It’s become uncool to dislike Episode I. This angers me.

I feel like Episode I critics are being treated unfairly, that our thoughts are being marginalized simply because it is (1) the general consensus, and (2) a consensus that was reached a short while after seeing the movie.

I freely concede: Episode I has its supporters. I don’t mean the young ones who came along later and who were too young to remember a world where Star Wars was “three movies, some books, one great comic and a few video games.” I mean those who, like me, were there opening night, who walked out the theater—like me—entirely thrilled beyond all belief, and who—unlike me—have remained passionately supportive of the movie these many years later.

I know they are out there. They are the “true believers” as Stan Lee would call them, and bless their hearts for their devotion. It’s commendable.

Let’s back up a bit…

~~~~~~

I was in 9th grade when Episode I was released. I was born a year after Return of the Jedi premiered in theaters. My childhood was spent enjoying Star Wars on VHS. This VHS set in particular…

The one with Leonard Maltin interviewing George Lucas before each movie. Just thinking about it brings back a flood of memories, images and feelings. I still have the set in my closet. Yard sales come and go and I have the trilogy on DVD (twice), blu ray and even in their original unaltared form as HD movie files on my computer. But I can never part with this VHS set. It is my childhood.

Those movies are Star Wars to me. In addition I grew up with these books…

which, no matter how much I’m sure to enjoy the “official” Episodes 7-9, will always be tucked away in the back of my mind as the “original” sequel trilogy.

Other than that, and the Shadows the Empire multi-media smorgasbord (book, comic, soundtrack and video game), there was no more Star Wars for me. Sure there was “Dark Forces” and “Dark Empire” and “The Jedi Academy Trilogy” and “Rogue Squadron” but nothing substantial. Nothing truly “Star Wars.” Just a bunch of stuff based on Star Wars.

Then came the teaser. Then the trailer. Then the Weird Al parody song. And then finally, May 19th, 1999, Star Wars: Episode I was released.

I knew major characters, I knew a lot of the basic plot, but for the most part I went in not knowing in what direction the story was headed. Two hours later I was climbing into the back seat of my brother-in-law’s car. He asked me if I liked the movie and I said what most-everyone said on May 19th, 1999:

It was Star Wars, are you kidding?! It was the best. movie. ever!

If you weren’t around back then you can’t appreciate it. Granted, some folks hated the film immediately. But for most of us, it was simply not possible for the movie to be bad. We couldn’t fathom it anymore than if you suddenly told us the moon itself had disappeared. Our brains weren’t ready to process even the hypothetical reality that Episode I would disappoint, so when we saw it, and it royally disappointed we reacted the way we expected to react: We said we loved it.

As time went on many of us thought more about it and our opinions began to change. For some, the Plinkett reviews were the eye-opening moment that made fans stop and realize the truth. For others, those reviews were able to articulate and coalesce the thoughts that we’d had swimming around our head for a long time. It was one thing to think “You know…Episode I really wasn’t that great” but it was another thing to say it out loud. You didn’t insult royalty. And Star Wars was cinematic royalty.

But as time went on, and especially as the follow up prequels under-performed, it became more socially acceptable to point out just what it was that made Episode I so frustratingly disappointing, as as a franchise-starter, as a unchanging cog in the now-Disney-owned Star Wars wheel and just as a movie in general.

Now there are newer fans, who have grown up with the prequels on DVD and Blu Ray, who enjoy the “Clone Wars” reruns on Netflix, and the new Rebels show on Disney XD. They have the Marvel comics and the countless games. They listen to an old fogey like me ramble on about how much I hate how much I was disappointed in Episode I and they say “It wasn’t that bad…it actually was pretty good.” I’ve seen people on the internet say they like the prequels more than the OT. I’m not going to link to those sites. They don’t deserve the publicity.

They deserve a public shaming.

Nevertheless, a lot (a lot) of things have been written about Episode I and why it didn’t work. I don’t want to retread that road. But maybe we can look at it in contrast to A New Hope, and use that as the tool to illustrate what went wrong.

~~~~~~

Whereas the original Star Wars movie had very little mythology weighing it down, by the time Episode I came around, Star Wars was more than a film-trilogy. Even though it wasn’t as prevalent in pop culture as it is today, it had still encased itself in pop culture as “the greatest sci-fi trilogy of all time!” and so on. Its three-part story was revered. And the fact that it didn’t have the weekly cartoon show, spin off movies and comic books only added to the mystique. By 1999 we had the complete saga showing the rise of Luke Skywalker from naive farm boy to Empire-overthrowing Jedi Knight. And then, George threw us a curve ball and said “Turns out that the real main character was his dad! Just wait till you see how he fell to the dark side!”

And then we did…

Turns out there really wasn’t that much to tell. There’s maybe a movie and a half’s worth of plot in telling the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, and none of that story is actually told in Episode I. What you get in the first prequel is the calm before the storm. You get the way things were before everything goes to crap. You get to see the Jedi as they had been for a thousand years, as the “guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.” You get to see the Senate before it was ruled by an Emperor. You get the prologue to the actual reason for the story’s existence.

