Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

• As the first chronological movie of the Skywalker Saga (and the entire franchise), it doesn’t really kick anything off very strongly. A lot of people I’ve met, and seen online, often agree that this is one of the worst Star Wars movies out there, and I do agree. It’s just not very good. If you watch the movies in release order, it’s extremely disappointing going from the perfect original trilogy, and then to this. Now, just because I think the movie sucks doesn’t mean that I don’t like it. I enjoy it very much, though obviously not as much as some others. The majority of the movie is basically just political discourse, which doesn’t really work. It’s first the storyline, but it can just get super drawn out and unneeded. I actually quite like it, but others don’t. In between all the politics there are some awesome action scenes, such as the podrace. It’s very fun, but it also gives me PTSD from all the times I’ve played Lego Star Wars on the Wii. And how can I not mention the Darth Maul showdown. It’s one of the best lightsaber battles in the entire franchise. The battle, with the accompaniment of “Duel of the Fates”, is just about perfect. The choreography is also stupendous. However, there are many moments throughout the movie where the CGI is so notable and overbearing. In fact, that’s the whole movie. Plus, if you throw in Jar Jar Binks with the bad CGI and the politics, then it’s just horrendous. But I’m giving it some slack. Overall, this movie isn’t super great, but I like it. It’s an iffy place to start for new Star Wars fans, but I’d still recommend it if you’re looking to get into Star Wars in timeline order.