Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Works Best When Seen Through a Child’s Eyes: ’99 Rewind
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Welcome back to ’99 Rewind, our celebration of 25th anniversaries of the films, TV, and music from 1999. Today, we look back at our youths with Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace. Also, check out this week’s easy mini-crossword, “Star Wars: The Puzzle Menace.”
Liz Shannon Miller (Senior Entertainment Editor): Of all the pop culture events that dominated 1999, a whole new Star Wars movie was a singular one. Every detail about it felt remarkable and history-making: director George Lucas stepping back behind the camera for the first time since 1977’s A New Hope, a hot new cast (including Oscar nominee Liam Neeson, rising stars Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman, and Samuel L. Jackson with his purple lightsaber), a trailer so popular that it literally changed the game for releasing movie trailers on this new thing called “the Internet.”
Not to mention the fact that at that point in pop culture history, the idea of a landmark franchise like this one cracking open its canon and exploring past events had at least a little novelty to it. People waited in line for tickets for literally weeks on the streets of Los Angeles and New York. It was a whole thing. I
And then the movie came out, and… Well. A lot was said then, and has been said since. But Paolo, you loved it?
Paolo Ragusa (Associate Editor): Definitely, but I was merely a four-year-old when it came out! In many ways, I was the target audience for a lot of what The Phantom Menace featured — Jar Jar Binks, young Anakin, the incredible lightsaber sequences…
Of course, it took me a while to really see The Phantom Menace for what it was at the time, because that prequel trilogy arrived at such a crucial childhood time, and I was already obsessed with the original trilogy. But yes, I was — and still am — pretty attached to that film. I think a lot of the actors now have seen the way my generation has defended those films, and allowed there to be room for something beyond the disappointment that so many felt when seeing it in theaters in 1999. I think I saw it three different times. I was truly obsessed! Star Wars had definitely become my whole personality at that point.
Liz: Okay, a four-year-old whose personality is Star Wars is objectively adorable. Do you remember what specific elements were the most exciting for you, at that time?
Paolo: Definitely the lightsabers and the influx of Jedi content. Perhaps it was just the shiny, acrobatic action from Empire that really set the scene for me — seeing George Lucas lean further on the possibilities of Jedi action and building out the lore was amazing to me. I remember getting the companion “encyclopedia” style book and just poring through it, reading all about the Jedi council and other Jedi Knights. And then there was the podracing…
I was definitely obsessed with that, and I think a lot of kids like me loved seeing Anakin be the racer and hero of that moment. Like I said, I was the target demographic for many elements — and my mom says I used to love Jar Jar. I certainly grew out of that though, because I don’t remember loving Jar Jar, plus his role was really diminished in the future films. But I was a kid, and this Gungan was absolutely foolish and silly on all counts… so I’m not surprised!
But when looking back, the childish notes of The Phantom Menace don’t always hold up. I can imagine people’s disappointment with someone like Jar Jar, with the emphasis on silliness and levity beyond the usual zany Star Wars tone. Were you as frustrated with how much screen time they gave Jar Jar as the rest of the public when it came out?
Liz: I mean, yes. Though it’s funny: When I saw The Phantom Menace for the first time as a teenager, my excitement at the experience was so overwhelming that it took me until the next morning, showering before school, for a thought to creep into my head: “Well, at least Ewan McGregor was good.” And then, I realized, I was thinking about that because there were things that were not good. And from there, I began to realize that maybe, just maybe, The Phantom Menace was bad.
I had multiple tickets to see it opening weekend — such was my advance planningand each time, the flaws stood out more — Jar Jar in particular aging the least well. Of course, a judgy teenager wasn’t the intended audience for Jar Jar — a much younger person was. As someone who’s seen it as both a kid and an adult, let me ask you this: Do you think The Phantom Menace is a children’s movie?
Paolo: That’s a tough one, because in a way, George Lucas was pretty adamant that all these films — prequels and the originals — were for kids AND adults. Having the newly-minted CGI add more stylish notes to the action sequences and environment-building, the classic Star Wars puppet work and fun alien costumes, plus the aforementioned podracing sequence and lightsaber battles, were all going to be kid-friendly in a way that adults could appreciate, too.
But upon revisiting it, and the prequel trilogy as a whole, there are some really remarkable “adult” themes. When you’re a kid, the political subtext goes right over your head. So looking back and trying to track the political evolution of the Empire… it’s pretty astounding what Lucas managed to pull off across three films.Palpatine, to me, is the most incredible feat. The political manipulation he orchestrates is so ambitious and macro that it almost feels unrealistic. But Lucas was really inspired by the double-edged motives of politicians, the Democratic backsliding, proxy wars, the trappings of bureaucracy, populism, and the way future dictators use all of these elements to their advantage, whether you can see it or not.
