Star Wars The Phantom Menace: Not That Good But Not That Bad Either 

I always thought that watching Jake Lloyd play young Anakin and thinking " This kid is going to be Vader? " was a positive thing. Sure, his acting might not have been what some wanted or expected, but the innocence from the character/actor made the transformation to Vader that much more impactful.

I was 16 when it came out and was a huge Star Wars fan. I saw it 3 more times in the theater because I loved it that much!

I will give Jake this. He gave a pretty good cold stare at Mace when he announced Anakin would not be trained. Subtle foreshadowing.

The Duel of the Fates, Pod Race, and the lightsaber fight between Darth Maul, Obi-Wan, and Qui Gon are still great.

I feel bad for those who didnt experience the hype before this. It was absolutely insane... Yall have no idea. NOOOO idea.

Compared to films from the latest trilogy it's a masterpiece

I don't care about JarJar, that movie was everything I hoped for as a kid

1999 was wild. You could not go anywhere without seeing Darth Maul on posters, chip packets and fast food restauants. It was good fun to see the Sand People raider guys during the pod race. It was a good fun movie, From what i remember The Matrix and Fight Club were out a few weeks later and Star wars got a bit left behind at the time.

I remember being super hyped about this movie due to magazines I had read and the Duel of the Fates music video I saw around the time. While it may have some rust on it, I would still watch this over The Last Jedi

Saw every Star Wars movie in the theater. Back when it came out I hated it so much. But during the pandemic I revisited it, and I was like, "Its not as bad as I remember." I actually enjoyed it. It didn't help the Disney sequels became more disappointing for me..

It seems that people who were kids at the time or saw it later as a kid enjoy the movie. But those who were adults at the time (such as myself) lean toward thinking “yes, It Is Really That Bad”

The prequel trilogy will always be my favorite! I can always re-watch it and still enjoy it.

The problem is it was a kids movie just like the original trilogy but the original fans had grown up & remembered them being more; especially if they'd invested in the expanded universe (now legends). Kids don't generally go to see deep plots or well developed characters, they go to see a spectacle they can play out at home.

It was, but then Disney said "Hold my beer."

This movie is my childhood and is still my personal favourite Star Wars movie. But as a man I can see the movies flaws all the same I still love it and find the highs far exceed it’s low points

For a lot of people my age - seeing PM was the first SW experience in the cinema/theatre, we fell in love with this world so we look back at PM with loving nostalgia, i stand by the this film, AOTC was a little bland but the ROTS ended rhe trilogy in an amazing way, so good

I’m a Prequelist so not at all. Was a magical time to be a kid in the 90s-00s.

This movie rules and is legit my fav Star Wars movie. The biggest blockbuster Summer I’ve lived through was ‘99 and it was real and it was epic. It’s a different world these days and this movie makes me feel like I can live in that Summer forever.

I just rewatched it today, it's not a perfect film but It's not a bad film either, still liked it just as much as I first watched it back in 2009 or 2010, I was too young when it came out in 1999.

I wanted to get into Star Wars and I watched this movie and I just couldn't believe how bad it was. I thought I was crazy for not liking it because of how people love this series. Anytime I start something, I always stick it through until the end, but I watched like the first 20 minutes and I just couldn't. I simply couldn't. I will try again someday though.

Is it perfect, no, it it has a tone of creativity and that final lightsaber duel… PURE CINEMA

