A few random thoughts after attending the 25th anniversary screening of “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”

As a long time Star Wars fan who had never watched The Phantom Menace on the big screen before, given that it came out when I was 15 months old, I decided to go see the special anniversary screening at my local cinema. The six original Star Wars films were an important part of my childhood and I’m really happy I got to relive a part of that nostalgia while also making some new memories. Needless to say, even though I had already watched this movie, along with the entire saga, too many times to count, attending a theatrical screening was much more exciting and intense than watching it at home.

Here are a few notes on the film itself and the experience I had:

• I had expected the screening I attended to be fuller, but there were hardly any people there. Only about a dozen in total, not counting myself, and my parents whom I took along.
• This film still holds up well today. The locations, special effects and costume design all look incredible for a film released in 1999, and I honestly think it deserves more credit for its contributions to the advancement of CGI animation. Shoutout to the sound design as well.
• Seeing that famous Star Wars title crawl pop up on the big screen always gets me incredibly hyped. It’s an important part in all the saga films and it immediately takes you right back into the Star Wars universe.

_{I even made my own Star Wars opening crawl a few years ago in anticipation of The Rise of Skywalker.}

• I never really considered how sinister Palpatine’s scheme actually is. Keep in mind he’s from Naboo, being elected by the people there to represent them in the Galactic Senate, yet he secretly orchestrates an illegal occupation of his home planet by the Trade Federation, meaning his own people will suffer in the process, just so he can manipulate the Senate into electing him as Supreme Chancellor in order to “solve” a conflict he created in the first place. He’s an evil criminal mastermind who will go to any lengths to further his political career, and it’s thrilling to see him construct this elaborate web of lies throughout the prequel trilogy.
• The George Lucas era of Star Wars had some amazing worldbuilding, and this movie is a great example of that. Coruscant looks breathtaking with its panoramic skyscrapers, and Otoh Gunga is arguably one of the coolest, most unique looking sci-fi locations ever conceived.

_{Don’t tell me you wouldn’t want to live in a cool underwater city close to a bunch of giant sea monsters.}

• The movie devotes a lot of time to developing its characters. Every main character gets at least two or three shining moments, which is really cool.
• Jar Jar gets a bad rap. His back-and-forth banter with the much more calm and serious Qui-Gon is legitimately hilarious.
• Qui-Gon Jinn has to be one of my favourite characters in all of Star Wars. Unlike the other Jedi, who are rather dogmatic, he’s cunning, rebellious and unpredictable. While he’s shown to also be kind and empathetic, he certainly isn’t unwilling to bend the rules a little if he finds the ends to justify the means, which is a nice change of pace.

_{See that look on Liam’s face. He knows he owned that role.}

• Sebulba is just the alien equivalent of a Pokémon rival and you can’t convince me otherwise.
• How did Anakin get that bruise on his left arm? It’s just there for some reason when Qui-Gon collects a blood sample from him, but the movie doesn’t show him getting injured.
• Even though Watto mocks Qui-Gon by asking him if he thinks he’s “some kind of Jedi” after the latter unsuccessfully tries to mind-trick him, the Toydarian seems to be entirely oblivious of the fact that Qui-Gon is actually a real Jedi, which is probably a good thing, because otherwise he might have noticed that Qui-Gon was using a Jedi trick to manipulate the dice.
• Also the fact that Anakin suddenly remembers he’s never actually passed the finish line and decides to casually mention it when everyone is already depending on him winning the race.
• No matter how many times you’ve seen it, the pod race never stops being exciting. The entire buildup to it creates so much tension and anticipation that watching the race itself feels oddly rewarding afterwards. Seeing that iconic Star Wars moment on the big screen was something else. Again, shoutout to the sound design.

_{In addition to being a riveting action scene, it also made me want to boot up my Nintendo Switch and play Star Wars Episode I: Racer.}

• Watto is a sore loser, and Qui-Gon’s line that follows (“Would you like to discuss it with the Hutts? I’m sure they can settle this”) is such a deliciously cold and subtle threat. I’ll be sure to quote this from now on whenever I get into an argument with someone.
• Some time during the second act, I got popcorn stuck in my teeth, which was annoying. It didn’t ruin my enjoyment of this film in any way though.
• “The boy is dangerous. They all sense it, why can’t you?” — Obi-Wan to Qui-Gon, giving zero fucks that Anakin is standing right behind them

• My heart actually started pounding during the final Darth Maul duel, even though I already knew the outcome. It’s a gripping fight scene, stunningly choreographed yet raw and intense, with an element of real danger, and once again, seeing it unfold at a theatrical screening elevated it to a whole new level for me. It has to be one of my favourite lightsaber battles.

_{The definition of the phrase “shit just got real”.}

• While not as great as the Maul duel, Anakin destroying the Trade Federation Droid Control Ship is still a very cool sequence. I’ve always found it to be a neat callback (or foreshadowing, depending on your viewing order) of the iconic Death Star Trench Run in A New Hope. Like father, like son.
• Can I also say I think Anakin and R2-D2 have a very cute and funny chemistry and it would have been cool to have more scenes of the two interacting.

_{This line is very underrated in my opinion. Not only is it clever as hell, but as someone who grew up autistic, I relate to Anakin’s sassy attitude here a lot.}

• Got a bit emotional during Qui-Gon’s death scene. Don’t judge me.
• People like to complain about this movie being too childish, but it’s kind of silly when you consider that most of these complaints are coming from adults, who are clearly not the intended target audience. There was a family sitting in the seat row in front of me, a young boy and a young girl with who I assume was their mother. The mom looked mildly entertained, but her children were absolutely invested, paying attention to every scene, laughing and cheering at the right moments, which is remarkable given the film’s extended length. They found Jar Jar funny and endearing, thought Darth Maul was intimidating and cool, and rooted for Anakin when he destroyed the Trade Federation ship. I know some fans prefer the more mature storytelling in other Star Wars media and that’s perfectly valid, but if you’re a kid (or a grown-up kid like me), there’s a lot to love and appreciate in The Phantom Menace.
• John Williams’s score is obviously phenomenal, and hearing it blast loudly through the speakers of the cinema was indescribable. Duel of the Fates has to be one of his greatest compositions. When the credits rolled, the aforementioned family remained glued to their seats just to hear the music. Anakin’s Theme is another wonderful piece, and I love how at the cadence of every phrase, the first few notes of The Imperial March are played in a major key, subtly hinting at Anakin’s future.

• Speaking of foreshadowing, at the end of the credits, after the music has stopped, you quietly hear Darth Vader’s breathing. My dad and I actually looked at each other and grinned when we heard it. If you know, you know.