a major war going on in the background. Seeing the outer rim through Tatooine, how Coruscant is, both the wilderness and developed side of Naboo, it's a neat microcosm of that universe.
George Lucas on when he had four simultaneous storylines at the end of the Phantom Menace: "I may have gone too far in a few places"
At last, the days of merely accepting Episode I as "not that bad" are behind us. At last, we the days shall come where it is accepted as a masterpiece. I love how the prequels in particular consistently knock their first act sequences out of this world.
A freakin men
Not a masterpiece, but pretty solid. I think episodes 1-6 should be treated as one story, which is a masterpiece.
@@Сайтамен Ditto
And eventually the sequel trilogy will be seen as great as well.
@@deckzone3000 Nope. That doesn't work. The whole "the only reason the sequels are unpopular is because it's just cool to hate whatever new Star Wars content gets released" argument has been debunked by the fact that Mando, Rogue One, Andor and TCW are incredibly popular.
History isn't just going to automatically repeat itself and the sequels aren't just going to automatically have the same story as the prequels. If this were the case, then "history would've just repeated itself" and the prequels would've been immediately popular just like the OT, instead of having the delayed popularity that they've had.
A popular critique is "this movie is unnesessary and we should have started with the Clone Wars". The reason we didn't see the Clone War through all trilogy is because life of heroes didn't depend on it and it wasn't war for their survival as in OT, it was polotical game controlled by Palpatine from both sides. Separatists were destined to lose and Republic - take over whole Galaxy to become Empire, the ultimate purpose of the clone army was to eliminate the Jedi. Therefore only important parts were the setup for the war, how it started and how it ended.
TPM shows that Anakin was once an innocent boy (which implies everyone can fall into darkness), why Anakin is so important, his strong attachment to his mom, why Obi-Wan wasn't right teacher to him, why he hates Tatooine, Jedi rules, Palpatine becoming chancellor, world building, etc...And of course, podracing and Darth Maul.
Contrary to what some people think the clone wars isn't that important to the story of the prequels. The most important thing is how it starts and how it ends. The phantom menace is very important to the story of the prequels. It explains what kind of person Anakin is, why he can't let go of his loved ones, why Padme means a lot to him, that he is a talented person. There are much much more but since the entire trilogy is about Anakins rise and fall it is crucial to the story. Also the saga is supposed to be watched 1-6, their complaint only makes an iota of sense if you watch 4-6 first.
This critique contradicts the one where the critics say we didn't know why Anakin fell.
Yes, we do. The Prequels took it's time to show us how he started before he got in the order, so we know why his upbringing was different. How he got this attachements. Starting from the Clone Wars would rob us of that. In the Clone Wars we do not get his background. We get the middle of his fall.
Agreed, without that background, we can never truly understand "The Tragedy of Darth Vader."
@@dancorneanu9144"But I wanted to see Darth Vader killing everyone!!!!"
Lucas made the point that it was important to show Anakin as an innocent child because it made his transformation into Vader actually mean something. As he said, 'you can't show a monster turning into a monster - that's not a story'.
The multiple layers of creative detail, symbolism, and storytelling further cements the fact that George Lucas is truly one of the greatest artistic minds of all time. The prequel love is here to stay and as time goes on, they continue to age like wine... While the original trilogy is the OG... People often overlook how much more thought went into the prequels... The story, lore, lightsaber choreography... All of it.
still, even if it weren't _that_ good, it's always bothered me that a certain sector of the film/reviewing world just starts _picking_ on a movie or a series of movies in an unfair way that actually shapes the way most people who won't ever bother to watch, much less appreciate the film, to even give it a fair chance. I feel the same way about Zack Snyder's stuff but that's another story for another day.
@@sunsetman22 #RestoreTheSnyderVerse 🖤🎥
how are you serious?
Completely agree about the music on this film. People often would listen to Duel of the Fates or the Imperial March when talking Star Wars music but the ambient tracks on this film are magical. Go to 2:05 on the track "He is the Chosen One" or "The Chosen One" and just listen to that rendition of Anakin's theme. The music somehow FEELS innocent and aspiring, like Anakin's character in this film. He has innocent hopes and dreams that he wants to achieve, (he wants to see the galaxy and help people and be a hero) but you can also feel those dark undertones and references to Vader's theme, and some more melancholy parts that foreshadow what's to come for this innocent little boy. Perfect.
