I feel bad that it affected him that way. Having said that, I always felt he was a terrible choice. I know Anakin was supposed to be 9, and Jake was 8 when filming started but to me he looked more like 6/7. I think they should've picked an actor who was a bit more mature. He was a cute kid, but just didn't deliver for my taste.
Ya. He left acting entirely because of it. I thought his acting was fine. He proby suffered the wrath of all the 20 to 50 year olds that wanted to see prequels geared towards their demographic instead of a family-friendly environment more geared to capture a new generation of youth and YA's... And of course their kids would pick up on that and pass on the criticism to Jake....
@CallMeLS this seems to be the case, if anything most people overrate the prequels (they fun enjoyable movies, but do have major issues people tend to overlook because they are fun.)
I watch SW (and MOST other movies) to be ENTERTAINED). That being said, I was VERY entertained by the prequels. I simply didn't like the 'chemistry' between Hayden and Natalie...
I've done totally unscientific polling among people I know over the years, and I've observed an interesting trend. People who saw the prequels as late teens or adults tended to hate them, but people who originally saw them when they were younger kids didn't have any problem with them, even after becoming adults. I personally was let down by Phantom Menace and had to suppress negative reactions to certain things when I first saw it (I was determined to enjoy it). But, I still contend that George Lucas did something really genius; he made that movie for that generation's young kids. Even though older fans hated a lot of the juvenile elements, GL was securing a whole new generation of SW merchandise consumers.
@@blackbenetavo7715 I think another reason was that the older fans, the original fans, were kinda spoiled by the Expanded (Legends) Universe which was pretty friggin awesome back in the day. Expectations were simply too high. All of us expected the on-screen equivalent of Shadows of the Empire of the Thrawn Trilogy and instead we got Jar Jar Binks and Podracing. Sadly we had to resign ourselves to the fact that, as far as we OJ fans went, SW peaked at Empire Strikes Back in terms of what we wanted. Still, as time goes on, and especially after seeing what Kathleen The Hutt over at Disney did to SW films, the Prequels can be better appreciated today for what they added to the lore of Star Wars canon (certainly more so than Episodes 7 - 9 probably ever will be!).
Keira was only 12 years old who was Natalie's decoy at 16 years old. But eventually Keira when she became fully grown is about 3-4 inches taller than Natalie.
It was amazing, because I literally knew Portman played the Queen, yet the whole time I'm watching her be Padme and not even putting the two together until Padme steps up to reveal herself to the Gungans. I guess I was just focused on everything else watching this in theaters that it completely took me unawares that I knew she was both, but didn't realize she was both along the way. Too funny!
It's amazing how many people miss that they straight up call Obi-Wan his name within the, like, first 5 minutes of the movie or so. All reactions I see, people are shocked midway, like it's some sort of revelation. Also, no, everyone new Anakin was Vader. The posters for the film literally had him standing in the desert, with his shadow being Darth Vader. Last: yes, I was in fact SO excited, that I camped in front of a cinema for earlier tickets.
1999 i was PUMPED to see this. I was in the USN on deployment, and the studio flew the movie out to our ship(aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt). We watched it in the hangar bay with popcorn and snacks. Great memory!
You referenced several times about how dangerous it was to train Anakin, knowing what he would ultimately become. It's been argued that the death of Qui-Gon was what ultimately caused Anakin to head down his dark path. During these years of the prequels the Jedi Order had found itself too closely involved in politics and various agendas. It's been said that they had strayed too far from the living force and had evolved into more of a political organization than simple peacekeepers who only fought for what was "right". As such, they lost much of their ability to sense what is going on in the dark side of the force. Obi-wan was trained during this time and despite Qui-Gon's teachings still embraced much of the schooling he learned at the Jedi temple, which failed to adequately prepare him. On the other hand, Qui-Gon was older and very independent. He remembers a much older time when the Jedi Order looked, felt, and operated very differently. Qui-Gon was much better equipped to help guide Anakin through managing and mitigating his feelings and helping Anakin understand that while Jedi are allowed to know and experience generic love (love without a specific object of affection), they need to abandon attachment, and then by extension the fear of loss. This is where Obi-Wan failed Anakin, and ultimately why Anakin turned to the dark side. I can't get into more details without completely spoiling the other two movies for you, but you'll see what I mean as you watch them. Great reaction Shanelle! So glad you enjoyed this and I look forward to following you through the other two!
Great explanation.. to which I would merely add that what Anakin really needed in his life was a father figure, which Qui-gon would have been for him, and not a brother, which was all that Obi-wan was able to be for him. It was that lack of a father/mentor in his life which Darth Sidious ultimately exploited to turn Anakin.
Alternatively, Qui-Gon was a patsy, his head filled with right sounding lies that the Sith wanted to inject in the Jedi Order. Consider who his original master was.
@@OgreProgrammer You do realize that the Jedi Order already was what the Sith wanted it to be. Blind and lost its path. There was no need to inject anything to it. Still how would a Jedi Master teach his apprentice wrong when he was still following the Jedi ways and had no inkling to join the other side. If the council would have listened to Qui-Gon the Jedi order would have been saved and the Sith would have lost. In that moment of time Qui-Gon would have been the best Master for Anakin and because he died it just played directly into the plans of the Sith. Only way it might have turned the other way was if Yoda himself would have taught Anakin but because he was afraid (yes afraid) of the possibility of a bad ending he did not. The whole scene in the council cambers shows how out of the Jedi ways the council has gone. They are literally afraid of a little scared child and seeking comfort of the rigid doctorate they have chained themselves to. Being too old is an excuse and him not been trained would have been even bigger risk. He needed a older wiser master but because they were afraid he did not get one.
Unpopular opinion: Anakin was in fact the chosen one, there to bring balance to the force, the Jedi were so arrogant they assumed that balance was to be in their favor when in reality they had fallen so far off their path the balance was to reduce their numbers.
@@c1ph3rpunk Indeed. Balance is, well, balance. A level playing field where neither side is favored. Unfortunately for the Jedi, while their order mostly included members with upstanding morals and good intentions who truly wanted peace and justice throughout the galaxy, their teachings were archaic at this point, and they had stagnated as an organization. They were so concerned with inner politics and keeping up tradition that they failed to recognize/were easily blinded to the 'phantom menace'.
@@TrzaGoesHard That's right, I remember Natalie saying that at one point and was shocked that they not only couldn't remember doing it, but couldn't tell each other apart.
You have NO idea how big this was in 1999... the tickets were sold 30 days in advance, the local 18 screen movie theater had 12 screens for JUST this movie. People were lined up 24 hours in advance. We got there 6 hours before our showtime on opening night and the line was around the building completely, and halfway around AGAIN. Police were out directing traffic, it was insane. The number of cosplayers, lightsabers, and people camping was huge. It was an EVENT like no other...
Qui-Gon is important because he's the father that Anakin never had but dearly needed. A wise maverick who trusts the force more than the rigid dogma of the Jedi council and spites it and its grandmaster Yoda if he feels like it's the force's will. Seems familiar? We already had an unconventional Jedi Knight who actively spited Yoda to help Anakin Skywalker: His name was Luke. But sadly Qui-Gon dies in a duel of the fates and now Anakin is left with Obi Wan Kenobi, a borderline boy scout-ish council loyalist who is shown to disagree with Qui-Gon's liberal approach on many occasions in this film. Is he the right person to fill that void of fatherly authority for the feisty boy that might just be their fabled messiah? Is he up to the task? Don't think that the importance of father figures ended with the OT, it's a looming yet central aspect of Anakin's characterization in this trilogy. A complex and challenging characterization that upset a lot of people who either just wanted the romanticized hero Kenobi made himself remember or the ruthless monster that is Darth Vader. What we got was much more fascinating though. Anakin is painfully human, that shouldn't be forgotten going forward. People got real riled up about George Lucas unapologetically making Indie-films at a blockbuster scale. George said "Oh you think you like space operas? Let's get operatic then" while pushing the entire industries technology forward once more and the entire mainstream lost its feeble little minds with rage. These films are unconventional and by quite a few mainstream standarts "bad". But they're works of art with enough soul and vision in them to make any of their detractors quake in their boots. There's a reason why essentially all of post-Lucas Star Wars is about either spiting or imitating George and his work. That's just the amount of impact we're talking about here. Lucas is a pure artist. Pure expression and creativity with no care for what anyone might think of it. And that makes him an icon. Looking forward to Episode II. It's a wild ride, no less despised by the mainstream than this one but ever so great. And then obviously the groundbreaking finale that is "Revenge of the Sith" where people suddenly went "wait this is good?". Yeah. Duh. We will watch your career with great interest.
I think George desire for perfection though is what stressed him out so much making these. He put so much effort into them. I'm glad he did, but he'd get maybe a bit too picky. He literally had the effects crew rotate Anikins hand 90° in a scene where he is sitting down having a conversation. It literally did nothing for the scene.
I was 9 when the original movie came out so I was in my early 30's when this one came out. I was very excited to see it. Overall, I liked it. My two biggest issues were Jar Jar(It was painfully obvious that he was geared towards kids) and Anakin blowing up the ship at the end. I suppose it was meant to be like Luke blowing up the Death Star. However, Luke had to look deep within himself and connect with the force in order to do it. Anakin just hit some buttons and yelled "Woah!" a lot.
Yes, George Lucas himself has seats repeatedly that Star Wars movies were made for children. So yes, Jar Jar was for the kids, just like the Ewoks. Your watching a childrens movie. It’s like watching Sesame Street and the complaining because it had muppets.
"This was made for kids, flatulence joke" Honestly, when you watch this movie and then watch the uber-dark Revenge Of The Sith, you can't help but wonder how the hell they're parts of the same trilogy.
I suppose it would've worked well if you were a child growing from 10 to 16 over the course of the prequels releases in theaters? This one specifically is waaaayyy too kiddy to fit with the other 5 films nowadays though
Because Phantom Menace was what Lucas originally wanted the prequel trilogy to be....., less dark, very kid friendly. He made a course correction after fan backlash on Episode 1 made it very apparent that what he was going for in that film was NOT what SW fans wanted. Hence Jar Jar being sidelined in Episode 2 when he was originally meant to be the face of the prequel trilogy (George's words btw). George then made ANOTHER course correction after the fans backlashed again on AotC...which led to Revenge of the Sith FINALLY aligning more with what og fans were expecting from the newer films (even if it was fairly flawed in a number of ways)
@@ProJatior It's because Star Wars fans are not too bright. And you don't think the original movie was for children, lol, it was the most childish sci-fi major movie of the previous decade. And most of the planetside effects were MUPPET technology. Real grown-up. Sorry, meant this comment for the other guy. Pass it on.
interesting. Personally I found all the foreshadowing of what's to come, particularly in the music, the best part. I mean, when Anakin leaves his mother and the Force//Jedi theme plays.... "grave danger I fear in his training." super dark. The funeral music... because, as an example of "dramatic irony" (ah, high school English class...) WE know what's to come even though they don't. This knowledge greatly imbues itself into the significance of the feeling in the funeral music... etc.
So true. We got Pod Racing games and what not thanks to the movie. The best racing thing to come out of Star Wars. And the best battle with a villain that died way to early. Unless.... you know.... spoiler territory....for the animated show.
In the 4th, 5th, and 6th Star wars films, we never saw how a jedi fights using the force. It was quite the treat seeing them using force push to knock over the droids in the movie theater. It was like seeing how jedis were supposed to be portrayed all this time, but not having the technology to do it until that moment.
I dunno why but looking back at this one I think I have more fun now than I did as a kid, or in the decades since. Ahmed Best is the man, and the standing ovation he got at the 20th anniversary celebration made me totally cry.
I'm one of those rare individuals who actually loved these films when they came out, my dad loved and introduced me to the original trilogy and I loved them too, so when he took me to see this film it was like this was a Star Wars movie made for me. Lol I don't want to answer a whole lot of your questions because they're answered in the next 2 films and even more so in the animated shows (which I highly recommend watching because they add so much more importance to a lot of these characters including Qui-Gon Jin). One spoiler I will give because it's not covered in any of the films or shows, but Anakin's mom was impregnated by having the midichlorians manipulated in her body to create life that is Anakin, that's why there is no father.
