Escape to the Movies: The Phantom Menace 13 Years Later

[tautologico]

It's reviews like this that make me think that comment sections on videos should be taken out completely. I'm dead serious. Even what I'm writing right now should be as well.

This is the third article/video I've seen this week that inadvertently attacks those who will be inevitably commenting on how wrong said author is. I actually could not post any other comment besides what I'm writing at this very second, and honestly there's no point to anything I'm saying.

Other than "Good review, enjoyed it," I can't think of anything to say. So there.

Good review. Enjoyed it.

He didn't say no one could criticize the video, he only anticipated a probable response to his thesis that The Phantom Menace "isn't so bad". He said "don't post the Plinkett review as a rebuttal". And if he hadn't said it, someone would certainly do exactly this.

 

[Brainst0rm]

I stopped watching your reviews a few months ago because I just don't agree with you very often, and I think you're too quick to put movies that appeal to your particular definition of "edgy" up on a pedestal (i.e. Splice).

But when the mood strikes you, you can be beautifully level-headed. Thanks for this.

 

[Ishigami]

I thought I read some time ago that Lucas wanted to retire (from making blockbusters) because of bitching fans?
I think Phantom Menace was betrayal and that Lucas simply lost touch with the fan base and his own former ideals.

BTW. I prefer The Expendables over the prequel trilogy.
Whats up with the hatred for that one? - At least you should have been able to expect the outcome of that one...

 

[Sonic Doctor]

I've never really had much of a problem with the prequels. Considering my interests in Star Wars really falls under just my interest in the idea of the Jedi and the Sith and lightsaber and force combat, I was fine with them because those movies had plenty of that.

erf why did you mnention the eragon movie that was a special kind of bad...

I don't know what would be special about it, unless it is special as an example on how much of a train wreck Hollywood can make out of a simple and cool fantasy story.

I mean, other than character names and premise, there is nothing about that movie that is of the Eragon book.

I highly doubt the makers of it actually read the book. If they had any contact with anything that told them about the story, it was probably from half a cliff notes book about it that had coffee spilled on it and briefly been dropped in a toilet.

The problems/errors in the movie are so bad that if they wanted to make a second movie, they wouldn't be able to until they remake the first one and do it right.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Well said, Bob. I never had much of a problem with Episode I, hell, Jar-Jar never really bothered me. But I don't think I'll go see the re-release in theaters, I already know what happens. Besides, I'm not sure how one converts a movie that's already been created to 3-D.

At least it's better than "Attack of the Clones", that movie sucked... though the first cartoon follow-up was pretty good.

Now, this might seem blasphemous, but I really don't care for "The Empire Strikes Back" And before you fanboys jump on me, let me explain myself: I just could never get into it, and the ending was - to me anyway - depressing. The point I'm trying to make is that you shouldn't let your perception of something color your enjoyment of something... or other people's, for that matter.

If you still hate this movie, fine, that's your opinion.

Besides, there's a great webcomic that (hopefully) makes "The Phantom Menace" more bearable: http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0001.html

 

[Ukomba]

The Phantom Menace isn't atrocious, just boring. Actual problem is that Lucas never seems to have accepted his own limitations and insists he knew what he was doing as a writer and director. He shoulda just contracted other directors and writers to do the prequel trilogy. Seriously, I can't imagine what a Star Wars Trilogy done by Ridley Scott, Peter Jackson, and Bryan Singer would have been like. I'm not exactly bitter, but I'll never accept the Prequels as cannon. Or Lucas as the end-all, be-all for the universe.

That and written by someone like Timothy Zahn, A.C. Crispin, or Roger MacBride Allen.

 

[SilverHammerMan]

Personally, I first say the Phantom Menace when I was around 5 and at the time I lenjoy it. Now I hate it, and to me, that's the central problem; The original series, for all its goofiness, is enjoyable to multiple audiences. Kids can like the fact that Yoda is a hilarious little muppet and Chewbacca is just so darned cuddly, and older audiences can enjoy stuff like Darth Vader's redemptive storyline and the fact that Han Solo is the cool as a cucumber scoundrel that we all wish we could be. By contrast, the Phantom Menace doesn't really have any of that, it's always struck me as purely a kids movie, which dooms its ability to be remembered as a truly great movie because its audience will grow out of it. And that's why the Phantom Menace is my least favorite Star Wars movie.
MovieBob's point about Episode 2 is quite valid, but I do still prefer it to Ep. 1 because at least it helps to set up the mythology of the later films and introduces a large scale conflict. While considering the movies at length a few months ago I was struck by the fact that Episode 1 is almost completely superfluous, there is very little in it that couldn't have been weaved into the dialogue and backstory of Episode 2 easily.
Anyway, my position on the whole affair is that the prequel movie were full of cool ideas; Darth Maul, Count Dooku, General Grievous, Jango Fett, Qui-Gon Jinn (Am I spelling the name right? I'm too lazy to check.) that were never really implemented well.

Also: It still totally sucks that we have to wait through the three prequel movies before we get to the Star Wars movies that people actually liked.

And does anyone else want to see an episode of The Big Picture where Bob weighs in on the issue of George Lucas' constant tweaking of the movies? I mean, Bob will of course disagree with everything that we hold dear, but it is always interesting to here a well reasoned argument that you don't agree with.

 

[the clockmaker]

Now see, I was never really a star wars fan, I enjoyed the empire strikes back and a new hope, sure, but we were a jurassic park househould. So when my dad took me to see the phantom menace all I came away with was that it was not very good. But I have genuinely rented it a couple of times, when there was nothing else on the go because darth maul is great. So on the whole I sort of agree with what bob is getting at.

