This was more than just a frivolous joke, it was a theory that looked at Jar Jar Binks on multiple levels to try and understand his motivations, and the fact that this movie allows us as fans to do this is testament to its strength.Īnd special mention must be made of Darth Maul, the Saga’s best villain in so far as he epitomizes the dark side completely. Just look at the world-famous Darth Jar Jar theory which emerged a few years back.
The characters have such depth that to do them justice one should engage with their actions and motivations to truly understand them.Īnd the depth of character really does extend to anyone. Which is why the movie gets better with each re-watch. Star Wars has always done character well and this is most evident in the great depth and emotional realness of the characters in The Phantom Menace.įrom Qui-Gon’s struggles with the rigid rules of the Jedi Council to Anakin’s mix of youthful naivety and great power to Shmi’s wondrous summation of the positivity, which is so inherent to the Star Wars galaxy, the characters in The Phantom Menace are so complex and thus believable. Just look at The Clone Wars, which selected different aspects from the movies of this era to create many more fantastic tales. It’s because of this variety that The Phantom Menace and the prequels as a whole have been a source of so much story-telling since. What’s more, the variety of the movie makes the galaxy seem so much more alive. Wherever one looks, someone is living their life and doing something entirely unusual to us, all of which give us as fans more opportunities to learn about the intricacies of the galaxy we love. There are also moments of quiet throughout the movie (flying between planets, discussions with the council) which allow us to better understand the characters, all whilst preparing for the next big moment. Whilst some use this as an accusation that the movie is too jam-packed with content, I would resist this argument. We see similar things in all the prequels, but it was The Phantom Menace that introduced them and did them best.
It has lightsaber combat, political intrigue, podracing, space battles, and comedy throughout, providing something of interest for every viewer. And I mean that in the best possible sense. More than any other movie in the Skywalker Saga, The Phantom Menace is a variety show. Love them or hate them, one has to respect George Lucas for these bold choices. Lucas has been vocal about his love for new, different films and the story decisions of the prequels are the perfect example of this. What’s more, by subverting audience expectations, Lucas strengthens the creative, innovative spirit that is at the heart of Star Wars. This makes the ascendancy of the dark side over the course of the prequels all the more believable and tragic. When seeing the Jedi as fallen and the Senate as corrupt, the audience is meant to be shocked and, through this, realize how broken the galaxy is. It presents the Jedi as fallen, not the great warriors that Obi-Wan spoke of in A New Hope, it focuses on the politics of the galaxy, rather than swashbuckling adventure, and it makes the protagonist a child, not a teenager on the cusp of adulthood.īut these decisions are among the best in the Saga because by depicting the galaxy as not what we expected, George Lucas highlights to the audience the corruption which pervades it at this point in galactic history. The movie subverts audience expectations in so far as it is wholly different from what came before, which is why it received such a backlash from those who had grown up with the originals. Since its release, The Phantom Menace has been the subject of great controversy that can ultimately be put down to its subversive nature, but this is actually one of its great strengths.