It is not even slightly rare for someone to have loved the prequels when they came out. Just because people on the internet talk about how bad they are doesn't mean they are actually widely hated, normal people liked these movies, they saw them in theaters and bought mountains of merchandise.
@@robertparker6280 I see that, but I also feel like a lot are saying they've always been a fan now than they did then because there was something new to hate on. Lol
Fun fact Natalie's mother actually confused Kiera Knightley for her own daughter on set(like Knightley's mother). Also, Ray Park(Maul) and Ewan couldn't stop making Lightsaber noises when filming the fight. And yes I knew who Jake Lloyd was playing because of a BTS thing I watched before release
Glad you enjoyed this. As you know, there’s lots of people who dislike the prequels, but I personally like them. I will say that parts 2 and 3 are even more enjoyable and offer more of Anakin’s backstory and his transition to Vader. It will all make sense soon enough ☺️
The Imperial March (also known as Darth Vader's Theme) was actually in this movie, although you seemed to think it was another theme. But Vader's theme was very subtle in this one because you barely notice it if you're not listening for it. Being the super nerd I was in '99 I heard it immediately.
I remember sitting in the theatre after waiting my whole life for more Star Wars. When that intro started with the music and the scroll. I almost shit my pants. It was so good.
One thing about prequals is that any questions you may have about the "future" episodes. Finding out the origins of story lines is what makes this one, and the next ones, all worthwhile. Sometimes it's hard to not say anything and give away spoilers.
Fun fact: The actor for Darth Maul was originally meant to be trained by Ray Park a martial artist for the lightsabre scenes, but they couldn't find an actor who could do the lightsabre scenes to their satisfaction. Instead they decided Ray Park himself would actually play the role, so though he was initially meant to be the choreographer, he became the actual character for Darth Maul.
“Anakin is the best actor in this movie.” Said absolutely no one in 1999. That little boy was absolutely savaged at the time. After Jar-Jar, he was the most hated aspect of the movie when it was released. Poor kid.
Not only was he completely harassed, he had to deal with a lot of mental health issues and even self-destructive behavior. It’s really difficult, because being a child and part of such a huge franchise, that affects you forever.
I always feel for the prequels its important to remember, Anakin is the one that eventually kills the emperor in episode 6. So Qui-Gon's belief in Anakin in the defiance of Yoda isn't necessarily misguided.
@@HobGungan Exactly. The newer look on the name of the song "Duel of Fates" kind of looks at that. That it wasnt Qui Gon but Anakins fate that was being decided. Qui Gon knew the Jedi order was being too stuffy and uptight and knew Anakin needed a father figure not a friend.
I remember reading the novels of the prequels and they actually touched upon this idea with something that they didn't try or weren't able to convey in the movies. Mace Windu apparently has a rare connection with the force which lets him see the connections between things in a unique way. A special insight into hidden truths and destiny and whatever else. This insight had been used early on to verify Anakin's role in the prophecy, in a very general sense, but it wasn't until much later (episode 3) that he was able to really see the full picture and know what kind of path Anakin was going to have to take before he would get there.
And he did bring balance (at the time). There was Vader, Emperor, Kenobi, and Yoda. Looks like balance to me as the Sith were way outnumbered by the Jedi. Qui-Gon was right.
@@cyatic That might be a bit oversimplified...? But I guess that depends on what material you want to look at (movies only or Expanded Universe canon or Disney canon) and how much you want to focus on specifically Jedi vs Sith as opposed to looking at all Force users / Force sensitives in general (which admittedly could get into more of a mess of shades of gray (they aren't all such zealots about one extreme or the other like the Jedi and Sith are)). Outside the movies, there have been others out there who slipped through the cracks and lived on in the background somewhere just like Yoda and Obi-Wan did. That's kinda part of Vader's job in between episodes 3 and 4, trying to track down renegade Jedi and anyone else that's hiding their Force sensitivity from the Empire's notice.
"Yoda's Creek" was actually a country album released by Yoda that charted very poorly. Which turned out to be fortunate, as his failure pushed him into becoming a Jedi and not a Country singer.
Hi Shanelle. It was so much fun watching your reaction to this film. I saw this in the theater and my favorite things about this movie were the introductions. C3-P0/R2-D2 , Obi Wan Kenobi/Anakin, Yoda, Jabba,etc. I enjoyed how you can now refer to the original movies and I especially LOVED how you reacted to Obi Wan Kenobi's introduction to Anakin. It was great! Ewan will reprise his role on Disney + in his own series. Can't wait to see it! Also, I can't wait for you to see the next two films. I will be watching along with you. :)
I always forget how much fun it is to watch episode 1 with someone for the first time. The score is fantastic, the pod race kicks ass, and Darth Maul is hauntingly awesome. Not to mention the lightsaber fight climax. I saw this the day it came out in theaters (I was 12 years old), what an awesome time!
I remember being in my very early 20’s, going to the theater being a huge Star Wars fan. We were all tense and ready for it to start and the excitement was actually a tangible thing you could almost feel in the air, and then the music hits and the scroll began, literally chills and people were cheering and it was just pure wildness because we were finally getting new Star Wars. It was something else.
So, as a frequent George Lucas apologist: as a filmmaker, he's a futurist. He wanted to push the boundaries of what can be done. Nowadays we take for granted semi-realistic cgi and digital backgrounds, but the levels used here were ground-breaking. (Episode 2 has characters RIDING CGI animals a first for the time and...not particularly awful, even retrospectively.)
He's always been a visionary for pushing the technical boundaries and he's a very good idea guy, but he should have kept letting other people direct and write the scripts like he did with Empire and Jedi. With better scripts and better direction I think people would be more lenient to the technical issues. As for riding, it's pretty funny to have decent CGI animal riding in the same film as where Anakin balances on that space-tick-cow, which looks extremely unnatural.
I don’t disagree. But the problem is that he doesn’t write good dialogue and he can’t direct actors, so everything becomes hammy/cheesy/dumb. He should be defining the plot and producing, then letting people with other talents write the dialogue and guide the performances. That is how we got Empire Strikes Back.
@@Evil_Peter anikin riding the space tick looked worse originally. I believe they altered the scene since, cause it doesn't stick out to me as much anymore.
I was 18 when this came out abs I had been a major fan for a couple of years - the excitement was indescribable! I didn't go to a movie to see the trailer, but I think I saw this in theater about 8 times and I think I still have the ticket of the first time.
Hey Shanelle!!! We're finally going back to that galaxy a long time ago and far, far way!!! YES!!!! - 11:43 - No...Wait for it. The "Queen" in this scene though is Keira Knightley in her film debut. - 22:17 - FINALLY!!!! You realize the Ewan is Obi-wan!!! LMAO! He's only been working on the new 'Obi-wan Kenobi' series for Disney+ for a while now. Anyway...yes...Ewan MacGregor is Obi-wan. And if you go back to the original trilogy, the pilot character Wedge Antilles was played by Ewan's uncle, Denis Lawson. Star Wars is indeed about family! - 22:56 - Anakin is almost ten years old and Padme is about 14 or 15 in this film...and by the time of Episode III, ten years will have have passed. - 23:31 - The Baddest BAMF in the whole MF galaxy, Shanelle...Samuel L. Jackson as Master Mace Windu. So bad-ass that his lightsaber is a different color than any other Jedi and you'll see it in Episode II. All because he asked George Lucas to make it different. - 24:52 - I could tell you...Okay! That is [SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]. Clear? Good! Keep watching... I have never hated these movies...there are things that annoy me (Jar-Jar), but I love these. They are a different era of the galaxy...and this is the foundation that the story of Luke and Leia and Han and Vader is built. These films definitely have flaws. The "Phantom Menace" is the Sith. Around 2000 years before the events of this film, a Sith lord named Darth Bane basically had a vision of the way that the Dark Side could prevail. The Rule of Two. The Master who embodies the Power, and the Apprentice who desires the Power. Bane eliminated almost all of the Sith with a huge portion of Jedi in one fell swoop...then found an apprentice to train. There is a trilogy of novels tell the full story. Darth Sidious is the Master, and Darth Maul is the Apprentice...and the Sith are now making their opening moves to take over the galaxy. Thanks!!!!
Thanks, Shanelle! 🌟 Since you asked about 'Jar Jar' being a favorite... that would apply to my mother, my niece Maggie and my nephew Buck. They loved 'Jar Jar' so much I bought a lifesize cutout of him (which my mother still brings out every Halloween).
Before I continue with the vid, I like that you said the Consular-Class starship was cool. It's based off Ralph McQuarrie's original Millenium Falcon design. I'm excited to watch you watch this. Ok, on with the show
I have a friend who loves Jar Jar. For her 30th birthday, I got her a Cameo video from the actor who plays Jar Jar, and he sang happy birthday to her using Jar' Jar's voice.
Yeah, I think he's gonna marry her someday Well I knew he built C-3P0 And I learned how fast his pod could go And we were broke, it's true So we made a wager or two He was a prepubescent flying ace And the minute Jabba started off that race Well I knew who would win first place Oh yeah, it was our boy.
@@sapphonymph8204 I'm just talking about casting, not the romantic storyline that would come in the next film. I'm just saying they don't look their supposed ages.
Couple of fun facts here - Kiera Knightly plays the queen in the scenes which you see the hand maidens (or assistants) otherwise if there are no hand maidens in the scene then it's Natalie. Another fun fact is that when both Kiera and Natalie were in full queen make-up and costume they looked so alike that no one, not even their own mothers, could tell the difference on the set.
@@oscardiggs246 oh man, they took Sam Jackson, one of the most emotional actors ever and made him a robot in this one. Least he gets to show a little emotion later.
Duel Of The Fates by John Williams that played during the Darth Maul scene has to be one of if not my most favorite scores by Williams. The sound is completely epic and hearing it in theaters as a kid made me want to be a Jedi.
episode 4 will always have the best music because its the basis of them all, but episode one is a close second. get chills everytime when the door opens on maul
To be honest, I've always thought the most impressive thing about The Phantom Menace was Weird Al's parody "The Saga Begins" - a song about the plot of TPM - he wrote it before the movie had been released and it on internet theories and set leaks - and absolutely nailed it.
The song is great but that's an urban legend. Al says he wrote the song based entirely on internet rumors, and attended a special pre-release screening of the movie to make sure it was accurate; contrary to popular belief, he had to make major alterations after seeing the movie.
more impressive than the emotional effect of the foreshadowing music at "grave danger I fear in his training?" more than that of the funeral music, as if it's in fact a funeral for democracy, for though they don't know what's to come, WE do, (cause we saw it in release order,) and that there is an example of "dramatic irony" (when the audience knows something the characters don't,) and that is is just chilling.
@39:35 in the original theatrical, VHS and DVD releases Yoda was a puppet throughout the whole movie with the exception of one shot which is the over head shot in the scene where he promotes Obi-Wan to Jedi Knight. For the 3d, Blu-Ray and Disney+ streaming the puppet was removed and the digital Yoda was put in it's place to ensure a level of continuity for Episodes 2 and 3.
10:33 Going by your comment here, you completely missed where Liam Neeson introduced Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan when they are speaking at the very beginning in the meeting room on the Trade Federation ship. 12:36 Regarding your question. There was a promo poster that was released that had the little boy walking next to a building, and his shadow was the silhouette of Darth Vader. At the time, I knew that this boy would become Darth Vader, but didn't know how or why yet.
Being born in '82, I grew up with the original trilogy. Return of the Jedi was on repeat along with a handful of other movies when I was very very young (Indy: Temple of Doom, Flight of the Navigator, Goonies etc...) I graduated HS in 2000, so when this movie was announced I was super psyched! I remember vividly going to see this movie opening night. There was a very very long line at the cinema and almost every theater in the cinema was playing this movie and there were STILL lines! I'd watched the trailer online (early days of the internet) as it was leaked somehow. We analyzed this movie non-stop until Episode II came out! Those were the good old days!
