Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
★★★½ — Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
There are few cinematic events in recent memory that generated quite the same level of anticipation as the arrival of Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace in May 1999. Sixteen years had passed since Return of the Jedi closed out the original trilogy, and the prospect of returning to that universe, this time to see how it all began, had fans queuing around the block. The tagline said it plainly enough: every saga has a beginning. Whether that beginning lived up to expectations is, well, something of a talking point even now, a quarter of a century later.
Behind the camera was George Lucas, returning to the director's chair for the first time since the original Star Wars in 1977. In the years between, Lucas had handed directorial duties on the sequels to others while focusing on producing and developing Lucasfilm into the major force it became. His earlier work, including American Graffiti, had shown a director with a sharp feel for character and period atmosphere, but The Phantom Menace was a different kind of undertaking altogether: a sprawling, effects-heavy production built on newly available digital filmmaking technology and carrying the weight of enormous public expectation. The film charts the discovery of a young boy named Anakin Skywalker on the desert planet Tatooine, strong with the Force and living as a slave, against a backdrop of political scheming and the shadowy re-emergence of the Sith. It is, in other words, the origin story of one of cinema's most iconic villains.
The cast is a polished but unremarkable mix of seasoned performers and fresh faces. Liam Neeson, no stranger to carrying large-scale films (his work in Batman Begins is another example of him lending gravitas to a blockbuster), takes the lead role of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, bringing a quiet authority that the film often needs. Ewan McGregor appears as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, a part he would carry through the next chapter in the prequel series and beyond. Natalie Portman plays Queen Amidala with a composed, formal presence that suits the character, while Ian McDiarmid reprises his role as Senator Palpatine, the quietly menacing political operator first seen in the original trilogy. Jake Lloyd takes on the young Anakin Skywalker, a casting choice that attracted its share of debate at the time and has not entirely escaped scrutiny since.
I'd JUST finished watching the OG trilogy when this was announced. Imagine my excitement. There’s no denying that The Phantom Menace has some incredible moments. The genuinely thrilling podrace. The Duel of the Fates, One of the most electrifying lightsaber battles in the entire franchise made even better by John Williams delivering one of the greatest musical scores of all time. But then there’s everything else. The political trade disputes are dry. The introduction of midichlorians feels totally unnecessary. The CGI, while groundbreaking at the time, has aged in places, especially when it comes to certain Gungan-related characters. It’s not awful, it’s just frustrating. There’s a great Star Wars movie in here somewhere… but it’s buried under exposition, wooden dialogue, and an over-reliance on effects. At least we got Darth Maul, though.
Looking back at it now, The Phantom Menace sits in a strange place for me. It is not a film I can dismiss outright, because those highs, the podrace, the Duel of the Fates, Darth Maul's all-too-brief presence, are genuinely exciting in a way that reminds you what this franchise is capable of. But the lows drag on, and the film never quite finds the balance between world-building and storytelling that the best of the series manages. I keep coming back to it hoping it will click into place, and it keeps stopping just short. Maybe that's the most frustrating thing about it. Not that it's bad, but that you can see exactly where it could have been brilliant.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 1999 | Watched: 1999-12-23
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
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Stream: Disney Plus
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Physical: Amazon US
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More from George Lucas: American Graffiti (1973) · Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) · Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) · Star Wars (1977)
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More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