Ahmed Best's physicality always reminded me of Bruce Campbell. I was 19 when TPM came out and I immediately understood the point Georgie-go-nuts was trying to make through Jar Jar. Because I'd already lived it. He was trying to make a point about the value of the individual versus the prejudices of "society." Even the "good guy's" societies in George Lucas's stories often have some element of authoritarianism to them. Even the Jedi have a hint of that, which is what led to their downfall. Call it "right-hand-path collectivist slave morality." 11:30 Jar Jar's the the only Gungan who bumbles. They're whole society is based on order, precision, beauty, and perfection. That's why Jar Jar doesn't fit in. He was always meant to be a performance artist (like Ahmed Best, himself). Not much room for an artiste in a rigid conformist society. 11:44 Tells me you might be a Sith sympathizer. The Sith Code actually makes sense, but the Sith, themselves, always seem to betray their own code by favoring order over freedom. If the Code was taken literally, it would be a philosophy that favors freedom over order. 9:29 Cheeki breeki Slav squat! Ahmed's the Best! 12:29 George Lucas is a notorious motorhead. That's why just about all of his movies have cool vehicles and chase scenes, even 'THX-1138'. Also, ALL of this stories have an archetypal Jar Jar-esque character. 12:48 Spencer Gifts plasma ball

Best light saber fight of all the films.

While Revenge of the Sith is my favorite prequel, Phantom Menace is the most serene.

The dialogue, the dialogue.....

I remember everyone cheering the 20th century fox fanfare and logo. That's how hyped everybody was.

I went to the premiere in 1999, theatre was full of people dressed up in full cosplay. One guy walked in dressed in a Star Trek star fleet costume and gave everyone the finger as he walked in to resounding boos.

The Phantom Menace is a thought provoking masterpiece! Fight me.

I think Lucas stuck too close to his inspirations for TPM. A lot of 50s pulp scifi, like the Lensman series, has a very similar plot structure. "Peace keepers on a mission get detoured on a random planet in the second act, while picking up unlikely allies for the upcoming battle," was a common conceit for writers trying to stretch their books out. But that structure doesn't work so well on film. That said, I was never on the Episode 1 hate train. It's not great, but I genuinely don't think it's that bad either. As table-setting, it's actually doing a lot of heavy lifting. I also appreciate all the subtle ways it plays into the idea that the Jedi **used** to be great peacekeepers, but have become hidebound and arrogant. That's a difficult balancing act to pull off, while still presenting them as more or less heroic.

Prequals are now so common, b/c it's a way to milk a franchise, rather than doing something new.

One simple thing. Darth Maul should have been kept alive at least until halway thru the 2nd movie. That would have been mega. Dooku stank as a villain.

Compared to the shite Disney is making, even Attack of the Clones seems like The Empire Strikes Back!

I grew up with it and like it. AND I have no problems with JarJar.

Generally, the people who enjoy it the most were kids when they first saw it. Never underestimate the power of nostalgia. For example, I loved "The Greatest American Hero" as a kid, but man, that show is hard to watch now.

Im glad this reviewer wasn't afraid to express their honest opinion. I've seen too many people get bullied into giving neutered review.

You know what I believe most fans were expecting when TPM came out? They were expecting the Star Wars equivalent of the movies like Excalibur (minus the nudity) and LOTR. They were expecting Jedi armies fighting Sith armies, with noble knights facing true evil, not cartoon "Dick Dastardly" naughty people. They were expecting this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JWJitlZMNwk.html this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Lc9q6nnmrGY.html and this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-61nCIyBCmjg.html NOT this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BUDXdyRoQH4.html or this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FHH4epgObDs.html and certainly NOT this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LJ7pxC9YHVY.html I've studied Lucas carefully, and he just doesn't have it in him to make such a movie. He's just a simple minded nerd from Modesto, with absolutely no concept of culture or history. All he knows are old Flash Gordon serials and unfunny silent movies. He's got one strength, and that's running a business, but he really should've left all of the writing and other creative side of things to far more educated and cultured people, people like Chris Nolan. He could've made an excellent Star Wars movie.

I half expected Samuel L. Jackson, to say "May the force be with you, mother f*****!".

I remember watching this on vhs 📼 and I thought it was the most amazing movie I’ve seen.

Darth Maul didn't get enough screen time 🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️

I dont get the dislike for it, I enjoy watching it 24 years on.

I never seen Star Wars The Phantom Menace when it was released in theaters on May 19th, 1999 me, and Sean was only 1 year old since our birthday was on May 27th.

