Apr 28, 20232 min read

Film REVIEW: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) - ★★★★

Updated: Aug 10, 2023

Stars: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Pernilla August, Frank Oz.

Genre: Action, Adventure Fantasy

Themes: Star Wars, Prequel, Race

Two Jedi escape a hostile blockade to find allies and come across a young boy who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to claim their original glory.

It is the fourth film in the Star Wars film series, the first film of the prequel trilogy and the first chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga".

Upon its release, The Phantom Menace received mixed reviews. While the visual effects, action sequences, musical score, and the performances of Neeson and McGregor were praised, criticism was largely focused on the screenplay, pacing, Lloyd's performance, and characters, with Jar Jar Binks in particular receiving an extremely negative reception. Furthermore, the film's blend of complicated, politics-heavy storytelling and juvenile humor was perceived as incongruent.

MIX UP REVIEWS:

Jan (Age 11) - ★★★★

"I love The Phantom Menace and it's my favourite Star Wars movie. What I love about the movie is; seeing a young Anakin Skywalker who will become Darth Vader, I love master and apprentice relationship between Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I love Darth Maul, other characters were really great. I thought Jar Jar was very funny and a great character, love seeing C3PO meeting R2D2, I really enjoyed pod racing, action scenes were great, the space battle was thrilling. The Battle of Naboo was my favourite part."

Have you seen it?