Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was a science fantasy film released in spring of 1999 (exact date of release is May 19), written and directed by renowned film director, George Lucas. The film is a prequel to the classic Star Wars trilogy, it is the fourth film of the series to be released, the first film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and the first in terms of Star Wars continuity.
Before the film's release, media coverage and anticipation had been enormously high, as there had not been a Star Wars film in almost 16 years. Though, despite extensive hype, the film received mixed reviews upon release, with both fans and critics claiming that it "didn't feel like Star Wars." The Phantom Menace had been only a taste of what was to come from the new Star Wars prequel trilogy; by the third and final film's release, many fans had concluded that "Star Wars was ruined," and some critics even saying that after all the fan criticism the films' received during their run, that "it verges on cinematic treason to suggest that the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy is in any way superior to the original trilogy."[1]
Review[]
The entire review is split up into 7 individual videos, with each videos' runtime amounting to about 9 to 10-minutes each. The culminating runtime of all the videos is exactly 68:46. Within each video (which are called "Parts"), Plinkett often analyzes a certain aspect of the film in which he believes made little sense logically; and subsequently, tries to "rectify" these perceived errors. He also points out glaring plot holes in the story, muddle character motivations, and the film's tendency to not fully explain elements within it's story. Red Letter Media had also dubbed this review as a "film making educational" video, and this is evident in sections of the review wherein Plinkett will take a moment to explain the 'ins-and-outs' of filmmaking, such as—the importance of characters (more specifically, the protagonist), the necessity of emotionally connecting with the audience, and other filmmaking tidbits.
Part 1[]
1. The Characters[]
Part 2[]
2. The Story[]
Part 3[]
4. Who's doing what? Where? Why?[]
5. I can't put enough quotation marks around the word "story" so I won't try[]
6. Invasion (of boring...)[]
Part 4[]
7. Escape!! (from the planet of boring)[]
8. I'm gonna slit my wrist[]
Part 5[]
9. If I get a brain aneurysm as the result of this review can I hold the filmmarkers responsible?[]
10. Anakin Skywalker[]
10. On to planet number 3? Is it time for death yet?[]
Part 6[]
11. Please God make it stop make it end[]
Part 7[]
13. The ending multiplication effect[]
Development[]
Reception[]
- this section is reception towards the review, not the actual movie.
References[]
- ↑ Sexton, Timothy (February 9, 2012). Why the 'Star Wars' Prequels Are Better Than the Original Trilogy. Yahoo Movies. Retrieved on May 3, 2914.
External links[]
- The Phantom Menace on Red Letter Media
- The Phantom Menace on Wookiepedia
- The Phantom Menace on Rotten Tomatoes
- The Phantom Menace on Metacritic