Calgary The Phantom Menace Discussion

May 19th 1999 where were you when it all began again in that galaxy far, far, away oh the memories. So let?s talk Menace shall we I?ve been a fan of this movie from the first time I saw it I thought it was great and had no major problems with it. From the opening scene I was hooked seeing that crawl on the big screen again was fantastic chills ran through me as I sat in the theater. The story in my opinion was good I loved how it showed how influential the Jedi were in the galaxy how they were both admired and feared. The opening sequence on the Trade Federation ship is awesome seeing more then one Jedi working over those battle droids kicks a$$. It also introduces one of the fans favorite Jedi?s that being Qui-Gon Jinn he is amazing in this movie as he is almost rouge Jedi and goes by his own rules. He follows the council to a point but if it?s something he disagrees with he doesn?t do it like Obi-Wan says if he didn?t disobey the council he would most likely be on the council.

Young Obi-Wan what can you say about him perfect casting for this role and it was cool to see him when he was but the learner. Obi-Wan seems to be the typical Jedi student in this movie too even though he?s nears the end of his training. Very follow the council rules and don?t steer from them which helps explain Obi & Anakin?s relationship in AOTC since Obi-Wan is all about structure and Anakin is emotional in his decisions. Queen Amidala is a solid female character as she is both strong politically and physically as she takes matter into her own hands in order to save her people. Like another strong female in the Star Wars saga so it?s cool to see where Leia gets it from. Mace is introduced but doesn?t really shine until AOTC and the Clone Wars cartoon so it?s just nice to see him sitting with the rest of the Jedi council.

Then there?s Jar Jar Binks which everyone hates with the fire of a thousand Tatoonie twin suns. Sure I?m not a huge fan of his but I really don?t mind him in the movie as when you watch it his part isn?t that large. The only reason he was in the movie is to show ILM is needed in every other movie and Lucas even says it in the Menace documentary on the 2nd disc of the DVD. The Gungans as a race I thought were cool but everyone was turned off by the Jar Jar that they never gave them a chance I think. The battle at the end of the movie is reminiscent of the ROTJ ewok battle helps show that the underdogs can total an empire. In Menace we get to see the humble beginnings of the Dark Lord of the Sith as a little boy with special powers. I like Anakin as he is more introduced in Episode 1 and you see he?s wasn?t always evil but just a young boy with big dreams. It helps set up the future inner conflict we see in both AOTC and ROTS and he just wants to do good for himself and the one close to him.

Menace also boosts the second most famous bad guy (ok tied with Boba Fett) in the Star Wars saga and that is Darth Maul. He is just pure Sith bad a$$ and when you first saw his face on the cover of Star Wars Insider you were hooked and wanted to know who this guy was. Sure his character isn?t developed in the movie but if you read the Darth Maul graphic novel and Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter it helps define the character a bit more. Personally next to Darth Vader he?s my favorite bad guy in the saga he just pulses dark side and when he?s on screen he owns whatever seen he?s in. Also cool to see Palpatine start to plant the seeds of the empire in Menace and see it come full circle in ROTS just a plotting evil genius through and through. Action wise this movie has great scenes with the pod race, gungan VS battle droid, epic space battle, and the jedi VS sith showdown. The lightsaber scenes in this movie are awesome especially the Obi-Wan VS Darth Maul saber fight as it still sends chills though me as I watch it just all around kick a$$.

I think older fans had too much built up in there own heads in that 16 year gap and didn?t go into the movie with an open mind as they needed too. People say if you were a young fan you would love it

 

On May 19, 1999, I was a 12 year old boy sitting down in a theatre with his friends Nik and Chris. Given my age, I identified greatly with Ani, and I LOVED Jarjar Binks. Meesa even learn'den da voice! I was George Lucas' target audience, a new generation he could hook into Star Wars. While I liked it since I was first introduced around 5 or 6 years old, and loved it since I saw ROTJ in theatres with the special edition, I truly became a fan with TPM. When the show let out, my friend Nik said, "Let's go line up for Episode II!"

 

I was impressed with Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan Kenobi. He captured the mannerisms and voice so superbly. I felt that his growth throughout the trilogy, from the pain of losing Qui Gon to his showdown with Anakin was genuine. It was really well done how the development of his wisdom was portrayed. I was sad when Qui Gon was defeated. He was a great character who I would've liked to know better.

I thought at first that Maul was short lived, since he was such a bad ass, yet at the same time I guess Lucas wanted to focus on Sideous and his plotting to forge a new order. After so many years, it was nice to see a new adventure in the Star Wars saga no matter who it was for.

 

i waited till the time came and there it was, everything came down to this pint in the movie. Not the gungan, not the boy who couldn't act, the saber fight, a real saber fight, fast, precise, on the money this was waht made the movie. Oh yes and anything with Liam Nieson, kicks bantha but. he is what i pictured a jedi to be cool and collected he rules.

 

Sounds like you judge a star wars movie by how good the saber fights are.

