Anniversary XL: The Phantom Menace

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Probably not the Star Wars episode you were expecting me to review today, but in keeping with the "flashback" order I'm revisiting the saga in, it's the review you're getting.

I was only four years old when The Phantom Menace came out, and although I didn't see it until 2005, I do remember getting a small taste of the huge anticipation and hype it received at the time. My fellow pre-school classmates started playing Star Wars at recess, and that was probably the first time I heard the words Star Wars. From what I've heard, the hype for George Lucas's return to Star Wars after sixteen years was unbelievably huge; fans were setting high and near impossible expectations. I experienced a similar wave of hype for Episode VII two years ago, although I did my best to distance myself from it, seeing as I had already resolved to not see the sequel. But back to the prequel: Did The Phantom Menace live up to all the hype?

A quick scan of the Internet today would lead you to think the answer is "no", but it's easy to forget that when The Phantom Menace was released 18 years and 3 days ago, it got a generally positive reception. It was only the launch of various anonymous Internet sources that quickly turned it into a candidate for the most hated film of all time (and it remains one to this day).

I remember my first viewing of The Phantom Menace very well. It was in the summer of 2005, after having spent the preceding academic year being introduced to Star Wars through the DVDs of the original trilogy. Before I saw the prequels, my parents had told me that they weren't very good; I sometimes wonder if they ever planned on showing the prequels to me and my brother (I saw all three prequels for the first time while I was on vacation without my parental units) at all. I, however, did what I doubt many of the fans and haters were able to do in 1999 when the movie came out: I approached it without a preconceived notion of how it should play out. I knew that my opinion could end up matching that of my elders, as it usually did in those days when it came to movies, but I also knew that the movie could surprise me and I could end up liking it.

As it turned out, I more than liked The Phantom Menace. I loved it. After that first viewing, my love and appreciation for the Star Wars saga that had already been fairly high in the eight months since I'd been introduced to it increased drastically. At the time, my favorite element of the movie was not the increased amount of Jedi action time, the Podrace, or even Darth Maul, but... Jar Jar Binks. Yes, you read that right. I saw nothing racial in his character (but considering that I was only ten years old and racism wasn't even in my vocabulary, that's not surprising) and thought he was very funny. Beyond just providing humor, I also easily identified with his character: someone who just wants to help his friends despite his accident-prone nature. Although I've read multiple proclamations that Jar Jar Binks does nothing at all for the plot of the movie, I firmly disagree. In the words of Boss Nass, "Jar Jar bring ussen and da Naboo together." He's the one responsible for the meeting, and subsequent peace, between Naboo's two great societies, and that's a pretty significant element of the plot. Speaking of Boss Nass, I also found him very entertaining, mainly because of the constant mouth gargling.

But if my only praise for The Phantom Menace was Gungan-related, that would be a pretty weak argument, as there is so much more I've come to love and appreciate about the movie after having sat through it probably more times than any other film. I'll start with the movie's main character: Qui-Gon Jinn. He is hands down the most important Star Wars character to only appear in one movie. He has power, wisdom, and compassion in a pretty much perfect combination; he is the living example of what the Jedi Order should have been like. Qui-Gon was the one Jedi in existence at the time to realize the importance of trusting one's feelings over the rather strict Jedi Code. Throughout the trilogy, we never see anyone show the same sort of care and understanding towards Anakin Skywalker that he does; I think any child's ideal father figure would be Qui-Gon. His relationship with his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, also deserves mention, as although the two of them do have their disagreements, they are always settled without either of them having to even raise his voice; Qui-Gon even sends a compliment Obi-Wan's way in their final quiet moment together. This sort of behavior and calm, patient approach towards teaching is never seen in any other Jedi throughout the trilogy. Qui-Gon is probably the most top-notch mentor out of the many that have been played by Liam Neeson, and I truly think that if he had survived The Phantom Menace and been able to train Anakin, he would have been able to prevent the tragedy of the Chosen One.