All of Anakin's themes in episode 1 (3 or 4 themes in the complete recordings) are for me the most sublime pieces John Williams has ever made, simple as that. The level of sensibility and beauty are unmatched. Add to that the ones in episode 2 like Shmi's funeral or Approaching Naboo. He really got the soul of the Skywalker saga, and he depicts Anakin through his music at the exact same level George Lucas did. There won't be a better match than the one they had ever.
Hell yes!
@@jhidalgo_”Anakin’s Theme” is Williams’s best writing for strings, period.
I’m a musician, I’m doing a level music atm, I’ve been doing music for nearly 15 years now and hearing George Lucas explain the way he wrote the films using the techniques used in symphony’s built by the greats and just applying them differently. It makes me appreciate these movies so much more than I already do!
George Lucas is an artist of the highest order, with class, wisdom and sensibility and I am so glad people do appreciate the multiple layers of artistic work he manages to use to make his films.
The prequels are shot like and have the acting of soap operas
Where was the highest order, class, wisdom and sensibility when he sold the rights to Disney? Lol
not when he's surrounded by yes men. To quote Lucas "I might have gone too far in a few places."
ah yes Howard the Duck the very highest order of class and wisdom and duck f***ing.
@@-solidsnake-he was beaten and battered by the very people he loved and tried to serve. but it was ultimately the fandom that stabbed him. George is Anakin and we deserve what we got.
Finally someone who gets it! I did grow up with the OG trilogy and I’ll never forget skipping school for the TPM premiere. I loved every minute. Especially the opening scene. I was so stoked to finally see a young Obi Wan kicking ass. My favorite quip is when he says, “oh don’t worry, this hasn’t been a day for warm welcomes” to Jar Jar before they dive into the water. It’s his most authentic Ben Kenobi moment for me. AOTC is actually my favorite of them all but I never understood the hate for this flick either.
Jar jar is the reason
This film did feel different from The Originals, but it also still felt like a Star Wars film. What helped me get into The Prequels was cause I had read the EU Books. While Lucas had set rules that authors were not allowed to do stories about the events around this era; they were allowed to talk about it briefly.
It was interesting how some of what they said did happen in The Prequels.
Also that commentary Lucas was talking about when he said music is important in the story, goes to what I said in another video comments section where John Williams was talking about the difference between working of 1-6 vs 7-9.
I agree. There are hints of JarJar being more than what he appears to be. The dive in the the water is great since his character is suppose to be clumsy. Also his lucky shots during the battle at the end of movie. Yoda was the same from Empire. Also all his lucky shots from the battle. It's to bad we will never see George's complete vision since Disney didn't use any of his story for the sequels.
He did the dive into the water in the way he did because George Lucas thought kids would find it funny. That is all.
That’s exactly what I miss in current Star Wars. Peak Jedi fighting and solving political drama with a dark undertone and impending doom.
I am patiently waiting for a movie / show where they finally go back to a time where the Jedi order is still intact.
Same
The Acolyte is gonna be awesome!
@@remy1728 - The Acolyte should be boycotted!!
@@thegreypath1777, I gotta ask... why?
Star Wars has been doing pretty well ever since Filoni took the reigns.
Is there something I should be aware of?
And don't forget that Lucas also helped with political and philosophical star warsa novels like "Shatterpoint", "Darth Plagueis", "Shatterpoint" and "Labyrinth of Evil".
TPM is actually among my top 3 SW films. I love the politics, the characters, the action especially the action.
It's my fav! Such a fun movie the whole time, and it doesn't rely on the other films technically it can be a stand-alone film if you want it to be.
It’s my 4th fav. Behind episode ll, Vl, and of course lll.
The politics was not so complicated there but it was made unclear by narrative. I hadn't understood for a long time what was the whole blockade about..
@@grantavakjan9488 When I was young my head canon was that the bad guys want to take over the planet of Naboo and the good guys have to stop them. That was enough for me. But sometimes with any movie the more you watch it the more you pick up on certain details especially as I got older. It all makes sense once you watch the whole trilogy. Palpatine wanted the seat of chancellory so he orchestrated the crisis on Naboo to kick out Valorum then took his place. And the rest is history.
And it surprisingly doesn’t look at blatantly cgi as 2 and 3. I dont know how they did it but the digital components are really well done and appear more real despite being older than 2 and 3
Those blockade ships also remind me of the hovering platforms used in the senate. I never noticed that it looks like there is a Death Star in their center.
You never noticed that? I thought it was so clear that it was a big sphere blowing up, like an obvious reference to the Death Star. Just like how Anakin flies a ship inside and fires torpedoes at a reactor core that collapses and explodes just as he's escaping, just like in Return of the Jedi.
@@HarmonicWave"It's like poetry, it rhymes."
