George Taylor
A good start to the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and the birth of Darth Vader. A fun, if grim and at times humorless film, the weakest part is the kid who plays young Anakin. He's just not that good in the role, but honestly , George should have had someone like lawrence kasdan come in and tweak the script. If one hates writing, then why write? Still the look of the film clearly shows how it will evolve into the later movies, something other Prequels (like Enterprise, utterly fail at).
valimar-88352
It seems almost cruel to pan a film which has been universally panned, like kicking someone when they're down, but this film deserves it and I say that as a lifelong Star Wars fan. I very much wanted to like the movie when it came out, and it took me a long time to accept that it is indeed a turkey.The good:1. Darth Maul...coolest star wars villain ever? He's certainly up there, just amazing presence and the double-bladed lightsaber is totally awesome.2. The Maul, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan lightsaber battle - absolutely iconic, visually stunning, suspenseful and probably the best in the entire series. In fact it is the only part of this movie that really makes it an absolute must see at all. 3. Palpatine's political manipulations - lot's of people didn't like the political plot of the Prequels, but i loved it. Watching Palpatine the master manipulator at work is a pleasure and he is the other main reason the movie is worth watching.The indifferent:1. Anakin Skywalker - people say this poor kid is a bad actor. I don't agree, he is a kid playing a kid. It is not his fault that he was cast too young for the role. Anakin should have been 12/13 years old, at the transition from childhood to young adulthood, and so the perfect time to leave his mother and his home behind and begin his galactic adventure with the Jedi, as well as his budding romance with Padme. At 8 years old, none of that made any sense, especially not his borderline creepy crush on 14 year old Padme. The bad:1. Jar Jar Binks...what is there to say. I feel sorry for the actor who portrayed him because he is the victim of some bad decisions by George Lucas. Suffice to say one or two goofy hi-jinks from Jar Jar and the droids would have been fine. But Jar Jar should have been an incidental character like the droids, there for occasional comic relief. There was just way too much juvenile humour from Jar Jar in a transparently obvious attempt to appeal to five-year olds. This ties into....2. Battle of Naboo - are we supposed to take this seriously? Because of Jar Jar's antics, it is like a Warner Brothers cartoon, not a Star Wars battle. Ridiculous and embarrassing.3. The lack of Darth Maul...why is such a cool character not front and centre? We should have seen more of this villain, he should have had much more screen time and that would have made the final confrontation with him even more climactic. 20 minutes of filler in this movie easily could have been cut out (like most or all of the pod race and some slow scenes on Coruscant) to get proper use of this character. Ironically you have to watch The Clone Wars and Rebels to see Darth Maul handled properly and do him justice.The film was the worst in the Star Wars saga until that dubious honour was assumed by the disgraceful The Last Jedi. Even so, it would definitely be a crime to show this film first to anyone who had never seen a Star Wars movie before.
BiiivAL
"Episode I: The Hidden Menace" is perhaps the most ambiguous film in George W. Lucas's "Star Wars" series. Met by the rather coldly stern gaze of critics, the first film of the new trilogy can cause some confusion in the viewer. There are not many action scenes in it, there are many dialogues and just a leisurely development of actions, which sometimes may seem like a forced filler with a connecting function between fights and races. But this is only at first glance, because if you look closely ...Young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his teacher, Qui-Gon Jin (Liam Neeson), go to negotiations with the Trade Federation, which threatens to blockade the peaceful little planet of Naboo. In Obi-Wan's eyes, his mind and vision are already visible, his movements are already full of courage and confidence. Confidence and powerful, unquestioning dedication are seen in the young queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) that she is ready to do anything to help her people, the inhabitants of the occupied world federation. It is in "The Phantom Menace" most accurately and correctly disclose the nature and fragile at the same time in BOGATYRSKY solid Padme: it is able to stand alone against the decision of the Senate, venturing recklessly brave adventures and combine intuitive dictates of the heart with equanimity of mind.Qui-Gon Jin is unshakable and calm, in whatever situation he was. His eyes radiate wisdom and strength, a smile condescendingly reasonable, and the movements are smooth and weighed. But the main feature of Obi-Wan's teacher is not in these, of course, the most important qualities. Qui-Gon, first of all, is a man of exceptional faith. Some of his actions seem too risky and thoughtless, but somewhere in general they can be mistaken for a desperate bluff. But for him, extremely sensitive to everything around him, holding in an unsurpassed harmony the awareness of his own forces and the sense of difficulty of the tasks set, for him, who knows how to feel the situation on many, many forward steps, faith is the main tool. With her help, he stands unshakably on his feet, seeking his own, by all means.Once having set a goal - to certainly train quite a young Anakin Skywalker - Qui-Gon will go to her persistently and steadily. He alone believes in the Prophecy of the great destiny of the boy, as if he did not hear the fears of the Jedi Council that Anakin's uncertain future could pose great troubles to the Galaxy. But the foresight and the unique sense of Qui-Gon's world allow him to see far further than to his eminent like-minded people and mentors, like Master Yoda and Master Windu. In addition, an extraordinary faith allows Qui-Gon to destroy any of his fears and doubts that can obscure his clear eyes. The moment of the film is very important, in which the wise Jedi tells Anakin about the medichlorians, micro-organisms existing in symbiosis with the cells of any living organism.
Perhaps, in these mysterious media chlorians lies the human soul, elusive to the eye and non-existent for touch. Then the wise counsel of Qui-Gon Jinn and unselfish greed deprived the boy Anakin Skywalker, wanted to visit every planet in the universe, it seems quite clear and sharp, Go up to the call of the heart, and you go on the right path. And even though this road is lost in the darkness of the gathering clouds, there will always be someone who sees a little farther than everyone else, and builds on this sagacity its most powerful faith. Qui-Gon believed in Anakin from the first second and believed in him to the end; most likely he understood the suffering and upheavals that promised further training of the boy for the Galaxy and for himself, but in one thing he was certain that in the final analysis Skywalker would return the Force to equilibrium ...Finishing on the major note of universal jubilation and festivities, "Episode I: The Hidden Menace" at first glance does not justify its mysterious and menacing title. But, having looked a little closer, we see that the holiday is just a calm before the storm, and a sweet truce is a tricky tactical ploy. It also becomes clear with horror that all the actions of all the heroes are quite comparable with the freedom to choose the actions of puppets tied to strong threads, for which someone is confidently pulling, able to control the movements of dolls by the easy fingering.And the violent protest of Padme Amidaly at the Senate meeting, and the murder of the mighty Darth Moule, and the fiasco of the Trade Federation, and the heroic death of Qui-Gon Gin, are all foggings in the plan of the mysterious strategist who is still hiding far from the battlefields, its galactic war. And Anakin Skywalker's aching lead heart, which is filled with a burning, drying fear after the death of a Jedi so much loved by him, also lies in a small coin, albeit of a larger value than the rest, on a comprehensive battle map of the devilish clever and cunning puppeteer.
The beginning of the saga is laid, the heroes are represented, the plot knots are tied. Star Wars Beginning
