Dave2112
Level of Cherry Feather
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2001
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Hey kids! Quite awhile ago (actually about a year) I wrote a short essay here entitled "In Defense of Return of the Jedi" that proved to be far more popular than I thought it would be. You can see this thread here...
http://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30680&highlight=Return+of+the+Jedi
To follow that up, I've been thinking about this one for awhile. We all had our problems with Attack of the Clones...even me. I consider it the weakest of the five films so far, and even so, I'll probably wind up finding some good things about it in a later post. However, this thread is all about The Phantom Menace and why it's a much cooler film than most people give it credit for. Agree or don't, these are the TMF's resident Jedi Master's thoughts...
The Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy...
When Obi-Wan Kenobi first spoke these words in the 1977 release "A New Hope", we could only imagine what the Jedi once were. It took 22 years, but we finally got to see what Jedi in thier prime were capable of in "The Phantom Menace". The first trilogy gave us an old man vs. a cyborg, a young upstart vs. a cyborg and then a really-pissed-off young kid vs. a cyborg. Leaving hindsight out of it, how many of us weren't in complete awe during the opening scenes aboard the Trade federation Starship?
Let's get at least ONE old guy...
Much as Alec Guiness lent an air of credibility to A New Hope, Liam Neeson was a solid thespian anchor to the rest of the relatively-unknown cast in Episode I. He was the cool-headed Jedi Master to Ewan McGregor's brash young stud. Liam all but carried the acting chores in this film. He was a ferocious warrior without compromising his humanity. We knew right from the start that he didn't play the politics game, and this all but set up Obi-Wan's view of the Senate and Palpatine in particular.
The Weapons of War
Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber still remains as the coolest weapon in sci-fi history. And he was SOOOOOO good with it.
Ok, just stand here until he beats the first guy...
Unlike every single scene of multiple-opponent combat in cinematic history, the battle between Darth Maul, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon was kinetic, flowing and completely believable. No one was standing on the outside waiting for the first guy to get killed. The choreography of that fight remains as one of the best in movie history.
NASCAR 2153
The Podrace was one of the neatest pieces of film ever recorded, although it wasn't really recorded. This sequence was the first major piece of a motion picture to be entirely CGI, and admit it...you believed the whole thing...
Meessa called Jar-Jar Binks...
It has become the most fashionable thing in cinematic history to blame Jar-Jar for everything people don't like about the prequel trilogy. It's the poor-man's bandwagon. However, despite the inability to understand every word he said the first time through, Jar-Jar proved well beyond the Ewok Experience that the Galaxy is made up of all kinds of beings, and that even the simplest can have an impact on history. And no matter how much you don't want to admit it, Jar-Jar was the first completely CGI major character to fit seemlessly into a film. If you want to point out "stupid", look to C-3PO in Attack of the Clones.
You assume too much...
While Natalie Portman's acting came into serious question in Episode II, her portrayal as the "Young Queen" that Star Wars fans had always heard about was more than fitting in "The Phantom Menace". True, it was a bit confusing to non-fans as to who-was-who when the "decoys" came into play, but her portrayal as a young girl looking to do nothing but save her people was far better than most people give her credit for.
Weesa have a grand army...
While "A New Hope" and "Return of the Jedi" had pheomenal battles at the end of the film, and "Empire Strikes Back" chose the start of the film for it's big battle sequence, "The Phantom Menace" assaulted us with two big battles at the same time. While the battle in space was ok, it was the ground battle between the Gungans and the Trade Federation that really grabbed our attention. Too bad that hindsight doesn't change films. This fight was a far better "Natural vs. Technology" battle than the Ewok thing, and far more believable. If there were any truly funny scenes in the entire prequel trilogy, they happened here, but without losing the seriousness of a small species fighting for thier home against a superior invader.
There's always a bigger fish
Throughout the entire Original Trilogy, we'd seen fantastic locales on other planets, but they were usually variations on a theme. The scenes of Gunga City were the first time we saw an underwater world that was actually a believable setting. The visuals were astounding and the technology was alien enough to shake off our sci-fi blinders and see something new.
