Countdown to "The Rise of Skywalker" - Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Hey guys, Chuck here. With the new movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hitting theaters on December 20th, I decided to take a look back at all of the live-action Star Wars movies in their timeline order. So without further ado, let's kick off the Countdown to "The Rise of Skywalker" with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
Released in 1999, this movie marked the start of the Prequel Trilogy. The story starts off with two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, arriving at a blockade ship controlled by the Trade Federation, who have established the blockade around the planet Naboo to block out trade routes with the planet. After an attack by the Traded Federation's army of Battle Droids, the two Jedi head for the planet's surface. After landing, they encounter a Gungan named Jar Jar Binks, who leads them to the underwater city of the Gungans, who provide them with a vessel to traverse the waters of Naboo and reach the city of Theed. Meanwhile, the droid army arrives and takes several of Naboo's leaders prisoner, including Queen Amidala, the current queen of Naboo. Upon arriving in Theed, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan rescue the queen, a group of pilots, and a few others, secure a space cruiser, and escape the planet. After an attack on the ship, a lone Astromech droid, R2-D2, restores power to the ship's shields, and the ship makes its way to the desert planet of Tatooine.
On the planet, Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, and Queen Amidala's handmaiden Padme, travel to the settlement of Mos Espa, where they meet a Toydarian junk dealer named Watto, who has working for him a slave child named Anakin Skywalker, who helps secure the parts for the ship by winning the annual Podrace. Anakin's victory also secures his freedom from slavery, and he joins Qui-Gon and the others on their journey to Coruscant. Before leaving, however, Qui-Gon is attacked by a hooded assailant named Darth Maul. Upon arriving at Coruscant, the queen makes a plea in the Galactic Senate to put an end to the Trade federation's blockade, which ends with her calling for a vote of no confidence in the current Supreme Chancellor. Meanwhile at the Jedi Temple, Anakin is tested by the Jedi council, who decide not to train him in the ways of the Jedi. This prompts Qui-Gon to decide to train Anakin himself, but this decision is put on hold, as the Queen is returning to Naboo. Upon arriving, Padme, who is revealed to be the Queen, recruits the Gungans to help in the fight against the Federation's droid army, while she leads a group into Theed to capture Viceroy Nute Gunray. Upon arriving in Theed, a squadron of pilots take off in their Starfighters to attack the droid control ship in space, and the two Jedi are attacked by Darth Maul. Anakin, who joined in the fight in space, destroys the control ship from the inside, thus deactivating the droid army on the planet below. Padme is successful in capturing Viceroy Gunray, but unfortunately, Qui-Gon does not survive the fight against Darth Maul, who is defeated by Obi-Wan. After a funeral for Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan is named a Jedi Knight, with Anakin as his apprentice, Senator Palpatine is named Supreme Chancellor, and the Gungans begin an era of peace with the human populace of Naboo.
When this movie was released, it divided many Star Wars fans. Some of the younger fans liked it, myself included as I was about seven years old when it was released in theaters, but older fans hated on the movie, thinking that George Lucas utterly tarnished the last bit of good will he had with the fans. However, looking back at this one twenty years later. I don't think it was as bad as fans made it out to be. While yes, I was a kid when it came out in the first place, I feel that what George set out to accomplish with it, and the other two films in the Prequel Trilogy, was to expand the universe of Star Wars with worlds, character designs, and ship designs that were impossible to bring to life on the big screen if it hadn't been for advancements in computer technology. Advancements, mind you, that George himself helped pioneer due to the success he had with ILM, the visual effects house he built to work on the special effects for the original Star Wars trilogy. Nowadays, ILM is one the biggest visual effects houses in the fields of both practical and digital effects.