Very refreshing to hear someone praise Williams not for his big concert arrangements of his themes but rather for the quiet tapestries he weaves to set the tone for scenes. That Trade Federation music is haunting and metallic-sounding, it’s eerie and wonderful at the same time.
I'm happy that Phantom Menace is getting the respect it deserves.
Phantom Menace and Return of the Jedi are my favorite Star Wars movies.
"I'm happy that Phantom Menace is getting the respect it deserves."
Based, me too.
"Phantom Menace and Return of the Jedi are my favorite Star Wars movies."
Phantom Menace and Return Of The Jedi are my favourite Star Wars movies too and Disney's sequel trilogy is not canon, in my opinion.
It deserves no respect, its one of the worst movie ever made.
My favorites are ROTJ and ROTS, but I LOVE TPM! It's a blast!
@@SpartakMs83 Seriously? I respect your opinion, even though I disagree. But I can name SEVERAL movies worse than TPM that aren't even Star Wars....
A Good Day To Die Hard.
Alien Resurrection.
Independence Day: Resurgence.
Batman & Robin.
Mission: Impossible 2.
You really find TPM worse than any of these? Hahaha.
@@SFisher1993 "one of the worst ".
The opening is just so perfect, I can't imagine why more children's movies don't open with exciting bureaucratic trade negotiations.
The negotiations never took place ^^
Cause they are not a masterpiece ❤
The negotiations were short. The action was not.
I wish all my negotiations were cut short in favour of robots battling wizard samurais with magic laser swords on a spaceship.
its not a fucking childrens movie. I guess you think John Wick is a childrens movie too
Thanks for making this! I agree wholeheartedly. I find it so difficult how many so called "fans" recommend not viewing this one in a Star Wars marathon. My brother and I saw it in theaters as kids no less than 7 times and saw it again in theaters as adults when it released in 3D. We had never seen the additional pod racing shots either so it was an incredible experience.
I’m glad you painted this in good light. I absolutely loved the prequel trilogy, it always baffled me that it was hated so much. I mean sure it had flaws, but so did the original trilogy.
Jar jar was the biggest mistake in the trilogy, cutesy (and very hygienic for a slave) Anakin was no better.
The droid control ships are even cooler when you realize they're not only shaped like the Death Star but exactly like the harbor of Carthage, the great trading power that got into a war with, and was completely destroyed by, the Roman Republic/Empire. Calls back to the OT and ancient history at the same time, while foreshadowing the upcoming war and rise of the Empire.
A Cothon, yeah.
Totally agree with everything you said! There's so much poetry (as would Lucas has called it) in it! Also like the idea of orchestrating themes in different way. "It's all about father and sons"... You forgot to mention the shots of the invasion right after the opening sequence, with the familiar Trade Federation march music. That epic scene really impressed me in the cinema, seeing all the droids and massive vehicles on such a scale!
@erstla 🤣
I'll never understand the hate people back then had for the prequels. They blew my mind away in the cinemas and I loved every second of them. We should have cherished George Lucas back when we still had him. It hurts my heart to see what Star Wars has become
You kind of answered your own question. People don't like new stuff being added to what they know. Those that saw the originals back in the day, disliked the prequels. And those that grew up with the prequels dislike the sequels. And the kids and teens that saw the sequels will hate the next trilogy if there ever is one.
they couldn't understand that ever scene was just so dense- there was so much going on
We hated them because they were incredibly bad. They are still incredibly bad. The only people who liked them when they came out were around 10 and under. When I was that age I thought Surf Ninjas was amazing. Its not, I grew up, maybe its time you did the same.
@@deckzone3000 No, thats complete nonsense. We who saw the originals and loved them couldn't wait for the prequals. And many of us love things like Rogue One and the Mandalorian. Its not new things we hate, its low quality trash.
@@SpartakMs83 I was 14,17,20. 🤷♂️ I liked them.
Such a great movie it's a shame it gets so much undeserved hate
Ive been defending this film since I was first able to use the internet, back in the mid to late 2000s, I'm so glad people are finally coming around. One day I am certain this film will be regarded as one of the greatest in cinema.
Yessssi love this movie 🔥
It deserves every ounce of criticism. Anyone who thinks its a good movie simply exposes their total lack of taste and credibility.
@@SpartakMs83 I think you're watching the wrong channel you should watch a sequel channel
@@seanmulligan7422”you don’t like what I like so clearly you must love what I don’t like”
On a recent date, a girl asked me what my favorite Star Wars was, and I answered truthfully The Phantom Menace. I didn’t get a second date.