I remember seeing it in cinemas at the age of 10 years old and remember how much hype it had maybe even more for other movies and how fans were so nuts for it including myself and after seeing it a few weeks after my older cousin saw it in New York

I watched it way after the hype knew nothing about it was 17 grew up watching the OT on VHS . An I really enjoyed it there just seemed like the galaxy was way bigger the OT was so small 2 movies just had death stars in them .

Compared to the shite that's been churned out in the last ten years, this movie is gold

I couldn't disagree more about Jake Lloyd. I for one totally believe that Anakin's enthusiasm (pureheartedness, really) also explains the fall. When your mind is pure, the confrontation with the real world is hard, and as paradoxical as it sounds, it's easy to lose empathy when you see how shit people can be because they're so far off the innocence you have within. Also, pureheartedness is linked to hypersensitivity. Add losing your mother to the mix, and risking losing your wife, and well...

The only part of this I liked was the light saber duel - but it came too late. Aside from Jar-Jar, the battle droids were also an embarrassingly silly.

Trade taxation. Such fun!😮😮😮

I loved it back when I was 7 years old when it came out and I love it now and now my 7 year old son loves it too.

Love the phantom menace the light Saber duel at the end was great . I find the 2nd movie the weakest and the 3 is actually my favorite in the franchise

couldn't agree more.

I was 19 when this came out. I was a big Star Wars fan and just happy to have new Star Wars.

First, I don't blame Lloyd at all for his performance. Look at the other actors in the film: Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson, LIam Neeson, Ewan McGregor. These are all excellent actors, but Lucas doesn't *let* them act well in the prequels. They're hampered by awful writing and worse direction. Lloyd was less experienced as an actor, so it's more noticeable, but nobody gets out of Lucas's directing unscathed. More to the point, though, I think starting the story with Anakin so young was the original sin. I can imagine a movie where we meet Anakin when he's Luke's age in A New Hope or Anakin's age in The Clone Wars. I think that would be a much better place to start the story. If you have him already trained as a Jedi, or picked up by the Jedi later in life, you wouldn't have to relegate him as a side character, and it would've made the prequels a) shorter, and b) much more focused on Anakin's fall to the dark side. It would've also allowed you to have Anakin meet Padme later, so that their relationship wouldn't be so unrelentingly creepy and implausible.

It is a great movie. Its like Wizard of Oz meets Star Wars. It's so delightfully different than any of the bland shit star wars fand theorized in their heads for 10+ years after ROTJ. George throws in every idea he can think of and its magical

There are things I like about this movie, and things I dont't like (hello there, Jar Jar). But really, to me it's neither as great as some make it out to be, nor as horrible as others do. I don't personally feel that Jake Lloyd was miscast, I think he did what the script expected him to do. I know others feel different. But my bit WTF-moment regarding him was a documentation I once saw where parts of the casting were shown. George Lucal thought he was good and asked the others what they thought, and they all agreed with him like Lemmings. Then, the second George left the room they actually started discussing him and voicing their issues with the selection. So is it his fault that the people whose jobs it would have been to give him a reality check didn't do their jobs?

Episode I wasn’t bad….it was awesome. Will always be my absolute favorite Star Wars movie of all time. I’ll never forget being a kid and seeing the hype around it. It was awesome.

I disagree that Lucas should be blamed for casting Lloyd as Anakin. He should be blamed for giving Lloyd the dumbest dialog possible. An 8 or 9 year old kid can't be expected to make a masterpiece preformance out total crap to work with. No one blames the other actors for sounding like wood planks talking to a wall cause we all know they were told to say stupid things at a blue screen during a time most actors had never really seen many blue screens yet.

The real problem is with the Phantom Menace is that people really can't believe that Anakin Skywalker was a 8-year-old kid, born with no father is the genesis of Star Wars? It's a great film but still I can't believe or buy that Anakin is a little kid, instead of the grown man that Obi Won talked about in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. Geroge Lucas should have stay on the original story with Anakin in The Phantom Menace again is the problem with the film.

