Phantom Menace Episode 1

Phantom Menace Episode 1 Jan 5, 2020 19:16:33 GMT Midi-Chlorian_Count and Jason143 like this

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Post by shinnickneth on Jan 5, 2020 19:16:33 GMT

Jan 4, 2020 23:57:46 GMT Jason143 said:

So I've decided to rewatch the prequels again as I am curious to see how they stack up now the SW saga is complete and moreso contrast them with the sequels as they are fresh in peoples minds. I finished watching TPM Episode 1 a few hours ago, the first time since seeing it in the theatres.

And I was pleasantly surprised, it holds up very well. The dialogue is a bit clunky especially during the opening 40 minutes but once they land on Tattoine, it improves significantly. Jar Jar wasn't that annoying to me, I had a good chuckle at his bafoonery more than once and his comedic relief isn't overcooked. I honestly dont see why Episode 1 gets hated on the most. Certainly it was more enjoyable to watch than tRoS. One of the main reasons is the nature of the force is handled with the mysterious and religious connotations that it deserves with many elegant dialogue exchanges in TPF, especially spoken by Liam Neeson. The story for me overall has a firmer, natural structure to it compared with tRoS. It ties together very neatly to lead us into the third act. And that final battle was highly entertaining with the centerpiece being Maul vs Jinn + Obi supported by the bombastic orchestrals of Williams score. I couldn't get into tRoS finale, it just seemed to lack investment and intrigue.

I will watch Episode 2+3 soon. I dont hate tRoS as many seem to do but I can say the same thing about Phantom Menace.

Good posting/thoughts. Instead of paying for Episode 9, I actually stayed home and rewatched the PT recently as well (the OT is next, but I may throw on Rogue One before that).

I like the pacing of Episode 1. We get to see a lot of new planets/species over a short period of time. Naboo was a great addition to Lucas' galaxy, in my opinion. I think it is probably my favorite from the PT (although the lava planet of Mustafar finally being used from Ralph McQuarrie's fantastic concept art from the 70's is fantastic too). The funny thing about this movie is that I remember being in the theater with the first, sold-out midnight showing in my city and people laughing repeatedly at Jar Jar. They loved him. It wasn't until shortly before Episode 2's release that I first heard complaints about the character. People did grow to despise him haha. I think if they had used a different actor for Binks' voice (perhaps someone with a deeper voice), Jar Jar may have been received differently. Maybe. I liked how even though the Hutts aren't in the movie very much, they're still talked about as having strong control on Tatooine. Duel of Fates is still my favorite song from the PT. Lucas replacing the atrocious Episode 1 Yoda puppet with CGI Yoda was a much better change from the theatrical cut. The grappling hook on the blasters is still silly to me, but a very minor nitpick on my part.

Episode 2 is still fine. I like the business on Coruscant. I still thoroughly enjoy Yoda's lightsaber duel. I agree with others that Dooku wasn't nearly as memorable as Maul (sorry Christopher Lee). The latter should have been the apprentice to Sidious for the whole trilogy until Darth Vader emerged. It's interesting to note that Benicio Del Toro was originally cast to play Maul. He dropped out of the role after Lucas cut most of Maul's lines from the script. The Jedi coming into the arena is still a great moment (I remember the audience in the theater cheering over that). I was surprised to find I liked Jango Fett more than in the past. I don't think Boba should have been in the movie (sorry Daniel Logan), maybe just a quick clue that Jango intended to have a son.

Episode 3 is still my favorite episode of the PT. The opening space battle is my favorite of Lucas' movies. Hayden gives a much better performance and his 70's hairstyle is a nice transition towards the OT. I like Bail Organa gets a slightly larger role in the movie. I would have liked Anakin and Obi-Wan to have at least 2 more scenes together. It's kind of jolting how Obi-Wan go from saying goodbye to one another after Anakin's issues with the Council, and then they don't see each other again until they're about to duel towards the end of the movie. Order 66 is greatly executed and John William's accompanied score sets the mood for it wonderfully. Grevious is ok...I do like that the character's cough in the movie is George Lucas' actual own cough because he was sick during a portion of making Episode 3 and it was suggested (probably by Ben Burtt) they use him for it. I still really enjoy the whole confrontation between Windu and the other Jedi when they go to arrest Palpatine. It would have been interesting to see a five-way duel go on just a little longer between all of them. Palpatine dispatched them just a little too quickly (perhaps that was the point though) for the audience to fully enjoy it, in my opinion. The same problem goes for Grevious losing his multiple lightsabers too quickly during his duel with Obi-Wan...if they're going to include multiple force users/lightsabers, let's see them fully utilized!

Anyway, update when you've rewatched the others.