 

no they are just the highlight, i know that the movies are kid based but i think Lukus went a little too far with jar Jar, and mabey the prequels will never live up to the expectation of the originals. I wonder if the originals came out second...if they would live up to the prequels if we grew up with them.
the first two for some reason or another were a bit dissapionting, and i wish very much that they weren't. but when we get to three, it's like he got it evrything was the. I think it took Ewan all three movies to capture Obi Wan, but mabey that's the point. I've never liked haden at all in the second, but I have to say by three he got much better. but mabey i'm just a crabby old man.

 

I was waiting in line, thinking..."Am I gonna get tickets to this movie?", Stuart Little was sold out and...when finally seated before the 12:01am showing, I abruptly fell asleep before the Gungan underwater city, and woke up to the showdown with Darth Maul. [Was not the only tired person in the theatre].*A group of us went back the next morning for the 1:00pm showing. It was "good" but not original SW great. Then I went home.

 

I waited in line for 8 hours (a small amount of time compared to others) and when that green Lucasfilm logo hit the screen, the entire theatre when ape****! It was an incredible experience for me - I was suddenly 10 years old again and giddy with happiness. I agree with everything Dooks said - it is a fantastic film. No, Jar Jar isn't my favourite, but I understood the metaphor Lucas set up (a la Ewoks) and appreciated the nod.

The best bits for me (other than seeing Obi Wan and the fight between the Jedi and Maul) was all the background stuff. Seeing the Jedi at the height of their influence, seeing the cool starship designs, seeing Coruscant for the first time, getting a feel for how the (old) Republic functioned, watching Sidious use the Republic as his pawn, subtlely and cunningly orchestrating the Jedi's demise....you imagined for so long what it would all look like, and then getting to see it! It was so AMAZING. I had new respect for Palpatine - that dude is so BAD*SS!!!

Dooks outlined all the hightlights so I'm not going to rehash it all again.

What I also found interesting, was that people were asking me who or what the 'Phantom Menace' was??! Didn't you watch the movie?! It was ALL there, man!!

 

Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.................my first Phantom Menace viewing!!

Me (20 years at the time) and a couple (younger) friends went to North Hill, back then the biggest screen in Calgary (now no longer exists).

When that Lucasfilm logo appeared, and then the "STAR WARS" header..................(goose bumps)..........the cheering and screaming and yelling and hooting and hollering and whistling..............it was CRAZY and AWESOME!!!! The first NEW Star Wars movie in (16?) years.

R2 was awesome, and everyone cheered HUGE for him!!

After that first viewing, I loved it, but that lessened with each successive viewing. But now that the saga is complete, and there are fan edits out, my enjoyment is back up. It's still in the top 3 for me, but it is still pretty good.

 

I remember back when tickets were going on sale for this. Me and Darth Paul ditched our classes for the day and lined up at 3 or 4 am to get tickets at the Colosseum that went on sale at 11am. The next day at CDI we got in crap as the head master seen us on TV that night on the news yelling and screaming in line for tickets. Which when we got our tickets was for the 2am showing, as the line was wrapped around the back of the theater. The only good thing about the 2am showing was that the midnight show didn't get out until 2:10. So we didn't get the idiots yelling Darth Maul dies, and ruining the show for us.
So we go in and once the Lucas logo hits it was like being a kid again. Yelling, cheering, felling sad as Ani walks away from his mother to begin his long road to the baddest vilain in history, and then in shock when Qui-Gon gets it and then the same when Maul dies. We loved it. We waiting for it for years. It was Star Wars on the big screen again where it was supposed to be. It was only the critics that started this Jar Jar bit and I really don't think it mattered to most. Like I said it was "Star Wars" plain and simple.
Anyways I think me and Paul ditched classes a few times that next week to get in another viewing or two. as far as the Jar Jar thing I didn't really start to dislike him until before AOTC. Watching the video a bunch of times you start to think maybe the critics were right about him. Mainly because its lost that "Big Screen" effect that captured you in the first place. Yeah he was a bumbling fool but like you guys say he hooked another generation with this trilogy.

 

One of the things that I liked the most was the Pod-Race. The buildup of the race when all the pods were revving up. I sounded great. I can't remember what theater it was in, but one of them had the sound cranked. Chest thumping good. I think it was North Hill before they tore it down.

 

Oh yeah! North Hill loved to crank their sound!! The first viewing seemed loudest. The booming was constantly shaking my clothes and seat. It was awesome!

 

Kris - I was at North Hill for the midnight viewing as well!! Small world, eh? It was great in that theatre - the screen was so huge and they did pump up the sound.

I remember coming out after the movie was done and people shouting at us, asking how it was. I couldn't speak because I was so in awe and trying to digest everything. Because I couldn't answer, a few people took that as a sign that it sucked and startetd yelling out, 'it sucked. Oh no, it's so bad.'... I had to stop and tell them, no! It was so good but I couldn't find the words to explain.....

 

North Hill specifically upgraded their sound system for Episode I EVEN THOUGH they knew they would be closing their doors permanently at the end of it's run. That's what it's all about.