If this were a novel it might have worked. Lots of novels have universe-establishing prologues that explain the world that the reader is about to jump into. That’s usually needed because a book isn’t a visual medium the way a movie is. With films, however, the rule is “show don’t tell.” The original Star Wars movie used that mantra as its guiding light. The prequels abandoned it entirely.

This entire movie is one long “tell don’t show” stretch after another, broken up by a random action scene that is entirely expendable to the plot. The underwater monster chase? The podrace? The three-pronged battle of Naboo? The only action scene that felt connected to the plot and necessary to move the story forward was at the beginning, when Obi Wan and Qui Gon are fighting their way off the ship. Apart from some clunky dialogue, the beginning of the movie is actually a pretty good start. But things soon go off the rails when they leave Naboo and arrive on Tattooine.

Star Wars (A New Hope) worked because we experienced the movie through Luke’s eyes. It’s become commonly stated that the movie is seen through the eyes of the droids (in a nod to Rashomon) but that’s an exaggeration. Luke is our principal guide through the crazy world of the first film. With The Phantom Menace, however, this basic writing tool was abandoned, and the movie was left without a primary character. At first you think Obi Wan is the protagonist, but for some inexplicable reason, he spends the entire second act sitting on his thumb while Qui Gon pals around with Anakin. Qui Gon takes the lead in the film but only for the duration of the second act; once the action returns to Naboo (nevermind the dreadfully dry and snail-paced interlude on Coruscant), Obi Wan and Anakin split time as the movie’s leads. The climactic lightsaber duel happens mostly through Obi Wan’s eyes, but that is only a small segment of the overall film. Without one central character, and without one central goal (“rescue the princess” is the driving force behind A New Hope), the movie just meanders from one location to another, without any single compelling character to keep the audience’s attention.

There are a dozen other complaints that people have offered about the movie..

Jar Jar and the kind of unintelligent, lowest common denominator humor he represents
Character decisions that lack clear motivations
The aforementioned “start-and-stop” pace of the movie
Wooden acting
The aforementioned meandering screenplay

…and such like.

Movies have survived worse problems. What doomed this movie (apart from its failure to live up to impossibly high expectations) was how much of a slave it became to its mythology (both the mythology that had previously been established, and the one it was working to reveal across three movies). As a result, long-stretches of the film are simply speeches of exposition, callbacks to the OT that are nothing more than gags. The movie seems to go out of its way at times to be dry, deliberate, and wholly “unfun,” as it works to set things in motion that will be paid off in later movies. Have you ever watched someone build a Rube Goldberg device? Watching the device in action is a blast…watching someone put all the pieces in place is a chore. Guess which one is the Prequel Trilogy and which one is the Original Trilogy? This “set up with no immediate pay off” mentality is especially evident when sitting through the Coruscant scenes. First time viewers in 1999 adored this segment of the movie, because we were so enchanted by the place we had only read about we didn’t have time to stop and reflect on how little was actually going on in the movie. The film just stops for the duration of its stay on the capital planet, as though the writer/director knew he needed to do some piece-moving on his three-movie chess board and “boredom” was the price that had to be paid.

And that’s just one example of many where it seems like George Lucas simply “settled” instead of reached for the stars. The ambition and rebellious nature of the first Star Wars movie is missing from the opening to the prequel trilogy. I suppose that’s fitting as Episode IV is made by a rebellious punk bucking the system about rebellious punks bucking the system. Episode I is made by a stuffy businessman whose been on the top for so long he’s insulated himself to his own flaws about stuffy businessmen who’ve been on the top for so long they’ve insulated themselves to their own flaws.

~~~~~~

Watching Episode IV back-to-back with Episode I is startling. To think that the same writer/director/visionary was behind both films is remarkable. Today when I see it, it’s like watching Godfather part III. I spend most of my time just shaking my head, frustrated at what was and what could have been. Even though, as said, there’s barely a trilogy’s worth of stories to be told that detail the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, there was still the potential to tell three movies about the rise of the Empire and the Fall of the Jedi Order. Those two events alongside the personal tragedy of Darth Vader had tremendous potential for a Star Wars trilogy of stories, but it was squandered on an opening third that had nowhere to go and no one to take us there. Episode I was two hours of set up to a story that ultimately disappointed.

Hopefully JJ Abrams, along with Disney and co. have looked at what failed with the prequel trilogy and will avoid the same mistakes. With Episode I, the “mythology” of Star Wars took precedent over the “movie” of Star Wars that was being told. And that’s the most damning thing that can be said about it: It failed because it tried too hard to be a “Star Wars” movie, that it forgot to relax and just be one.

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

Name*

Email*

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

“The Phantom Menace” and the mythology of Star Wars

~~~~~~

~~~~~~

~~~~~~

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you