No matter how poorly written and acted Prequel trilogy is, at least it had great soundtrack, fun action scenes and introduced a lot of new distinct factions and tech into the setting.

No it's not a bad film, it's actually quite good and a classic compared to any of the sequel trilogy.

I love how everyone focuses so much on them using green screen too much in TPM. When it wasn't till AotC and ROTS that it became that way. Most of what you see in TPM is real sets and locations. Do some research and not just repeat the wrong info others have for decades now

This movie was trashed when the Force awakens came out i kept on telling folks Phantom menace and the prequels were great but people looked at me like i was diseased so i just waited until all the new movies got trashed and everyone started to look back saying how good the prequels actually were . People tend to go thru mass hysteria from time to time

Audio volume is too low and not mixed right. No low end at all

Yes

I too watched this at the Ziegfeld Theater on 54th St NYC the first weekend, twice. The pod race and everything involving Darth Maul was awesome. The rest of the movie was disappointing. Great memories sleeping in the street with a family member for 2 days waiting for pre-purchase tickets.

I actually like Episode 1 more than 2 and 3 was the 1st movie I saw in theaters in 1999 even was Anakin on Halloween lol and had the toys

i am guilty of being one the people who can just put this on randomly to enjoy. same goes for the entire prequel trilogy for me. i also like to re watch Rogue One from time to time, thats good one too.

I rewatch the prequels every so often, just like the originals, and I have a more positive perspective on them compared back when I joined the bandwagon of people who hated them a few years back. RU-vid channel Cinemawins is actually part of the reason I have more respect for the prequels now. Him, and of course Star Wars Theory.

I like these three movies 🎬🎥 just a few hours of not thinking on the problems of that day.

It was not bad at all. I watched it for the story arch and I was happy with it.

Couldn't agree with your opinion more dude, nice one 😊🎉🎉🎉

I was a kid when this movie came out, but I was more into the aesthetic. I liked the Duel of the Fates, pod-racing was cool, and I thought the Nubian shuttle was just as cool as the Millennium Falcon for no other reason than it looked like a sword. As an adult, I actually appreciate it way more for the artistry behind it. There's always going to be two camps of Star Wars fans: the super nerds who obsess over the nuances of George's intricately detailed story mythos... AND the fans of the sights and sounds, who just want to see character banter and melodrama depicted with striking visuals. And sure, there's overlap. Episode I is a super nerd movie, with no overlap. It's definitely devoid of any of the charisma the actors of the originals brought to those movies, but I think that's by design. Qui-Gon is an evolution of Episode VI Luke, an advocate of philosophical stoicism, and he's the driving force of the narrative. A lot of the movie's acting and directing choices reflect that theme of stoicism. I think a lot of the complaints in this video are centered around a lack of recognition for themes of stoicism. I don't think The Phantom Menace is a bad movie. It has some pacing issues, where side characters will stop forward narrative momentum dead in its tracks, but it still has a myriad of highly effective, expertly crafted sequences. It also has enough striking and compelling visual shots to make one of the most insanely hyped up movie trailers in history. I'm the type of fan who will read the appendices to know a character's back story and the political climate that compelled them. Seeing that in a film format doesn't bother me in the slightest... it actually delights me. I wish we could have more movies like The Phantom Menace, but I think it's safe to say this one was a failed experiment.

I know I am odd man out here, but I actually don't have a big problem with this movie, and never did. And I am not one of the ones you mentioned who grew up with it (I am Gen X, and was already an adult when this came out) Yes, Jar Jar was annoying, but I like Jake Lloyd's performance and never understood why some don't. I really liked Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's dynamic, and I frankly always saw the Gungans battle at the end as neat. I think if I changed anything in the entire movie, I would have had Anakin's destroying the command ship to be intentional (In the movie, it seems like he wanted to shoot lasers at the droids and fired the killing torpedos at the generator by accident)

I love how all of the clips have the CGI Yoda instead of the horrible puppet one that was actually in the original movie.

