WithStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacecoming back to theaters for its 25th anniversary, there’s been some revisionism going around concerning the film. Some critics and fans of the franchise have taken to the internet to claim that the first chapter inGeorge Lucas' space opera saga is actually a good movie, or at leastthe best one in the prequel trilogy. While it is, of course, 100% possible for someone to hold that opinion, we have to be truthful here and admit that this hot take is very much a tough sell. Widely panned at the time of its release,The Phantom Menaceis a chaotic movie that looks more like a video game than anything you would watch on a big screen.It is ugly, barely resembles aStar Warsfilm, and a good chunk of its performances are far from stellar. Heck,movies have been madeabout how disappointed fans (and audiences in general) were to receive this bomb after decades of waiting for the origin story of Anakin Skywalker (played byJake LloydinThe Phantom MenaceandHayden Christensenin the subsequent films).
However,admitting thatThe Phantom Menaceis a bad movie isn’t the same as saying that it doesn’t have its good qualities. Indeed, there are some pretty salvageable parts in this crashed podracer, from its thematic consistency to its carefully choreographed lightsaber battles, particularly that one battle withDarth Maul(Ray Park). But the thing thatThe Phantom Menacedoes best is introduce us to a set of characters that we would come to love despite everything in the decade that followed. Yes,Jar Jar Binks(Ahmed Best) is there, and it’s hard to feel for Princess Amidala (Natalie Portman) when she’s literally hitting on a nine-year-old. Still, any of us would be lying if we said we didn’t immediately fall in love with Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and, yes, even Lloyd’s Anakin. And on top of this great list of characters, one stands the tallest:Ewan McGregor’s take on the young version of beloved Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Two Jedi escape a hostile blockade to find allies and come across a young boy who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to claim their original glory.
‘Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace’ Is a Trainwreck of a Movie
Now, let’s just start by saying thatMcGregor’s performance in the movie is by no means flawless. Sure, he does the best he can with what he has been given, but there are scenes in which his lines and gestures come out a little wonky. That is hardly his fault, though. With the amount of CGI - and 1999 CGI for that matter - that has been employed in the making ofThe Phantom Menace, there are many moments in which the actors can’t help but give away that they are actually performing in front of a green screen and opposite a tennis ball. There’s a specific kind of directing effort required to make this kind of performance look natural in the final film, and Lucas just doesn’t have what it takes. As a result, we have a movie that, from the get-go, not only looks ugly, but feels bizarrely fake. This is particularly unpleasant when we considerStar Wars' history of practical effects, from puppets to matte paintings, that have always given the franchise a very distinct look.
With over two hours of runtime, unfunny gags, and a lot of war room chit-chatting about a commercial blockade,The Phantom Menaceis also one hell of a boring film. In all fairness, Lucas does paint a realistic and extremely terrifying portrait of an institutional crisis, and theStar Warsprequels in general are a great story about how a flawed democracy can die by its own hands. However, inThe Phantom Menacespecifically, perhaps because they were still testing the waters and seeing how all of this would work, the endless talks between politicians, Jedi, army men, ambassadors, and whatnot feel bloated. Lines land without any impact, and it’s even hard to follow what exactly is going on in the Republic. There are no memorable scenes, such as Padmé’s “This is how liberty dies,” merely the dullest representation of politics ever shown in science fiction.
Ewan McGregor Didn’t Want To Play Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars
Such an uncivilized thought.