Speaking of Anakin, the young Chosen One is also one of my favorite elements of The Phantom Menace. Jake Lloyd was widely criticized for his performance, but I fail to see him being bad at all. (Gotta support my hometown! Seriously, I thought he was fine.) After I first saw the movie, I couldn't quite believe the large contrast between Anakin and the relentless killing machine I knew he was destined to become. Anakin was another character I was quick to identify with; he is always quick to find some way to help his friends, even if that involves putting his life on the line. I'm in awe of those nerves of steel he shows while piloting even at a very young age, and at the time when I first saw The Phantom Menace, I shared Anakin's fear of being separated from one's guardian for a long period of time. After several viewings of the film, I do see some very subtle elements of darkness in the young Anakin, namely his expression during his scene with the Jedi Council. I think the movie does a very good job of establishing Anakin as a skilled pilot, great mechanic, and aspiring adventurer.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's part in The Phantom Menace is not that large compared to the next two films, but he does still have his enjoyable moments. I still do chuckle at his sarcasm ("The negotiations were short."), and I find meaning in his conversations with Qui-Gon: they establish Obi-Wan is a by-the-book Jedi who takes as little risk as possible. Like Anakin's, Obi-Wan's personality also ends up significantly evolving from the first (chronological) chapter.

Completing the puzzle of main characters is Queen Amidala, who I've come to appreciate more and more through my many viewings of The Phantom Menace. People have criticized her odd voice in the queen makeup, but I think that's part of her character: she is truly free to be herself when she takes off the crown and goes by her birth name Padmé. Like her, I truly feel free when I don't have to take responsibilities for everything I do, and I admire her resourcefulness in the final battle.

As for the movie's villains, they're quite memorable too. The battle droids may not be terribly effective (the making of superior army forces is a sort of theme throughout the saga), but they are still amusing. I love their voices and their confused dialogue during the escape scene. ("Coruscant? Uh, that doesn't compute. Uh, wait, uh... you're under arrest!") Darth Sidious has a brilliantly evil voice and appearance and is a very good example of a ruler through fear, which not only leads to the dark side of the Force, but is used by it. And of course, there's Darth Maul. I admittedly wish he had more than three lines, but that face tattoo job is still completely bad-ass, the three lines alone combined with those intense eyes are enough to show his extreme desire for the taste of Jedi blood, and I'm a little in awe of his skill with the double lightsaber. It's beyond cool. The side characters in Watto and Sebulba also deserve mention, as they each exhibit a popular state of mind among people these days. Watto represents the common view of only being in the world for the money while being indifferent to events happening around him in the world (or galaxy), and Sebulba's Podracing strategy represents another type of indifferent attitude: "As long as it's not me."

Other highlights of The Phantom Menace for me are the visual effects, which include some very impressive exterior shots for 1999, and the absolutely stunning action scenes. The Podrace was a very well-choreographed scene, and I seem to notice something new every time I see it; the intense attention to detail is clearly there. The four-phase final battle is also structured very well, particularly the impressive choreography for the duel between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Darth Maul. John Williams also delivers a great score, highlighted by the theme for the young Anakin, which contains a subtle hint of the darkness that will dominate his destiny, the Podrace fanfare, the Trade Federation march, and of course the catchy and intense action theme "Duel of the Fates."

Now, while I love this film, it isn't perfect. One of Lucas's flaws is that he frequently doesn't refer to side characters by name in his films. Governor Tarkin is only referred to by name twice in A New Hope, and Boba Fett's name is never mentioned in The Empire Strikes Back, but this flaw really shows here. Nute Gunray's name is not mentioned once, despite the fact that his part in this film is bigger than in the next two. Shmi Skywalker and Mace Windu receive a similar treatment, and even Qui-Gon's name isn't mentioned until he introduces himself to Shmi. Also, I wasn't the biggest fan of the Yoda puppet used in The Phantom Menace. I understand Lucas was trying to make Yoda look younger, but the puppet still looked a lot more rubber than the one for the original trilogy. Thankfully, in the latest incarnation of The Phantom Menace, Lucas corrected this flaw by using the CGI Yoda model from the next two films.