No. Duel of the Fates and the lightsaber fight between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui Gon and Darth Maul are terrific.

I just remember waiting for something to happen and they kept teasing us that something was about to happen and then it ended with nothing really happening. I think viewed as a standalone movie and not part of Star Wars it's actually pretty good albeit pacing due to being 1/3 really hurt it compared to the other movies (including the other prequels) so I completely understand why it became loved by the new fans.

The big villian Where when how what and why We're lost please help us

Keeping Anikin a boy the whole movie was a BIG mistake

I watched the movie when I was 12 and I really liked it. Never understood all the hate for it, it's still one of my favorite movies.

By comparison, we've got: Attack of the Clones - a chick flick with light sabres Revenge of the Sith - might as well've been a cartoon Each Star Wars movie since 1999 makes the Phantom Menace looks like Citizen Kane.

Correction: Darth Maul did not die in the Phantom Menace, he was marooned alive for ten years in a galactic landfill, he cobbled together a new pair of legs from discarded droid parts. Maul was given substantial character development in the clone-wars series, he appears again in “Solo” as the leader of the crimson dawn syndicate.

I enjoyed it when i was 10, even had the game on PS1. If I watched it now I can imagine not liking it as much, or maybe not at all. And at least it for the most part looks better than the other prequels, early Digital Film has not aged that well.

It was good back then, and now, considering..., It's Even better

Granted I was 11 when it came out, but it was a huge event. Everyone and their dog saw that movie. The only movie event I can think of that even came close to it in my lifetime was when both Matrix sequels came out 3-4 months apart. Say what you will about PM but imo there's more to love than hate. The Darth Maul fight is my favorite in the whole series.

It’s my personal favorite. Saw it in theaters when i was 7. Darth Maul 👹🤘🤘🤘

The Phantom Menace is fantastic!

Yes.

One of the best trailers of all time. I was a huge Star Wars fan when this came out and that was when it was relatively niche. I saw in cinema on release date with my friend when we 15 and afterwards…it was weird…we both felt about but were basically like trying to convince ourselves and each other that it was good but it wasn’t…it was a mess and surprisingly boring for long parts. I suppose we settled on the idea that it was a good foundation and jumping off point and we were reading the dark horse comics about auroa sing etc and saying okay next one will be actually really good but it was arguably worse… So even as a teen who loves Star Wars the film was at best anticlimactic and underwhelming but the more I thought about it and with time it’s even worse than first impression. People are mainly revising now because A) how bad new ones are B) nostalgia and people for whom this was their childhood C) gotta be contrarian and or say something different for people to listen to and get those clicks Guarantee in 20 years time people will be saying oh was rise of skywalker actually that bad??? Did we misjudged or were we too harsh on book of bobba fett??? 😂

There's a ton of things about this movie that bug me but one is that I never quite understood the extent of was Shmi Skywalker's so-called slavery. We never once see her doing anything other than cooking lunch for Qui Gon or watching Anakin build/repair a pod. No "slave duties" or anything that remotely resembles someone who's being held against her will or engaging in immoral or unethical behavior by her owner. Color me crazy but I've never seen a "slave" have permission to host strangers in her home or that a slave's son would have access to dangerous technology and enough tools to build a walking, talking robot. But not a robot that could help them gain their freedom. No, Anakin built a protocol droid because... I don't know. Maybe Shmi was a sex slave and because she had clients from all over the galaxy she needed a translator in the room while she's getting pounded by an alien. I just don't get why or how she had so much freedom. Case in point: at the pod race not only does Shmi have access to a tablet showing close-up footage of the race but she, Qui Gon, Jar-Jar and Padme were all privy to an exclusive skybox that overlooked the race track. How is this possible! There are thousands of people in the stands sitting shoulder to shoulder but Shmi and her guests are enjoying the privacy of their own private space. Why didn't Watto confine her to her home where she'd be forced to follow the race on the radio or not have any access to the race at all?! I get that she had to be there for, well, reasons but if you're going to establish that someone's a slave who's head could be detonated if they flee then you should lean into that narrative or don't bother with it at all. The reality is that Lucas didn't have to make Anakin and Shmi slaves. A better story would've been that Shmi was once a prominent figurehead but fell on hard times or had a medical condition that prevented her from working, which is why Anakin had to get a job. Or maybe since Anakin was an immaculate conception she was forced out of her job because she wasn't allowed to get pregnant, which sent her into the bowels of Tatooine. I don't know. Anything but that she's a slave as nothing about her life would suggested that she was. Of course the bigger, billion dollar question is did anyone want or ask for a movie about Vader's past including his childhood? Does knowing Anakin once raced pods, made C-3PO and whining about Obi Wan make his character in The Empire Strikes Back any better? Maybe it's just me but knowing a young, soon-to-be Darth Vader once said, "Maybe I'll try spinning. That's a good trick." in no way enhances the character. I'd say it ruins it.