Ep I was the first SW movie I watched as a kid and is still my secret favorite. I love the aesthetic, with the wonderful designs and still so much being done practically before the fully digital era. Also, seeing the Jedi in their prime like this was unparalleled and truly made me fall in love with the concept. Not to mention the beautiful soundtrack, which I listened to countless times and is still my favorite of the saga.
In Attack of the clones we also see that Yoda teaches the Younglings which would have included Obi Wan when he was younger.
I grew up with the Original Star Wars (Pre 90's Edit's) on VHS. I never understood the hate for The Phantom Menace. I enjoy this film as much as you do and I personally think it's the best of the prequels.
@Antonio-GransciI can't speak for others, but to me the prequels had 2 jobs. Explain the rise of the emperor.
This I think it did quite well.
2 explain how anakin became Darth Vader. This it did terribly.
Anakin in ep 2 and 3 is just an annoying man child, and the transition just isn't convincing.
Watch karate kid 3 to see how this could have been done so much better.
Yes the Annakkin to Vader arc was handled terribly
8:43 missed opportunity to show a picture of Mr. Plinkett, since the hate for the prequels rose because of him.
That's just not true.
Tbh I think a lot of people went into TPM with an idea of what it would be like already in their heads from decades of speculation. Unsurprisingly it was different from what they expected and that made them hate it. TPM is a masterpiece that is thankfully getting the praise it deserves now that people are looking at it from an open perspective.
I was a child of the Original Trilogy, grew up with it, read the books and played the games through the 80's and 90's and was really excited when The Phantom Menace came out. And I loved it. I never got the backlash. It came out shortly after George did the 'remastered' versions of the original movies and I think people were nervous about the new technologies and people jumped on it to express their displeasure about him 'ruining' their favorite movies.
But to me it's a perfect space-fantasy story straight out of the old swashbuckling movies. Taken on its own, it looks like a classic good-defeats-evil story; but knowing the whole story, you realize that the real villain actually won and there's a darker tone to it.
Qui-Gon was the perfect Jedi in the sense of what the Jedi should have been. Obi-Wan was the perfect Jedi in the sense of what they actually were.
The word “attachment” really interfered with people’s ability to understand what Lucas was trying to say about the Jedi-the Jedi love, without loving selfishly. The Jedi we see in the prequels and the TCW are able to love without clinging, without being “attached”. Jedi who grew up in the Order do not commit mass murder out of grief or join Sith Lords in order to save the people precious to them.
literally just the noises, sound effects, and music alone make these movies perfect for me. they're so satisfying to watch it's unreal. the nostalgia hits every time and i'll watch them a hundred times over. they never get old and the aesthetic is just perfect i don't know how to explain it, but you did a pretty good job in this video lol
The days that I was in fear to speak up about how much I loved the prequels are finally behind me, thanks to jar jar Abrams and Disney. Prequels had the most exciting environment design, vehicle design, character design, and the best music. My dear John Williams composed the new trilogy but I don't remember a note. But when I walked out of the cinema right after the duel of the fate, it was already engraved into my brain for the rest of my life! The prequels are so much deeper and more complicated, everything has both sides and in between, and makes you think about another 1000 things. I think it's such a pity that so many hardcore star wars fans couldn't appreciate it and then made George Lucas feel heartbreakingly disappointed and fed up and eventually made the decision to sold it to the devil and caused every bit of the chaos today. Some of us fans did this. We forever lost something truly great.
It looks to me that, most fans who didn't like the prequels were hoping to have a simpler storyline with prince and princess, sword fight and space wizards, when the story suddenly became so complicated, they lost their minds. Just like how Matrix reloaded lost most people when characters started talking. Modern audience only wants the packaging, not the substance underneath. No wonder we get more and more stupid blockbusters these years. Because we asked for it.
(Imagine if George Lucas really got his way to boldly implement his original concept of having jar jar as the ultimate boss behind palp, how cool would that be? Unfortunately we would never know.)
Dont speak to soon. Anyone who thinks the prequals were in any way good is a brainless hack.
100% agreed. We did this to ourselves. We will never know what greatness we missed. RIP Darth Binks
I'm pretty sure george said he had the most fun making phantom menace and it shows, the entire movie is fun, lol it goes from fun, to fun, to guess what more fun, pure childlike enjoyment.
The people who hate on this film are not in touch with their inner child thats my take on it, the goofyness just irriates them, I loved the whole thing even jar jar.
@@JoyfulUniter I don't trust anyone who can't see the inherent soul in TPM. Keep that inner child alive.
