Finally saw The Phantom Menace!

I'm not a really big SW fan, but I finally got to see The Phantom Menace yesterday for the first time (I know, I'm a few years late... I still haven't seen Attack of The Clones.)

I thought it was okay. A bit silly at times, and some of the acting was horrible (those two green guys at the beginning on the space station were AWFUL, and so was the queen. Anakin wasn't really what I expected. Natalie Portman's character-- sorry, forget her name-- was just okay, but Liam Neeson was really good. Obi-Wan was kind of blah.) The effects were pretty great, and it looked a lot better than the first three movies.

Just a oddities I noticed (maybe this is old news to a lot of you, but bear with me...)
1. That sith lord with the hood (I am SO bad at names!) is just too blatant a rip-off of the emperor. I know Lucas needed a controlling villain for the prequels, but couldn't he at least make him look or talk a little differently? That just seemed silly to me. (It was cool to see the emperor himself posing as a good guy though!)
2. This is nitpicking, but does Qui-Gon speak huttese or not? Whenever Anakin's owner was talking to Qui-Gon, he spoke English. But, when he said something to Anakin in huttese (something about "if your friend doesn't stop gambling I'll own him"), and Anakin asked Qui-Gon what he meant, Qui-Gon said "I'll tell you later." Shouldn't he have said, "I don't even know what he said"?
3. Why did the TIE-fighters look so much cooler back in those days?! Compare Darth Maul's TIE fighter to the ones in the original movies... his ROCKS! The empire was stupid to change that design!

Anyway, I'll probably rent Attack Of The Clones tomorrow night when I return this movie.

 

Just a oddities I noticed (maybe this is old news to a lot of you, but bear with me...)
1. That sith lord with the hood (I am SO bad at names!) is just too blatant a rip-off of the emperor. I know Lucas needed a controlling villain for the prequels, but couldn't he at least make him look or talk a little differently? That just seemed silly to me. (It was cool to see the emperor himself posing as a good guy though!)

It wasn't a rip off of the Emperor. It was the Emperor. Palpatine and Sidious are indeed the same person, and the appearance was meant to hint to that. I am quite happy to see that you did not pick up on that though, because there are people who think that one is a clone of the other, and go on and on about how obvious it is to people are "aren't really fans but saw the movie anyway." You are living proof that these people are wrong. I salute you.


2. This is nitpicking, but does Qui-Gon speak huttese or not? Whenever Anakin's owner was talking to Qui-Gon, he spoke English. But, when he said something to Anakin in huttese (something about "if your friend doesn't stop gambling I'll own him"), and Anakin asked Qui-Gon what he meant, Qui-Gon said "I'll tell you later." Shouldn't he have said, "I don't even know what he said"?

Huttese is a fairly common language throughout the galaxy, and many Jedi (including Qui-Gon) are multi-lingual. Qui-Gon and Anakin both can understand Huttese. The difference in that scene, though, was that Anakin didn't know what Watto was referencing. Anakin was unaware of Qui-Gon's most recent little gamble, therefore asking "What's that supposed to mean?"

3. Why did the TIE-fighters look so much cooler back in those days?! Compare Darth Maul's TIE fighter to the ones in the original movies... his ROCKS! The empire was stupid to change that design!

Darth Maul's ship wasn't a TIE fighter, actually. It was called a "Sith Interceptor," which was specially built and designed for him. However, the same people designed the Sith Infiltrated who designed the TIE fighers, hence a somewhat similar design. They are completely different ships for completely different purposes, though.

 

Thanks for answering Jedi Master Ousley!
I just re-watched it so I could get some of the names down...
So, you're saying Darth Sidious IS the Palpatine? Well, I guess that's better than him just being a rip-off villain (or a clone! haha!!) But what about the voice? When Palpatine is talking, he sounds like a normal guy, but when Sidious is talking, he seems to almost spit his words out. It's odd-- why would Palpatine put on a fake voice like that? (or maybe his "normal" voice is the fake one... now that I think about it, in ROTJ, he sounded more like Sidious... hmmm...) Is it confirmed that they're the same person in Attack Of The Clones? (actually, don't tell me... I'll be watching that tomorrow night.)

