I'm sorry, but I just have to say.....

I don't think anything in TPM indicates Anakin has anger issues.

I also wouldn't say there were anger issues per say, but when Yoda touched on his mother, Anakin is fairly clear he's not exactly appreciative of question when it comes to "losing her". We do see the repercussions of losing his mother in AOTC.

Yoda also had a bit of foresight concerned with his training ie "danger in his training". Anakin's a good kid but Yoda probably knows its not that simple.

 

I for one like TPM, although I do find it boring in parts. But when you look at the entire saga, connecting PT with OT, you cant help but like it.

 

I loved TPM when first came out in '99. Then right before AOTC's release the appeal of the first movie dropped for me. Now as things come full circle, I find myself liking TPM again. First and for most, the Duel of Fates was perfect. Young Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Maul going at it with never before seen strength and skill. That has nothing to do with the improvements of the CG that many claim but Lucas's desire to show true Jedi and Sith. Though Luke and Vader were true to their creeds in the OT, TPM showed what proper training and skill looks like. Also I loved the mystery of the Sith and the discovery of Anakin. Maul was a tool for Sidious, which makes Maul even cooler because he knows it and accepts it. (Yes I know, that is the EU talking). His screen time only proves it his tool status.

R2 being with Padme was also a nice touch but I think Lucas kind of pushed it with Anakin building 3PO, but then again I was never a fan of 3PO to begin with. Qui-Gon's character was perfect. Enough said on that.

Now to what I didn't like. I am not a fan Jar-Jar. In TPM, he was too silly. It was good to see him more mature in AOTC. What really turned me off to TPM, after seeing Hayden in AOTC, was the portrayal of Anakin. The good natured, backwater kid was great but the performance of the actor and the near monotone way he spoke his lines made his scenes drag for me. Also the I guess you can call it boyhood crush with Padme was a tad bit sad. I don't think it was Lucas's intent to make it seem like a 9 year old had the hots for a 14 year old but that is how it came off on screen. I think it was due to the fact that Lucas had originally wanted Anakin older then opted for a younger character for dramatic reasons.

In all TPM is a favorite of mine and I would definitely place it above ANH on my list of favorites. It was a well paces movie despite its flaws and the action scenes were great.


5. ANH
4. TPM
3. ESB
2. AOTC
1. RotJ (hopefully to be knocked out by ROTS)

 

I agree with Go Mer about ROTS improving the quality of TPM. I am a writer and I have to say, George had quite a task at hand for starting a beginning for this saga. Think about it, he wrote a lot of the juicy stuff already, i.e. the OT. The conflict was set in place, the battle between the Empire and Rebels in place. That being said, I see TPM for what it is, the beginning of this saga or at least, the en media res (in the middle) entry point of the story. There were a lot of things he wanted to do, such as toying with how to place in Obi Wan and how old Anakin would be. The reason why he chose Anakin to be age 9 is so AOTC would work the way that it does. When his quest to become a Jedi takes him away from Shmi and he can't save her from dying, that affects Anakin forever.

Lucas had to develop his universe this way and no, he couldn't just go from the plot points of ROTS and chronicle that 20 year span. It's not about the time when Anakin is Vader, it's about Anakin being Anakin, then Vader, then being Anakin again. Here Anakin is, this young boy so powerfully full of potential and we get to see him plunge into the Dark side and then come back to good. That transformation would not make sense if he had started with ROTS.

And why do some really feel TPM is boring? Because they are used to the black and white, good vs. evil set in place in the OT. The PT time doesn't start out that way and yes, people had high expectations of what they would see. I've really felt that because of the more subtle way of good and evil is expressed in the PT, a lot of people feel that it is boring. Those who understand and appreciate the big picture can truly see the importance and validity of TPM. And for those that want dark, well, it would seem George is going to deliver on that with ROTS.

 

TPM was a great movie and it served its purpose, seeing who Palpatine is, seeing the return of the Sith, Qui-Gon finding Anakin, Obi-1 defeating Darth Maul to become a Knight...etc.

The Phatom Menace is underrated. I don't remember the last time I watched it. I have to look at it soon!