What I don't agree with is the arrogance that he has, the contstant portrayal of those who disagree with him a negative sterotype and the sweeping, pervasive nature of the 'every one but me is WRONG' attitude that keeps coming up. This is why I think that moviebob is far better when he just reviews the damn movies instead of trying to review his audiance.

 

[Trishbot]

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Movie Bob is right and The Phantom Menace isn't as bad as I remember.

*goes to watch it*

*2 hours later*

Okay, I'd forgotten how absolutely crummy that entire stupid, rotten movie is. The only good thing was that Darth Maul fight, and even then he lacked the common sense to bring that cool villain back.

 

[OZITOMAI]

i dont care what anyone says, i love the prequels as much as the originals, then again i wasn't one of the losers that just complained all the time, i thought the dialogue was not bad and bob, most of the movies you said was bad, i actually thought they were great, but then again this is just your opinion as a critic, i'm not going to go and watch it 3D cause i think that this just gone out of control.

i didnt mind george creating the sequels, i didnt mind him adding anakin in episode 6 at the end, i thought that was a nice touch, but from then after i thought it was just stupid but yeah, this my opinion and dont care what everyone else thinks about it, i like it, its a good movie and a good addition to the star wars franchise, so there we go

 

[Souplex]

To be fair, the original trilogy hasn't aged particularly well either.

 

[anian]

What I did want is to know what they did to the 3D (you know the part that they're presenting/selling/exploiting now) - and what did you say about that - NOTHING. Not even "3d looks ok", you said "3d" once maybe. Let me judge a movie that I already seen, but tell me if it the 3d is crappy or interesting or ANYTHING.

Just so you know the 3d was about as good as you can expect as a 2D turned 3D film to be mediocre over all and some what visually appealing at best.

Thank you.

 

[Virgilthepagan]

See, when I saw this film as a ten year old, I didn't really hate it, it was just...kind of "meh". It wasn't until I watched it a second time at a slightly older age, with very little connection to Star Wars and an absolute man crush on Liam Neeson that I started thinking it was an awful film on its own. Seriously. I can't think of a very good reason to see it, if it's not a Star Wars film, then why would I see it? It's random, and assumes you know the basic elements of a universe thirty years old. If I had, then why would I? it was the death of many a childhood, and a waste of two hours of my life, minus the five minutes Darth Maul was on screen.

And just out of curiosity Moviebob, where was the review of the 3d or anything in this film? Bully pulpit aside, did this add anything? Did they change anything? I was genuinely curious and I was kind of hoping that would be in here.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Alright Bob, while I agree with some of what you said(it does have some VERY good elements), I need to voice several issues I have with this video.

1) Please stop assuming that everyone who dislikes this movie is a rage filled fanboy who thinks it is the worst film ever.

2) At least Attack of the Clones had a better actor, fewer annoying characters and some EPIC battles. There is just too much wrong with PM to call AOTC worse.

3) Stop with the "I am right and enlightened and everyone else is wrong". Many people had reasonable expectations for it and it STILL sucked in comparison. Just because we expected it to be as good as the first three doesn't mean we are idiots. As an addition, I find it downright stupid for you to say it was as good as ANY of the movies you listed.

4) Why rage against it? Well, to put it simply, it feels damn [i/]damn[/i] good. Speaking only for myself, I love to hate it and in for me, hating it makes the others seem better by comparison.

Also, this is all opinion, so don't get your panties in a twist...

 

[Orcboyphil]

Excellent episode of the Big Picture bob... what a minute its not Tuesday. I've never really cared for the Phantom Menace or the other Prequels, they where always... meh. However to say they just another mediocre Sci-fi summer flick is wrong. The list you made and even some of the howlers you mentioned where actually entertaining. They actually made me leave the cinema with a spring in my step thinking I'd seen the greatest movie every (if there was only a way to maintain that feeling for longer than about the time it takes me to walk home). The prequels never left me with that feeling, they where just meh, not so bad as to make me bash my brains out, not so bad as to be entertaining and not so bad as to make me want to go and see them again. They just left me bored and the supposedly exciting bits, the light sabre duels, the battles, the escapes from certain death... they where just meh. This was really just a one star movie, just meh.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

Why can't I think all the prequels are absolutely terrible movies but also NOT obsess over them? I just don't care. Of course, I also think pretty much everything Star Wars outside the first 3 unaltered movies sucks. I just liked them as movies, that's about it.

 

[personion]

I... completely agree with everything you just said. George Lucas made a few mediocre movies and because he had made amazing ones before that he was drowned in the cries of a billion angry fans and basically quit big time movie making. I watched the new trilogy when it came out in theatres, and at no time was I thinking "this movie is the worst thing that has ever been produced in the history of mankind." I was more over thinking "what's going on" at worst, and "oh, that fight scene was pretty good" at best.

 

[Agente L]

Sincerely, I don't think the Clone War's was badly drawn or animated.

It actually was very good drawn and animated. It has a fluidity, mostly of the robes and hair (which are, most of times, hard and unmovable as a rock in most 2d animations).

While I don't know about the american version, the version in my country is very well voiced.

Also, grievous actually felt like a badass in the Clone War's, unlike the movies. Jedis were scare of him, as he pretty much fought 3 or so knights and a master, and beat them all. Then he proceeded to kidnap the chancellor and fight other 3 (or was it 4?) jedi masters, killing two (or three) while on it.

 

[pretzil]

Um, was I the only one who thought we would get a review on the quality of the 3D update we've been asked to shill out for?