Great reaction as always!! I think, this is the mother of films where cgi is representing so much characters throughout the whole movie. Perhaps, they were so excited about it and they were going a little over the top. When I saw it first in cinema 1999 I thought the cgi was great! Because they tried this the first time one has to be a little generous. Certainly, in episode 2 and 3 they learned a lot and made it even better. Some dialogs and Jar Jar were a little weird, but no big deal for me and yes, I liked the actor of Anakin a lot, too!
I think the CG is at its best in ROTS. Remember, they had to develop all of this new tech and often the earlier the breakthrough, the faster it ages By ROTS, they got to a stage where the CG holds up pretty well even today if you ask me :)
I saw Episode 4 A New Hope at the Gaumont Cinema Theatre on the Champs - Elysees in Paris in 1977. This was a State -of-the Art Theatre, hydraulic leather seats, massive screen, speakers in all parts of the auditorium! It was the best movie experience over all I can remember! .... The Movie was Great too!
My father did not go to the theaters with us, growing up, but there were a handful of fantasy/action series/movies he did; he typically preferred to wait for the VHS/DVD release to watch comfortably at home. This movie was not only one of the rare few that he was so excited to see that he agreed to go opening weekend, but he also even came when we saw it the second time in theaters when they extended its original run (which was a big deal, at the time, I remember^.^)!~~~ [This and Titanic, I think, were the only movies I saw twice in theaters, when I was younger; Titanic I might've even seen three times...]
As a 25 year old Gen-Xer at the time, I still enjoyed the movie especially in theaters. I honestly just liked the pod race and Jedi fighting at the end. Sometimes I would buy a movie ticket and just show up halfway in the movie around pod race time. Haha.
@@JBWinter I guess that's why I didn't like it. I don't want present day earth stuff "long ago, in a galaxy far far away". Same thing with the '50s diner on Coruscant in AOTC.
@@bossfan49 I feel like hammy sports announcers may be an unfortunate universal constant. From Saudi Arabia to Alabama to Polynesia to the Andromeda Galaxy, they're all annoying 😅
39:33 In the original release of Episode I, they had a puppet version of Yoda, which was...not quite right. It didn't look very good. From Episode II on, they had the CGI version you see in this version of the Phantom Menace (they went back and edited out the janky puppet after the fact for future releases of the movie.)
@@susanzenonian5085 a puppet would have been great if they could have reproduced the amazing puppet/puppetry from the OT. Sadly, they couldn't. The new puppet just didn't look like Yoda, and his performance felt very stilted...unlike in Empire, where he doesn't even feel like a puppet most times. They tried, it just didn't work
My favorite performance in this movie is Liam Neeson's. I like that he's strong but not aggressive, and his gentle wisdom makes him a great father-like figure. I think some of his best moments are when he's not even talking but reacting or thinking. The fact that his earnest belief in Anakin complicates his legacy makes him even more interesting.
Just a few weeks prior to this movie's release, Episodes 4,5, and 6 were rereleased in theaters for one week each. It was like Star Wars Christmas for fans, as they were suddenly kids again reliving the old adventures while getting ready for a new one. Cosplay characters filled the theaters.
You've now taken first place on my list of reacters. You're review process is second to none. Anyway, I remember waiting in line at midnight to see this movie in the theater. Tons of people dressed in Star Wars garb. The energy was amazing. The excitement when the intro hit the screen. Wow. I kept my ticket stub for many years. Great memories.
"favorite" is a bit of a stretch, but when I was little I did a Jar Jar impression that had my mom in stitches. He's always held a special place since then. Even requested and recieved a Jar Jar folder for my first grade year.
I was in third grade when episode 4 was in theaters. Watched the other two as they premiered. I get your reaction at the start of this one. When I saw this in the theater, as an adult, after so many years, I got a rush and goose bumps when the logo came up and the theme began.
This will be very interesting! I’m a fan of the prequels but, as we can see already in the comments, many are not. I am not blind to their issues…. It will be interesting to see what your “film makery “ eyes pickup😉😄
And they are also very well-made movies. Almost every common criticism I've ever heard is either subjective, a misunderstanding, or something IV-VI is just as guilty of.
The ponytail is actually a ceremonial symbol. It means that you are a Padawan, the term for Apprentice in the Jedi Order. When you complete the Jedi Trials and are officially knighted as a Jedi Knight, part of the knighting ceremony involves the Jedi knighting you flicking his Lightsaber up next to your head to slice the ponytail off. It's similar to how, in Medieval knighting ceremonies, the person being knighted was required to "take an unguarded blow" from the person who was knighting them (this was originally them slapping you, but it would be replaced by tapping a sword on each of your shoulders two times). But the unguarded blow for the Medieval knighting ceremony has a deeper meaning as well. This is meant to be the last blow that you will ever receive without returning it. And that's one of the major differences between Jedi Knights and Medieval Knights. Jedi Knights would much rather find a peaceful solution than fight you, but they won't hesitate to fight if they have no other alternative. Medieval Knights on the other hand, they are EXPECTED to fight.
For the CG vs Puppet debate, you need to realize that this was super cutting edge CG at the time. Lucas created some of the very first fully CG characters ever put on film. He really wanted to expand the technology. Now it looks dated when compared to advancments made in 20 years, but at the time it was something never seen on screen before. With hindsight it wouldve been great to see a blend of CG and live action but hindsight is 20/20. There are benefits to both. Jar Jar has far more expression and movement than any puppet would be able to show even today. Sebulba moves in a way that no Puppet could ever compare to. And of course a puppet or costumes benefit is actually existing in a physical space and looking more real than CG can. And seeing both CG and puppets/costumes next to eachother is a bit jarring. The best compromise has only now really been accomplished in the new live action Star Wars shows where there are puppets with CG enhancements. Jar Jar was performed by Ahmed Best in a Jar Jar costume on set BTW and I do wish they couldve found a way to put Jar Jars CG performance on Ahmed Bests actual body and movements, but thats something that couldnt even be done well over a decade later.
HELLS YEAH I REMEMBER SPY KIDS! That was my shit growing up! For Jedi Lore, the ponytail means you are Padawan. It's like when are working, some places have a badge that says "In Training", the ponytail means it's a "Jedi In Training".
The second trilogy of movies are still very good. They are just not as good as the first trilogy (in my opinion) I love your channel and your attitude ... spunky. Keep up the good work.
Yes, exactly. They have some pretty major flaws in the storytelling, particularly this first one (the opening crawl is about tax law and trade routes!), but most of the characters are pretty good and most of the action scenes are the best in all Star Wars (not the baby Anakin in a starfighter bit, though, or, really, any of the end battle other than the lightsaber duel).
I remember wondering if I had been pranked. I went to a matinee and was one of a handful of people in the theater. During the credits, I wanted to turn around and yell at the projectionist "Ok guys, you got me. Now play the real movie."
I watched this as a kid in theaters, multiple times :D I was a tangential fan of Star Wars before, having seen the movies once, but got absolutely obsessed after seeing it in cinema, and started a long deep dive into Star Wars books, comics, games etc. In fact, the most I was ever excited for a piece of media to come out was later for Episode III, which felt like "the ultimate Star Wars experience", as it appeared to be the last movie planned forever-
@@flaggerify Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't there loads of miniatures used for that sequence? Or at the very least (as with most scenes in the prequels), a combination of practical and digital tech :)
Would like to see your take on The Arcane series, It's on Netflix, and while a series, The art style, lighting, music and story telling is mind blowing.
6:54 the ponytails and braids are actually a symbol that a Jedi is a Padawan, or Apprentice, and still learning. Well, they still continue learning all throught their lives, but, as a Padawan they're learning under a master.
The first time I saw it I was kind of overwhelmed by all the effects and the great sound. After several more viewings more and more things started to annoy me. But I'm glad to know the background of Anakin, it completes the story. You said, almost immediately, "this is a kid's movie". Too true, as an older fan I didn't appreciate the dumbing down the story to fit all ages. And to sell toys.
Fun story about Ray Parks, who plays Darth Maul...When he auditioned for Phantom Menace, he was going for fight/stunt coordinator. Some time after the audition, he was driving through Hollywood when his agent called him: Agent: "What are you doing?" Ray:"Driving." Agent: "Pull over." Ray: "Why?" Agent: "Lucas wants you for the part." Ray:: "As fight coordinator?" Agent: "No...for the actual ROLE!" (disclaimer: I have no idea if that was how the actual convo went...how cool would that be if it was?)
As I remember, the 1999 version of the movie used a practical puppet Yoda. He was only cgi’d in for the special edition much later. And it did look much better with the puppet. As for the decoy queen, that was Keira Knightly.
I must respectfully disagree. Even as a kid, I thought the puppet was a downgrade because they made him look too young. It was one of the few true flaws of the film and I'm happy they fixed it in the 3D/Blu-Ray release that us the current standard.
@@DarkSideMaceWindu Yeah, it works pretty well in terms of consistency too. CG Yoda looks more lively for the prequels, only to look and grow older with the puppet by the time of the originals :)
Qui-Gon Jinn was a jedi that believed in the will of the force more so than ideals. Its why he believes Anakin should be trained even against the councils wish. Its also how he learned to communicate after death, and even guided Yoda and Obi-Wan on how to do this.
I love watching movies with you. It’s like experiencing them for the first time again! I’m soooooooo glad you chose to do star wars again! I hope you eventually do them All! 😎😀
My wife and I were both working nights when this came out. I woke her up at 9AM so we could go get in line for the 10:00 show (we were in a po-dunk town with very few people interested in "that Star Wars crap" so it was easy to get a good seat). AT THE TIME...I couldn't get enough of it. It's still a great milestone in film making.
Phantom Menace is best appreciated if one simply accepts that this is primarily a children's movie, complete with a kid protagonist and a funny animal character. By that standard it is fairly good. But some adult fans in 1999 felt let down by the general tone. The prequels will get very much darker, though, until we finally enter PG-13 territory by the unabashed tragedy that is Episode 3.
@@ShanelleRiccio But what's so weird, is that it's a kid's movie that sets up the prequel's trilogy as a set of wars based on trade alliances, treaties, betrayals, and double-crosses. The first trilogy is simple: Black and white, heroes and villains. This has people and organizations with subtle machinations in place. You have to pay attention to details to know what's going on. And none of that fits in a movie. For example, your assumption that the Phantom Menace is about Darth Maul. That's the simple bad guy vs. good guy view, but it's REALLY not him. If you read any books or comics based on Star Wars before this came out, you knew who the real bad guy was. But I won't spoil it for you. Just promise to come back and think about this one some more after Episode 3...
@@djcowell91 There's nothing wrong with putting more complex ideas in what is ostensibly a kid's movie, and introducing a younger generation to mature concepts. By starting off with a childlike overtone, it allows for a more natural transition to a full on mature overtone by ROTS :)
@@onemoreminute0543 I agree that there's nothing wrong with it. But it did lead to several people saying those parts were "boring" where they set up the long term plot. Hopefully they have a different view of it now, but I remember many discussions with people at the time that couldn't understand what the role of the Trade Federation was.