Regarding the Huttese topic... The funny thing is in ROTJ when Bib Fortuna is speaking Huttese to all the English speaking characters, and then turns to Jabba and says, "He is no Jedi!" I never understood that!
Oh well.

 

So, you're saying Darth Sidious IS the Palpatine? Well, I guess that's better than him just being a rip-off villain (or a clone! haha!!) But what about the voice? When Palpatine is talking, he sounds like a normal guy, but when Sidious is talking, he seems to almost spit his words out. It's odd-- why would Palpatine put on a fake voice like that?

Since he's a Senator, he is well known by many people. He has to keep his face hidden and use a slightly different voice to ensure nobody knows his secret.

Is it confirmed that they're the same person in Attack Of The Clones? (actually, don't tell me... I'll be watching that tomorrow night.)

They are the same person. It's hinted at in the movies, but it is has been confirmed by Lucas and others at Lucasfilm many times (sometimes subtly) that they are the same person.

By the way, out of curiousity, how would you rate each movie so far on a scale of 1 to 10?

 

It's so great and interesting to hear from someone who hasn't been emersed in the SW nerd culture all their life talk about their opinion of the PT I'm anxious to hear what you think of AOTC!


So, you're saying Darth Sidious IS the Palpatine? Well, I guess that's better than him just being a rip-off villain (or a clone! haha!!)

Yes, him being a clone would be rather silly, wouldn't it? Thank you for being the voice of reason from the outside!


Obi-Wan was kind of blah.

Wait... do mine eyes decieve me, or is there a voice of dissent?! I once started a thread simply to see if anyone didn't like Ewan McGregor in the PT. There were many replies, and only *one* person saying they didn't. One! It was amazing. And of course, this person was soon the subject of many shouts to the contrary. Boys and girls, men and women, people of all ages, creeds, and backgrounds joined together as one voice of Ewan-admiring Star Wars fans... it was beautiful *one tear*

.... *cough* Erm, anyway... no, really, I'm interested in that opinion. Needless to say, that other guy watched the PT some more and changed his mind. I think the Star Wars Fan Mafia was to blame. But really, I'm not against a voice of dissent and I'd like to hear your opinion on the matter. What specifically did you find 'blah' about Obi-Wan?

(I'll be really interested to hear your response to this after you've seen AotC )

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Oooh, someone who didn't know Palpatine is actually Sidious.

Think about it, TPM's plot makes little sense otherwise. Who was the only person who benefited from the trade blockade?

Palpatine becoming chancellor.

Those sith are a sneaky lot.

 

So, you're saying Darth Sidious IS the Palpatine? Well, I guess that's better than him just being a rip-off villain (or a clone! haha!!) But what about the voice? When Palpatine is talking, he sounds like a normal guy, but when Sidious is talking, he seems to almost spit his words out. It's odd-- why would Palpatine put on a fake voice like that?


I think that's his real voice; his cultured senator's voice is merely a facade to make people think he's a nice guy.

 

I gotta say, there's something fishy about this thread. Not that I see any evil intent here, but Mr. or Mrs. Bye-Bye, what made you decide to make your first post on such a dedicated, die-hard Star Wars forum after having seen TPM for the first time 5 years after its release? Just curious here. And you of course haven't seen AOTC yet either? But you seem so familiar with the old trilogy. Your questions seem like bait to get people to explain things which are completely obvious.

For being so bad with names, I'm surprised by your accurate spelling of Qui-Gon and Anakin. A great many who regularly post on these boards don't bother to make sure they're spelling those names correctly. But you can't remember Darth Sidious? Or Padme/Amidala? I guess that's possible.

