Went to see the re-release of The Phantom Menace this weekend and... seriously, how did a bunch of online whiners convince us for so long that it was a bad movie? Well, not me, I always enjoyed it personally, but even I'm kinda shocked going back at how much the supposed flaws with it are way overblown.
Jar Jar is hit or miss, but not universally unfunny by any means. There's a lot of comedy involving how other characters (especially Qui Gon) react to his antics that's actually pretty great. We could have used maybe 30% less of him in the movie overall, and certainly could have gone without the poop jokes, but at the end of the day there's nothing wrong with some comic relief in an otherwise serious movie, especially given the need to draw children in.
The "wooden acting" thing is really just an issue with Jake Lloyd (who was a child and did not deserve any of the horrendous bullying he got and I can't believe how vile and cruel people were about it) and Natalie Portman (who was also very young and learned fast as we've seen). Everyone else gave a solid performance. The dialogues are... fine really? Lots of interesting interpersonal dynamics that feel real (Padmé and Qui Gon's sparring is especially great, as is Qui Gon and Obi Wan's differing attitudes to the Jedi - okay now that I think about it a lot of the best dynamics revolve around Qui Gon lol).
But the dumbest complaint by far was about the "boring politics". Really, the anti-Prequels backlash might need to be studied as one of the earliest examples of the illiterate chud backlash calls to "get politics out of my entertainment". Except unlike a lot of modern Marvel slop, where the "politics" is usually surface-level, TPM is a movie that actually takes its political themes seriously. It's a scathing critique of the kind of the institutional decay that takes root in democracies, and how it provides authoritarian demagogues with an opening to seize power. Watching this in 1999 as a young child (this was possibly the first movie I ever saw in theaters), I had no doubt Palpatine was a good guy and the right person to restore justice to the Republic. Watching as an adult in 2024, his "drain the swamp" rhetoric raises alarm bells even if you ignore the whole Darth Sidious thing. This movie's political commentary has unfortunately proved quite prescient.
There is much, much more to be said about the film's qualities. Above all, it provides a thoroughly engaging and satisfying story of one small nation resisting invasion by a larger power despite the indifference of the rest of the world (Slava Ukraini anyone?). There is a strong running theme about the inherent value of all lifeforms, with those that are looked down as dumb or pathetic actually providing crucial help at the right moment (this is why Jar Jar is important!). The mystery of the Sith and the meaning of the prophecy are extremely compelling without hindsight and just as intriguing when you know the original trilogy and want to figure out how things all connect together. And the tragedy of Anakin begins to unfold here, as we see the harsh world he was born into, his heartbreaking separation from his mother, and then the tragic loss of the one person who truly saw his potential. We see exactly why Obi Wan failed him, because Obi Wan's dogmatic adherence to the Jedi code was never going to work with Anakin. Qui Gon, with his more flexible attitude and his reliance on his own sense of justice, shows a different path the Jedi could have taken, and one that we finally realized with Luke in RotJ. It's a perfect book-end for the saga.
Another thing: this movie looks gorgeous. I've heard so much shit about the CGI and... did we watch the same movie? First off there's actually not that much CGI, all the sets are painstakingly crafted practical effects and it shows. But even when there is CGI, it often looks better than a lot of modern movies' CGI. This movie crafts so many unique settings with their own distinctive look and feel, and they all feel real and lived-in. One of the underrated aspects of the prequels is that they were the first to make the Star Wars universe feel like a real universe, and not just a setting for the heroes' story to unfold (which, yes, is a problem with the OT - and has become a problem again now that Disney has taken over). This is particularly on display here, and it's beautiful. Then there are the lightsaber fights - another element where the prequels just blow the originals out of the water. Perhaps the biggest cope I've ever heard is the idea that the fights are "over-choreographed", which is just such a 5d chess way of complaining about something being too beautiful. No, my dude, this is just how two fully trained Jedi and a Sith would fight. You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like.
And finally, you have John Williams' score. And once again, while his scores for the OT are excellent, I think he really reached the pinnacle of his craft with the prequels. "Duel of the Fates" is the one thing about TPM even the most dedicated haters have to agree rocks, but it's far from the only highlight of this movie. Personally I always found "The Droid Invasion" criminally underrated, for example. And the music is perfectly employed to complement the emotional mood of the scene, while being more melodically cohesive than a lot of the OT soundtracks. Qui Gon's funeral hits so fucking hard thanks to that (ngl it's been 25 years and I'm still not over his death...). There is not a bad note in there.
My only real complaint is that the middle part goes on a little too long (especially the pod race, which is still a very enjoyable sequence but could have used some trimming). There's also something to be said about the use of ethnic stereotypes to characterize alien races, but while I understand the issue I'm not that personally bothered by it, and I read it as Lucas being clueless rather than malicious. Still a totally fair criticism though.
Anyway that was my ramble. I assume Tumblr like most online spaces these days is over prequel hate and we can now safely share our love for these wonderful contributions to this great saga.
