top of page

Review: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

  • Writer: darkknight98
    darkknight98
  • May 19, 2019
  • 2 min read

Directed by George Lucas

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman

The plot follows follows Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (McGregor) as they protect Queen Amidala (Portman) in hopes of securing a peaceful end to a large-scale interplanetary trade dispute.

Here is the first review of many, with a movie community of many movie lovers. With it's anniversary being today, we felt it would be fitting to review the first film of the prequel trilogy. Upon re-watching it, I can say that I still think its a massive disappointment.

The plot and narrative is mostly uninteresting and dragged out, which really ruined most of the film's experience for me personally. The writing is nowhere near Lucas's best. Lucas's direction is flat and disorganized, leaving us confused to what is going on. The film lacks character development, which is something Star Wars is known for, it's imaginative and well-written characters, and this film does not flesh these characters out as much, especially Darth Maul (who doesn't have much screen-time, but man is he awesome). Neeson and McGregor's performances were good. The tone is inconsistent, and the humor is really hit or miss, which can be shown through the horror show that is Jar Jar Binks (please do not remind me of him).

The visuals are gorgeous, and the special effects are impressive and incredible. The production/costume design once again is outstanding, immersing us into these creative worlds that George Lucas has built for us. The music was great by the master composer that is John Williams, who once again crafts an original score that helps pump up the entertainment value, especially 'Duel of the Fates', which was nothing short of awesome!

In conclusion, a disappointing start to the prequel trilogy. Not to say it wasn't entertaining, There were some enjoyable moments in the film, especially with the amazing choreography shown in the lightsaber duels. But these alone, cannot save the film from it's evident flaws. Overall, a disappointing entry in the Star Wars franchise.

My rating: 5.5/10

댓글


  • instagram

©2018 by CinemaTrekker. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page