Are you for real? If so, all apologies, but then a question: after putting off viewing the prequels for so long, seeing the first one and only finding it "OK," what made you desire the feedback of the super-fans which populate this site? (Also no offense to the super-fans; I'm proud to count myself as one.)

 

Wow, nice to see my thread has been active during my absense!
For the person who doubted me-- I am for real. I've known how to spell Anakin since I had the ROTJ novelization back when I was about eleven years old. I was a BIG fan back then, but I just kind of lost interest over the years and then decided to finally check out the new movies and see how they lived up to the originals. As for posting on this board-- I just felt like seeing what other people were saying about the films, so I did a search on Yahoo for a SW forum, and voila...

I honestly don't know if The Phantom Menace is better or worse than the originals because, as I said, I'm just not as big a fan as I used to be. Maybe if I saw it when I was ten, I'd love it. Now, it just think it's okay as a film, but it's interesting to be back in the SW universe after so long.

In a way, I feel like an idiot for not realizing that Palpatine and Sidious were the same. I watched the movie again after you guys told me that, and it's pretty obvious I guess.

Oh, and I got to watch about half of Attach of The Clones last night. So far, I have mixed feelings about it. The acting seems worse, and overall, it's getting pretty dull. The chase through the city was cool, but now when I turned off, they were chatting around a fireplace, and I found myself falling asleep, so I figured I'd save the rest for tonight. Hopefully it improves. To me, Phantom Menace has more of the Star Wars "feel" to it.

Anyway, I guess for someone who's not much of a fan, I'm contradicting myself by talking about it this much! You people are luring me in!!!

 

Well that's odd... you happened to turn AOTC off in the one scene most fans hate the most in that movie.

It picks up considerably after it.

 

Indeed it does. In fact, I think it pretty much kicks butt after that.... ok, and before I like AOTC a lot.

I'm still interested to hear if your opinion on Obi-Wan changes with seeing AOTC. Personally, I think he kicks more butt in that than any character in any SW film so far (and not just action-wise).

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

I think he kicks more butt in that than any character in any SW film so far (and not just action-wise).

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Obi-Wan is the coolest. Nobody else comes close

Matter of factly, it was Ewan McGregor's casting in the Prequels as Obi-Wan that made me a fan of him, and now I've seen most of his films and he is by far one of my favorite actors. He has a great charisma and he's a great actor.

 

LOLOLOLOLOOLLOLOLOLOL

I love this. We should do a collection of non-die hard fans reviews. The perspective is so fresh...

Ewan McGregor - I like him. His character has been a bit stiff, but I think that's just his character.

As for AotC, I thought it got worse after the Fireplace scene...

 

ST, I had actually seen Ewan on ER before it was announced that he was going to be Obi-Wan. I was only 9, but trust me, I was already a scary ER fan So naturally I loved that episode (since it's one of the most memorable in the series) and thought Ewan was brilliant. He was nominated for an Emmy for it, too, so I definitely knew who he was. Naturally, I was stoked to learn he'd be playing one of my favourite characters of all time in the new SW films. I think he's done just an amazing job (especially with all the little subtleties) and couldn't possibly be happier.

As for the character being stiff, I hear a lot of people talk about that, and I just have to say- pshaw. Oh my word, so he thinks rules are there for a reason. Insane! But we've seen that he's certainly not a flat character by any means and is probably the most dynamic character in the saga.

I did think it was a shame Obi-Wan didn't have a bigger role in TPM. It's a fine film, but I find the really completely Anakin-centric parts to be rather boring. I keep thinking, "Let's get back to the ship and back to the stuff with Obi-Wan!" It's not as much like that in AOTC, but still

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

No, I don't find him in the least bit flat. Just stiff and slightly anal - which is in character. He is growing more lax as time goes on, and his wit is a breath of fresh air...

but Obi is one of my favorite characters from Alec to Ewan - so I'm a bit partial.

