10. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Another entry in the Prequel Trilogy, this time 1999’s The Phantom Menace. George Lucas stated he never intended to direct the prequels. He wanted to hand them over to someone else, but everyone passed due to the immense pressure of helming a Star Wars film.
Foresight benefited them well. Fans turned on Lucas when the new films failed to live up to their expectations, so much so that after the prequels he retired from film-making altogether.
That being said, time has been kinder to this entry than some others on the list. There’s some great world building present in The Phantom Menace.
While Lucas definitely overindulges in the new CGI tools at his disposal, he also gives us inventive new worlds we didn’t see in previous Star Wars movies.
Naboo and Coruscant could only exist in the digital age, and here they’re realized beautifully.
Phantom Menace’s highlight is the brand new red-skinned baddie, Darth Maul. He steals the show with his dual lightsaber and Ray Park’s impressive agility in the role; it’s no wonder fan reaction brought him back from the dead in later media.
The fight between Maul, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon Jinn is thrilling, beautifully choreographed, and well shot. The podrace is another exciting sequence that establishes some of Anakin’s traits that continue to push him throughout the trilogy.
Watching the film however, we’re often left wondering who it’s actually for. It’s too juvenile and childish for adults, but too slow and political for kids to fully enjoy.
Jar Jar’s goofy slapstick’s clearly aimed at younger viewers, but they’ll soon be put to sleep with endless talk of trade federations and senate meetings.
What we’re left with is a tonally inconsistent, often great, but an ultimately disappointing entry in the franchise.
