PT Calling all Phantom fanatics! (Back in theaters May 3rd!)

I never shy away from it. Though it's awkward when people find out I'm a big Star Wars fan and try to start small talk by talking about how the prequels were the worst.

Anyways, back on topic, I love the visuals and the story that it tells. It condenses an epic tale into one movie without feeling like it drags on. And the visuals speak for themselves; so many lush new worlds are explored.

 

I've found that TPM is usually my go-to episode whenever I feel like relaxing in front of a Star Wars flick. It's easy going and multifaceted, containing several of the Saga's major themes as well as a nice variety of environments and a whole bunch of excellent set pieces.
What's more, two of my all-time favorite characters have their shining moments in this movie (Qui-Gon and Jar Jar).
It is, simply put, a great adventure!

 

Nice summary.

Plus the "Spring" feel of the movie.

The saga begins Spring 1999.

 

My affection for TPM started from.....Watto. The moment I saw him flapping in front of Qui Gon in those teasers (atleast I think it was a teaser), I knew this was a special movie. Don't know why. I can't explain it. "I have great faith in the boy, he's a credit to your race" is my fav. line from Watto. He may be greedy and selfish to an extent, but he was good to Anakin and Shmi.

TPM and AOTC switch back and forth as my fav prequels. For the entire Saga, it's a close call between TPM, AOTC and ESB. Don't make me choose.

TPM certainly has the best palette of the Entire Saga imho.

More to follow.. on TPM if requested.

MJ

 

MarcJordan: Choose. Choose, damn you!!

 

Love Watto and the "Hydra" construction of TPM. Nature, colour, openness, animals, political errata.

Amidala: "Beware, Viceroy."

Anakin: "I'm a person..." (person = persona = mask)

So much sneaky allegorical detail in TPM.

Absolutely everything in TPM also seems to have been inspired (well, a lot of things; nay, in a way, everything) by "Jurassic Park".

Strangely or not, I only realized that recently. Short list:

-> InGen / The Trade Federation
-> Isla Nublar / Naboo
-> Characters "descending" after the opening scenes into a lush "paradise" realm
-> Dilophosaurus / Queen Amidala's headdress when speaking with Nute
-> The ripples in the water as the T-Rex approaches / The rippling viewscreen on which Amidala first appears
-> Velociraptors / Jar Jar (skin/appearance)
-> Ian Malcolm / Jar Jar (role/function)
-> "I really do hate that man" / "I find that Jar Jar creature to be a little... odd"
-> "Must go faster" / "We must do something quickly to stop the Trade Federation"
-> The "bubble"-roofed tour cars / The "bubble"-canopy N-1 starfighter cockpits
-> Big, gorgeous "National Geographic" visuals
-> Amazing, groundbreaking effects
-> Big, beautiful trees and big, beautiful trees being eaten from or felled
-> Stampede scenes
-> Mud, swamps, cliffs, and waterfalls
-> T-Rex pushes car over rain-lashed precipice / Bongo pulled over waterfall (cut scene)
-> T-Rex chases jeep with three occupants and leaves damage / Underwater creatures chase bongo with three occupants and leave damage
-> A lecture on cloning and DNA / a lecture on symbiosis and midi-chlorians
-> A storm rages on the island (a storm really raged during filming) / A sandstorm rages on Tatooine (a storm really raged during filming)
-> "It's an interactive CD-ROM!" / Interactive/controversial Star Wars movie and trilogy
-> John Hammond's "amber"-decorated cane / The Japor snippet: "It'll bring you good fortune"
-> Alan Grant guides the kids along and becomes less misanthrophic and kid-hating / Qui-Gon guides the kids along and becomes less cold and mission-focused
-> Samuel M.F. Jackson!
-> Big theme: the tension between "fake" and "real"
-> Greed (and impatience/lack of foresightedness) ***** everything up
-> "Life finds a way" / "Be mindful of the Living Force" (plus Anakin and Jar Jar's "accidents" in battle)
-> "Clever girl!" / Amidala surprises Palpatine and the Jedi
-> Movies feel self-contained but brought on bigger, apocalyptic sequels
-> Same composer, same major visual effects company, same sound company and engineers
-> Greatest sound design ever?
-> "When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth" / "When Gungans Danced On Naboo"
-> "Mister Hammond, after careful consideration, I've decided not to endorse your park" / "Congratulations on your election, Chancellor"
-> "Objects may be closer than they appear" / "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . ." (not too long ago or quite so far, far away)
-> George Lucas was inspired to make the prequels after working on "Jurassic Park"; he now privately funds famous palaeontologist Jack Horner who is trying to reverse-engineer chicken genes to make a chimerical dinosaur: CLICK ME

And then there are all the steals from James Gurney's "Dinotopia": CLICK ME

So, I guess, Michael Crichton, Steven Spielberg, and James Gurney helped make this movie.