The Duel of the Fates
Music. That's always been almost 50% of what makes a Star Wars movie a Star Wars Movie. While Attack of the Clones did little to advance the themes of our beloved saga, John Williams was truly inspired in creating an all-new yet familiar sonic landscape. The music that accompanied the Trade Federation Invasion of Naboo was both chilling and resplendant, while the "Duel of the Fates" music surrounding the Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon/Darth Maul fight was a thing of beauty in itself. Using a full choir for the first time, this music cut right through you and put you in the middle of the action.
A Jedi uses his power for knowledge and defense, never to attack...
Somebody should have told this to Obi-Wan when he went after Darth Maul. Although the novelization covers this far more concisely, you can feel the barely-controlled hatred rolling off of Ewan McGregor when he collides with Darth Maul after Qui-Gon is cut down. Straddling the Dark Side, Obi-Wan uses everything he has against the Sith Lord in a fight that I still consider the best lightsaber fight so far in the saga. Episode III will probably change this, but these two going at it was among the best fight sequences in any genre of film. It has been reported that Ewan McGregor and Ray Park were constantly competing to see who was better, and many of these ad-libbed moves were left in the final cut of the fight. All other lightsaber fights in Star Wars history were carefully choreographed, while quite a few "spur of the moment" moves were left in this climactic battle.
...before the Dark times...before the Empire...
Only the most die-hard fans and readers of novels were privvy to the fact that the Empire was born out of the remains of the Republic, and not just an outside body that invaded the galaxy. The political ramifications set in motion in The Phantom Menace were subtle, yet familiar. Not to mention the fact that we finally got to see the galaxy in it's pre-Empire glory in several well-defined settings. The Pre-Clone Wars world we'd only envisioned was now a reality.
...about a great...many...things...
Casting Ian McDiarmid to revisit his role as Palpatine was a stroke of genius. Only he could make you believe that the character he portrayed would eventually become the despised Emperor. His off-the-cuff remark to young Anakin, "We shall be watching your career very closely", was a shot in the wind to all Star Wars fans and set up the feel of the remaining parts of the prequel trilogy.
Well, these are just a few of my thoughts on this film, and I hope that one day, they will be seen as proof that Lucas only really screwed up one film out of the whole saga.
http://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30680&highlight=Return+of+the+Jedi
To follow that up, I've been thinking about this one for awhile. We all had our problems with Attack of the Clones...even me. I consider it the weakest of the five films so far, and even so, I'll probably wind up finding some good things about it in a later post. However, this thread is all about The Phantom Menace and why it's a much cooler film than most people give it credit for. Agree or don't, these are the TMF's resident Jedi Master's thoughts...
The Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy...
When Obi-Wan Kenobi first spoke these words in the 1977 release "A New Hope", we could only imagine what the Jedi once were. It took 22 years, but we finally got to see what Jedi in thier prime were capable of in "The Phantom Menace". The first trilogy gave us an old man vs. a cyborg, a young upstart vs. a cyborg and then a really-pissed-off young kid vs. a cyborg. Leaving hindsight out of it, how many of us weren't in complete awe during the opening scenes aboard the Trade federation Starship?
Let's get at least ONE old guy...
Much as Alec Guiness lent an air of credibility to A New Hope, Liam Neeson was a solid thespian anchor to the rest of the relatively-unknown cast in Episode I. He was the cool-headed Jedi Master to Ewan McGregor's brash young stud. Liam all but carried the acting chores in this film. He was a ferocious warrior without compromising his humanity. We knew right from the start that he didn't play the politics game, and this all but set up Obi-Wan's view of the Senate and Palpatine in particular.
The Weapons of War
Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber still remains as the coolest weapon in sci-fi history. And he was SOOOOOO good with it.
Ok, just stand here until he beats the first guy...
Unlike every single scene of multiple-opponent combat in cinematic history, the battle between Darth Maul, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon was kinetic, flowing and completely believable. No one was standing on the outside waiting for the first guy to get killed. The choreography of that fight remains as one of the best in movie history.
NASCAR 2153
The Podrace was one of the neatest pieces of film ever recorded, although it wasn't really recorded. This sequence was the first major piece of a motion picture to be entirely CGI, and admit it...you believed the whole thing...
