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Why it's Underrated - Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace

Posted by ReckoningReviewer on Tuesday, 01 January 2013 in Movies

Hello this is the Reckoning Reviewer here, and I decided since it's a new year in 2013, I decided to do a new thing. Every Tuesday hopefully I will be able to talk about movies that I like but aren't liked enough by the general public, but they aren't bad movies really, they're actually good films in my opinion. Yeah, I know that there will be immature douches out there that will hate on this, but f**k them, I still like these movies for what they are, and nothing will change my mind about them. So here it is, the first of many of this new blog series: Why It's Underrated.

For the first episode, I decided to go over the first episode of the Star Wars saga. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Back in 1999, this film was really hyped up since fans were going to see Star Wars in theaters again. Theaters were packed for the beginning of George Lucas's prequel trilogy. After it came out though, reactions were kind of mixed, and by kind of, I mean people were seriously bitching about it at one point, and there were people who were actually smart enough to accept the changes. For me, as you can tell, I really like this movie, it's not my favorite of the Star Wars movies, but it isn't my least favorite, that goes to Empire Strikes Back, if you wish to find out why, I'll cover that in another blog series. Plus, I was five-years-old when this movie came out, and it was the first Star Wars movie I saw in theaters. I loved the original trilogy from old VHS tapes that I watched when I was little, and I was excited for this new one along with everyone else. So I didn't dislike it back then, so I don't dislike it now. But before I tell you why I like the movie, I'll tell you why people dislike it.

Why People Dislike it:

Jar Jar Binks:

If you're going to get into why people tend not to like this movie, you have to look at the one thing everyone always talks about from it. The new character Jar Jar Binks. Jar Jar was the first we saw of George Lucas's Gungan species, which are native to the planet Naboo that is divided between them and the humans of the planet led by Queen Amidala. They are amphibious, and do happen to be a warrior species. The has been attacked quite a bit through the years, mostly because of Jar Jar and the fan's opinions of him. Jar Jar was meant to be a character to appeal to a younger audience for the movie, he was part of the advertizing for the movie through its toy line and restaurants that gave out happy meals. Instead of finding him charming, audiences found Jar Jar annoying. The reasons, I don't really understand, some say that Jar Jar was portrayed as a racist stereotype. Doug Walker the Nostalgia Critic said that he was thought to be offensive to African Americans, but in his Top 11 Dumbasses in Distress video, he said that it was because Jar Jar needed to be saved from the moment he appeared on-screen. The hate for Jar Jar would continue on throughout other movies though even though his role was more tamed. He got a few minutes of screen time in Attack of the Clones and only one line of dialogue in Revenge of the Sith. Fans are known to blame him for the creation of the Galactic Empire, which started with him granting Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers so he could purchase the clone army. But I'm getting ahead of myself. For me, Jar Jar is just kind of there. I don't really like him, but I don't just hate him like everyone else. The community often refers to him as one of the worst characters of all time, but whatever, there are worst characters out there, like the cast of Twilight.

Jake Lloyd:

Jake Lloyd was a child actor chosen to play the role of a nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, who would later become Darth Vader, the greatest Sith Lord that ever lived. In the movie, he is a slave living on Tatooine with his mother, owned by a Toydarian named Watto, and he's also the only known human to be able to podrace. When fans saw his portrayal they raged. They were seriously pissed for multiple reasons. They say that they can't believe that a kid like him would grow up to be Darth Vader because he's a wimp. But he's a kid, they are supposed to be wimpy. Another thing they mention is his acting, but he is just a kid, kids aren't good actors most of the time, so that's a little unfair. When you hire a kid on set, the rule is either train them, or expect them to be bad actors. The reason that appears to be the most humorous though is his dialogue, which Doug did get a kick out of making fun of in his Nostalgia Critic reviews, especially with "Are you an angel?". Some fans did hate his portrayal so much that they say it ruined Hayden Christian's portrayal of Anakin in the following films, but they still like Matt Lanter's portrayal of Anakin in the Clone Wars. But what about me? What do I think of him? Personally I think he was a bad actor yes, but he's a kid, I don't have high expectations for them in movies. I do think the reaction was too harsh though, because of the backlash Jake Lloyd actually did quit acting and can't even watch himself. So I'm not to happy with the community for scarring him for life. But whatever, onto the last thing in the list.