as a kid i thought this was the coolest movie i had ever saw, except for the scene on coruscant. Now that i'm an adult it's still fun to watch but i understand the story problems it has and the acting performances are pretty obvious now. However George has said star wars was for kids, so i understand why adults love to make fun of it, while my generation love the prequels and orginial trilogy

I dont care whats good in it. Whenever Jar Jar shows up it ruins everything

I did the same revisiting and came to similar conclusions. Some directors are so good it doesn't matter when they get in their own way (Christopher Nolan is an excellent example) but Lucas is simply not that guy. You could feel the undercurrent of incidentals and toy marketing throughout the entire film, with a few sparks thrown in. Duel of the Fates, of course, but there were others. I do feel terrible for Jake Lloyd who spent a lifetime being excoriated for his performance... It really wasn't his fault. Lucas doesn't like confrontation and a kid with an edge would have been nigh impossible for him to direct. At least moreso than the kid without one. Perhaps they should have gotten Rob Reiner. He could have potentially made an actor out of Jake. In any case I tried to like the prequels but for me they all fall short. I'm glad we have Clone Wars and Rebels and the Bad Batch to make up for it: they're all far superior to their cinematic source.

The only thing worse than this movie is hearing you try to form a coherent sentence

This video dosent even need to be made,The phantom classic has amazing fights and its just a classic movie.

Ehhh....it was not exactly what I was hoping for after watching the originals as a kid. The thing is, I wasn't sure what I wanted it to be. I mean, the evolution of Vader was important, and to some extent the trade talks I guess, but the movie never really clicked for me. Even "the crawl" at the beginning was boring. Darth Maul and Obi-Wan were my two favorite takeaways from the movie, but only if Jar Jar actually is indeed a Sith Lord will this title move up on my re-watch list.

Short answer: yes... long answer: yyyyyeeeeesssssss

I agree with most things you say, but duel of the fates might be his best work

No. But duel of the fates still slaps. 😅

"Not that good, but not that bad either" Proceeds to tell us everything bad about it whilst very, very quickly glossing over the good.(imagine claiming that Duel of the Dates wasn't as good as anything written for the two other prequels) Bit of a misleading title tbh

I'll have to wash this down with a couple "Fantasizing About Fantasy Films" episodes to remind me why I keep subscribed to JoBlo. Was I trolled into making this comment? probably... Episode 1 wasn't great, but there are a few amazing things happening that he didn't even mention. He just rode this movie like everyone else. At the worst this movie was disappointing, but it did redefine what lightsaber duels were, the fighter scenes and pod racing scenes were epic, and star wars has always been political at its core. This movie just tried (emphasis on tried) to deliver on the subtleties of the events leading to the clone war and the downfall of Anakin Skywalker but failed dramatically. Still fun.

Yes. Yes it is really that bad. Being better than AOTC or the sequel trilogy does not make this good. The others just kept lowering the bar.