Star Wars Retrospective #1
Released: 1999
Every saga has a beginning…
(originally posted February 1, 2021)
Considering how much Star Wars media we have nowadays, with still much more to come, it’s strange to me to think that there was a time when it was only the original trilogy. Even stranger to think that the original trilogy explicitly labelled itself as the fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters of a larger saga, long before the first three came into existence. How many film series back then would’ve been able to get away with something like that? Heck, how many film series today?
I was young back then and my memory is fuzzy, but it sure must’ve been weird for older fans to have spent years with the concept of this “phantom trilogy.” Thus, I can only imagine how gargantuan the hype must have been once it was announced that we would be getting to see it after all.
I first found out about the film when I was watching TV one day, and a Star Wars toy commercial came on. It displayed that the figures were for an “Episode I”, which was weird for me to see toys based around a film that didn’t actually exist. But soon enough I learned that the film was coming out for real. I don’t recall much else about when I did go to see it in the theaters, but I remember enjoying it a lot. And this was before I used the Internet much or actively socialized in any fandoms, so at the time my nine-year-old self had no idea the film was so contentious within the rest of the Star Wars community.
But, you know, seeing it again so many years later, even now as my thirty-one-year-old self, I still think it holds up very nicely. 🙂 I’d probably give it a solid 8/10.
Watching it again now, one of the things I enjoyed most was seeing everyone for “the first time.” Obi-Wan Kenobi, Palpatine, R2-D2, C-3PO, Anakin, pretty much all of the major characters really, all have memorable introductions to the saga.
Speaking of the latter two, it sure is an odd detail that Anakin was the one who built C-3PO. As far as I can recall, this seldom ever comes up again in the rest of the franchise. It’s to the point that I myself often forget about it. Even now, it was only when C-3PO’s introduction scene came up that I was like, “Oh right, he was originally Anakin’s droid.”
Darth Maul, despite his limited screen time and few lines, makes for a distinct and memorable villain. They should really find a way to bring him back for a future movie or TV series. 😉
And then there’s Qui-Gon Jinn, who is probably in my top 5 favourite Star Wars characters. A bit hard to explain why. I just found him interesting, and he perfectly fit that ‘wise old mentor’ archetype while also having a rebellious side and slight moral ambiguity to him. Out of everyone in Star Wars, he’s the character I most wish we’d had more time with. On the other hand, his scarcity in the rest of the franchise does make his appearance here that much more special.
If I have one complaint with the film, it’s that Anakin is just a bit too nice and sweet-natured. For the most part it works, although I think we should’ve started to see a few glimmers of his dark side even as a child.
The action scenes are all solid; from the opening act in the Trade Federation battleship, to the iconic pod race, and especially the epic 4-way battle at the end, stepping things up from the epic 3-way battle in Return of the Jedi. Even though I consider that to be the superior film overall, Phantom Menace is certainly not lacking in any excitement or spectacle. The victory celebration and ending is touching and satisfying too. Despite this being only the first chapter of a vast saga, it still tells a nice, complete story all in itself.
Lastly, don’t you love it when you have a piece of media you’ve been familiar with for many years, and then one day you still discover something new about it? This time around, I noticed for the first time ever, at the very end after the credits are all done, you can briefly hear Darth Vader’s iconic breathing.
Well that was fun. I’m enjoying this extravaganza already. See you guys next time for Attack of the Clones.