Midichlorians:

The debate about midichlorians began with one scene in the movie. They were mentioned twice before the one scene that everyone rages about. In the scene Qui-Gon Jinn does tell Anakin what midichlorians are. Microscopic particles inside a person's bloodstream that the Force apparently comes from, and Anakin was possibly conceived by them. Fans were enraged by this as well. In A New Hope, Obi-Wan describes the Force as a mystical energy that binds the galaxy together. Fans didn't really accept the change as they claimed that it didn't make the Force seem as mystical as it seemed "science". I don't really have a problem with it, as at the time the movie came out I was five, and I still don't have a problem with it now. Plus, there was an explanation in the Jedi Path book that said that midichlorians merely just controlled the Force, not created it. The book does talk about a great deal of many other things, plus it is signed by all those who held it during the time and fall of the Jedi Order, from Yoda, Thame Cerulian, Dooku, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, Darth Sidious (who obtained the book after it was lost after the Clone Wars), and Luke Skywalker. It's a great read, but I'm getting off topic. Anyway, I don't have a problem with midichlorians, never did, never will.

Now that I got through the reasons why people dislike it, now I'm going to go through why I like it.

Why I Like it:

Star Wars has always meant something to me and always will. This movie I thought was a great starting point for the saga. I really like what they did with the special effects, explanations of the characters we know, as well as some talented actors on set like Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Liam Neeson, plus it does help expand the knowledge of Star Wars. Plus, I have a shared opinion here when I mention Darth Maul (played by Ray Park). Even people who didn't like the film knew how awesome he was. He was an extremely tough Sith Lord who wielded a doublesaber and actually killed a Jedi Master. Plus, he actually did survive certain death and is in the Clone Wars, voiced by Sam Witwer who is Starkiller from the Force Unleashed games. I really like the movie and I was loyal enough to see it in 3D. And here is my question to the jackasses who bash this movie. If this is your least-favorite Star Wars film, then why is it the highest grossing? It's the first one to make it to a billion dollars, so some of you must be lying about your thoughts on the movie.

So yes, I recommend the movie to real Star Wars fans.

So that was my first episode of my blog series. I hope to continue on every Tuesday for as long as I can, as there are movies out there that deserve better reception than what they are getting. I guess some people see what others are saying about the movies and are afraid to actually say their thoughts because they might get hated on for it, so they lie and agree with the d*ck face who started it. So to sign off on this first episode, people, think for yourselves.

ReckoningReviewer

The collab was awesome! Mischief and I are a great team! Stay tuned for a review of Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes soon.

Comments

pomaflah Wednesday, 02 January 2013

I do like this movie. I actually prefer Jake Lloyd to Hayden Christian. He's a better actor and I can really see a whiny, homesick, and good-hearted kid like him having a son like Luke. Unlike with the hormonal, irresponsible, whiny, homesick, stupid, cocky mess that is the older Anakin. And I really love Ewan McGregor, whoever played Qui-Gon, and Natalie Portman together. They just work perfectly.

· ReckoningReviewer likes this comment.
DeathsHead419 Wednesday, 02 January 2013

Hopefully this will help:

http://redlettermedia.com/plinkett/star-wars/star-wars-episode-1-the-phantom-menace/

·
NormalScabs Wednesday, 02 January 2013

Interesting article but it didn't really convince as to how The Phantom Menace is underrated. There are some good actors but they weren't given much material to display their talent. Jar Jar Binks is a horrid character not because he's a racist stereotype (a complaint I've never really agreed with myself) but because it was obvious what his role was and it didn't make sense for him to be in the film other than from a business standpoint. Not saying he couldn't have worked but he was an annoyance that provided cheap laughs for little kids. I applaud George Lucas for giving him less screen time in the following films but it was probably due to the number of complaints, especially the ones surrounding the race issue.

If this is your least-favorite Star Wars film, then why is it the highest grossing? It's the first one to make it to a billion dollars, so some of you must be lying about your thoughts on the movie.

Does this neglect inflation? And besides it doesn't even mean anything. Most Star Wars fans saw the movie in theaters (and there were a lot of them) and they also brought their children which adds to the box office of course. Just because it's the highest grossing film in the series doesn't mean that the fans are hypocritical because the complaints came after the film was released in theaters. One needs to see the film first in order to judge it. The trilogy continued to make money due to wishful thinking on the part of fans and regular movie-goers. There are also the number of non-fans who saw the film as well and the hype that surrounded the film.