@@JoyfulUniter Jar jar had a purpose beyond entreating kids. Did that and was pretty liked by kids.
@@dancorneanu9144 Exactly he's "the fool" archetype, the force protects him like it would a child, I'm not like well read on the tarot at all but yeah, lucas kinda knew what he was doing to put it lightly lol
@@JoyfulUniter From what I know, Jar Jar was based on Goofy and pratfall comedy (F Troop for example). He has multiple roles: to show Padme's compassion, to lead the Jedi, to offer Padme the solution to the Trade Federation problem, to serve a a distraction, to show Qui Gon's view (the force and importance in everything), to serve as a vehicle for children, to serve as a scapegoat for the corrupt politicians. He is a C3PO with more plot relevance.
Also, this movie has the single best scene in Star Wars. Duel of the fates was a straight masterpiece of a battle.
I'm more inclined to say that Revenge of the Sith's 1st act is the perfect opening
I watched the original trilogy on vcr when I was 4 years old, then watched the prequals on dvd a year later. I remember the difference very clearly: the originals were more about plot while the prequals were about sounds, imagery, and lore. The prequals basically did what halo 1 did. They're not really better or worse than the originals but they are different. The difference throws a lot of people off
Original trilogy: Story, acting, dialogue, music.
Prequel trilogy: Lightsaber fights.
@@deckzone3000 Yes lightsaber fights. Actually prequels had great acting but cheap dialogue. It’s bland because George called dialogue a sound effect. similar to a dog barking.
I don't know man. I'd understand it if you said that the OT had a much more 'simple' plot compared to the prequels but the latter has a wealth of plot and character to delve into
I love how Jar Jar is timed to perfectly appear as the word “mistake” is said!
I was very much the target demographic of the Phantom Menace when it came out. I think that's why it's special to me. It is geared towards children because:
- Two Jedi knights in the hero party do cool Jedi things many times. They are powerful but also respectable (unlike Rey and Kylo)
- simple but powerful aesthetic taste: bright and colourful environments especially on Naboo, shiny technology, everything looks somehow fresh and more high fantasy -like than in any other episode
- Duel of the Fates with Darth Maul, with the catchy tune
- The goofy comedy of Jar Jar Binks might be cringy for adults and teens, but not so much for children. Personally, I couldn't understand why people hated him so much. I had so much fun laughing at him.
What the movie lacks, however, is the dramatic emotional depth of Revenge of the Sith or the Return of the Jedi. But that didn't matter so much as a child. Action and shiny things were the main point. I was sold, especially when opening Christmas presents 😅
That bracket in the first paragraph shows your just salty
In a “what if” scenario. Obi-Wan could have used the force run ability to catch up to Qui-Gon and Maul during duel of the fates. If he had done that, Qui probably wouldn’t have died and Anikan would have had the master that he deserved. If Qui survived, Anikan may not have succumbed to the dark side through Palpatine’s manipulations.
This.
Using the force requires stamina and energy, perhaps Obi-Wan was simply too tired or exhausted to manage it at that moment after fighting the duel for so long. Alternatively, maybe he *was* already using it, and we don't bother to visually show it because both he, Quigon and Maul are all using it so relatively they move at the same pace and it would just look silly to play the fight at 2x speed.
I still love the way the film looks with the model ships. you can even feel the film grain which is lost with modern movies I'm not a film snob but Movies lost that magic when they switched to digital.
I saw TPM in the cinema in 1999. Pretty much all of my Star Wars loving friends enjoyed it. It was only when they started hearing all the hipster negative opinions that many changed their tunes and claimed to hate it. I’ve always thought it was stunning.
I believe The Phantom Menace has more practical effects than the entire original trilogy.
It’s amazing and awesome to see the generation of kids that grew up with Star Wars become adults and evangelize the prequel trilogy. Believe it or not, there will likely be a generation of kids growing up with the sequel trilogy who will someday grow up and do the same for it.
I have so much love for this movie, despite all the naysayers I feel nothing but the thrill of joy watching it even after all these years. Glad to see it getting the recognition it deserves!
I was born in 81 so I grew up watching the OG Star Wars. My mum let me have the day off school when I was 17 to watch the phantom menace on opening day. I always though it was awesome
Thanks for the video Connor. I am reminded of the care and forethought that was actually put into "The Phantom Menace". THIS is how you make Star Wars with a respect to the past, while still introducing the new. It can only be told by the Maker, and not by a soulless monolith of a company that is the very embodiment of the Empire itself...
Phantom Menace was the first SW I saw because my parents buyed it on DVD back in 2000.
