Plot: What’s it about?
The peaceful planet of Naboo is under pressure from the Trade Federation, which has chosen to bypass the laws and target the lush planet. The planet is divided between residents on the surface and those which live below, but because of their differences, the two sides never seem to be able to combine forces. In an effort to calm the situation, Naboo’s Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) sends two Jedi warriors to speak with the leaders of the Trade Federation. Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his pupil Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are the chosen men and they venture to the ship, but end up under attack and manage a narrow escape. After a wild chain of events, these two Jedis band together with a Gungan outcast Jar Jar Binks, a gifted young boy Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), and one of Amidala’s servants, Padme to challenge the dark forces, headed by Darth Sidious, an unknown and unseen evil presence. As Darth Sidious’ right hand man Darth Maul closes in on the band of rebels, will he able to end their quest before it begins? This kind of adventure is never easy, but with a team like they have, perhaps Naboo can be saved, but of course, they’ll need some help from unexpected places.
This film is often hammered by fans of the original three Star Wars adventures, but I think we all know why that is. Most of the rabid fans saw Star Wars as youths and as they grew older, they held on to the magic of the movies. This is great, I think and I like the original films too, but when The Phantom Menace rolled around, these fans were no longer youths, but adults instead. Just as the original films were aimed at a younger audience, so is The Phantom Menace and as such, the grown up fans were displeased. Yes, this is a silly, wild ride through the Star Wars realm, with annoying characters and tons of merchandising potential. But come on, so were the original three movies and while an argument could be made for Empire, A New Hope and Return of the Jedi are clearly aimed toward the younger folks. And while the fans ignore the countless plot holes and annoying characters in the original trilogy, they lambaste The Phantom Menace, simply because it wasn’t “how they remembered Star Wars to be,” what a joke. This installment has some classic scenes and some bad ones, just like the original films, period. The Phantom Menace is a fun, but brisk and light romp, one that the entire family can take time and again. This two disc edition from Fox is more than up to task, so if you’re at all interested, The Phantom Menace is recommended.
It took him a while to return to the Star Wars realm, but writer/director George Lucas shows us how it all started with The Phantom Menace. He uses a similar formula as with A New Hope, with a complete finale and such, but also opens up doors all over the place, for the much anticipated sequels. Lucas is often bashed by fans for revisiting his films and making changes, which seems kind of hypocritical, if you ask me. We as film fans always fight for the director’s vision to be shown, unless of course, we don’t like the changes. But so long as Lucas himself approves the changes, I see no reason for the complaints, unless of course, the complainers have no respect for a director’s true vision. In short, Lucas couldn’t have won everyone over with The Phantom Menace, as no film could have lived up to everyone’s expectations. The cast here includes Liam Neeson (The Dead Pool, Michael Collins), Natalie Portman (Where The Heart Is, Anywhere But Here), and Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting, Rogue Trader).
Video: How does it look?
The Phantom Menace is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a superb overall visual effort, although some flaws do surface. The main issue is edge enhancement, which is more evident than I had expected, with frequent shimmering and such. This is never a serious distraction, but it is there, so I have knocked the score as a result. The image is still excellent though, with a clean source print and minimal grain, quite impressive work. The colors are rich, bold, and true, with no smears in the least, while flesh tones remain natural and consistent. The contrast is usually stark and accurate, but some scenes are a shade too dark, which hampers detail a little. Even with some minor problems, this is a superb visual presentation and while I had hoped for reference level, I’m still pleased with this transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is up to reference level standards, thanks to the included Dolby Digital 5.1 EX surround option. I was stunned by the amount of presence and power here, as there is minimal downtime, I mean minimal. The surrounds pulse from start to finish and even the more reserved sequences are back with dynamic audio presence. The pod-race sequence and the triple threat duel are high points of course, but this mix is excellent throughout. The music is sharp and well placed within the track, while dialogue is clean and crisp, no issues in the slightest to discuss. I have to admit that this track falls short of the laserdisc’s audio performance, but it is still up to DVD reference levels, to be sure. This release also includes English and Spanish 2.0 surround options, as well as English subtitles, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This two disc edition sports a wealth of bonus materials, including an extended cut of the feature, with some new scenes inserted. The added scenes are not massive, but enhance the segments and I am pleased to find them here. In addition the film itself, the first disc also has an audio commentary track with George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, coeditor Ben Burtt, and members of the special effects team. This is a series of interviews edited together, so don’t expect a scene specific session here. I think the approach works as there is no dead time, but I know some viewers dislike this more disjointed approach. The track is very informative and insightful, but focuses on the technical side of the production, which is a let down. I was more interested in the writing process, as well as general thoughts from Lucas, but those subjects were never broached here. Even so, fans of the movie and series should give this track a spin.
The bulk of the extras are found on the second disc, including the top notch documentary, The Beginning. The folks at Lucasfilm have stated that over 600 hours of behind the scenes footage exists, but we’re given about an hour of that content here. I won’t complain however, as this is one awesome piece, but I would like to see more of that material in a potential re-release of The Phantom Menace. This documentary runs about an hour and is packed with insight, with countless topics touched upon. I was surprised to see some clips from the rough cut screening, as it was a negative atmosphere and you don’t often see that stuff in these pieces. Not even close to the usual promotional fluff, this excellent documentary shows us the real behind the scenes, the mishaps, blunders, and of course, utter failures. But it also features the good times and success, though it is most welcome to see a documentary like this that doesn’t shy away from the bad times. I found this to be one of the very finest behind the scenes pieces I’ve ever seen and since I’ve seen a ton of them, that’s a real compliment.
In addition to the deleted scenes placed back into the feature, you can see more finished, but unused sequences here on the second disc. The seven scenes found here are not rough materials, as Lucas had them finished and as such, they look as good as the feature film, very impressive indeed. All of the scenes are quite cool to watch, as they offer new visuals and such, which I am sure fans will devour on sight. On the subject of deleted scenes, a thirty minute piece on deleted scenes is included too, which includes interviews with Lucas, McCallum, and the film’s editors, as well as various other filmmakers. The seven scenes are included in this featurette also, but you can watch them solo as well. A series of 12 web documentaries can also be found and these are terrific, each brief, but very insightful. I watched a few of these as they were released, but it was cool to see them all together in one place like this. If you want more featurettes then you’re in luck, as this release also houses five more brief behind the scenes pieces. Each one focuses on a specific topic and while brief, all are worth a look to those interested.
This release also includes some promotional materials as well, which is good news, I think. A worthless promo featurette for LucasArts’ Starfighter game is present, but I am clueless as to why this was included. The other stuff is much better, such as two multi-angle animatics, one is the submarine sequence and the other the first lap of the pod-race. These are very interesting and the submarine one is priceless, thanks to the stand-ins involved. Rick McCallum and effects artist David Dororetz provide intros on each, which let us know what to expect. This release also contains three galleries of still photos, Duel of the Fates music video, five tone poems, two television spots, and the film’s teaser and theatrical trailers.