Meessa called Jar-Jar Binks...
It has become the most fashionable thing in cinematic history to blame Jar-Jar for everything people don't like about the prequel trilogy. It's the poor-man's bandwagon. However, despite the inability to understand every word he said the first time through, Jar-Jar proved well beyond the Ewok Experience that the Galaxy is made up of all kinds of beings, and that even the simplest can have an impact on history. And no matter how much you don't want to admit it, Jar-Jar was the first completely CGI major character to fit seemlessly into a film. If you want to point out "stupid", look to C-3PO in Attack of the Clones.
You assume too much...
While Natalie Portman's acting came into serious question in Episode II, her portrayal as the "Young Queen" that Star Wars fans had always heard about was more than fitting in "The Phantom Menace". True, it was a bit confusing to non-fans as to who-was-who when the "decoys" came into play, but her portrayal as a young girl looking to do nothing but save her people was far better than most people give her credit for.
Weesa have a grand army...
While "A New Hope" and "Return of the Jedi" had pheomenal battles at the end of the film, and "Empire Strikes Back" chose the start of the film for it's big battle sequence, "The Phantom Menace" assaulted us with two big battles at the same time. While the battle in space was ok, it was the ground battle between the Gungans and the Trade Federation that really grabbed our attention. Too bad that hindsight doesn't change films. This fight was a far better "Natural vs. Technology" battle than the Ewok thing, and far more believable. If there were any truly funny scenes in the entire prequel trilogy, they happened here, but without losing the seriousness of a small species fighting for thier home against a superior invader.
There's always a bigger fish
Throughout the entire Original Trilogy, we'd seen fantastic locales on other planets, but they were usually variations on a theme. The scenes of Gunga City were the first time we saw an underwater world that was actually a believable setting. The visuals were astounding and the technology was alien enough to shake off our sci-fi blinders and see something new.
The Duel of the Fates
Music. That's always been almost 50% of what makes a Star Wars movie a Star Wars Movie. While Attack of the Clones did little to advance the themes of our beloved saga, John Williams was truly inspired in creating an all-new yet familiar sonic landscape. The music that accompanied the Trade Federation Invasion of Naboo was both chilling and resplendant, while the "Duel of the Fates" music surrounding the Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon/Darth Maul fight was a thing of beauty in itself. Using a full choir for the first time, this music cut right through you and put you in the middle of the action.
A Jedi uses his power for knowledge and defense, never to attack...
Somebody should have told this to Obi-Wan when he went after Darth Maul. Although the novelization covers this far more concisely, you can feel the barely-controlled hatred rolling off of Ewan McGregor when he collides with Darth Maul after Qui-Gon is cut down. Straddling the Dark Side, Obi-Wan uses everything he has against the Sith Lord in a fight that I still consider the best lightsaber fight so far in the saga. Episode III will probably change this, but these two going at it was among the best fight sequences in any genre of film. It has been reported that Ewan McGregor and Ray Park were constantly competing to see who was better, and many of these ad-libbed moves were left in the final cut of the fight. All other lightsaber fights in Star Wars history were carefully choreographed, while quite a few "spur of the moment" moves were left in this climactic battle.
...before the Dark times...before the Empire...
Only the most die-hard fans and readers of novels were privvy to the fact that the Empire was born out of the remains of the Republic, and not just an outside body that invaded the galaxy. The political ramifications set in motion in The Phantom Menace were subtle, yet familiar. Not to mention the fact that we finally got to see the galaxy in it's pre-Empire glory in several well-defined settings. The Pre-Clone Wars world we'd only envisioned was now a reality.
...about a great...many...things...
Casting Ian McDiarmid to revisit his role as Palpatine was a stroke of genius. Only he could make you believe that the character he portrayed would eventually become the despised Emperor. His off-the-cuff remark to young Anakin, "We shall be watching your career very closely", was a shot in the wind to all Star Wars fans and set up the feel of the remaining parts of the prequel trilogy.
Well, these are just a few of my thoughts on this film, and I hope that one day, they will be seen as proof that Lucas only really screwed up one film out of the whole saga.