I have so much triggers each time I see it as I was 5 at the time
This was the 1st Star Wars film I ever saw as I was only 6 or 7 at the time. Only thing of the original trilogy I saw was a trailer on a few vhs I had at that time. Not fully understanding everything and why it was called episode 1 and who 'Dark' Vader was etc. Few years later when i was a bit older and understood the series more, seeing all the films (up to Attack of the Clones at the time) and learnt all the characters were and how to pronounce their names correctly lol. Phantom Menace will always hold a special place in my heart cos its what started it all off for me.
As you mention Sidious/Palpatine being introduced as a hologram like he was in Empire, it's kind of interesting to note that he's introduced in this manner twice, once as Sidious and then again as Palpatine.
Repetition of themes and motifs is a big part of star wars
It's really good to hear a TH-camr not crying about how terrible Episode I was and how it destroyed his childhood.
The prequels are finally getting the recognition and respect they didn't get over 20 years ago.
Maybe a lot of things would have been different and Star Wars would never have been sold to Disney.... 😢
Hypocrite 20 years from now the sequels will be beloved
George specifically waited for the technology to adapt until he could make the phantom menace and so that really says something
I did grow up with the OT, and I loved the PT. 😊
She is ridged and has a weird accent while working in a royal capacity. Just like her double. It makes sense really. Their customs are different than ours. Granted it wasnt explained well, it does make sense.
Did you watch this after publishing? Did you see the deathstar/control ship comparison sequence and genuinely think yeah, this is good? I cant imagine how many people closed the video after the like 10th time switching back and forth.
THE CIRCLE IS FORESHADOWING GUYS! THEYRE BOTH SPHERES! THE WRITERS ARE AMAZING fuck me
The editing on this video is fucking terrible. Everytime a name or event is mentioned, we got a 1.2 second cut to it, over, and over, and over again.
I remember when this movie first came out. My biggest complaints or question on storytelling with it is the age of Anakin. The actor did a decent job, but he is too young for the role.
Anakin should be 12 to 14 years of age and his dialogue reflects this, especially with Queen Amidala. However, the choice was made to make it very clear he is eight years old.
With that aside, my favorite character is the true phantom menace, Darth Jar Jar.
Watching this movie again recently made me realize how great this movie is. Darth mauls scene near the end was incredible, still makes me excited to this day
12:24 It should’ve been used again when Kenobi was running down the hall to catch up to Qui Gon & Maul. He must’ve forgotten he could do that so the plot could happen.
Obi Wan did use it right up till reaching the force fields (also shown explicitly in the TPM video game)
Ah yes the opening to my favourite Star Wars movie, excellent breakdown dude
You’re right. “They must be dead by now, destroy what’s left of them” is brilliant dialogue that makes total sense…
Great material. I am also a big fan osf SW universe. Splendid work :). I subbed right after i finished watching ur video ;)
i dont think most people's issues are with the opening of the film but more with what comes after
Phantom Menace was one of the funnest cinematic movie experiences of my life. I still love it to this day, and objectively, still think its a great movie. Glad someone is giving it the respect it never got.
The fact that episode one had nicest ships like at the end is because they are from naboo and not republik.
Yes Naboo is in Republik but you get the point😅
I would literally love to see your whole commentary on the prequel trilogy over a number of videos. This video was great. Please do more of this please ☺️☺️
The male actor that played Jedi cruiser, Radiant VII, pilot Antidar Williams was Silas Carson who also played Nute Gunray, the Nemodian that destroyed the Jedi cruiser.
Silas Carson also played Senator Lott Dod and Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi.
It's a good opening for a good movie, ignore the incessant whining by the OT boomers, and thank them for the current state of the franchise after they drove George to sell it to Disney. But on the topic of the Force Speed scene, there's only one other instance in TPM where that likely probably definitely would have come in handy: when Obi-Wan was running through the laser gates to catch up to Qui-Gon and Maul, and because he fails to clear the last gate in time, Qui-Gon dies and that pretty much guarantees Anakin's fall to the Dark Side (hence the title of the song being Duel of the Fates, it's about the fate of the Chosen One i.e. Anakin being decided by who survives the battle with Maul).
That entire duel is excellent. The fact that a Sith Assassin, not a full fledged apprentice, was able to hold his own against a Jedi master and his padawan shows the hardcore training a Sith undergoes.
