episodes: The Phantom Menace
The release of hardly any other movie was met with the same kind of anticipation and hype than the first chapter in the Star Wars Saga after sixteen years of absence: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Much has been said about that movie. In a lot of cases, I’d definitely say too much. While the initial response was at least not negative, as proven by the well-known Gallup survey conducted immediately after release, it soon became an internet sport to bash and trash the film to no end. That has become some kind of internet rite, much like shaking hands in the real world: people do it without really thinking about it, let alone questioning it or thinking about alternatives. It’s become a given, the same old complaints being repeated and repeated without a single deeper thought.
What’s the real drama about this is that it’s completely unwarranted. One thing most people at least agree with is the fact that the Prequel’s story, including Episode I’s, is quite a bit more complex than the story of the original films. While many claims say it turned out unsuccessfully complex, I can’t agree. For its insane focus on so-called „wooden dialogue“, it’s perplexingly sad how the achievements of Episode I’s screenplay are publicly missed, forgotten or lightly dismissed. It’s as overlooked as it is to be appreciated how George Lucas managed to write a script that introduced a lot of overarching themes and developments while still telling a very basic and immediate story of people fighting for freedom. After all, there are five corresponding story lines depicted in The Phantom Menace:
- the underlying story about Palpatine’s beginning his rise to power
- the episode-specific story about a Queen trying to free her people
- the intervowen story about two Jedi being sent to help by the Republic, allowing us to see the functionality of both the Jedi Council and the Republic
- the interwoven story about a young boy being found on a desert planet, saying the day in the end
- the overall story of the Sith returning and what that means for the Jedi
It’s hardly appreciated how these storylines become one story and how they were worked out to flow into each other, giving room to multiple interesting characters and themes. Those characters are certainly treated in an unconventional way, which feels stange at first, but allows all of them to play a crucial role at some point in the film. You kind of wonder why this or that character is there until at some point of the film it becomes obvious.
The films main story is certainly driven by the character of Qui-Gon Jinn, who leads us through the events and gives audiences an anchor for orientation. Despite some contrary claims, this did not go on the expense of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan, after all, was allowed to grow in the wind shadow of his master. It’s the spectacular end fight between Kenobi, Jinn and Darth Maul that didn’t just provide us with a phenomenal choreography and music but also with a face-off between Jedi and Sith philosophies. Obi-Wan is neither as aggressive as Maul nor as calm and Qui-Gon Jinn and when his master is killed, he almost fails by giving in to his anger and thoughts of revenge. Ultimately though, he remembered his master’s teaching which allows him to defeat and kill Darth Maul with Jinn’s weapon and become a Jedi Knight.
While Qui-Gon is obviously the main driving force of the story, the story itself revolves around a young Queen who is challenged with the struggle of being peaceful and passive or going into a fight to help themselves. In her journey to find the right answer, she meets Anakin Skywalker. Looking at The Phantom Menace with the knowledge of the following two movies, it’s remarkable how fluent the groundwork for Anakin’s character played out. Anakin’s birth into slavery and the following strong need to be free of orders, independent of authority were obvious in both Episode II and III for one. The boy’s relationship with both his mother, Shmi (finally introducing the mother-side-of-things), and his surrogate father, Qui-Gon Jinn, is the other side and the emotional heart of the movie. The sense of family that they convey gives a maturity to the series that has been absent before. As part of that, we get to see how Anakin is deeply skilled and gifted while at the same time being confronted with the roots of his fall. Contrary to other Jedi, Anakin has been grown up with his mother and he has become attached to her. Leaving her was a big challenge and the ultimate fate of Shmi (her death with him being unable to stop it) would greatly affect Anakin’s action when again confronted with the need to let go (of Padmé) to a great extent.
Ironically, despite the consistency in characterization and how it made definitely sense to see the roots of Anakin’s characters and his popularity after release in 1999 (see Gallup), little Anakin has become almost as hated on the internet as Jar Jar Binks. Jar Jar Binks has also been well-received by the audiences in 1999 according the Gallup but has soon become the scapegoat for Prequel bashers: A character or person you can insult / disparage / hate / despise without having to justify yourself. That’s sad, not least because Jar Jar is a characters that’s supposed to teach us to respect every being because every being has its worth – even if it’s sometimes annoying to reach that potential and worth. Jar Jar unconsciously made the first step to bond the Naboo and the Gungans and those who believed in him, particularly Queen Amidala and Qui-Gon Jinn, were rewarded for their faith and humanity. So after being somehow irritating for more than half of the film, Jar Jar becomes important and that’s characteristic for the movie. You get to see its full potential and the value that it brings to the Star Wars legend once you allow yourself to let the movie unfold in its own way.
All of these characters do have their function in various parts of the story, filling the film’s epic imagery with humanity and relevance. The Phantom Menace provides us with an astonishing range of visual expression, showcasing Lucas’s talents and sensibilities. The many wide shots showing characters in the context of their environment and the situation the go through just as much call for attention as precise and haunting close-ups of characters like Amidala. In the middle of all this, there are numerous shot that mirror each other or can be seen as inversions of each other or variations of ideas and occurences.
All old, we end up with a movie that’s thoroughly entertaining – filled with spectacular action and warm moments of mother and son – while still saying good things. The movie gives us an idea of how a evil man corrupts a political system and thereby harms society. It gives us an impression of the challenges that leaders are confronted with, being faced with the task to question their whole world-view. It makes it obvious how we all depend on each other (Naboo/Gungans, Jar Jar and the others, midichlorians and the people they live “inside”). It tells a story that highlights the value of all beings, from the skilled Jedi to the strong-willed Queen and a gifted young boy to a clumsy but good-hearted stranger. They all play their own specific part to make a better world.
The Phantom Menace is a worthy and enriching addition to the Star Wars Saga and will hopefully finally gain more respect once people get tired of assemly-line-produced Star Wars in five or ten years from now…
