Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

directed by: George Lucas
written by: George Lucas
photographed by: David Tattersall
music by: John Williams
edited by: Ben Burtt and Paul Martin Smith
stars: Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman
imdb

The Phantom Menace is probably the biggest disappointment in the history of sci-fi cinema. Sixteen years waiting for Episode I after The Return of the Jedi, George Lucas decided to write and direct it himself, his last movie had been the original A New Hope (1977), twenty-two years before.

There are many wrong things about The Phantom Menace, starting with the screenplay, but also the acting: many of the CGI characters are completely unrealistic (and we are not talking only about Jar-Jar Binks), but even the flesh actors look lost, between the ridiculous dialogues and talking permanently to a green screen.

The Phantom Menace begins catastrophically: the arrival of the two Jedis to the Trade Federation ship is the less spectacular beginning you could imagine for the Star Wars saga; the two leaders of the Trade Federation show all the weaknesses of the 1999 CGI, and the first 20 minutes have some of the worst dialogues of the movie... and then we have Jar-Jar Binks. From there, things only get better, and the movie slightly improves after that. It is true that we have the annoying character of the child Annakin, who is good at everything, it is true that we have also that ridiculous pseudo-scientific explanation of the Jedi powers, the midi-chlorians, and it is true that the immaculate conception of Annakin Skywalker is an embarasing moment, but at least we have some real action.

In the end, the most remarkable thing of The Phantom Menace are the CGI landscapes, the duel with Darth Maul, the Nubian royal starship. It is curious that the most interesting part of The Phantom Menace is what is not shown, the shadow above Annakin, what we know he will become, what we have seen in episodes IV, V and VI. And this knowledge bestows the story in The Phantom Menace of deepness that it doesn't have.