As someone who also grew up with the prequel trilogy, I loved the phantom menace since the beginning. I was around 7 when I was introduced to starwars and the phantom menace was a stellar masterpiece to me as a kid and still to this day one of my favorites alongside revenge of the sith. Starwas From the OG to the prequels was amazing and the new stuff will never compare. 😥
Hahaha yesss finally someone who loves this movie too, it's so amazing easily my favorite 1 - 6 are like all masterpieces in their own right but to me 1 is the best there isn't a single uninteresting moment.
Nice to see Episode I getting some love. It’s the best looking prequel film due to the practical elements. People forget that this stuff is made for kids & people need to get over their arrested-development issues and just accept the silly elements rather than insist every modern SW project be a dark gritty Saving Private Ryan story.
George Lucas was not perfect, but he was never bad at telling a story, both in the telling of the story and also in the nature of film as a visual medium. It was never the story that let the movies down, it was the characters, and the dialogue, his story was fine.
Agreed. His ideas were great. Just the scripts and direction needed polish. The Clone Wars cartoon was everything the prequels should have been.
Totally agree. This was my favorote episode by far!
George Lucas is such a rare artist in that he was actually able to self fund his works at budgets that compete with the corporate studios. The idea that episodes 5 to 3 were effectively 'indie' films is mind boggling and incredibly inspiring. The amount of creative control he had on these films shows through to every fine detail. He built teams of the most talented artists and technicians and then created the central framework they could all contribute to.
I have watched some interviews about the company culture of ILM at the time the prequels were being made and it was a place where people of any role could contribute their ideas. Of course, it would have to be a great idea to make it into the film, but damn that is a great way to run a creative business.
I've gained a new appreciation for Ep I through III these days. McGregor really captured the role of Obi Wan. I loved the line, "Hello, there."
Is this satire? Can someone please tell me this video and all the comments are satire, and restore my faith in humanity?
One thing that bothers me is that there is only about 18 years between episodes 3 and 4, and yet the Jedi and The Force have gone from being well known and respected/feared to being seen as myth like we view King Arthur and Merlin. Han, who is old enough in Ep. 4 to have been a kid during Ep. 3, sees the Jedi as a “hokey religion” and the force as “simple tricks and nonsense.” Even Motti on the Empire side refers to Vader’s “sad devotion to that ancient religion”, indicating he too thinks it’s an old fairy tale. I think Lucas made the Jedi far too prominent and well known in the prequels to fit the original trilogy.
Neither Han nor Motti react in a way that indicates they see the Jedi/ Force as myth. They don't believe in it, that's all.
The universe is a big place.
'For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic....' Yeah, not prominent at all.
A lot of people don't believe in the Force/Jedi because they're all gone and dead.
@@Onezy05 that illustrates my point though. They were the superheroes of the galaxy for over a thousand generations, and essentially forgotten or dismissed as fiction in less than 2 decades?
@@toddhensley880 A lot can happen in nearly 2 decades - especially under an authoritarian system which most likely suppressed information about them too.
@@toddhensley880 Honestly, looking at how much culture has changed in the last two decades just in one country on Earth...this is more than believable
The phantom menace is my favorite star wars movie. That said, obiwan could have used the force sprint to catch up to Qui-Gon as they went through the massive laser gates during their duel with Darth Maul. If he had, Qui - Gon might still be alive and maybe Anakin doesn't turn to the dark side.
You talked about everything under the sun in this opening sequence except the one thing I wanted, that stuck with me since I was a teenager and saw it in the theater an embarrassing number of times in the summer of ‘99: that mindfulness dialogue. Qui-Gon completely explains mindfulness a decade or so before it became such a buzzword.
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
“I don’t sense anything.”
“It’s not about the mission, Master. It’s something elsewhere… Elusive.”
“Don’t focus on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs.”
“But Master Yoda told me to be mindful of the future.”
“But not at the expense of the MOMENT. Be mindful of the LIVING FORCE, my young padawan.”
If that’s wrong it’s because I wrote it from memory. Some more gems about the Force sprinkled throughout the film:
“The Force will guide us.”
“Relax, we’re not in trouble yet.”
“Feel, don’t think. Use your instincts. May the Force be with you.”
“Your focus determines your reality.”
I really appreciate the care George put into maintaining a mystical spirituality through the Force in his prequels, reminiscent of Yoda’s training in TESB. Something entirely missing from plasticine Disney Star Wars.
I’ve always been an unapologetic fan of The Phantom Menace, even during the lean Mr. Plinkett years.
Thanks for the insightful video and salient commentary clips.
This movie challenged my little kid brain to understand politics, war, and trade. It was unmistakably made with kids in mind, and that’s amazing that a kids movie could be loved by adults and also expand theirs and their children’s knowledge of real world events and history.
