But first they stop on Tatooine, where they meet Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), a slave boy whom Qui-Gon realizes has potential to be a Jedi Knight, and whom “Star Wars” fans already know will one day grow up to be Darth Vader. Two Jedi Knights - Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) - are sent to negotiate with the Federation, but when that fails, they head down to Naboo to warn young Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman).Īfter meeting the buffoonish Jar-Jar (Ahmed Best), the three get the queen and head for the planet of Coruscant, where the Republic Senate can hopefully do something about the Federation. but to say Lucas is merely stealing from himself would be to disregard all the imagination and sheer creativity that are apparent in this film.Īs we join the story, the Galactic Republic is on the verge of war with the greedy Trade Federation, which is about to invade the small planet of Naboo. There are familiar ideas and scenarios - light-saber duels, wacky alien creatures, etc. Which isn’t to say “The Phantom Menace” is just a re-hash of stuff we’ve already seen, because it’s not. He knows that with the well-deserved success of his first three “Star Wars” films (actually parts IV, V and VI in the story), there’s no reason to change starships mid-stream. “The Phantom Menace” is freakin’ awesome.ĭirector/writer George Lucas has not gone out on too many limbs here. It’s a treat for the eyes and a pick-me-up for the soul, coming in only a half-step behind its predecessors.īut enough film-critic talk.
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.“Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace,” like the three “Star Wars” films before it, has a feeling of child-like wonder and fantasy, grounded in a strong sense of right and wrong, that makes for a fantastic cinematic experience. And by the end of the decade, she’d won an Oscar for “Black Swan.” She followed those up with “V for Vendetta,” which put her back in good stead with the sci-fi/genre/comic book crowd. Portman appears in all three “Star Wars” prequel films, released between 19: “Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” “Episode II: Attack of the Clones,” and “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.” Unlike her co-star Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker, Portman’s career was virtually unaffected by the backlash to “Star Wars.” She had a string of critical hits between Episodes II and III “Cold Mountain,” “Garden State,” and “Closer” were all released back to back. “There’s a very avid group of people who think they’re the best ones now! I don’t have enough perspective to weigh in.”
“With the perspective of time, it’s been re-evaluated by a lot of people who actually really love them now,” Portman said. However, the actress said she’s been heartened to see the films eventual embraced by a small but vocal faction of “Star Wars” fans. (Also mother of Luke and Leia Skywalker, but let’s lead with her other achievements, shall we?) Although Portman was certainly a highlight of the prequel trilogy, her performance alone was not enough to quell the tide of negative reaction at the time. Portman played Padmé Amidala, Queen of Naboo, Galactic senator, and co-founder of the Rebel Alliance.
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