But really, it all goes back to dinosaurs. What are dinosaurs, really? Are they the universe???

Magnificent beasts of the distant past -- once-living entities that are a spur to the imagination -- help bring a mythic space opera, rooted in an aesthetic and intellectual obsession with the past, to life. Fossil entities helping to recreate themselves through the midis (us), helping us to understand ourselves a little better (symbiosis).

LIFE IS WEIRD!!!!!

 

Can't risk a seizure.

MJ

 

"An army of robots fights an army of dinosaurs."

 

I love TPM, but I might not say it when I am talking to friends about the movies.

 

What would happen?

 

Just watched TPM a few nights ago--first Star Wars movie I've watched in years aside from two viewings of TFA. Really enjoyed it. TPM has such a unique charm. A beautiful looking not-too-serious movie that still manages to hit some seriously dramatic notes. Star Wars as it could only ever be in 1999.

 

Well said. However I'll call it also a Unique Charism. Beginning with a Turmoil that is blamed on particularly surrounding a planet lead by a special young teen who is basically a child herself. Then to discover an even younger child who happens to be more uniquely special. Then of course there is Jar Jar. And guess what? Childlike. All of them surrounded by an adult world that is unusually confused. All the "children " however basically save the day so to speak.

Hope that made sense.

Cheers!

 

Interesting point, with three struggles being victorious because of "children"; Anakin, Padme, and Jar Jar
Plus Obi-Wan is pretty young when he has to step up and take Qui-Gon's place starting with defeating his Master's killer.

 

Indeed. A solid and interesting take.

 

Echoing the diminutive stature of the Ewoks and their aid in the Rebellion.

 

Indeed. Star Wars is a beguiling parable about the "power" of "little" people in general.

 

And the Empire's tendency to overlook them as a threat.

Same with X-Wings and proton torpedoes.

Insert Hollywood and independent film makers parallel.

 

Yes.

I should have actually written:

Star Wars is a beguiling parable about the power of little people -- and little things -- in general.

Midi-chlorians. The small, in Lucas' more expansive sextet, cannot be ignored or cast aside.

 

There is no sextet. There is only the PT.

 

Ah this thread is just beautiful to read.

 

I began my yearly Saga marathon yesterday, consisting of watching all six films in six consecutive days, with of course the first episode, The Phantom Menace. I find the first half hour to be a bit chaotic in how hectic it is, but when the crew lands on Tatooine, the dust settles and the viewer is taken on a truly epic journey. With each rewatch, I'm beginning to more and more appreciate the narrative importance and overall grandness of the podrace, and it's really becoming my favorite action set piece in the entire film, even greater than the legendary Duel of the Fates. The visuals and the sound design of the sequence are out of this world, and the tension and the drama are incredibly electric. It's truly a treat for all the senses.

My favorite scene of all, though, is still when Anakin and Shmi say goodbye. The incredible music by John Williams and everything else in it are just right, and I get shivers every time, as if it was my first time watching the film. Overall, TPM holds up surprisingly well to this day. (Later today, I will continue my journey through the Saga, and get my hands on AotC. I can't wait!)

 

It used to be the worst for me (still a great film) but now I think it's better than TFA. It's more original and has a plot. There was plenty of politics in ANH as well ("the imperial senate will no longer be of any concern to us") but that didn't really detract. Same with TPM.0

 

I think I've said it here before but the film has a weird relaxing feel to it that none of the other films have, making it the star wars film I put in just to chill out and relax. I even enjoy the tatooine scenes which are often critized for being slow. But I think they add to the film by building up the atmosphere and characters. The film also feels like a true labor of love from Lucas, which you can tell by the films docs. Not much else to be said other than the fact I do think TPM is underrated despite some problems I have with it.

 

Beautifully put. But one point of disagreement:

The dust is first blown away, by a luxurious chrome spacecraft perching down on the outskirts of a little spaceport.

Later, there's a sandstorm -- The Butterfly Effect?

Ian Malcom: "A butterfly can flap its wings in Peking and in Central Park you get rain instead of sunshine."

And if you want more "Jurassic Park" goodness, roll back to my earlier post.

The first ship of the Star Wars saga, by the way, assuming you treat TPM as "The Beginning", is named the Radiant VII.



And as far as butterfly and sun symbolism goes, take a look at these phantom subliminals:

https://hollywoodsubliminals.wordpr...-wars/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/

 

I've always liked the movie. There are others I like better, but I never got why this one was so hated, esp. since I think AOTC is arguably a weaker movie. It also reminds me a lot of ANH, my favorite of the Star Wars films, for what it's worth.