Released in 1999, this movie marked the start of the Prequel Trilogy. The story starts off with two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, arriving at a blockade ship controlled by the Trade Federation, who have established the blockade around the planet Naboo to block out trade routes with the planet. After an attack by the Traded Federation's army of Battle Droids, the two Jedi head for the planet's surface. After landing, they encounter a Gungan named Jar Jar Binks, who leads them to the underwater city of the Gungans, who provide them with a vessel to traverse the waters of Naboo and reach the city of Theed. Meanwhile, the droid army arrives and takes several of Naboo's leaders prisoner, including Queen Amidala, the current queen of Naboo. Upon arriving in Theed, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan rescue the queen, a group of pilots, and a few others, secure a space cruiser, and escape the planet. After an attack on the ship, a lone Astromech droid, R2-D2, restores power to the ship's shields, and the ship makes its way to the desert planet of Tatooine.
On the planet, Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, and Queen Amidala's handmaiden Padme, travel to the settlement of Mos Espa, where they meet a Toydarian junk dealer named Watto, who has working for him a slave child named Anakin Skywalker, who helps secure the parts for the ship by winning the annual Podrace. Anakin's victory also secures his freedom from slavery, and he joins Qui-Gon and the others on their journey to Coruscant. Before leaving, however, Qui-Gon is attacked by a hooded assailant named Darth Maul. Upon arriving at Coruscant, the queen makes a plea in the Galactic Senate to put an end to the Trade federation's blockade, which ends with her calling for a vote of no confidence in the current Supreme Chancellor. Meanwhile at the Jedi Temple, Anakin is tested by the Jedi council, who decide not to train him in the ways of the Jedi. This prompts Qui-Gon to decide to train Anakin himself, but this decision is put on hold, as the Queen is returning to Naboo. Upon arriving, Padme, who is revealed to be the Queen, recruits the Gungans to help in the fight against the Federation's droid army, while she leads a group into Theed to capture Viceroy Nute Gunray. Upon arriving in Theed, a squadron of pilots take off in their Starfighters to attack the droid control ship in space, and the two Jedi are attacked by Darth Maul. Anakin, who joined in the fight in space, destroys the control ship from the inside, thus deactivating the droid army on the planet below. Padme is successful in capturing Viceroy Gunray, but unfortunately, Qui-Gon does not survive the fight against Darth Maul, who is defeated by Obi-Wan. After a funeral for Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan is named a Jedi Knight, with Anakin as his apprentice, Senator Palpatine is named Supreme Chancellor, and the Gungans begin an era of peace with the human populace of Naboo.
When this movie was released, it divided many Star Wars fans. Some of the younger fans liked it, myself included as I was about seven years old when it was released in theaters, but older fans hated on the movie, thinking that George Lucas utterly tarnished the last bit of good will he had with the fans. However, looking back at this one twenty years later. I don't think it was as bad as fans made it out to be. While yes, I was a kid when it came out in the first place, I feel that what George set out to accomplish with it, and the other two films in the Prequel Trilogy, was to expand the universe of Star Wars with worlds, character designs, and ship designs that were impossible to bring to life on the big screen if it hadn't been for advancements in computer technology. Advancements, mind you, that George himself helped pioneer due to the success he had with ILM, the visual effects house he built to work on the special effects for the original Star Wars trilogy. Nowadays, ILM is one the biggest visual effects houses in the fields of both practical and digital effects.
As far as the story goes, while the concept of trade route taxation isn't particularly interesting, the action pieces and visuals are pretty fun to look at, making the story less of a chore to sit through, especially the podrace scene and the lightsaber duel. As far as characters like Anakin and Jar Jar, I don't dislike them the way that some fans do. Jake Lloyd, who plays Anakin in the movie, was just a kid when he was in this movie, so I let his performance slide just a bit. As for Jar Jar, as annoying as he got for some, I thought his tomfoolery was funny and a character that kids could enjoy watching. While I feel like there are much better films in the Star Wars saga, The Phantom Menace is a good enough film for all ages to watch and enjoy. I'm going to go ahead and give Star Wars: The Phantom Menace a rating of 3.5/5.
Be sure to stay tuned, as I'll be taking a look at ALL of the Star Wars films leading up to the release of The Rise of Skywalker on December 20th. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time when I take a look at Attack of the Clones.
Be sure to stay tuned, as I'll be taking a look at ALL of the Star Wars films leading up to the release of The Rise of Skywalker on December 20th. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time when I take a look at Attack of the Clones.
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