But these are pretty minor gripes, and do nothing to sway my opinion on The Phantom Menace, which is a great beginning to an epic story and easily my third favorite Star Wars episode. Whatever people may say, I have always loved The Phantom Menace's story of the unity between two societies and the rise of the Chosen One and the Sith Lords. Highlighted by all of the above aspects, this movie will always hold a special place in my heart.

Anniversary XL Reviews Ahead!

Yeah, I haven't posted a thing on here in six months. For the few of you who are still following me, I have a series of posts planned for the next six days leading up to the 40th anniversary of Star Wars. For the next six days, I will write a reflective review on each of George Lucas's Star Wars episodes (so, not Episode VII or Rogue One, which I haven't seen), talking about what I love about each one, some of my favorite moments and elements from the film, and how I like it in comparison to the other five. These are my top 6 favorite movies of all time, so don't expect me to blast my least favorite episode just because I happen to like the other five more.

I will be going in "flashback" order, that is: IV-V-I-II-III-VI. I believe this is the best order to view Lucas's saga in a full movie marathon (I'll just be watching one a night and write my review of it the following day), as it combines the perks of chronological order (I-II-III-IV-V-VI) and release date order (IV-V-VI-I-II-III) while avoiding the major drawbacks to both "obvious" orders. The best proof I can offer as to why this method works best is in the form Drew McWeeny's series of essays on introducing the saga to his kids in this order. If you haven't read them, they are well worth your time.

Also, I will be using the 2011 Blu-Ray versions of all six films for these reviews. They are the current version of the saga that the creator is most satisfied with, so I think it only fair that I discuss these versions. This will mostly be irrelevant, except when I'm briefly talking about the major changes from the theatrical and DVD cuts. I mentioned in an earlier post that I don't think any change takes away the heart of what made Star Wars what it is, so don't expect to see me blast George Lucas for "ruining my childhood."

Hope you enjoy reading these reviews! I'm looking forward to writing them.

Mmm, Dissen Loverly

Jar Jar Binks.

These three little words have been used by many people as a summation of everything wrong with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and in some cases the entire prequel trilogy. The mere mention of these words can cause some people to cringe in disgust. A certain YouReviewer has claimed that these three words set black people back 50 years, and these three words alone earned The Phantom Menace 100 "sins" in CinemaSins's "Everything Wrong With" episode devoted to the film.

For me, though, those three words were in the top tier of my "favorite things about Star Wars list" for several years. I was ten years old when I first saw The Phantom Menace in 2005, and although I didn't completely understand the finer points of the plot at the time (this was also true of my first few viewings of A New Hope, FYI) I distinctly remember loving the new worlds of Naboo and Coruscant, the epic Podrace, and especially the new characters. And I remember even more distinctly what I claimed my favorite element of the film to be for at least a year afterwards:

Jar Jar Binks.

Blasphemy, I know. And while he is no longer what I love most about The Phantom Menace, I haven't lost any of my love for this klutzy Gungan more than 11 years later. Even when I watch the movie now, good ol' Jar Jar still brings out my inner 10-year-old who loved him to death from the beginning.

Why?

First off, I was the right age to find him quite funny. I loved his design, I loved his movements, and I sure as heck loved his pidgin-speak. This style of speaking was, in my eyes, a great form of world (or in this case, galaxy) building. While the original films include some characters who speak alien languages entirely, in most cases they clearly understand the Basic English being spoken to them by the humans, and said humans clearly understand their language as well. To me, Jar Jar and the other Gungans represent people in the real world who may learn and understand another language, but will never be completely comfortable speaking that language fluently. How do I know Basic English is not the Gungans' first language? Because when Jar Jar first takes Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn to the underwater Otoh Gunga city, the camera explicitly shows two shocked Gungans exchanging the words: "Hu me gusa?" "Hata hata."

Does the pidgin-speak make Gungans racist? The answer will vary depending on who you ask, but I say, "Heck no!" Yes, the actor playing Jar Jar just happens to be African-American, but that is pure coincidence. There is sufficient filmmaking evidence to show that George Lucas liked Ahmed Best's voice for the character, and also chose him for the part because of how well he was able to physically portray the character in motion capture. Like I said above, I see the pidgin-speak as a more realistic portrayal of the relationships between various alien species in the Star Wars galaxy. (Anakin communicating with both Watto and Sebulba in Huttese improved this interspecies relationship as well.) And while the Gungans may not have a thriving city or connections to the Republic like the humans of Naboo do, they have their fair share of talents that they are in no way prevented from exploiting (unlike many slaves in the real world's history). Their underwater technology, their unique plasma weapons, and their army are clearly thriving freely even before they make their alliance with the Naboo at the film's climax.

