PT Why all the hate for Phantom Menace?

Moviefan2k4 The SE were aimed at people like you who had never seen them in the cinema.

For me I have to say that seeing them when they originally came out was so special, its like an event in history that it was great to be part of. Sounds strange I know.

 

I never saw OT in cinema but I still prefer OOT. I think SE was made because GL wanted to tinker. Timing need not dictate what version one accepts.

 

No, I understand; to a certain extent, I feel the same way about the prequels.

 

Here's my two cents worth. First of all what I liked about this movie: 1. Darth Maul- I loved this character and hated to see him killed off so soon. The light saber fight between Maul, Obi Wan and Qui Gon is the best, in my opinion ,of all the Star Wars films. Ray Park is a real martial artist. I have trained in martial arts most of my life and it was good to see someone doing fight scenes who really knew what he was doing. 2.The Pod race- I know that it was all CGI, but still enjoy it every time I see it. 3. Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson- the best actors in the film.

What I didn't like: Jar Jar Binks and the whole Gungan thing. As some have said, this film targeted the younger audience and I guess that's true,but adults like Star wars too. One of the biggest complaints most have with the prequels is too much CGI. I agree. I also think these films would have been better if George Lucas had let someone else direct them.

 

just pointing out, the pod race way in no way "all cgi". there were miniature sets, miniature pods, real explosions and a full anakin pod with jake lloyd in it.

unfortunately this is what most people think about the pt and it's not true. check out this thread for more info...

PT - Practical Effects in the Prequels- Sets, Pictures, Models, etc. | Jedi Council Forums

 

Even though TPM is my least favorite of the SW films, I still love it. I like Queen Amidala, her handmaidens, and Naboo. I enjoyed getting to see Coruscant for the first time, as well as Qui-Gon, the Republic, the Jedi Council, Darth Maul, Otoh Gunga, and the battle droids. I also like visiting Tatooine yet again.

For some reason, I've never been able to get into the podrace sequence. I could've sworn it was at least thirty minutes long. Imagine my surprise when I actually watched the clock and found it to only be about fifteen minutes tops.

 

Glad you like seeing all of those things. I think that "things" are one of the movie's primary appeal-points: the way that TPM lavishly presents a world.

It's pretty exhausting -- beyond the actual exhausts.

And you're absolutely right. It feels a fair bit longer than it is.

I do dig it, though. The sound design alone is worth the whole experience, IMO.

It's ambitious, dizzying, iconic. That said, I would probably rate the end battle sequence higher; which, to me, packs an even greater visual/cacophonous and has a stronger inter-personal dynamic.

TPM scores big in my mind for both its action scenes and its quieter moments. And the two are united by a sort of regal ballast; particularly through the music. What's more epic than the Force Theme when Anakin leaves his mother; or more enervating than the brass version of Duel Of The Fates when Amidala recaptures her throne room?

Some very cool design work and confident staging in Episode I, in my view. Feels suitably grand, overall. But also appropriately contained -- there is the sense of a bigger story ahead. I think there's something I can't put my finger on that draws me back to TPM the most.

 

A lot of people lay the movie down and scrutinize it all the way down to its midi-chlorians. Be it, discuss the dialogue, acting, the lousy scenes, the accusation of haing "stereotypical" (rather controversial) characters, and the usage of CGI. I personally don't have a huge problem with TPM. I find and believe that the larger stem of hate comes from nostalgic fans who saw the OT in theaters back in the late 70s/80s. I grew up watching both the OT and PT so to me there's not much hate, just disappointment here and there.

As an example, the idea of taxation wasn't as interesting as Anakin's story. It's tough to wrap my mind around the whole treaty signing, knowing that forgery could be an option for Palpatine and Nute Gunray. I don't know. It's a strange set of events, with it becoming murky and then forgotten during the Tatooine sequences, only to be resurrected once the heroes land on Coruscant. Many oppose the Coruscant scenes, but I actually was glad that Lucas included the Jedi and the senate, as they are important factors in the greater arching story in Star Wars.

tl;dr: I take TPM for what it is and appreciate the effort that Lucas put into it because it shows. Lucas has a strong visual eye and his technical prowess definitely shows in TPM.

 

I just finished watching "The Phantom Menace" again. Although it's not my favorite film, it was still pretty good. But I was amazed by two sequences in the film - the pod-race (which began with the characters' arrival at the stadium and ended with Anakin's departure from Tatooine) and the Battle of Naboo. I was really impressed on how well shot that last sequence was, because I had never paid much attention to it - aside from the lightsaber duel.

 

Not sure what it is, but the Phantom Menace has actually be gaining some appreciation in recent years as opposed to how it was universally reviled throughout most of the last decade and considered the worst of the prequels. Maybe it is because it was the one prequel to rely more on real sets rather than CGI green screens or maybe its because people who were young children when it came out are now adults, but I definitely notice a fondness for the movie that didn't exist a few years ago.

 

um all three films had more than just green screen.

 

I doubt many deny that but many still dislike the heavy CGI usage and it's valid. I don't hate TPM it simply doesn't hold my attention and is dull.