@@djcowell91 I suppose people were just surprised to see SW take a closer look at the political machinations of its world. Sure, you had brief moments like the conferences scene in ANH but the prequels went to the lengths of deconstructing democracy and teaching kids that the political system can be used for evil as well as good :)
In 1999 I went with some friends to 1st Star Wars Celebration in Denver. My friend’s girlfriend had a handicap and had to ride in a wheelchair. As a result we entered many of the presentations via the VIP entrance and, in some cases, went through the green rooms where the VIPs chilled before coming on stage. Because of this we had an unofficial meet and greet with several of the actors and crew of the Phantom Menace. One of the actors we met was Ahmed Best (JarJar Binks) who I found to be very personable and likable guy. He was also very funny and accommodating. When he started getting a lot of flack for JarJar Binks I felt really bad for him I thought that if they only knew him they would see that he didn’t deserve the hate. The Internet can be so mean and fickle at times. During the presentations we would be sat either in the front row or the second row. When Ray Parks (Darth Maul) came out he was going to do a back flip. My friend and I had our cameras ready to catch the action. As Ray Parks did the flip we took our pictures. Only to get pictures of the Rolling Stone (I think) photographers back. He had stood up in front of us to take a photo of the flip. Unbeknownst to us Anthony Daniel (C-3PO), who was the Emcee for the whole thing, had been standing behind us and saw the whole thing quickly walked up to the photographer and quietly began bawling him out. It was surreal; the voice of 3PO quietly and angrily chastising that man while gesturing towards us and informing him that we had paid a lot of money to be here. He threatened to kick the guy out if it happened again. The guy kept saying, “…but I’m with the press. I have a press pass.” Anthony Daniel’s kept repeating; “I don’t care.” After all that happened he he came to us and whispered, “I’m so sorry that happened,” and followed it up in a slightly louder voice and a bit of a smile, “it won’t happen again.” That was such a fun trip.
5:15 They were fun but a lot of people found them underwhelming. Then the 3rd trilogy came out and we remembered the prequels as more 'nostalgic/not as bad as remembered' than they probably were. Psychology, yah!
For some anyway. When TFA came out my reaction was "now *this* is what I wanted from the prequels". For me the prequels remain basically unwatchable. The sequel trilogy, I love the first two, while episode 9 joins the prequels as basically unwatchable, though given the choice I'd probably watch it over the prequels, just because I've seen the prequels so many times.
@@GeoffreyToday the Sequels are terrible fan fiction. J.J. Abrams, Larry Kasdan, and that hack Chris Terrio should be ashamed of themselves. And don't get me started with Rian Johnson. Oh yay look it's space chess
@@fragwagon you're talking about personal opinion here. The prequels were called terrible fan fiction by many as well. If they're not for you, they're not for you.
When assessing the level of cgi in these Prequels it is helpful to know that each individual Prequel film had more practical effects than the entire Original Trilogy. I have been a Star Wars fan since I was 11 and saw the first one in cinema's. I have always considered the prequel hate (there really is no other word for it) of many of my generation as entitled narrow-mindedness. The Prequels are as imperfect as the Originals. George Lucas wasn't a "nostalgia server" but instead wanted to tell a new story and wanted to push the boundaries of film-tech. He achieved both. The OT-idealising PT-moaners got their nostalgia fest with The Force Awakens (2015) only to learn the hard way that nostalgia leads nowhere and fan-service as a goal generates poor story-telling.
Martin Frank, I'd buy you a beer for that comment. Same here, saw Star Wars first as a 7 year old in 1978 (when it was re-released), and was blown away by Phantom Menace. I love it to this day, even the slower bits just have a vibe.
The Force Awakens is the best of the new trilogy, and massively better than at least the first two prequels and about equal with the third. I am saying that as one of the people who likes the prequels and has done since the beginning, and have always defended them.
Love your reactions. Despite what some say, the prequels do NOT suck! Many people had too many or the wrong expectations of what they wanted to see without really understanding the story that had to be told. Very much of which Lucas had already told and hinted at through earlier story adaptations and interviews over the years. Many people wanted Darth Vader movie one, but you need to see Anakin's rise as a hero so that his downfall has that much more meaning. We need to see the height of the Republic before it's subversion into the Empire. Anakin needs to fall in love to give us his family's tragedy. It was just a matter of seeing it all play out. Also think about it Anakin does save the day he just took the long hard way around and it took Luke to snap him back. There is actually a lot more practical effects than most people realize. BTW Yoda was originally a puppet except for the shot of him walking back and forth in front of Obi-Wan before the funeral. Later they went back and replaced bad puppet Yoda with a better looking CGI version. The Phantom Menace refers to the real threat that lurks in the shadows manipulating everything. (that's not a spoiler) You got a lot of the right vibes Lucas intended, like not knowing who to trust. Don't try so hard to figure out how it all works together, just let the story play out and unfold itself to you.
Well said. We also get to see that Anakin's fate is somewhat pre-ordained because the Jedi Council has a bad feeling about him. Only Qui Gon truly believes in him (and we see what happened to him here). The pod race is the portion of the story that is most designed to appeal to kids (and sell toys), but I think that sequence works well for everyone in the audience. There were some tonal issues in the movie due to the inclusion of Jar Jar (who was also designed to be kid friendly and sell toys). There were some great battles and set pieces in this film. I liked Neeson, McGregor and Portman here. They brought as much depth and energy as they could to these characters.
@@rockabye274 The pod race was also a nod to Lucas's younger years when he was interested in car racing which he still is interested in and has even participated in a race or two back toward the end of the prequel release years. Also the paint job on Anakin's pod replicates an old race car Lucas drove before his filmmaking days. His near fatal accident when he was young made him decide to change his course career wise and that's when he became interested in filmmaking.
I remember this came out the same week I graduated high school. A bunch of us were going to go that weekend, but I ended up not going. They said the line to the theater was super long but worth it. I thought it was great, and given that Lucas had all that brand new technology at his fingertips, I didn’t blame him for wanting to use it all in the movie.
I should have seen what was coming. Even ROTJ had started trending in that direction. All the signs were there when they released the special edition in theaters in 97 - but I was still shocked as I stared at the screen watching this for the first time in 99. I just wasn't prepared for that level of disappointment. For 22 years I have revisited this movie, always hoping it will be different next time. I'm exhausted. The prequels changed my understanding of exactly what George's genius is. The Disney films sealed my contempt for soulless corporate boardroom art. The OT is the only Star Wars trilogy that lives up to its academy-award winning, industry-changing, culture-altering reputation. "It wasn't that bad" is an appropriate classification for the prequels. Slightly better than bad. DSW is insulting. As a result of all of this I'm just another grumpy old man now. Twisted and evil.
Prequel-bashing is just the cool thing to do in the fandom but deep down we're all glad they exist. Sure there's a lot of things we wish were done differently, but for me the sheer exposition of the Star Wars universe is more than enough to make these enjoyable watches. After you've finished 5&6 Shanelle, look up what many fans suspect happened with Jar Jar's plotline and you'll find my main gripe with the prequels! Great analysis as always, looking forward to the rest.
Hang in there thru 1&2, because 3 is awesome and you will need the back story for the Emperor, Obi Wan, and Darth Vader. STRONGLY recommend you immediately watch "Rouge One" after #3.
5:13 Shanelle, you weren’t kidding. It was only two years had passed since the release of the Special Edition; momentum had been riding high the following year when the teaser trailer was released.
Nothing wrong with the pequals in general, I love them as much as the originals. I think they just go over most people's heads to be honest. There is a lot more nuance there than meets the eye, but too many get hung up on Jar Jar to see it, or they just took the word of some balding overweight dudes in their basement mad because they didn't get stuff in the EU novels.
The first scene and some after that Queen Amadalla is actually Kira Knightly as she is the decoy, but her and Natalie look almost identical in the make up.
I'm honestly a fan of the prequels. It's "cool" to hate them eventhough Revenge of the Sith rivals Empire Strikes back as the best! That's just my opinion 🤷
Jake Lloyd would be happy to hear you say that about his performance, he got so much flak over this role growing up he suffered really bad depression.
I feel bad that it affected him that way. Having said that, I always felt he was a terrible choice. I know Anakin was supposed to be 9, and Jake was 8 when filming started but to me he looked more like 6/7. I think they should've picked an actor who was a bit more mature. He was a cute kid, but just didn't deliver for my taste.
Ahmed Best (“Jarj,” as Shanelle called him) also had a very deep depression. It’s really nice to see a fresh take. ☮️❤️
@@1cr19 I caught "Jarj" too. Made me laugh!
Ya. He left acting entirely because of it. I thought his acting was fine. He proby suffered the wrath of all the 20 to 50 year olds that wanted to see prequels geared towards their demographic instead of a family-friendly environment more geared to capture a new generation of youth and YA's... And of course their kids would pick up on that and pass on the criticism to Jake....
I don't know why.
I'm actually one of the people who will admit to (a) being excited for this film, and (b) enjoying the Prequels.
@CallMeLS this seems to be the case, if anything most people overrate the prequels (they fun enjoyable movies, but do have major issues people tend to overlook because they are fun.)
Man the sequels are 10 times worse than prequels anyways.
I watch SW (and MOST other movies) to be ENTERTAINED). That being said, I was VERY entertained by the prequels. I simply didn't like the 'chemistry' between Hayden and Natalie...
I've done totally unscientific polling among people I know over the years, and I've observed an interesting trend. People who saw the prequels as late teens or adults tended to hate them, but people who originally saw them when they were younger kids didn't have any problem with them, even after becoming adults. I personally was let down by Phantom Menace and had to suppress negative reactions to certain things when I first saw it (I was determined to enjoy it). But, I still contend that George Lucas did something really genius; he made that movie for that generation's young kids. Even though older fans hated a lot of the juvenile elements, GL was securing a whole new generation of SW merchandise consumers.
@@blackbenetavo7715 I think another reason was that the older fans, the original fans, were kinda spoiled by the Expanded (Legends) Universe which was pretty friggin awesome back in the day. Expectations were simply too high. All of us expected the on-screen equivalent of Shadows of the Empire of the Thrawn Trilogy and instead we got Jar Jar Binks and Podracing.
Sadly we had to resign ourselves to the fact that, as far as we OJ fans went, SW peaked at Empire Strikes Back in terms of what we wanted.
Still, as time goes on, and especially after seeing what Kathleen The Hutt over at Disney did to SW films, the Prequels can be better appreciated today for what they added to the lore of Star Wars canon (certainly more so than Episodes 7 - 9 probably ever will be!).
In times when she found it necessary, Queen Amadala would have a decoy pretend to be her. The decoy was portrayed by Kiera Knightly.
...and in Attack of the Clones it was Rose Byrne.
Keira was only 12 years old who was Natalie's decoy at 16 years old. But eventually Keira when she became fully grown is about 3-4 inches taller than Natalie.
It was amazing, because I literally knew Portman played the Queen, yet the whole time I'm watching her be Padme and not even putting the two together until Padme steps up to reveal herself to the Gungans. I guess I was just focused on everything else watching this in theaters that it completely took me unawares that I knew she was both, but didn't realize she was both along the way. Too funny!
Their moms got them mixed up when they were in makeup
It's amazing how many people miss that they straight up call Obi-Wan his name within the, like, first 5 minutes of the movie or so. All reactions I see, people are shocked midway, like it's some sort of revelation.
Also, no, everyone new Anakin was Vader. The posters for the film literally had him standing in the desert, with his shadow being Darth Vader.
Last: yes, I was in fact SO excited, that I camped in front of a cinema for earlier tickets.
Human beings aren't good listeners.
I know. I had to laugh at 22:17 because they had said his name at least twice by that point.
Love how she cuts out all those parts in her edit to hide that she missed the like, 5 times his name was said.
Didn't camp out, but reserved tickets and went like 4 times.
1999 i was PUMPED to see this. I was in the USN on deployment, and the studio flew the movie out to our ship(aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt). We watched it in the hangar bay with popcorn and snacks. Great memory!
My cousin was a nuclear engineer on the Teddy Roosevelt around then!
You're lucky. I was on the TR during the 2003 Iraqi Freedom deployment and we had to get a bootleg copy of Revenge of the Sith when it came out.
I'm an Iraq War navy guy too! But I was on the Enterprise and the Ronald Reagan.
I love how you totally missed them saying McGregor was Obi at the beginning of the movie & you didn’t realize until they were leaving Tatooine.
funnily enough, I watched another reactor a while ago who also missed that
Please watch "Galaxy Quest". Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tim Allen, Sam Rockwell, Tony Shalhoub, .....
Works better if you're familiar with Star Trek and particularly Shatner. I'd be shocked if she's even seen any Trek...