 

I know he's AR, but so am I, so it doesn't bother me That dry wit in combination makes him all the more interesting and individualistic. Some of the characters I find kind of generic... like Luke

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

"those two green guys at the beginning on the space station were AWFUL, and so was the queen. Anakin wasn't really what I expected. Natalie Portman's character-- sorry, forget her name-- was just okay"

Natalie Portman did play the real queen and someone else played a fake queen. Which queen are you refering too? Because if you'er talking about the real one then you're a tad bit confused, just a tad.

 

I see somebody spotted Ewan's performance in ER... that was a cool episode! Did you know Jake Lloyd was also on ER for several episodes playing the son of a cancer patient? And Kirsten Dunst was there too... not that that has any relevance...

Anyway, my opinion on Obi-Wan-- Liked him in the first three movies. Didn't care much for him one way or another in Phantom Menace because he didn't do much of anything (granted he didn't do a hell of lot in first movies either, other than basically commit suicide, but still, I liked him.) I liked Qui-Gon the best in The Phantom Menace, and it's a shame he got killed, because that means Obi-Wan has to carry Attack of The Clones on his own, and I don't think he did a good job (don't hate me!) He just has a very annoying personality. I guess Ewan did an okay job with the material given to him, but I think the character should have been written differently. Less patronizing. Less smackable. Less like somebody you just want to defy because they're too full of themself. Although maybe that was intentional, to make us understand why Anakin resents him. I don't know.

I did get to watch the rest of Attack last night. It got better. That Yoda fight, though, was over-hyped considering it was just a a couple of minutes of stupidity, but I guess it was just intended to be funny.

What was up with C3PO's voice in Attack? Was it just me or did he sound a bit different?
Oh well, I guess this is veering off topic for a Phantom Menace board. Sorry about that.
Overall, I think Phantom Menace has more lasting power than Attack, but Attack had cooler locations (I liked the way it was dark and rainy on that clone place, and then brightly lit indoors... I don't know why, but that just seemed cool. I guess I'm easily pleased...)

 

Qui-Gon-Bye-Bye -

Tell me, did you understand why the Clone Wars started? Why the Separatists want to secede, etc?

 

Good question Hudnall-- And, sadly, the answer is "not really."
A lot of things about that movie confused me (which may be partly why I enjoyed Phantom more.) I suspect that somehow everything was being manipulated by the emperor, but it all got a bit confusing to me. And I couldn't quite figure out how Christopher Lee fit into the scheme of things. I assume he was purely a bad guy, right? Or was he genuinely trying to help Obi-Wan for a while? And why didn't he know about the army? I probably need to watch it a few more times to understand what was going on, but since I returned the DVD already, I won't get that chance. Actually, I was a bit confused by some parts of Phantom too. Was Palpatine just acting when he looked nervous about the queen going back to her home? That whole thing about the treaty kind of lost me. Was she supposed to sign it or not? And what were the terms of the treaty?
Okay, I assume you must think I'm idiot at this point since I can't even follow a SW movie that's aimed at kids.

 

No, thank you. You are actually validating a point that I've been making that the political intrigue isn't well developed and hard to follow for anybody BUT a diehard fan.

 

It's easy to follow for anyone who pays attention to movies. But too many people sit at home watching DVDs and they talk to their friends and they do other things and they get up and get a snack and they just don't WATCH the film like they should. Then they say that the film was dumb cuz they didn't understand it.

 

Strilo - in all fairness, I've seen AotC dozens of times and I have yet to discover WHY they want to secede. WHAT is Dooku selling to the peoples of these star systems that people keep buying? Why no Military Creation? Why NOT allow the Republic to be split? I finally read the book, and got an idea. If you know of some places in the movie where that is explained, I'd love to hear them...

At best, Amidala's comment to Queen Jamilla explains her stance on Military Creation. The rest is a mystery.

 

I have yet to discover WHY they want to secede.

That's a valid point. But why they want to secede really isn't all that importaint. It's just a ploy by Palpatine to gain more power.