What I really love about Jar Jar Binks, though, is the type of individual he represents. He is in many respects a fool, but not by choice. The accidents he causes are clearly accidents, and his curiosity certainly gets him in trouble on multiple occasions, but at his core, he's just an outcast from his society, looking to be useful to anyone in some way, shape, or form. By telling Qui-Gon about the Gungans, he ultimately gets him to Theed in time to rescue Queen Amidala. He helps Anakin prepare his Podracer, despite having no experience with the technology. He offers a friendly ear to Amidala when the pressure put on her overwhelms her. And most importantly, Jar Jar Binks "bring ussen and da Naboo together." Out of loyalty to his new friends and his desire to help, Jar Jar returns to the society he was banished from.

Jar Jar Binks is clearly a very loyal friend, even if he's not the best in a fight or his clumsiness causes unintentional accidents. The same devotion to both of his planet's societies and the Republic in general carry into Attack of the Clones, as he pretty clearly believes giving emergency powers to the Supreme Chancellor is the only solution to saving the Republic, when in reality it brings said Republic one step closer to destruction.

I love Jar Jar. I still think his lines are funny, I love the type of person he represents, and I admire his devotion, even if it can get manipulated. The dude may not be my favorite element of The Phantom Menace for me, but he's still a major highlight.

(NOTE: If you're wondering whether I believe the "Darth Darth Binks" theory that went around last year, I don't. While the whole Emergency Powers thing did help Sidious in the long run, let's not forget that his contributions to the Battle of Naboo temporarily defeated Sidious's major threat to the Republic and set him back a good ten years. As a fellow blogger has also pointed out, Jar Jar Binks set the stage for Sidious's ultimate defeat by simply being himself. I still consider Mr. Binks a foolish hero, and not a secret Sith Lord.)

So all I can say to Jar Jar is what his boss said to him: "Yousa doen grand!"

What It Means to be a STAR WARS Fan

In my introductory post, I mentioned that I would be blogging about some controversial subjects, and Star Wars is likely what I will be discussing the most.

Ever since I was introduced to the Star Wars saga in 2004, I have, according to the definition of the word "fan", been a Star Wars fan. That is, I enjoyed the movies and the story they told, and I soon became obsessed with learning more details than the movies told me about this galaxy far, far away. Really, anyone who has a liking for at least one Star Wars film or even one TV episode or Expanded Universe story can be considered a Star Wars fan. If they like an aspect of Star Wars so much that they'd like to write about it, that's great. I'll come back to this definition later.

Over the last several years, however, I have had a harder time calling myself a Star Wars fan. This trend began when I started getting involved in the online Star Wars fan industry. It seems that there, the definition of being a Star Wars fan, in addition to the ground rules I laid out in the previous paragraph, includes spewing as much hate as possible towards George Lucas, the saga's creator, endlessly complaining about the prequel trilogy and the special editions of the original trilogy, and putting down anyone who doesn't conform to this line of thinking.

Obviously, I'm being very general, because hardly every Star Wars-related webpage has content of that nature, but so many do. If this was what you had to do to call yourself a Star Wars fan, then I didn't want to be one anymore. Why? Because I passionately love the prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II, and III) and consider them to be highly underrated films. I also have no problem at all with the special editions of the originals, although admittedly I don't have the proper background to take sides on this debate. I have actually never seen the unaltered cuts of the originals (Episodes IV, V, and VI), but I do know the bulk of the changes that have been made in the special editions. From my perspective, these changes have no effect on any of the elements that made Star Wars what it was to begin with, and it seems a little irrational to me that so many fans are complaining that the unaltered cuts are no longer available, because the cuts that are available tell the same story with the same characters. Like I said, though, take my words with a grain of salt. I haven't seen the unaltered cuts, so I'm not in the best position to judge. The one change I can kind of understand people getting angry about is the infamous who-shoots-first scene, but even then the anger over it seems really blown out of proportion. For my money, the scene works either way, because in both versions the intentions of both characters were quite clear.