A riff on Star Trek fandom, not Star Wars, but a great reaction suggestion all the same!
This. Immediately.
The scene with the radar killed me!!! “I think we’re the green thingy!” 😂😂😂
She should watch Star Trek 1-4 first and the original series if she can
You referenced several times about how dangerous it was to train Anakin, knowing what he would ultimately become. It's been argued that the death of Qui-Gon was what ultimately caused Anakin to head down his dark path. During these years of the prequels the Jedi Order had found itself too closely involved in politics and various agendas. It's been said that they had strayed too far from the living force and had evolved into more of a political organization than simple peacekeepers who only fought for what was "right". As such, they lost much of their ability to sense what is going on in the dark side of the force. Obi-wan was trained during this time and despite Qui-Gon's teachings still embraced much of the schooling he learned at the Jedi temple, which failed to adequately prepare him. On the other hand, Qui-Gon was older and very independent. He remembers a much older time when the Jedi Order looked, felt, and operated very differently. Qui-Gon was much better equipped to help guide Anakin through managing and mitigating his feelings and helping Anakin understand that while Jedi are allowed to know and experience generic love (love without a specific object of affection), they need to abandon attachment, and then by extension the fear of loss. This is where Obi-Wan failed Anakin, and ultimately why Anakin turned to the dark side. I can't get into more details without completely spoiling the other two movies for you, but you'll see what I mean as you watch them. Great reaction Shanelle! So glad you enjoyed this and I look forward to following you through the other two!
Great explanation.. to which I would merely add that what Anakin really needed in his life was a father figure, which Qui-gon would have been for him, and not a brother, which was all that Obi-wan was able to be for him. It was that lack of a father/mentor in his life which Darth Sidious ultimately exploited to turn Anakin.
Alternatively, Qui-Gon was a patsy, his head filled with right sounding lies that the Sith wanted to inject in the Jedi Order. Consider who his original master was.
@@OgreProgrammer You do realize that the Jedi Order already was what the Sith wanted it to be. Blind and lost its path. There was no need to inject anything to it. Still how would a Jedi Master teach his apprentice wrong when he was still following the Jedi ways and had no inkling to join the other side. If the council would have listened to Qui-Gon the Jedi order would have been saved and the Sith would have lost. In that moment of time Qui-Gon would have been the best Master for Anakin and because he died it just played directly into the plans of the Sith. Only way it might have turned the other way was if Yoda himself would have taught Anakin but because he was afraid (yes afraid) of the possibility of a bad ending he did not. The whole scene in the council cambers shows how out of the Jedi ways the council has gone. They are literally afraid of a little scared child and seeking comfort of the rigid doctorate they have chained themselves to. Being too old is an excuse and him not been trained would have been even bigger risk. He needed a older wiser master but because they were afraid he did not get one.
Unpopular opinion: Anakin was in fact the chosen one, there to bring balance to the force, the Jedi were so arrogant they assumed that balance was to be in their favor when in reality they had fallen so far off their path the balance was to reduce their numbers.
@@c1ph3rpunk Indeed. Balance is, well, balance. A level playing field where neither side is favored. Unfortunately for the Jedi, while their order mostly included members with upstanding morals and good intentions who truly wanted peace and justice throughout the galaxy, their teachings were archaic at this point, and they had stagnated as an organization. They were so concerned with inner politics and keeping up tradition that they failed to recognize/were easily blinded to the 'phantom menace'.
The decoy was played by Keira Knightley
And they can't agree on who was playing who in what scenes.
@@TrzaGoesHard That's right, I remember Natalie saying that at one point and was shocked that they not only couldn't remember doing it, but couldn't tell each other apart.
It's easy when they're standing up, cuz Keira is taller than Natalie.
You have NO idea how big this was in 1999... the tickets were sold 30 days in advance, the local 18 screen movie theater had 12 screens for JUST this movie. People were lined up 24 hours in advance. We got there 6 hours before our showtime on opening night and the line was around the building completely, and halfway around AGAIN. Police were out directing traffic, it was insane. The number of cosplayers, lightsabers, and people camping was huge. It was an EVENT like no other...
In my opinion, the best thing about this film by far was John Williams score! He absolutely knocked it out of the park with Duel of the Fates!
Yeah, if John Williams is involved in a movie, he's automatically in the running for being the best thing about it.
He is returning to score the Obi-Wan Show and I’m so excited!
The costuming and cinematography are A++ too
The lightsaber coreoghaphy was the best too. Not even this Score could save the new sequels fight coreoghaphy.
John Williams raised the level of all the Star Wars films.
Qui-Gon is important because he's the father that Anakin never had but dearly needed. A wise maverick who trusts the force more than the rigid dogma of the Jedi council and spites it and its grandmaster Yoda if he feels like it's the force's will.
Seems familiar? We already had an unconventional Jedi Knight who actively spited Yoda to help Anakin Skywalker: His name was Luke.
But sadly Qui-Gon dies in a duel of the fates and now Anakin is left with Obi Wan Kenobi, a borderline boy scout-ish council loyalist who is shown to disagree with Qui-Gon's liberal approach on many occasions in this film.
Is he the right person to fill that void of fatherly authority for the feisty boy that might just be their fabled messiah? Is he up to the task?
Don't think that the importance of father figures ended with the OT, it's a looming yet central aspect of Anakin's characterization in this trilogy. A complex and challenging characterization that upset a lot of people who either just wanted the romanticized hero Kenobi made himself remember or the ruthless monster that is Darth Vader. What we got was much more fascinating though.
Anakin is painfully human, that shouldn't be forgotten going forward.
People got real riled up about George Lucas unapologetically making Indie-films at a blockbuster scale. George said "Oh you think you like space operas? Let's get operatic then" while pushing the entire industries technology forward once more and the entire mainstream lost its feeble little minds with rage.
These films are unconventional and by quite a few mainstream standarts "bad". But they're works of art with enough soul and vision in them to make any of their detractors quake in their boots. There's a reason why essentially all of post-Lucas Star Wars is about either spiting or imitating George and his work. That's just the amount of impact we're talking about here.
Lucas is a pure artist. Pure expression and creativity with no care for what anyone might think of it. And that makes him an icon.
Looking forward to Episode II. It's a wild ride, no less despised by the mainstream than this one but ever so great. And then obviously the groundbreaking finale that is "Revenge of the Sith" where people suddenly went "wait this is good?". Yeah. Duh.
We will watch your career with great interest.
I think George desire for perfection though is what stressed him out so much making these. He put so much effort into them. I'm glad he did, but he'd get maybe a bit too picky. He literally had the effects crew rotate Anikins hand 90° in a scene where he is sitting down having a conversation. It literally did nothing for the scene.
I don't think someone can become a "father figure " in a week
I was 9 when the original movie came out so I was in my early 30's when this one came out. I was very excited to see it. Overall, I liked it. My two biggest issues were Jar Jar(It was painfully obvious that he was geared towards kids) and Anakin blowing up the ship at the end. I suppose it was meant to be like Luke blowing up the Death Star. However, Luke had to look deep within himself and connect with the force in order to do it. Anakin just hit some buttons and yelled "Woah!" a lot.
The commenters during the podrace... not much screen time but uggghghgh
Darth Jar jar was meant to be the true sitg lord
Anakin didn't seem to even be able to see out the ships cockpit.
I mean, he's supposed to be the chosen one lol...
Yes, George Lucas himself has seats repeatedly that Star Wars movies were made for children. So yes, Jar Jar was for the kids, just like the Ewoks. Your watching a childrens movie. It’s like watching Sesame Street and the complaining because it had muppets.
"This was made for kids, flatulence joke"
Honestly, when you watch this movie and then watch the uber-dark Revenge Of The Sith, you can't help but wonder how the hell they're parts of the same trilogy.
I suppose it would've worked well if you were a child growing from 10 to 16 over the course of the prequels releases in theaters? This one specifically is waaaayyy too kiddy to fit with the other 5 films nowadays though
Are you kidding? This is The Magicians Nephew or The Hobbit of the series. The tone is much lighter and made for children to get.
Because Phantom Menace was what Lucas originally wanted the prequel trilogy to be....., less dark, very kid friendly. He made a course correction after fan backlash on Episode 1 made it very apparent that what he was going for in that film was NOT what SW fans wanted. Hence Jar Jar being sidelined in Episode 2 when he was originally meant to be the face of the prequel trilogy (George's words btw).
George then made ANOTHER course correction after the fans backlashed again on AotC...which led to Revenge of the Sith FINALLY aligning more with what og fans were expecting from the newer films (even if it was fairly flawed in a number of ways)
@@ProJatior It's because Star Wars fans are not too bright. And you don't think the original movie was for children, lol, it was the most childish sci-fi major movie of the previous decade. And most of the planetside effects were MUPPET technology. Real grown-up.
Sorry, meant this comment for the other guy. Pass it on.
Flatulence isn't for kids it's for old farts like me.
The Podrace scene and the Lightsaber Battle are the best part of the movie! I saw this in theaters and I was blown away on how fun this movie was!
interesting. Personally I found all the foreshadowing of what's to come, particularly in the music, the best part.
I mean, when Anakin leaves his mother and the Force//Jedi theme plays....
"grave danger I fear in his training." super dark.
The funeral music... because, as an example of "dramatic irony" (ah, high school English class...)
WE know what's to come even though they don't.
This knowledge greatly imbues itself into the significance of the feeling in the funeral music...
etc.
I loved watching the Podrace on the largescreen.
So true. We got Pod Racing games and what not thanks to the movie. The best racing thing to come out of Star Wars. And the best battle with a villain that died way to early. Unless.... you know.... spoiler territory....for the animated show.
In the 4th, 5th, and 6th Star wars films, we never saw how a jedi fights using the force. It was quite the treat seeing them using force push to knock over the droids in the movie theater. It was like seeing how jedis were supposed to be portrayed all this time, but not having the technology to do it until that moment.
I dunno why but looking back at this one I think I have more fun now than I did as a kid, or in the decades since. Ahmed Best is the man, and the standing ovation he got at the 20th anniversary celebration made me totally cry.
The chill bumps I had when the music started in 99 was incredible. Waiting all those years.
I'm one of those rare individuals who actually loved these films when they came out, my dad loved and introduced me to the original trilogy and I loved them too, so when he took me to see this film it was like this was a Star Wars movie made for me. Lol
I don't want to answer a whole lot of your questions because they're answered in the next 2 films and even more so in the animated shows (which I highly recommend watching because they add so much more importance to a lot of these characters including Qui-Gon Jin). One spoiler I will give because it's not covered in any of the films or shows, but Anakin's mom was impregnated by having the midichlorians manipulated in her body to create life that is Anakin, that's why there is no father.
It is not even slightly rare for someone to have loved the prequels when they came out. Just because people on the internet talk about how bad they are doesn't mean they are actually widely hated, normal people liked these movies, they saw them in theaters and bought mountains of merchandise.
It's not rare, well not any more. The prequel lovers are coming out of the woodwork. Especially after The Last Jedi came out.
@@robertparker6280 I see that, but I also feel like a lot are saying they've always been a fan now than they did then because there was something new to hate on. Lol
That's a beautiful story, and makes all the sense in the world.
This movie gave us three things: one of the best lightsaber duels, darth maul & duel of the fates.
ummm you forgot the biggest thing this movies gave us... and thats jar jar binks the true star of this movie.
And arguably the best Star Wars video game of all time: Episode One Racer.
And a song too. WEIRD AL THE SAGA BEGINS LOL
Guys, guys, that movie gave us one big thing: hope
I agree Darth Maul and duel of the fates made this movie worthwhile. Darth Maul is one of the most truly iconic star wars characters ever
22:13 - I love how the music at that moment also dramatically underscores your own surprised reaction. 😆 ❤️
A new Shanelle Star Wars reaction??
Now this is podracing!
Fun fact Natalie's mother actually confused Kiera Knightley for her own daughter on set(like Knightley's mother). Also, Ray Park(Maul) and Ewan couldn't stop making Lightsaber noises when filming the fight. And yes I knew who Jake Lloyd was playing because of a BTS thing I watched before release
26:15 That would be Keira Knightley a few years before she did Pirates of the Caribbean.