 

I honesty loved this film when I first saw it! After the midnight showing I ran up stairs to my father's bedroom and woke him up! I also felt like I was the only one liking this film when it came out.

 

fact - the phantom menace will get the appreciation it deserves with time.

 

I love the action scenes. I used to watch it over and over again before I went to bead when I was younger.

 

It's all about contrast. Menace had to be happy in order for you to see just how bad things get. It's still a wonderful and entertaining movie from beginning to end. Sure there are a few places that struggle, but I still like it better than 99% of the other films that come out every year.

That's really all there is to it.

 

Anakin's anger in TPM:

"I'm a person, and my name's Anakin."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

*Anakin's angered look at Mace*



But what I think GL was trying to do was show Anakin's good side, the uncorrupted Anakin:

1. He compassionate side towards Padme
2. Offering shelter for Qui-Gon and the gang.
3. Offering to risk his life in the Boonta Eve Classic just so his new friends could get off the planet.
4. Naboo Starfighter scene....this is more of a heroic instinct than his good side though.

 

"fact - the phantom menace will get the appreciation it deserves with time".

I would love for that to be true, but alas I don't think it will ever happen.

 

I think after ROTS is released, people will begin to appreciate the PT more. It's like passing judgement on an incomplete puzzle; ROTS is the final piece.

 

As the RotS trailer came out and people started talking about it, I got an immediate sense of how it's going to be perceived (from the media, who control public opinion). It's already been suggested that GL has heard the outcry of fans and decided to make this a more mature film, and hopefully it'll put TPM and AotC to shame.

What a complete load of crap. To me, it's quite obvious that GL planned the vastly different tones of the PT for a reason. TPM is unfairly pegged as a kiddie movie, even though there are dangerously dark undertones to it. That's the whole point.

RotS would not be nearly as impactful without the rest of the PT. An edgy, powerful Jedi turning to the Dark Side is not much of a story. Who cares if a person like that is redeemed in RotJ? A young, optimistic boy falling prey to the powers of evil and his own flaws, however, is one heck of a story.

But, sadly, I DON'T think people will see that. Maybe some fans, hopefully, but not all. They're too bitter, many of them. And the general public has way too many preconceived, idiotic notions about what the PT is and what it was aimed to be to ever see the truth.

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

"I'm a person, and my name's Anakin."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

*Anakin's angered look at Mace*

I don't think those first two lines are anger at all. The first is Anakin being indignant. The second is ignorance and inquiry. The third thing is SLIGHT anger and disappointment. These things hardly make Anakin an angry kid.

 

I rank TPM as the worst of the series, not because it's a bad movie but because the others are so good.
TPM has some thrilling scenes, including the best lightsaber action of any episode. I have no problem with its plot or its place in the series. I don't even have any problem with Jar Jar; I accepted him for what he is, comic relief.
My problem with TPM is the writing. It's horrible. The lines are cliched and dry and unimaginative. Several scenes are just two or three lines. It's forced and not natural at all. The script tries so hard to make every line mean something that there's no casual talk. Lucas himself has admitted that he's not a very good dialogue writer, and thank God he brought in help for ROTS.

 

I think its too hard to judge TPM and AOTC untill ROTS is out. episode I and II will seem so much better if episode III blows us away.

 

I just watched TPM to gather my thoughts, and there's one scene which I think sums up why I'm not too big on it.
When Padme and her troops are retaking their hangar, she yells out, "Get to your ships!" In the trailer, it was Natalie herself doing that, but in the film it's been dubbed to sound more queen-like. That was a mistake; it was so much better the first time because it sounded natural, with emotion. GL took that right out of it, and the whole movie has that mood. Too much dialogue takes itself too seriously. That keeps the characters from sounding like real people. It's as if GL didn't want his actors to really act, but just to be cliched mouthpieces in advancing the story.

 

I love TPM. It's so full of small minute details and I always notice something new everytime I watch it. It's hard to imagine Darth Maul and Jar Jar in the same room together but I guess that's the point, showing both ends of the spectrum. Overall though I feel the film could have used more Obi-Wan and less Binks though.