The prequels, though... I have a lot more to say in regards to their effect on me as a fan. After seeing all three of them for the first time in 2005, I was blown away at how much I loved them. Yes, you read that right. I loved the new worlds, ships, droids, aliens, characters, stories, and inner struggle that all the protagonists went through over the course of that trilogy. I even loved Jar Jar Binks. Again, yes, you read that right.

For a while after I entered the online Star Wars fan industry, I got somewhat bitter after seeing the non-stop hate spewn at them from nearly every corner of the web. I've seen YouTube comments telling anyone who likes the prequels to kill themselves, I've seen people getting applause for jokes about murdering George Lucas, and I've seen online film channels repeatedly taking potshots at the prequels despite making their opinions about them very clear on multiple occasions. I've even seen some of the prequel fans on the Internet snap under the hate and respond to the criticism in a very rude and derogatory manner.

A common phrase prequel fans have used is, "If you don't like the prequels, you're not a true Star Wars fan." I myself said something to that effect when I wrote a rather angry rant on my Facebook page in January 2013, after Disney cancelled the 3D releases of Episodes II and III that were scheduled for that fall. (Being introduced to the saga in 2004, Episode III was the only one I was able to see in theaters, and I was highly anticipating the opportunity to revisit the entire saga in this venue.) I've realized, however, that that's a hypocritical statement on our part. Fans of Star Wars don't have to like every single Star Wars product ever released, in the same way that fans of the Harry Potter books don't necessarily have to like the movies to remain fans. The prequels are movies, and movies are a form of art, and art is subjective. I'm not trying to say anyone is "wrong" for liking or disliking the prequels (or any other form of art). Different forms of art resonate better with different people, and when fans of one artist or series of artworks can bond over their shared love of this art, or when they can politely discuss their differing opinions or theories about said art, it almost always creates quality memories.

If two Star Wars fans disagree about something, however, they're quickly at each other's throats, both trying to assert their positions as the objective "right" way to look at whatever they're debating over. Compare that to the calm disagreements that arise in other fandoms, and you'll see why lazypadawan of the Star Wars Prequel Appreciation Society wrote a post about "The Fractured Fandom" last fall. The fact of the matter is, there will never be a time in which every single Star Wars fan will agree on which episode is the best one. There will never be a time in which every single Harry Potter fan will agree about who should have ended up with who. There will never be a time in which every single Lord of the Rings fan will love or hate the Hobbit movies. There will never be a time in which every single Disney Animated Canon fan will agree on whether or not Tangled is better than Frozen. What's the point? The point is, stories can resonate with different people for several different reasons, and trying to force your opinion of one story down the throat of someone who has a differing opinion will likely get you nowhere. All that does is fracture the fandom more.

I like the Star Wars prequels slightly more than the originals. I still like Jar Jar Binks. I like the different worlds. I like Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen's performances as the younger Anakin Skywalker. I'm not bothered by the political exposition. I have nothing against the concept of midi-chlorians. I like the updated effects in the special editions. I don't care whether Han shoots first or not. I have not seen Episode VII for personal reasons, and I don't plan on seeing Rogue One this winter. 

Am I going to force you to agree with all of this? Of course not. If you disagree with one, or even all, of the sentences in the above paragraph, feel free to. I wouldn't dream of accusing you of not being a Star Wars fan if this were the case. In future writings, I will likely expound on why I feel the way I do about these aspects of Star Wars, sometimes using evidence from the films to back my opinions up, but I will never assert these opinions as the one-and-only-view-you-can-possibly-have-to-call-yourself-a-Star-Wars-fan.

I agree with lazypadawan in that right now, the Star Wars fandom is fractured. I think a big step in repairing it is simple acceptance, writing about what you like rather than what you dislike, expressing yourself in a calm, respectful manner, and most importantly, agreeing to disagree.

May the Force be with us all.