Glad you enjoyed this. As you know, there’s lots of people who dislike the prequels, but I personally like them. I will say that parts 2 and 3 are even more enjoyable and offer more of Anakin’s backstory and his transition to Vader. It will all make sense soon enough ☺️
The Imperial March (also known as Darth Vader's Theme) was actually in this movie, although you seemed to think it was another theme. But Vader's theme was very subtle in this one because you barely notice it if you're not listening for it. Being the super nerd I was in '99 I heard it immediately.
I remember sitting in the theatre after waiting my whole life for more Star Wars. When that intro started with the music and the scroll. I almost shit my pants. It was so good.
One thing about prequals is that any questions you may have about the "future" episodes. Finding out the origins of story lines is what makes this one, and the next ones, all worthwhile. Sometimes it's hard to not say anything and give away spoilers.
But here's something that shocked me. SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO PALPATINE IS.
Fun fact: The actor for Darth Maul was originally meant to be trained by Ray Park a martial artist for the lightsabre scenes, but they couldn't find an actor who could do the lightsabre scenes to their satisfaction. Instead they decided Ray Park himself would actually play the role, so though he was initially meant to be the choreographer, he became the actual character for Darth Maul.
Well, his role in the film was essentially just a stuntman anyway.
“Anakin is the best actor in this movie.” Said absolutely no one in 1999. That little boy was absolutely savaged at the time. After Jar-Jar, he was the most hated aspect of the movie when it was released. Poor kid.
Not only was he completely harassed, he had to deal with a lot of mental health issues and even self-destructive behavior. It’s really difficult, because being a child and part of such a huge franchise, that affects you forever.
The kid isn't bad, the writing is. Don't hate the messenger because the message sucks
@@gastronomist Yeah like if he was Luke's age. It's like poetry, it rhymes.
and he gave up acting because of it.
I loved his performance, never understood the hate for him, or Jar Jar for that matter.
It’s like poetry, it rhymes
I always feel for the prequels its important to remember, Anakin is the one that eventually kills the emperor in episode 6. So Qui-Gon's belief in Anakin in the defiance of Yoda isn't necessarily misguided.
And had Qui-Gon lived to oversee his training, things would not have gotten so bad
@@HobGungan Exactly. The newer look on the name of the song "Duel of Fates" kind of looks at that. That it wasnt Qui Gon but Anakins fate that was being decided. Qui Gon knew the Jedi order was being too stuffy and uptight and knew Anakin needed a father figure not a friend.
I remember reading the novels of the prequels and they actually touched upon this idea with something that they didn't try or weren't able to convey in the movies. Mace Windu apparently has a rare connection with the force which lets him see the connections between things in a unique way. A special insight into hidden truths and destiny and whatever else. This insight had been used early on to verify Anakin's role in the prophecy, in a very general sense, but it wasn't until much later (episode 3) that he was able to really see the full picture and know what kind of path Anakin was going to have to take before he would get there.
And he did bring balance (at the time). There was Vader, Emperor, Kenobi, and Yoda. Looks like balance to me as the Sith were way outnumbered by the Jedi. Qui-Gon was right.
@@cyatic That might be a bit oversimplified...?
But I guess that depends on what material you want to look at (movies only or Expanded Universe canon or Disney canon) and how much you want to focus on specifically Jedi vs Sith as opposed to looking at all Force users / Force sensitives in general (which admittedly could get into more of a mess of shades of gray (they aren't all such zealots about one extreme or the other like the Jedi and Sith are)).
Outside the movies, there have been others out there who slipped through the cracks and lived on in the background somewhere just like Yoda and Obi-Wan did. That's kinda part of Vader's job in between episodes 3 and 4, trying to track down renegade Jedi and anyone else that's hiding their Force sensitivity from the Empire's notice.
Shanelle missed out on the conspiracy undertones of this movie, but that's okay. It'll just make the next two reactions more fun to watch.
*Sidious smile*
@@bemasaberwyn55 DEW IT!
libs cant spot a conspiracy if it lands on their nose. the government is *always* trustworthy
@@alexsclewis Way to insert your political opinion into a Star Wars reaction lol keep it up
@@buzzkillington6945 i didnt make star wars political, george lucas did
"Yoda's Creek" was actually a country album released by Yoda that charted very poorly. Which turned out to be fortunate, as his failure pushed him into becoming a Jedi and not a Country singer.
Left my wife has, gone my house is, lost my job have I, broke down is my truck pickup. Survive a country Jedi shall
@revjim123 Really, dude? Seriously? No mention of the dog? 🤦♂️
@@revjim123 "Turned twenty one in prison, I did..."
His stand up career afterwards was more successful.
He still managed to release a good song. I love "Seaguls"!!
Hi Shanelle. It was so much fun watching your reaction to this film. I saw this in the theater and my favorite things about this movie were the introductions. C3-P0/R2-D2 , Obi Wan Kenobi/Anakin, Yoda, Jabba,etc. I enjoyed how you can now refer to the original movies and I especially LOVED how you reacted to Obi Wan Kenobi's introduction to Anakin. It was great! Ewan will reprise his role on Disney + in his own series. Can't wait to see it! Also, I can't wait for you to see the next two films. I will be watching along with you. :)
Yay thanks for coming along! I had so much fun watching the prequels 🥰
@@ShanelleRiccio I believe actor that plays Darth Maul,is the same one who plays "Fluke" from Spykids and Kurt Wrangler nightcrawler from Xmen
I always forget how much fun it is to watch episode 1 with someone for the first time. The score is fantastic, the pod race kicks ass, and Darth Maul is hauntingly awesome. Not to mention the lightsaber fight climax. I saw this the day it came out in theaters (I was 12 years old), what an awesome time!
I remember being in my very early 20’s, going to the theater being a huge Star Wars fan. We were all tense and ready for it to start and the excitement was actually a tangible thing you could almost feel in the air, and then the music hits and the scroll began, literally chills and people were cheering and it was just pure wildness because we were finally getting new Star Wars. It was something else.
Same! I saw this in theatres at 21 years of age. Loved it and the other prequels! Pre-social media days and the hype was crazy! Good times.
And then the next two hours happened. Ugh.
And then we read the scrolling text...
@@larrytodaro8460 taxation of trade routes! Can’t you just feel the hairs in the back of your neck stand up?
@@gohawkeyes529 And the issue with that is....? :?
So, as a frequent George Lucas apologist: as a filmmaker, he's a futurist. He wanted to push the boundaries of what can be done. Nowadays we take for granted semi-realistic cgi and digital backgrounds, but the levels used here were ground-breaking. (Episode 2 has characters RIDING CGI animals a first for the time and...not particularly awful, even retrospectively.)
AGREED
He's always been a visionary for pushing the technical boundaries and he's a very good idea guy, but he should have kept letting other people direct and write the scripts like he did with Empire and Jedi. With better scripts and better direction I think people would be more lenient to the technical issues.
As for riding, it's pretty funny to have decent CGI animal riding in the same film as where Anakin balances on that space-tick-cow, which looks extremely unnatural.
I don’t disagree. But the problem is that he doesn’t write good dialogue and he can’t direct actors, so everything becomes hammy/cheesy/dumb. He should be defining the plot and producing, then letting people with other talents write the dialogue and guide the performances. That is how we got Empire Strikes Back.
@@maxducoudray Editing too. ESB was a mess until his wife edited the film making it what it is today.
@@Evil_Peter anikin riding the space tick looked worse originally. I believe they altered the scene since, cause it doesn't stick out to me as much anymore.
I was 18 when this came out abs I had been a major fan for a couple of years - the excitement was indescribable! I didn't go to a movie to see the trailer, but I think I saw this in theater about 8 times and I think I still have the ticket of the first time.
Hey Shanelle!!! We're finally going back to that galaxy a long time ago and far, far way!!! YES!!!!
- 11:43 - No...Wait for it. The "Queen" in this scene though is Keira Knightley in her film debut.
- 22:17 - FINALLY!!!! You realize the Ewan is Obi-wan!!! LMAO! He's only been working on the new 'Obi-wan Kenobi' series for Disney+ for a while now. Anyway...yes...Ewan MacGregor is Obi-wan. And if you go back to the original trilogy, the pilot character Wedge Antilles was played by Ewan's uncle, Denis Lawson. Star Wars is indeed about family!
- 22:56 - Anakin is almost ten years old and Padme is about 14 or 15 in this film...and by the time of Episode III, ten years will have have passed.
- 23:31 - The Baddest BAMF in the whole MF galaxy, Shanelle...Samuel L. Jackson as Master Mace Windu. So bad-ass that his lightsaber is a different color than any other Jedi and you'll see it in Episode II. All because he asked George Lucas to make it different.
- 24:52 - I could tell you...Okay! That is [SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]. Clear? Good! Keep watching...
I have never hated these movies...there are things that annoy me (Jar-Jar), but I love these. They are a different era of the galaxy...and this is the foundation that the story of Luke and Leia and Han and Vader is built. These films definitely have flaws.
The "Phantom Menace" is the Sith. Around 2000 years before the events of this film, a Sith lord named Darth Bane basically had a vision of the way that the Dark Side could prevail. The Rule of Two. The Master who embodies the Power, and the Apprentice who desires the Power. Bane eliminated almost all of the Sith with a huge portion of Jedi in one fell swoop...then found an apprentice to train. There is a trilogy of novels tell the full story. Darth Sidious is the Master, and Darth Maul is the Apprentice...and the Sith are now making their opening moves to take over the galaxy.
Thanks!!!!
Thanks, Shanelle! 🌟 Since you asked about 'Jar Jar' being a favorite... that would apply to my mother, my niece Maggie and my nephew Buck. They loved 'Jar Jar' so much I bought a lifesize cutout of him (which my mother still brings out every Halloween).
Before I continue with the vid, I like that you said the Consular-Class starship was cool. It's based off Ralph McQuarrie's original Millenium Falcon design. I'm excited to watch you watch this. Ok, on with the show
I have a friend who loves Jar Jar. For her 30th birthday, I got her a Cameo video from the actor who plays Jar Jar, and he sang happy birthday to her using Jar' Jar's voice.
HELL YEAH PEWPEW. I love the prequels, second one is harder for me but has amazing stuff/lore in it. Anakin is 9 and she is 14.
The age thing doesn't play out on screen. He looks more like 6/7 and she looks more like 20.
@@bossfan49 reverse the sexes and fur would fly.
Yeah, I think he's gonna marry her someday
Well I knew he built C-3P0
And I learned how fast his pod could go
And we were broke, it's true
So we made a wager or two
He was a prepubescent flying ace
And the minute Jabba started off that race
Well I knew who would win first place
Oh yeah, it was our boy.
@@sapphonymph8204 I'm just talking about casting, not the romantic storyline that would come in the next film. I'm just saying they don't look their supposed ages.
Couple of fun facts here -
Kiera Knightly plays the queen in the scenes which you see the hand maidens (or assistants) otherwise if there are no hand maidens in the scene then it's Natalie.
Another fun fact is that when both Kiera and Natalie were in full queen make-up and costume they looked so alike that no one, not even their own mothers, could tell the difference on the set.
yes, she says this in the video...
This movie actually has more minatures and other practical special effects than all three originals put together. There is just a lot of CGI as well
She literally said all that at the end when she was going over the trivia.
The magic is in the compositing.
There is more wood in the acting than in all of the sets in the original trilogy. Including the speederbike chase.
@@oscardiggs246 oh man, they took Sam Jackson, one of the most emotional actors ever and made him a robot in this one. Least he gets to show a little emotion later.