This post just seems to boil down to "you didn't like the film as much as me, so therefore you're not a true fan of Star Wars because you don't like change." Change is not necessarily bad of course, but many of the changes brought from the prequels was unwarranted, poorly-thought out garbage.

·
Nicol Bolas Wednesday, 02 January 2013

My personal feelings on the Prequels is this. I rather like Revenge of the Sith, flawed though it unquestionably is. I can tolerate Attack of the Clones. I own both of these movies.

I don't own The Phantom Menace. Why? Because it is completely pointless in the grand scheme of things.

It's an introduction episode that's very unnecessary. There is no important piece of information in TPM that won't be explained by AotC and RotS. Indeed, I consider the true Prequel "Trilogy" to be AotC, followed by the original The Clone Wars cartoon, followed by RotS. TPM, as part of the story arc... simply isn't part of the story arc. It is functionally unnecessary.

In terms of the "Story of Anakin Skywalker", it's nothing more than backstory. And not even particularly interesting backstory.

That, and the fact that it's not a very good film.

Jar Jar Binks:

The biggest problem with Jar Jar is this: he's comic relief in a movie that already has comic relief. Obi-Wan was doing fine making jokes and lightening the mood ("The negotiations were short...") on his own. And once we got C-3P0 involved, we'd have more of that.

Jar Jar is simply too much comic relief. And it's the worst kind of comic relief in my eyes: slapstick. The lowest, most aggravating form of "humor".

I do think the reaction was too harsh though, because of the backlash Jake Lloyd actually did quit acting and can't even watch himself. So I'm not to happy with the community for scarring him for life.

What? Are you seriously saying that Jake Lloyd giving up acting is:

1: scarring him for life?
2: the fault of the Star Wars community?

Backlash against Jake may have led to him giving up acting, but that's hardly "scarring".

On a personal note, I pretty much absolve everyone of their acting in the Prequel trilogy, based on this. If an actor is given crappy dialog from a crappy director, you cannot reasonably expect a good performance. So I give everyone in the Prequels a blanket pass on their acting. Many of Jake's lines were simply unsalvageable, even if they'd been given to the synthesized amalgam of the cast of The Prestige.

Nobody's saving "Are you an angel?"

Midichlorians:

Personally, I've never understood the hate for Midichlorians. To me, it always seemed like a non-argument.

Before, the Force comes from life. Now, the Force comes from Midichlorians, which reside within all life. This ultimately says nothing about the Force itself, why it comes from Midichlorians, or anything at all. The "mystery" of the force is no less mysterious by saying that it comes from Midichlorians than by saying it comes from life. Because Midichlorians reside within life.

At the end of the day, it doesn't change what the Force does. It doesn't even change the origin and source of the Force (living things). My only problem is that, because this explanation changes nothing about the nature of the Force... why is it here? Why bother "explaining" something if the explanation ultimately tells us nothing of value?

Another pointless element in a pointless movie.

Plus, there was an explanation in the Jedi Path book that said that midichlorians merely just controlled the Force, not created it.

The fact that Star Wars EU materials might salvage some element of the story does not excuse that element of the story. Every work of fiction, even within the context of a larger franchise, must ultimately stand alone to some degree. If Midichlorians, as explained in the film, are a bad element, then this books justification/retcon of it does not change what the film said.

And here is my question to the jackasses who bash this movie. If this is your least-favorite Star Wars film, then why is it the highest grossing? It's the first one to make it to a billion dollars, so some of you must be lying about your thoughts on the movie.

So yes, I recommend the movie to real Star Wars fans.

And this is the point where your discussion of the film stops being reasonable and starts getting idiotic. Up until here, you were simply stating how you feel about certain things (though with little elaboration as to why). And that's fine; it's your opinion.

But here, you start disparaging people who's only "crime" is feeling differently about the film than you. They're not simply people with different but entirely reasonable viewpoints, they're "jackasses".

And then there's the fallacy in your "reasoning". Your twin assumptions that, just because it was the first to gross $1 Billion means that:

1: it's the haters who helped cause that. Obviously they have a secret love for the film.
2: that making money means that it is good. Obviously the Bayformers films were cinematic masterpieces.

You are not alone in your liking of this film; that's part of the reason why it made so much. But that doesn't make the opinion of people like yourself special. You are in fact not endowed with the Wisdom of Solomon, and you are not the only authority on what is and is not good.