To me, it really works in Phantom Menace — having these two sides of Palpatine totally separate, and gradually removing the distance between his true Sith form and his smiling, “diplomatic” politician throughout the trilogy is great overarching storytelling. It helps the payoff in Revenge of the Sith, when the final phase of his grand, overarching plan comes into focus.
Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (LucasFilm)
I think part of the initial frustrations a lot of folks had upon seeing Phantom Menace come down to the fact that you couldn’t exactly see how the groundwork was being laid. It’s a lot easier to appreciate the subversive innocence of young Anakin when you know how Palpatine manipulated him throughout the second and third films. Even now, the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan feels richer to view in retrospect after watching the Obi-Wan series from 2022.
Liz:These are some really good points, because you’re right about the Palpatine stuff in particular. And the more kid-friendly aspects of The Phantom Menace that critics found objectionable at the time do speak to George Lucas’ remarkable long game — he knew that there was a generation of young Paolos out there that maybe knew about Star Wars and were ready to be converted into lifelong fans.
That said, there’s a whole rich legacy of entertainment made for kids that manages to still be pretty damn entertaining for adults, including the original Star Wars trilogy. When you rewatch The Phantom Menace now, Paolo, do you feel like it successfully balances the needs of both audiences?
Paolo: I do feel it’s a bit lopsided at times, and I think beyond the silly antics of Jar Jar, the biggest lapse in the film is the dialogue. Again, when you’re a kid, you don’t quite realize when a film’s dialogue isn’t doing it any favors. But as we know now, George Lucas is great at many things, but dialogue is just not one of them. Some lines are simply wooden, others are delivered awkwardly. It feels like a lot of lines were simplified so that kids could understand them better. The most hilarious line in the whole film comes at a pretty crucial point, too — Padme ponders going back to Naboo, dejected by the senate’s inability to save her planet. And then Jar Jar walks in and says “Yousa thinkin’ yousa people gonna DIE???”
I think moments like these reinforce a bit of the “It’s just for kids” vibe. But there are also so many rewarding moments in Phantom that are just pure, all-ages fun. The “Duel of Fates” montage and its extended lightsaber battle is still astounding, whether you saw it as a child or not. That sequence, to me, is as “Star Wars” as it gets.
Liz: Oh, very much so. We should note here that the racist tropes embodied by both Jar Jar as well as the Trade Federation have aged far worse than the dialogue, especially when you consider that these tropes were meant to make these characters more kid-friendly. (That said, it remains objectively hilarious that Jar Jar is technically the one most responsible for the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire.)
Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (LucasFilm)
Paolo: There’s definitely a bit of sloppiness when it comes to those characterizations and the insensitivity of those tropes — the same could be said (and has been said) about Watto! I think in retrospect, it just feels lazy — they’re aliens! They could sound so many other ways that aren’t offensive or outdated. Luckily, I think the newer class of Star Wars films and shows are trying to amend some of those mistakes.
Liz: It sounds like you’re much more positive on the prequels overall than I am. At some point after Revenge of the Sith, though, I decided that instead of dwelling hard on the flaws of these films, I should just rank them by the elements that I genuinely enjoyed. This is why Attack of the Clones is my least-favorite — the only scene I really like in that movie is when Obi-Wan Kenobi hangs out with Dexter Jettster. And sadly, none of them really made me feel like a child again… which is the experience, I think, we’re often chasing with these movies. Did your most recent rewatch unlock that for you, Paolo?
Paolo: Yeah, of all three prequels, The Phantom Menace does unlock that childlike joy the most. I’d have to say that while Attack of the Clones is way less redeeming for a lot of reasons (the dialogue is even more flat in that one), the Geonosis Jedi battle in that film still gets my blood pumping.
While I find the action and the world-building to be superior in Phantom Menace, I do feel like Revenge of the Sith is the better film. Obviously, that one is another conversation for another time (stay tuned for the 20th anniversary next year!), but the permeating darkness in that film is so impressive to me. The completion of the narrative arc, the film’s challenging nature… it doesn’t transport me back to childhood when I watch that, but it does provide the most clear-cut example of what Lucas was trying to do with this prequel trilogy.
Also, reflecting on the sequel trilogy has also given me more appreciation for Phantom Menace. While audiences may have felt frustration towards the lack of discernible, engaging threads in Phantom, I didn’t feel that way at all about The Force Awakens. When I saw that film as a 20 year old in 2015, I felt that childlike wonder again. I felt like all the pieces were there for a new incredible trilogy. But in my opinion, the last two sequel films retained much of that Star Wars spark, but compromised the narrative threads that could have taken that trilogy to the next level. I guess you can’t have your cake and eat it too, huh?
Liz: Certainly not in a galaxy far far away.
Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace is streaming now on Disney+.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Works Best When Seen Through a Child’s Eyes: ’99 Rewind
Liz Shannon Miller and Paolo Ragusa
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