Accidental Aesop: A message about the importance of maintaining a strong military even in peacetime can be found in this film; Naboo is completely defenseless against the Trade Federation's droid army due to her planet lacking one of its own and the Republic practicing Head-in-the-Sand Management, so Padmé has to recruit a faction that does have its own army. The message can basically be summed up as this: not having a strong military means that you'll be conquered or bullied by countries that do.
A lot of arguments could be made that Qui-Gon Jinn is actually quite an unethical Jedi by excessively using the force to swindle and practically steal; even if the ends justify the means. Examples include using the mind trick on Boss Nass to acquire an underwater vessel that he trashed without any hint of him repaying this (well, trying to- Nass gives him what he wants, but he also sadistically thinks he's sending the pair to their death through the planet core), trying to scam Watto out of a ship part he had with a currency he has no real use for, gambling on the roll of a chance cube and using the Force to manipulate the roll,note albeit according to various tie-ins Watto himself was cheating with a loaded die, hence why he was so angry when Qui-Gon won the toss drawing blood from a child under false pretenses and conducting medical tests to which neither the child nor his mother consented, and appears to view nothing wrong with separating a mother and child, even if that needs to be done to save Anakin from slavery. The audio commentary by George Lucas hints towards this, given he comments that Qui-Gon is a rebel compared to the other Jedi in regards of choices, willing to break the rules on the amount of Padawans he can train.
Mr. Plinkett argued that Qui-Gon's actions make sense if you assume that he's drunk.
For the Jedi in general: many fans Rooting for the Empire latched onto the detail that Anakin is considered "too old" for Jedi training when he's nine years old. Though the point isn't explicitly raised in this film, this has led to the assertion that Jedi are indoctrinated child soldiers, and that Force-sensitive children are brought into the Order when they're incapable of understanding what they're getting into... which later series demonstrate is exactly the case.
Ian Doescher's Shakespeare-style rewrite of the film posits that Jar Jar was banished for making radical political statements that the Gungans and humans should stop their rivalry and join forces, and from the moment he meets Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, he's using Obfuscating Stupidity to make it happen.
Likewise, Jar Jar's horror at being made a general: is it because he doesn't think that he would succeed very well? Is he scared? Does taking part in a military campaign go against his personal beliefs? (Keep in mind Jar Jar has very much practiced Turn the Other Cheek throughout the entire movie and is much more open to interacting with other races than other Gungans) His fear may be partially be motivated that the idea of killing enemy soldiers (droids are sapient in this universe) is repulsive to him.
There's been quite a bit of debate over whether or not Obi-Wan's general coolness towards Anakin after their introduction and the rocky relationship between the two in the next film are a result of jealousy on Obi-Wan's part regarding Qui-Gon's determination to teach Anakin, and that his demand to be able to train Anakin himself at the end of the film is less out of a genuine desire to teach the boy and more resentfully trying to fulfill his former master's last request without ever truly intending to teach Anakin to the best of his ability.
Similarly, regarding Yoda effectively overriding the Council's initial decision about Anakin's future as a Padawan: does he sense the full extent of Anakin's potential and future and think that allowing him to train as a Jedi might allow him to avoid the Dark Side? Is he concerned more about managing and curbing Obi-Wan's emerging rebellious streak? Was he always going to allow Anakin to be trained or did the events of the battle of Naboo (and Anakin's role in it) change his mind? Or does he just want one more powerful weapon on his side in the case of more trouble?
The idea of an elected Queen sounds extremely strange, but, in fact, there are some places that actually did elect monarchy, including the Holy Roman Empire, medieval Ireland, and early modern Poland and Denmark. There are still elective monarchies, including Malaysia, Cambodia, and Wallis-and-Futuna, a French territory in the Pacific Ocean, which is divided into three traditional kingdoms each led by a king elected among the local aristocracy. There's also a point that in a democracy like the United States, there's still everything Queen Amidala has that goes with the elected office: a "royal palace" (the White House), a "royal transport" (Air Force One), a "royal guard" (the Secret Service), and so on. There's no absolute rule that an elected ruler can't be called by titles traditionally associated with royalty; Samoa for example is a parliamentary republic, but one whose head of state is given the title of His Highness.
The Skywalkers seem to have an okay life with Watto. Although they're slaves who can be killed if they try to leave, they have their own sizeable quarters and Anakin has the ability to build a droid and a podracer that he owns himself. This reflects some forms of slavery practiced in history, where slaves had more freedoms and rights than slaves in the US. They could collect property and could buy themselves by fractions (as slaves were treated as significant property like houses, with ownership being divided in wills and business deals). In some places, slavery was essentially the only path to earning a living, as wage-paying work wasn't yet a thing, and people would get themselves into debt so they could be enslaved, find work, and eventually buy their freedom as a form of retirement.
