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With the release of the final Star Wars episode,
Revenge of the Sith, right around the corner, I joined millions of Star
Wars fans—die-hard and casual alike—in pulling the other episodes off the shelf and
watching them in preparation.
Six years ago, when The Phantom
Menace hit theaters, I squeezed into a theater with some of my friends on opening
day. It was an odd place for me to be—not only because I was one of the few people not
in costume but also because (please don’t hate me for what I’m about to admit) I wasn’t a
Star Wars fan. In fact, I was pretty sure that I’d never seen any of the movies
in the original trilogy all the way through. So, other than the Ewoks Saturday morning
cartoon (which I watched religiously) and the occasional viewing of a few scenes on
network TV, opening day of The Phantom Menace was my first real Star Wars
experience. Talk about overwhelming…!
For those of you who (like me)
never found yourself living in the Star Wars universe, The Phantom Menace
is the first film in a trilogy of movies that precedes the original Star Wars
trilogy. There’s no Luke or Leia or Darth Vader here. There’s just Queen Amidala
(Natalie Portman), the young queen of the planet Naboo, who’s trying to keep her people
safe and prevent the planet from begin taken over by the powerful Trade Federation. When
two Jedi knights, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), are sent
to help with negotiations, they’re forced to flee an attack by the Federation. They land
on the planet Tatooine, where they meet a young slave, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who
has an incredible heart—and a gift for podracing. Qui-Gon Jinn sees that the Force is
strong in Anakin—and he’s determined to train the boy in the Jedi ways.
If
you’re new to the whole Star Wars thing—even if you know a bit of the story, like
I did—you’ll most likely find The Phantom Menace to be a bit confusing. You’re
not given much introduction. Instead, you’re thrown into the story, left to catch on as
you go.
When the movie came out in 1999, it was released to mixed
reviews. Die-hard fans didn’t exactly get everything they’d waited sixteen years to see.
And it doesn’t even take a die-hard fan to be seriously annoyed by some of the
horrifically stereotyped characters (especially Jar-Jar Binks, the film’s greatest low
point). But the effects (and the hype) alone made it worth seeing—by fans and newcomers
alike.
If you’ve never been a Star Wars fan, The Phantom
Menace probably isn’t the best place to start. Start with Episode IV (the
first Star Wars film). Then keep going. And as you do, try to see these movies
not as a series of huge blockbusters with overwhelming cult following. Instead, see them
as the fun, light-hearted, entertaining sci-fi films that George Lucas and his original
cast created—and you, too, may just find yourself turning into a fan.