 

The taxation was just a background to the invasion. People like to harp on taxation a lot more since the Plinkett comedy hours, but it's an invasion plot, not a taxation plot. I think people are mainly joking around when they focus on the taxation element, because it's funny to say the movies are about taxation to say how boring they are. Not so much a case of "it's funny because it's true" but more of a case of "it's funny because I haven't seen this movie in a long time and only liked it instead of loved it, and if that's true, then it's funny, but I don't remember, and Plinkett is showing me the scroll and saying it's about taxation, so I guess I will take his word for it, in which case, that must be really boring, and that must be why I didn't love it, not because I'm not a kid anymore or that Star Wars was a one time cultural phenomenon that could never be repeated."

In fact, even the senate scenes are all about the invasion, not trade disputes. People like to quote Plinkett all the time, such as just posting "What's wrong with your faaaaaaaaaaace!" on any prequel video on Youtube. Likewise, the idea that taxation is a central plot device rather than invasion, is something I never heard before Plinkett hit the scene with his charismatic comedy.

 

The reason so many hate the Phantom Menace is because it sucks.

Not really. It still pales in quality to the other movies for me, though. There's just too much politics, too much Jar Jar, too much annoying kid Anakin, too much podracing scene, just too much. Sometimes, when I watch Attack of the Clones, I seriously consider it moving it up to fifth place, but it still stays at the bottom. There was so much potential in this movie, but it just fell flat. The only real good parts in this movie for me are Qui-Gon, Maul, and the duel at the end. That the two best characters die within minutes of each other says a lot.

I still enjoy Episode I though, and never would go to the extremes of some like saying it never happened, etc; it's just a movie and all movies have flaws. With a better script, less or perhaps no Jar Jar, and an older better actor as Anakin who would also play him in II and III, we could have had one awesome film. Oh well, Episode VII looks amazing, so perhaps it will mean the ST is going to be the return of Star Wars to total WOW epicness.

 

It's the weakest of the Star Wars films by far to me. But that doesn't mean there is nothing good about it. My Pros and Cons:

Pros:
Qui Gonn and Obi Wann. Both these characters are great in TPM, IMO
Darth Maul (no more need be said here)
The look of Naboo (Theed, in particular)
Duel of the Fates
Queen Amidala (I though Padme was great in this film.... before the Anakin cheesiness begins)


Cons:
Jake Lloyd Sweet Jeebus that kid was awful.
Midichlorians. Yeah. Terrible idea.
Gungans. All of them, not just Jar-Jar.
Double-headed announcer at the pod race.
Battle of Naboo - the part in the open field (looked like a bad video game)
The Plot. So, we have this exciting movie about.... a trade organization blockading a planet because of... what?
Everything Anakin related. Especially the space battle.

I still watch it once in a while, because there are bits I really like. But this film was Lucas at his worst, IMO.

 

I think I'm actually one of the few people that has very little issue with Jake Lloyd's performance. Barring a few dialogue elements, his performance is pretty reflective of what I think an inquisitive nine year old would be like. For those who fundamentally disagree with the concept of a "kid Vader," I think it's absolutely essential to see him at a point in his life where he's still attached to his mother. Therefore, his separation from her at a young age triggers his descent to the dark side.

 

The reliance on CGI or practical sets doesn't bother me. I only care if: 1) it looks good; 2) I love the characters; and 3) I enjoy the story. Since the story satisfied me on all three levels during my last viewing, I'm happy. And yeah, I didn't have any issues with Jake Lloyd. Mind you, he had a few wooden moments. But I adored him. I couldn't help it. And he really knocked it out of the park with his last scene with Pernilla August.

I don't know if separation from Shimi triggered Anakin's descent into evil. But if it did, what triggered the other characters to make so many mistakes?

 

Well, I admit that "Kid Vader" is part of my problem. And to be honest, we don;t see enough attachment to his Mom for it to matter much. I never bought it. I see what Lucas was trying to do, I just don;t think he pulled it off, and I wind up really disliking the kid. Anakin. But then, I think the PT managed to screw up the Anakin story pretty much anyway. Hayden was just not the right actor for that part.

 

Reread the opening crawl. It's the taxation that prompted the invasion, not the other way around, so it's a plot about taxation of outlying trade routes. Naboo was caught in the middle of it.

 

The movie is absolutely not about taxation. That's what kick starts the film, but the film doesn't revolve around that at all.

 

I just heard a 9 year old yell Yippee when he opened a birthday present the other day. I'm dead serious.

 

Hating is caring too much.

 

No idea why it is a wonderful entry in the Star Wars saga, I like Jar Jar he is good comedic relief, yes characters in Star Wars are made for families these are family movies GET OVER IT!

 

I don't know why all this hatred for this episode...It's one of my favourites of the saga. We see in it Anakin as child, his mother, Obi when he was a padawan and his master Qui-Gon and many other important things. This movie gives many informations about the beginning of the story. Is it possible that Jar Jar was the reason of all the hate for TPM? Poor him, I never hate this character, he's funny after all

 

I do agree that maybe Lucas could have put a bit more mother / son interaction to get us more invested, but the scene where Anakin says goodbye works 100% for me.