@@mattschliemann9683 I wouldn't call it wooden . He was meant to play the role of a stoic Jedi who is emotionally detached and did so accordingly:)
Duel Of The Fates by John Williams that played during the Darth Maul scene has to be one of if not my most favorite scores by Williams. The sound is completely epic and hearing it in theaters as a kid made me want to be a Jedi.
episode 4 will always have the best music because its the basis of them all, but episode one is a close second. get chills everytime when the door opens on maul
I love the OG and the Prequel trilogies but my favorite Star Wars movie is Return of the Jedi. I love Qui Gon, Padme and the music.
Qui Gon Jin only appears in this movie, but becomes one of the most popular characters in the saga! just amazing.
To be honest, I've always thought the most impressive thing about The Phantom Menace was Weird Al's parody "The Saga Begins" - a song about the plot of TPM - he wrote it before the movie had been released and it on internet theories and set leaks - and absolutely nailed it.
The song is great but that's an urban legend.
Al says he wrote the song based entirely on internet rumors, and attended a special pre-release screening of the movie to make sure it was accurate; contrary to popular belief, he had to make major alterations after seeing the movie.
more impressive than the emotional effect of the foreshadowing music at "grave danger I fear in his training?"
more than that of the funeral music, as if it's in fact a funeral for democracy, for though they don't know what's to come, WE do, (cause we saw it in release order,) and that there is an example of "dramatic irony" (when the audience knows something the characters don't,) and that is is just chilling.
Well half-right. Duel of the fates was the best part of thid movie, and Liam Neeson as well ofc. but The saga begins is def. right after them
I remember that one! Glorious song 😁
@@havok6280 Yo-yo-yoda!
@39:35 in the original theatrical, VHS and DVD releases Yoda was a puppet throughout the whole movie with the exception of one shot which is the over head shot in the scene where he promotes Obi-Wan to Jedi Knight. For the 3d, Blu-Ray and Disney+ streaming the puppet was removed and the digital Yoda was put in it's place to ensure a level of continuity for Episodes 2 and 3.
10:33 Going by your comment here, you completely missed where Liam Neeson introduced Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan when they are speaking at the very beginning in the meeting room on the Trade Federation ship.
12:36 Regarding your question. There was a promo poster that was released that had the little boy walking next to a building, and his shadow was the silhouette of Darth Vader. At the time, I knew that this boy would become Darth Vader, but didn't know how or why yet.
Shes said a few face palm things during this smh
SO many reactors miss Obi-Wans intro!
Happy i missed it! Way more magical in my opinion
Being born in '82, I grew up with the original trilogy. Return of the Jedi was on repeat along with a handful of other movies when I was very very young (Indy: Temple of Doom, Flight of the Navigator, Goonies etc...) I graduated HS in 2000, so when this movie was announced I was super psyched! I remember vividly going to see this movie opening night. There was a very very long line at the cinema and almost every theater in the cinema was playing this movie and there were STILL lines! I'd watched the trailer online (early days of the internet) as it was leaked somehow. We analyzed this movie non-stop until Episode II came out! Those were the good old days!
I absolutely love movies, all types. I enjoy your commentary and recap.
The imperial March is sprinkled throughout in a very sneaky way. That droid attack theme and Anakins theme. John Williams is a genius.
Great reaction as always!! I think, this is the mother of films where cgi is representing so much characters throughout the whole movie. Perhaps, they were so excited about it and they were going a little over the top. When I saw it first in cinema 1999 I thought the cgi was great! Because they tried this the first time one has to be a little generous. Certainly, in episode 2 and 3 they learned a lot and made it even better. Some dialogs and Jar Jar were a little weird, but no big deal for me and yes, I liked the actor of Anakin a lot, too!
I think the CG is at its best in ROTS. Remember, they had to develop all of this new tech and often the earlier the breakthrough, the faster it ages
By ROTS, they got to a stage where the CG holds up pretty well even today if you ask me :)
I saw Episode 4 A New Hope at the Gaumont Cinema Theatre on the Champs - Elysees in Paris in 1977. This was a State -of-the Art Theatre, hydraulic leather seats, massive screen, speakers in all parts of the auditorium! It was the best movie experience over all I can remember! .... The Movie was Great too!
Woohoo! So excited you're watching the prequels. Can't wait for the next one! 😃
My father did not go to the theaters with us, growing up, but there were a handful of fantasy/action series/movies he did; he typically preferred to wait for the VHS/DVD release to watch comfortably at home. This movie was not only one of the rare few that he was so excited to see that he agreed to go opening weekend, but he also even came when we saw it the second time in theaters when they extended its original run (which was a big deal, at the time, I remember^.^)!~~~ [This and Titanic, I think, were the only movies I saw twice in theaters, when I was younger; Titanic I might've even seen three times...]
As a 25 year old Gen-Xer at the time, I still enjoyed the movie especially in theaters. I honestly just liked the pod race and Jedi fighting at the end. Sometimes I would buy a movie ticket and just show up halfway in the movie around pod race time. Haha.
That was one of my least favorite scenes because of the cartoonish announcer. Maybe it's because I was 26 =D
@@bossfan49 the announcer just reminded me of sports and racing announcers I've had to listen to IRL 😂
@@JBWinter I guess that's why I didn't like it. I don't want present day earth stuff "long ago, in a galaxy far far away". Same thing with the '50s diner on Coruscant in AOTC.
@@bossfan49 I feel like hammy sports announcers may be an unfortunate universal constant. From Saudi Arabia to Alabama to Polynesia to the Andromeda Galaxy, they're all annoying 😅
39:33 In the original release of Episode I, they had a puppet version of Yoda, which was...not quite right. It didn't look very good. From Episode II on, they had the CGI version you see in this version of the Phantom Menace (they went back and edited out the janky puppet after the fact for future releases of the movie.)
When interviewed, Ewan McGregor says he preferred the puppet versus the CGI and missed having him on set during 2 and 3. I tend to agree.
@@susanzenonian5085 a puppet would have been great if they could have reproduced the amazing puppet/puppetry from the OT. Sadly, they couldn't. The new puppet just didn't look like Yoda, and his performance felt very stilted...unlike in Empire, where he doesn't even feel like a puppet most times. They tried, it just didn't work
My favorite performance in this movie is Liam Neeson's. I like that he's strong but not aggressive, and his gentle wisdom makes him a great father-like figure. I think some of his best moments are when he's not even talking but reacting or thinking. The fact that his earnest belief in Anakin complicates his legacy makes him even more interesting.
Just a few weeks prior to this movie's release, Episodes 4,5, and 6 were rereleased in theaters for one week each. It was like Star Wars Christmas for fans, as they were suddenly kids again reliving the old adventures while getting ready for a new one. Cosplay characters filled the theaters.
You've now taken first place on my list of reacters. You're review process is second to none. Anyway, I remember waiting in line at midnight to see this movie in the theater. Tons of people dressed in Star Wars garb. The energy was amazing. The excitement when the intro hit the screen. Wow. I kept my ticket stub for many years. Great memories.
Ahhh i LOVE keeping ticket stubs!! The best! Also thanks for the kind words
"favorite" is a bit of a stretch, but when I was little I did a Jar Jar impression that had my mom in stitches. He's always held a special place since then. Even requested and recieved a Jar Jar folder for my first grade year.
I love the prequels, they’re great storytelling . Episode 3 will definitely be your favorite one. It’s very dark and non stop action
I was in third grade when episode 4 was in theaters. Watched the other two as they premiered.
I get your reaction at the start of this one.
When I saw this in the theater, as an adult, after so many years, I got a rush and goose bumps when the logo came up and the theme began.
This will be very interesting! I’m a fan of the prequels but, as we can see already in the comments, many are not. I am not blind to their issues…. It will be interesting to see what your “film makery “ eyes pickup😉😄
The prequels are entertaining and thats honestly all I ask for in a movie. Don't let fanatical fans ruin your enjoyment.
And they are also very well-made movies. Almost every common criticism I've ever heard is either subjective, a misunderstanding, or something IV-VI is just as guilty of.
The ponytail is actually a ceremonial symbol. It means that you are a Padawan, the term for Apprentice in the Jedi Order. When you complete the Jedi Trials and are officially knighted as a Jedi Knight, part of the knighting ceremony involves the Jedi knighting you flicking his Lightsaber up next to your head to slice the ponytail off. It's similar to how, in Medieval knighting ceremonies, the person being knighted was required to "take an unguarded blow" from the person who was knighting them (this was originally them slapping you, but it would be replaced by tapping a sword on each of your shoulders two times). But the unguarded blow for the Medieval knighting ceremony has a deeper meaning as well. This is meant to be the last blow that you will ever receive without returning it. And that's one of the major differences between Jedi Knights and Medieval Knights. Jedi Knights would much rather find a peaceful solution than fight you, but they won't hesitate to fight if they have no other alternative. Medieval Knights on the other hand, they are EXPECTED to fight.
For the CG vs Puppet debate, you need to realize that this was super cutting edge CG at the time. Lucas created some of the very first fully CG characters ever put on film. He really wanted to expand the technology. Now it looks dated when compared to advancments made in 20 years, but at the time it was something never seen on screen before. With hindsight it wouldve been great to see a blend of CG and live action but hindsight is 20/20. There are benefits to both. Jar Jar has far more expression and movement than any puppet would be able to show even today. Sebulba moves in a way that no Puppet could ever compare to. And of course a puppet or costumes benefit is actually existing in a physical space and looking more real than CG can. And seeing both CG and puppets/costumes next to eachother is a bit jarring. The best compromise has only now really been accomplished in the new live action Star Wars shows where there are puppets with CG enhancements.
Jar Jar was performed by Ahmed Best in a Jar Jar costume on set BTW and I do wish they couldve found a way to put Jar Jars CG performance on Ahmed Bests actual body and movements, but thats something that couldnt even be done well over a decade later.
HELLS YEAH I REMEMBER SPY KIDS! That was my shit growing up!
For Jedi Lore, the ponytail means you are Padawan. It's like when are working, some places have a badge that says "In Training", the ponytail means it's a "Jedi In Training".
The second trilogy of movies are still very good. They are just not as good as the first trilogy (in my opinion) I love your channel and your attitude ... spunky. Keep up the good work.
Yes, exactly. They have some pretty major flaws in the storytelling, particularly this first one (the opening crawl is about tax law and trade routes!), but most of the characters are pretty good and most of the action scenes are the best in all Star Wars (not the baby Anakin in a starfighter bit, though, or, really, any of the end battle other than the lightsaber duel).
The second trilogy is still match better then the third.
@@fredrikeriksson5975 no
@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192 Yes it is.
@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192 OT >> PT >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ST
I remember wondering if I had been pranked. I went to a matinee and was one of a handful of people in the theater. During the credits, I wanted to turn around and yell at the projectionist "Ok guys, you got me. Now play the real movie."
I watched this as a kid in theaters, multiple times :D
I was a tangential fan of Star Wars before, having seen the movies once, but got absolutely obsessed after seeing it in cinema, and started a long deep dive into Star Wars books, comics, games etc.
In fact, the most I was ever excited for a piece of media to come out was later for Episode III, which felt like "the ultimate Star Wars experience", as it appeared to be the last movie planned forever-
The CGI is sketchy but so many leaps in that technology came from this. Necessary.
Podrace still looks great.
@@flaggerify Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't there loads of miniatures used for that sequence? Or at the very least (as with most scenes in the prequels), a combination of practical and digital tech :)
@@onemoreminute0543 I'm not sure. But most of the backgrounds and the crashes are CGI.
@@flaggerify Ahh makes sense :)
I was 12 when it came out, saw it for my birthday, I was SO excited! I'd been a huge star wars fan for 5 years by that point 😊
Would like to see your take on The Arcane series, It's on Netflix, and while a series, The art style, lighting, music and story telling is mind blowing.
It is so good.
6:54 the ponytails and braids are actually a symbol that a Jedi is a Padawan, or Apprentice, and still learning. Well, they still continue learning all throught their lives, but, as a Padawan they're learning under a master.
The first time I saw it I was kind of overwhelmed by all the effects and the great sound. After several more viewings more and more things started to annoy me. But I'm glad to know the background of Anakin, it completes the story. You said, almost immediately, "this is a kid's movie". Too true, as an older fan I didn't appreciate the dumbing down the story to fit all ages. And to sell toys.