Did the "haters" in some way help propel TPM to its box office success? After a fashion, yes, but only in that they were there during the original opening back in 1999. Many of them were apologists of the film and went to see it multiple times, trying to find enjoyment in it. It took a long time for many SW fans to accept that the film was distasteful to them.

And you end with that terrible canard about how "real Star Wars fans" like it, thus implying that the haters aren't "real Star Wars fans". That's insulting on so many levels, but it's insulting to yourself most of all. Because it shows that you believe that you're right, and anyone who disagrees is not merely wrong, but are so wrong that they're kidding themselves about what they like.

In the future, if you're going to defend something that is generally reviled, leave comments like that out of it. Stick to simply stating your opinions about the various aspects of the movie, and leave the value judgments about the people who hate it out of the piece.

· Skyscraper and DeathsHead419 likes this comment.
TheReapersDragon Thursday, 03 January 2013

personally I find the whole trilogy of 1,2 and 3 to be underrated. Episode 2 is still my least favorite but I don't think it's as bad as everyone says it is.

· ReckoningReviewer likes this comment.
ECKohns Thursday, 03 January 2013

I like this movie two, in my mind it's the first star wars movie. It comes first chronologically and this was the first movie I saw. I don't understand why these movies are bashed, I like them and I'm really excited for Episode VII

· ReckoningReviewer likes this comment.
Cigar Friday, 04 January 2013

Just because it made the most money doesn't make it good. Moreover, it should be the highest-grossing due to the insane amount of hype that it had going in and the two generations of the franchise's fans to feed into it. It was the first What true Star Wars fan WOULDN'T go see it? And if you're comparing a gross from 1999 to those of the 70's, then yes you're right. But once you adjust for inflation, the original Star Wars is the third highest grossing film of all time behind Gone With The Wind and Avatar. Every other Star Wars movie doesn't crack the top ten. That's the only fact I can really point out. Of course, this is an opinion piece, so here's a little reaction.

I think everyone agrees that Darth Maul was pretty cool, but I also think it was pretty disappointing that he was killed so quickly with little character development or dialogue. While I love Christopher Lee, Maul should have been the villain throughout the trilogy, or at least more of it. Instead, he's sort of relegated to a Boba Fett status of cult popularity without really doing much. Yeah, he kills a Jedi and Fett takes Han Solo to Jabba, but these plot points are addressed and discarded pretty quickly. Qui-Gon is pretty much forgotten for the remainder of the prequels a few minutes after he dies.

The stuff with Midiclorians & Jar-Jar, yeah, they're dumb. But it's not as much of a hindrance as other flaws of this movie. The FX are advanced and look good, but to me it just doesn't look like a Star Wars movie. The grittiness was gone; everything looked a little too slick. I know, we were all expecting it and that's the nature of film fx nowadays, but it's just my opinion.

I think the biggest unaddressed issue is the story itself. That's what I felt the first time I saw it. Of course I wanted to love this movie, so I just reacted with mild enjoyment. But the more I thought about it, and after a few more viewings, the story just kind of falls flat for me. The first time I left the theater I couldn't even remember the plot. A somewhat unnecessary pod race was in there, some lightsaber duels, the kid flies a plane for the first time ever through a battlefield (?). But the dialogue and the in's-and-out's just don't do it for me. And it's not like the actors are incapable, it's just that some plot points are so convoluted it's confusing. The whole Darth Sidious thing... We all know it's Palpatine. They took some effort to keep him hidden; I just didn't get it, to the point where I thought it might be somebody else, although I don't know why it would. Maybe I'm just a dumbass, but in the theater it confused me enough to over-think it and miss the point. And Darth Vader built C-3PO? What the hell was that about?

In the end, I don't think it matters what die-hard lifelong Star Wars fans think. In the future with another generation of fans, the movie won't have the hype it had in 1999 and more people will be able to overlook some of the flaws. It might be the first Star Wars movie some people ever see, perhaps making it their favorite. The older this movie gets, the less it gets bashed. It's at a point where it's somewhat of an overlooked footnote in the franchise. Hell, most of it is overlooked by the popularity of the rest of the prequel trilogy; Attack of the Clones/The Clone Wars has a life of its' own and Revenge of the Sith is (I believe) typically regarded the best of the three movies.

While it's not as bad as many make it out to be, it's not a great movie when held to the standard of the originals and hardly underrated. It's somewhat contradictory for a billion dollar movie to be underrated. But to each his own, and if you enjoy it more power to you.

· The Two Seventy Seven and Nicol Bolas likes this comment.
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