PT The great things about Phantom Menace

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Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's introduction and their scenes aboard the Trade Federation ship. The reversal of "monster through the door" theme. And even the fact that they have to run away from droidekas - this proves they're not supermen, despite what some people think.

Otto Gunga and the whole journey underwater. Very cool and somehow very fitting in the Star Wars universe.

Sidious. The most menacing version of Sidious in the prequels.

And, of course, Darth Maul. It's the second coolest looking villain the saga after Vader and could have been just as iconic if given more screentime and character development.

Podracing. Yeah, might be boring for some, but it was a much needed diversion in the middle of the quiet scenes on Tatooine and it certainly brings back fun.

Anakin's leaving his mom. Well written and well acted scene that's very important to understanding the roots of Anakin's fall.

Coruscant. It really looked like the "bright center of the universe". And yet, it showed corruption in the Senate and the dogmatism of the Jedi Order which would lead to the downfall of the Republic and its protectors.

The Duel of the Fates (of course). Possibly best choreography in the entire saga which somewhat makes up for the lack of personal stakes. My favorite moment is the break in the fight when the combatants are separated by the force field. It tells you what you need to know about all three of them.

The fact that gungans actually lost to droids. It's a lot more plausible that the silly ewoks vs. elite Imperial troops, especially since gungans have more advanced weapons.

Watto. Next to Yoda, best CGI character in the prequels. I dare anyone to say he's not real

The music. TPM is probably the best scored of the prequels.

Finally, the irony of the ending (I wrote about that before).

 

That awesome sound when you start to here the Podracers fire up, music becomes more intense and the people (and droids!) leave the track with the flags.

That for me is the best bit of the phantom menace closely followed by,
Anakin destroying the trade federation ship.

I also like the fact that it is the start of Anakin, this film is where we begin to see his life. Whenever i watch it and i first see Anakin (not Jake Lloyd, if you know what i mean), i think to myself, this kid is completely oblivious to his destiny like us all. Apart from we all know what happens in the end!

 

The double blade sith saber!!! That makes up for such a mediocre movie.

 

Learning more about the Jedi
Qui-Gon Jin. I think him, a rebellious but wise and skilled, Jedi helped to mold the Obi Wan we see in the next two films.
Design of Theed.
Seeing how Palpatine placed himself in a win-win situation.

 

Agree about the score. As for the Duel its great until the end when Maul just stands there and stares as Obi-wan jumps over him and slices him.

The best thing about TPM for me is the story elements and ideas. If they had been refined or maybe redrafted it could have been a great film rather than the mess it was.

 

Senate session is a scene I like a lot. It love how Amidala's idealsm and "pureness" are represented by the way her red-golden dress is in stark contrast to all the dark colours in the senate hall and how it distinguishes her from the dark intrigues and corruption of the senate. And it's just creepy how Palpatine is positioned right behind Amidala when she speaks and how he gets her to end Valorum's chancellorship.

And I love that shot especially:

I think it's just beautiful because it says so much....how Shmi sees her son leaving her and is only half seen...Anakin in an emotional dilemma between his mother (where his heart remains) and this tall Jedi who changed his life forever and the great challenges attached to the life as a Jedi...he's still so innocent.

 

The crossroads.

 

Yeah, the desert duel is slick. Also enjoy the goofily steampunkish design to the Naboo guards-here are these guys in floating repulsorcraft with laser cannons, and wearing leather armor with little bits of metal in it.

 

What I love about this scene is that, with the way it's framed, Anakin is running into the shadows to get to his mother, instead of following Qui-Gon into the light. "Foreshadowing" maybe?

 

plenty of Sidious

double bladed lightsaber

 

To this day, I feel TPM serves as the finest marriage of practical and CGI effects, as well as the ideal tableau of George Lucas's vision. It's grand, bold, beautiful, and feels real. (AOTC...not so much.)

Had Lucas been more merciless in his editing, this would be my favorite SW film, bar none.

 

I loved Qui-Gon-Jinn. He had such a way with people/Creatures. Most of the time, Jedi weren't trusted. Yet Qui-Gon had a sense of calm-ness and center clarity (People trusted him and were willing to follow him.) He seemingly passed on to Obi-wan. I noticed in the last two Prequel movies how Obi-wan blossomed into character of the same Calm-ness and center clarity that Qui-Gon had. I noticed it more in ROTS. Maybe I'm just crazy. hahaha

 

AOTC was hurt by the switch to digital. It made even the practical effects to look too sleek, like a video game.

 

Do you know which version of the script, specifically?

 

Great thread. I love positive discussion surrounding the prequel films, there's too much negativity out there as it is.

I really enjoy the use of color in the film. Some of this has been stated above (Amidala in red, etc.)

-The beauty of Naboo paints how awful the war (coming war) is (and will be). This pristine planet cannot even avoid the conflict that is coming.
-The red and black of Darth Maul making him a demonic figure straight out of ancient artwork of Hades.
-The use of yellow (fear) surrounding Anakin.
-The darkness of the Neimoidians with soulless eyes. These individuals are soulless puppets used by Sidious.

 

The Obi-Wan/Maul duel. IMO, the best duel of the saga.

And as much as I read people not liking the Coruscant scenes, they were the best of the movie in my opinion. It sets up what is to come in the grand scheme of things.

 

This is when it started to feel like SW.

 

I agree with the rest of your post, but I never associated yellow with fear (unless you're a Green Lantern fan).

I thought that happened from the very beginning, but maybe it's just me:

 

I remember being enthralled during these scenes, it was when Jar Jar showed up that I started thinking "this isn't like Star Wars..."

 

The opening of TPM up until Naboo was totally Star Wars. Jar Jar was ok on Naboo, it's Tatooine scenes where he felt tacked on.

 

Exactly. They last for less than 20 minutes and cover a lot of ground: show Coruscant, show how the senate works, show how the Jedi Order works, develop Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's relationship further, give information about midichlorisans (say what you want, but it's still new information about the Force). We find out that the Order is dogmatic and the Senate is corrupt and can't help one of their members and even the new Chancellor can't do much. It's like people have a short attention span: if there's no fighting going on, then it's "boring".

 

I really liked the Coruscant scenes, particularly the arrival and the scenes of Amidala with Palpatine. I can't explain it.
My favorite thing about TPM now is how it introduced us to some new STAR WARS characters, locations, and details. Padawan, rule of two, Darth as a title, another city on Tatooine, the Senate, the Jedi Council, the mother of Luke and Leia, more Jedi. I'm not the biggest fan of this episode for various reasons but it was fascinating at the time.

 

I think it's the weakest of the films, but I love the beginning of the film up until Jar Jar, and the final battle (or four).