At the end of the day it at least fit narratively within the whole saga...
Fun story about Ray Parks, who plays Darth Maul...When he auditioned for Phantom Menace, he was going for fight/stunt coordinator. Some time after the audition, he was driving through Hollywood when his agent called him:
Agent: "What are you doing?"
Ray:"Driving."
Agent: "Pull over."
Ray: "Why?"
Agent: "Lucas wants you for the part."
Ray:: "As fight coordinator?"
Agent: "No...for the actual ROLE!"
(disclaimer: I have no idea if that was how the actual convo went...how cool would that be if it was?)
As I remember, the 1999 version of the movie used a practical puppet Yoda. He was only cgi’d in for the special edition much later. And it did look much better with the puppet. As for the decoy queen, that was Keira Knightly.
I must respectfully disagree. Even as a kid, I thought the puppet was a downgrade because they made him look too young. It was one of the few true flaws of the film and I'm happy they fixed it in the 3D/Blu-Ray release that us the current standard.
No, that puppet was a monstrosity. Redoing Yoda with CGI was a good decision.
@@DarkSideMaceWindu Yeah, it works pretty well in terms of consistency too. CG Yoda looks more lively for the prequels, only to look and grow older with the puppet by the time of the originals :)
Qui-Gon Jinn was a jedi that believed in the will of the force more so than ideals. Its why he believes Anakin should be trained even against the councils wish. Its also how he learned to communicate after death, and even guided Yoda and Obi-Wan on how to do this.
I love watching movies with you. It’s like experiencing them for the first time again! I’m soooooooo glad you chose to do star wars again! I hope you eventually do them All! 😎😀
I’m hooked! I actually love them, i can’t even believe it
My wife and I were both working nights when this came out. I woke her up at 9AM so we could go get in line for the 10:00 show (we were in a po-dunk town with very few people interested in "that Star Wars crap" so it was easy to get a good seat). AT THE TIME...I couldn't get enough of it. It's still a great milestone in film making.
Phantom Menace is best appreciated if one simply accepts that this is primarily a children's movie, complete with a kid protagonist and a funny animal character. By that standard it is fairly good. But some adult fans in 1999 felt let down by the general tone. The prequels will get very much darker, though, until we finally enter PG-13 territory by the unabashed tragedy that is Episode 3.
Omg yes this! It’s a kids movie! There are literal fart jokes 😂😂
@@ShanelleRiccio But what's so weird, is that it's a kid's movie that sets up the prequel's trilogy as a set of wars based on trade alliances, treaties, betrayals, and double-crosses. The first trilogy is simple: Black and white, heroes and villains. This has people and organizations with subtle machinations in place. You have to pay attention to details to know what's going on. And none of that fits in a movie.
For example, your assumption that the Phantom Menace is about Darth Maul. That's the simple bad guy vs. good guy view, but it's REALLY not him. If you read any books or comics based on Star Wars before this came out, you knew who the real bad guy was. But I won't spoil it for you. Just promise to come back and think about this one some more after Episode 3...
@@djcowell91 There's nothing wrong with putting more complex ideas in what is ostensibly a kid's movie, and introducing a younger generation to mature concepts.
By starting off with a childlike overtone, it allows for a more natural transition to a full on mature overtone by ROTS :)
@@onemoreminute0543 I agree that there's nothing wrong with it. But it did lead to several people saying those parts were "boring" where they set up the long term plot. Hopefully they have a different view of it now, but I remember many discussions with people at the time that couldn't understand what the role of the Trade Federation was.
@@djcowell91 I suppose people were just surprised to see SW take a closer look at the political machinations of its world.
Sure, you had brief moments like the
conferences scene in ANH but the prequels went to the lengths of deconstructing democracy and teaching kids that the political system can be used for evil as well as good :)
Jar Jar was a man in a suit the Actors head is in Jar Jars neck and CGI was used to remove it
I luv the prequels and everyone i knew liked them tbh so i never really heard bad stuff about them till i got way older.
In 1999 I went with some friends to 1st Star Wars Celebration in Denver.
My friend’s girlfriend had a handicap and had to ride in a wheelchair. As a result we entered many of the presentations via the VIP entrance and, in some cases, went through the green rooms where the VIPs chilled before coming on stage.
Because of this we had an unofficial meet and greet with several of the actors and crew of the Phantom Menace.
One of the actors we met was Ahmed Best (JarJar Binks) who I found to be very personable and likable guy. He was also very funny and accommodating. When he started getting a lot of flack for JarJar Binks I felt really bad for him I thought that if they only knew him they would see that he didn’t deserve the hate. The Internet can be so mean and fickle at times.
During the presentations we would be sat either in the front row or the second row. When Ray Parks (Darth Maul) came out he was going to do a back flip. My friend and I had our cameras ready to catch the action. As Ray Parks did the flip we took our pictures. Only to get pictures of the Rolling Stone (I think) photographers back. He had stood up in front of us to take a photo of the flip. Unbeknownst to us Anthony Daniel (C-3PO), who was the Emcee for the whole thing, had been standing behind us and saw the whole thing quickly walked up to the photographer and quietly began bawling him out. It was surreal; the voice of 3PO quietly and angrily chastising that man while gesturing towards us and informing him that we had paid a lot of money to be here. He threatened to kick the guy out if it happened again.
The guy kept saying, “…but I’m with the press. I have a press pass.” Anthony Daniel’s kept repeating; “I don’t care.”
After all that happened he he came to us and whispered, “I’m so sorry that happened,” and followed it up in a slightly louder voice and a bit of a smile, “it won’t happen again.”
That was such a fun trip.
5:15 They were fun but a lot of people found them underwhelming. Then the 3rd trilogy came out and we remembered the prequels as more 'nostalgic/not as bad as remembered' than they probably were. Psychology, yah!
For some anyway. When TFA came out my reaction was "now *this* is what I wanted from the prequels". For me the prequels remain basically unwatchable. The sequel trilogy, I love the first two, while episode 9 joins the prequels as basically unwatchable, though given the choice I'd probably watch it over the prequels, just because I've seen the prequels so many times.
@@GeoffreyToday the Sequels are terrible fan fiction. J.J. Abrams, Larry Kasdan, and that hack Chris Terrio should be ashamed of themselves. And don't get me started with Rian Johnson. Oh yay look it's space chess
@@fragwagon you're talking about personal opinion here. The prequels were called terrible fan fiction by many as well. If they're not for you, they're not for you.
We waited almost 20 years for this. The whole theater went nuts at the familiar opening screen. ❤❤
When assessing the level of cgi in these Prequels it is helpful to know that each individual Prequel film had more practical effects than the entire Original Trilogy. I have been a Star Wars fan since I was 11 and saw the first one in cinema's. I have always considered the prequel hate (there really is no other word for it) of many of my generation as entitled narrow-mindedness. The Prequels are as imperfect as the Originals. George Lucas wasn't a "nostalgia server" but instead wanted to tell a new story and wanted to push the boundaries of film-tech. He achieved both. The OT-idealising PT-moaners got their nostalgia fest with The Force Awakens (2015) only to learn the hard way that nostalgia leads nowhere and fan-service as a goal generates poor story-telling.
Spot on.
Martin Frank, I'd buy you a beer for that comment. Same here, saw Star Wars first as a 7 year old in 1978 (when it was re-released), and was blown away by Phantom Menace. I love it to this day, even the slower bits just have a vibe.
The Force Awakens is the best of the new trilogy, and massively better than at least the first two prequels and about equal with the third. I am saying that as one of the people who likes the prequels and has done since the beginning, and have always defended them.
I still prefer Force Awakens over Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones. The poor acting and dialogue makes those two prequels almost unwatchable.
I love you fangirling over the opening credits!
Love your reactions.
Despite what some say, the prequels do NOT suck!
Many people had too many or the wrong expectations of what they wanted to see without really understanding the story that had to be told. Very much of which Lucas had already told and hinted at through earlier story adaptations and interviews over the years.
Many people wanted Darth Vader movie one, but you need to see Anakin's rise as a hero so that his downfall has that much more meaning. We need to see the height of the Republic before it's subversion into the Empire. Anakin needs to fall in love to give us his family's tragedy.
It was just a matter of seeing it all play out.
Also think about it Anakin does save the day he just took the long hard way around and it took Luke to snap him back.
There is actually a lot more practical effects than most people realize.
BTW Yoda was originally a puppet except for the shot of him walking back and forth in front of Obi-Wan before the funeral. Later they went back and replaced bad puppet Yoda with a better looking CGI version.
The Phantom Menace refers to the real threat that lurks in the shadows manipulating everything. (that's not a spoiler)
You got a lot of the right vibes Lucas intended, like not knowing who to trust. Don't try so hard to figure out how it all works together, just let the story play out and unfold itself to you.
Well said. We also get to see that Anakin's fate is somewhat pre-ordained because the Jedi Council has a bad feeling about him. Only Qui Gon truly believes in him (and we see what happened to him here). The pod race is the portion of the story that is most designed to appeal to kids (and sell toys), but I think that sequence works well for everyone in the audience. There were some tonal issues in the movie due to the inclusion of Jar Jar (who was also designed to be kid friendly and sell toys). There were some great battles and set pieces in this film. I liked Neeson, McGregor and Portman here. They brought as much depth and energy as they could to these characters.
@@rockabye274 The pod race was also a nod to Lucas's younger years when he was interested in car racing which he still is interested in and has even participated in a race or two back toward the end of the prequel release years.
Also the paint job on Anakin's pod replicates an old race car Lucas drove before his filmmaking days. His near fatal accident when he was young made him decide to change his course career wise and that's when he became interested in filmmaking.
I remember this came out the same week I graduated high school. A bunch of us were going to go that weekend, but I ended up not going. They said the line to the theater was super long but worth it. I thought it was great, and given that Lucas had all that brand new technology at his fingertips, I didn’t blame him for wanting to use it all in the movie.
I should have seen what was coming. Even ROTJ had started trending in that direction. All the signs were there when they released the special edition in theaters in 97 - but I was still shocked as I stared at the screen watching this for the first time in 99. I just wasn't prepared for that level of disappointment. For 22 years I have revisited this movie, always hoping it will be different next time. I'm exhausted. The prequels changed my understanding of exactly what George's genius is. The Disney films sealed my contempt for soulless corporate boardroom art. The OT is the only Star Wars trilogy that lives up to its academy-award winning, industry-changing, culture-altering reputation. "It wasn't that bad" is an appropriate classification for the prequels. Slightly better than bad. DSW is insulting. As a result of all of this I'm just another grumpy old man now. Twisted and evil.
Prequel-bashing is just the cool thing to do in the fandom but deep down we're all glad they exist. Sure there's a lot of things we wish were done differently, but for me the sheer exposition of the Star Wars universe is more than enough to make these enjoyable watches. After you've finished 5&6 Shanelle, look up what many fans suspect happened with Jar Jar's plotline and you'll find my main gripe with the prequels! Great analysis as always, looking forward to the rest.
Hang in there thru 1&2, because 3 is awesome and you will need the back story for the Emperor, Obi Wan, and Darth Vader. STRONGLY recommend you immediately watch "Rouge One" after #3.
5:13 Shanelle, you weren’t kidding. It was only two years had passed since the release of the Special Edition; momentum had been riding high the following year when the teaser trailer was released.
Nothing wrong with the pequals in general, I love them as much as the originals. I think they just go over most people's heads to be honest. There is a lot more nuance there than meets the eye, but too many get hung up on Jar Jar to see it, or they just took the word of some balding overweight dudes in their basement mad because they didn't get stuff in the EU novels.
The first scene and some after that Queen Amadalla is actually Kira Knightly as she is the decoy, but her and Natalie look almost identical in the make up.
I'm honestly a fan of the prequels. It's "cool" to hate them eventhough Revenge of the Sith rivals Empire Strikes back as the best! That's just my opinion 🤷