We could go on. We could talk about poor Jake Lloyd’s inexpressive Anakin, or about how terrible Jar Jar Binks is, but that has already been discussed beyond the point of exhaustion,sometimes with great detriment to the performers. There’s the podracing sequence, which looks and feels so much like it was made just for the upcoming tie-in video game that it becomes cringe-worthy instead of exciting. There’s the confusing plot, with new elements that come up every ten minutes or so. The list goes on. However, it is much more interesting to focus on one of the things thatThe Phantom Menacedid best.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Not the Jedi at the Center of ‘The Phantom Menace’
Now,Obi-Wan is far from being the main character inThe Phantom Menace, though he does have a lot of screen time. However, compared to how prominent he is inAttack of the ClonesandThe Revenge of Sith, here he feels much more like a shadow of another Jedi master. We’re talking, of course, about Qui-Gon Jinn, a much more experienced Jedi knight to whom Obi-Wan serves as an apprentice. ThroughoutThe Phantom Menace, we witness the man that, so far, we have only gotten to know as one of the greatest Jedi of all, following in the footsteps of his master, clearly learning from his every word and movement. This is evident in McGregor’s performance, his eyes constantly drinking in every piece of information Qui-Gon has to offer him and his posture always uncertain, as if he’s still trying to find his footing as a Jedi knight being sent to rescue queens and negotiate with hostile trade partners.
This stands in clear contrast withAlec Guinness' version of the character that we got to know in the original trilogy released between 1977 and 1983. Though Guinness' Obi-Wan - or Ben Kenobi - is killed in the very first film of the series, now known asStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, he still comes back as a force ghost, and his role in the story remains pretty much the same. After all,Kenobi wasn’t originally a proper character with his own arc, but a mentor for Luke Skywalker(Mark Hamill) to look up to and then loose, fueling his journey. He’s also a sort of Jiminy Cricket figure, teaching Luke not only the basics about the ways of the Force, but also acting as his moral compass in moments of difficulty.
Thus, to see him turned into an insecure apprentice is not only amusing, it also adds to his characterization. Suddenly, Obi-Wan Kenobi is no longer this untouchable person, nearly a saint in how close to divinity he is, but someone who is lost in a strange universe much like we are.By showing us this new version of Kenobi,The Phantom Menaceturns him into a character that we can truly identify with, a stand-in for the audience that is also learning how they should deal with Trade Federation disputes and enslaved boys in Tattooine.
‘The Phantom Menace’ Lays the Groundwork for What Is to Come
Making Obi-Wan Kenobi someone that audiences can see themselves in is essential for what is to come in the following films.It is Obi-Wan’s emotional journey as he loses Anakin that we are supposed to follow with both our hearts and minds as we watchAttack of the ClonesandThe Revenge of the Sith. Though Anakin is the main character in the story, he is actually an antagonist, a villain to Obi-Wan’s hero, whose soul is crushed by his pupil and spiritual brother turning to theDark Side. Since we know from the get-go that Anakin is set to becomeDarth Vader, it is important that we have someone to make us believe in him, to make us love him, and wish him the best. This someone is Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is because we see ourselves in him that we are able to suffer like he does when Anakin finally gives in to the darkness within.
And this is not the only way in whichThe Phantom Menaceprepares us for what is to come through Obi-Wan Kenobi. Though Anakin is very much the protagonist of the two subsequent films, he’s far from being the main character in Episode 1. It is, therefore, important to have someone to fill this role, someone that audiences can later see as part of Anakin. That someone is, of course, Obi-Wan. Heady and smart-mouthed,Obi-Wan has a lot of what would later make up Anakin’s characterization in him. In the universe, we can even say that Anakin only turned out the way he did because he was partly raised by a young Obi-Wan. There is a clear continuation between both characters, even though they also have differences, particularly when it comes to how much attention they actually pay to their masters.
In the end, while it is almost impossible to look atThe Phantom Menaceand not see its shortcomings, we have to concede that the movie very much nailed its handling of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Not only did it give us a character that works as a proper person, and not just someone else’s voice of reason, a character that became such an icon that he now hashis own TV serieswithin the franchise’s universe, it also laid the perfect foundation for a trilogy that, while not perfect, is still extremely important to the greaterStar Warsconversation. Hey, that’s more than we can say aboutThe Rise of Skywalker!The Phantom Menaceturned Obi-Wan Kenobi into someone we actually care about, not like we care about a mentor whose private life we never had access to, but like we care about a friend. And who doesn’t want to be friends with Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menaceis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