More or less, it's like A New Hope. At the start of the movie we are told that the Rebel Alliance is fighting against the evil Empire. Now, we are never told why the Empire is evil or why the Rebellion wants to end it, but it's presented to us regardless and we accept it because those details aren't overly importaint.

WHAT is Dooku selling to the peoples of these star systems that people keep buying?

What do you mean exactly?

Why no Military Creation?

I thought that was a clear point. Creating a new military would make the Seperatists nervous and the chances of war would be more likely. Padme's view point was to negotiate without military power that would ultimately lead to war.

Why NOT allow the Republic to be split?

It's kind of like the American Civil War (or any other civil war for that matter). Government powers don't like to be divided into two. It's just the way things aee. Most of the time they prefer to stay as one powerful system.

 

Yeah, I have to admit that the political plots of the PT took me quite a while to get, and I'm not sure I entirely get it yet (Episode III might help with that). I definitely agree that it's something you really have to pay attention to, though. And I don't think most people have, which is one of the reasons the PT is so underrated. People just don't get a lot of the important points being made.


Qui-Gon-Bye-Bye
I see somebody spotted Ewan's performance in ER... that was a cool episode!

Yeah it was I couldn't miss it- I've been an ER fan since the day it started and never missed an episode. I've seen all of them more than once. That one was always one of my favourites, and is when I became a Ewan fan, before he was announced as being in SW.

Did you know Jake Lloyd was also on ER for several episodes playing the son of a cancer patient? And Kirsten Dunst was there too... not that that has any relevance...

And many more, as you can see here at my website. I am to ER fans what Bib is to SW fans... ok, you don't know who Bib is, but still

Didn't care much for him one way or another in Phantom Menace because he didn't do much of anything

I know how you feel. He is still my favourite in the movie, but I hate that he does so little. Still, it leads into a really important thing with him taking Anakin as his padawan. Oh, and you have to admit, that lightsabre dueling was sweet

I liked Qui-Gon the best in The Phantom Menace, and it's a shame he got killed,

I did really like Qui-Gon too. I kind of wish sometimes that they had stuck with one of their original plans and had no Qui-Gon and only Obi-Wan finding Anakin, however I do like the character. Plus, this way better sets up for the tensions between Obi-Wan and Anakin because Obi-Wan just kind of forces himself to believe in the boy.

because that means Obi-Wan has to carry Attack of The Clones on his own, and I don't think he did a good job (don't hate me!)

I'm sorry, I am required to hate you Just kidding I thought Ewan was awesome in AOTC and I loved that Obi-Wan's character got more development and such. But everyone's entitled to their opinion.

He just has a very annoying personality...I think the character should have been written differently. Less patronizing. Less smackable. Less like somebody you just want to defy because they're too full of themself. Although maybe that was intentional, to make us understand why Anakin resents him. I don't know.

You pinpointed it there at the end The thing about Obi-Wan is that, though he is a good guy and fights for good things, he can be a real jerk. Some people (like myself) can identify with some of his jerkier traits or overlook them and appreciate that it's part of what makes his character fun. Others just hate him for the same reasons Anakin does. But you definitely hit the nail on the head there, I think. Obi-Wan doesn't realise his own faults in being a jerk towards Anakin (though sometimes warranted). But by the Original Trilogy, he has changed a lot of that and treats Luke a lot more gently. I think he makes a good hero because he's very human.

That Yoda fight, though, was over-hyped considering it was just a a couple of minutes of stupidity, but I guess it was just intended to be funny.

I have a thread on this over in the Attack of the Clones forum, actually. It wasn't intended to be funny, actually, but I know what you mean

What was up with C3PO's voice in Attack? Was it just me or did he sound a bit different?

Still played by, and voiced by, Anthony Daniels from the original trilogy. But yeah, if you want to start a thread about your AOTC experience, you could go to that board. You'd be more than welcome

Overall, I think Phantom Menace has more lasting power than Attack, but Attack had cooler locations

AOTC is a really beautiful film, especially because it was filmed in HD. However, I find it interesting that you like TPM more because I don't