Epic! Loved this Star Wars opening! Lucas nails it every time.
The argument against force speed is that obi-wan could've used it at the plasma gen complex, to catch up with maul and qui-gon
The prequels are AMAZING. And one thing that particularly stands out is the world building. Everything feels so natural and relaxed. So alive. Lucas is a true genius.
Lol this is a joke right? These movies are just complete garbage you have just have to be brainwashed to like these movies? Like where is the greatness? It’s all poorly thought out garbage that makes no sense. I don’t watch star wars for boring space politics I watch it for the war which is apart of the name. Yes politics and war are intertwined but politics should never be the main focus. Yall need to watch mr plinkets review.
I agree.
TPM just feels more grounded that any of the other prequels. I think it's a mix of being shot on film, the continued use of practical effects mixed with the newer CGI stuff and the just unbelievably good sound design (somehow far better than the ones that followed). It just looks and feels amazing. It has issues but it's my favourite of the prequels.
The level of creativity in these films is utterly unrivalled by any film produced in the last decade. What has happened to Hollywood? (We all know the answer).
12:27 Force speed could have been used during the Duel of Fates, it would have let Obi-wan catch up with Qui-Gon and help him defeat Maul
THANK YOU
I always disliked the complaint that it was 'boring cuz muh tax politics' when it's purposely showing a different time in the galaxy and actually lulls you in with a false sense of security (like the Jedi themselves) before hitting you with the fact that there's more going on than meets the eye
The Prolouge in the original SW book was from the "Journal of the Whills," as I remember. The ancient Order of the Whills, was a mysterious group of beings that recorded the history of all that happened. I use to have that book - the EXACT same one shown in your video. That prologue always attracted me. Awesome post!!
phantom menace was the best experiences of my life in a theater. the pod racing, the intro, duel of fates, padme, darth maul, even jar jar was amazing, i even like anakin, even when he grew up. some people just dont understand what anakin had to go through to become darth vader. they make fun of it like some joke but it shows most of humanity doesnt have a soul.
Can be also appreciatethe rhyme here that the heroes are onboard a small and quite defenceless ship against the overwhelming presence of the bad guys' evil donuts? This evokes the opening of A New Hope. It's ansolutely brilliant!
Loved the first episode, never understood the hate. I grew up with the original trilogy and episode 1 blew my mind.
The world building throughout all three episodes is a masterclass in how to kick off a franchise.
People can hate Lucas and the prequels as much as they want but the prequels literally kickstarted star wars as we know it today more than the original did.
Great analysis. I agree, TPM probably has the richest atmosphere of the 6.
I am so happy that true Star Wars fans, such as yourself, are finally becoming a loud voice in the community. There's been too much Lucas-bashing for too long.
As a gen z child this was the first bit of star wars i ever watched. It's fcking magic. Hooked me and became my childhood. Man i wanna be 7 again live was good back then
No matter the movie, people will always not like the remakes/sequels of movies. I am glad to see the prequels getting love since all 6 movies are important. Together they show the story of Darth Vader/Skywalker and everything required for him to bring balance to the force. The sequels defiently deserve the hate they get but that's a story for another time.
Ive been made fun of, looked down on, and spat on (literally) for years for saying that TPM is my favorite star wars movie. Glad to see someone else point out some of the things that I love about it.
Having only seen the Star Wars movies recently (in chronological order) I can have a fairly objective take that is independant of how old I was seeing each for the first time.
I found Ep 1 2 3 to be the best in terms of lore and intreague and storytelling.
Ep 4 5 6 really knew how to hold tension and create this sense of the characters racing against the clock all the time making those movies feel like a wild adventure as opposed to a tale told over multiple years.
EP 7 8 9 were utter garbage and that's me being nice. The one good think I found about them is the dynamic between Fynn and Poe and their character arcs but otherwise those movies lack everything that made the first six so amazing: boring story, flashy CGI but not appealing in terms of artistique design, no tension, multiple undowings of the original 6 like how Lea somehow becomes a resistance fighter yet again and Sidius is ressurcted making the profecy pointless etc...
The Phantom Menace has ways been one of my favorites, actually, you just have to understand it. And… Qui-gon Jinn is my favorite character. But the opening of this movie is so GOOD! I have to say though, I like the emotional ending of Revenge of The Sith.
is this a troll video lmfao
Actually in a movie force speed wasn't used again, but in the Jedi Outcast games it was a great tool to win every fight ever ... Force speed is an official ability in the Star Wars galaxy!
“George Lucas doesn’t make storytelling mistakes” lmao