In this film, Anakin doesn't seem to have any real gripes about being raised as a slave from birth. If anything, he seems to have more angst about being freed, since it means leaving his mother behind. There's some justification implied in the film, and given explicitly in supplementary material, that clarifies that Watto is a fairer master than most, which can be seen on how Anakin and Shri have a quite cozy house and can more or less afford to build a podracer. This a bit ironic, considering one of the biggest complaints about Anakin's portrayal in the next two films is that he's too angsty.
Related to the above, Qui-Gon seems surprisingly okay with separating a young child from his mother for life (even if it's the only way to save him from slavery), and treats it more as a simple necessity than a difficult moral choice. This could be justified because, being a Jedi, he likely lived this himself and just finds it natural.
His angst in the later films was well earned. He was excited to become a Jedi, then learned what it means to be a Jedi. They must live where they are told to live, go where they are told to go, do what they are told to do, and feel what they are told to feel. He hadn’t been freed; he had merely traded one master for another. At least Watto let him live with his mother and spend most of his time doing what he loved most: building, repairing, and piloting. And Watto never told him what to think and feel, just what to do.
When the group is grounded on Tatooine, it takes about forty minutes just to replace the damaged ship part. The overly long pod-race didn't help matters either.
For some, the sequences on Coruscant count as this, with the focus placed firmly on the politics of the increasingly-corrupt Senate and on Anakin's introduction to the Jedi Council. A solid half hour of the film focuses on these and does little more than to drag out the debate surrounding Anakin's place as a Jedi and to see Padmé's pleas for help turned down flat despite all the time dedicated to getting to the Senate for this very purpose.
Awesome Art: The whole film looks gorgeous, especially the scenes on Naboo, which are rife with Scenery Porn and lovely architecture. The creature designs are amazing, and the starships look fantastic. The podracing sequence and starship battles can easily rival any CGI sequence from today's blockbusters, and the bustling city planet of Coruscant is a spectacle to behold. Lucas wanted you to know this film was set in the more civilized age that Obi-Wan alluded to in A New Hope, and he fired all cylinders to see that through to the silver screen.
Awesome Music: John Williams more than delivers on the soundtrack, with the result often considered a strong contender (along with The Empire Strikes Back) for the best soundtrack in a Star Wars film. "Duel of the Fates" is usually the first piece that will be talked about.
Qui-Gon Jinn - a wise, fatherly, rebellious, kindly man and a great Jedi, or a reckless, dangerously, foolhardy, unethical idiot whose actions inadvertently ended up dooming the Republic?
His place in the story is also contested - some see him as a Continuity Snarl whose existence contradicts events as they were told in the original trilogy and detracts from the more important relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan. However, others think his character is necessary to highlight the flaws of the prequel-era Jedi and show us how a true Jedi should act, and makes Anakin's fall more tragic by raising the possibility things might have turned out better if Qui-Gon had been able to train him himself.
Midi-chlorians are frequently mentioned as removing the mystery of the Force. However, all they do is explain how certain individuals and not others are able to use the Force. The Midi-chlorians only serve as a medium for the Force, they aren't the Force itself. Furthermore, the idea of Midi-chlorians (although still not under this exact name) shows up in notes written by George Lucas two decades earlier.
The relationship between Anakin and Padmé is often cited as an example of Squick for supposedly being an example of paedophilia. However, though it's not stated in the film, Anakin is 9 and Padmé is 14, so the age gap is not nearly as wide or inappropriate as it's made out to be, and in this film they're just friends and Anakin has a one-sided Precocious Crush.
Some criticism has been levied at the "unrealistic" notion of Padmé being an elected queen of the Naboo, the alleged logic being that you don't elect someone to be a queen. The elective monarchy is a real-world form of government, with occurrences as far back as Ancient Greece, if not further.
Qui-Gon is often criticized for coldly leaving Shmi on Tatooine (his line to Shmi "I didn't come here to free slaves" didn't help his case). Except he did attempt to free her. He made a side bet with Watto: his pod for the two Skywalkers. Watto retorts that no pod is worth two slaves and pulls out a chance cube: if it lands on blue, he'll wager Anakin, if it lands on red, he'll wager Shmi. Qui-Gon decides that he must choose Anakin and manipulates the cube to land on blue. After Anakin wins the race and is informed of his freedom, Anakin asks if his mother is coming with them. Qui-Gon tells Anakin "I tried to free your mother, Ani, but Watto wouldn't allow it." Sure, Qui-Gon could have forced Watto to give Shmi up if he really wanted to, but doing so would have almost certainly caused unnecessary conflict too great for him to handle alone, and the Republic as a whole has practically zero influence on Tatooine. Qui-Gon probably could have done more to free Shmi, but to say that he didn't try to free her at all is blatantly false, plus he also died before he could take any further actions.
Contested Sequel: Critical and fan reviews are split down the middle. In general, this movie isn't considered as good as the Original Trilogy, but the dividing point is on whether or not it's a good movie in and of itself.
Continuity Lockout: While the film is set around 32 years before the original trilogy, it does expect you to have seen the original films first so that you can follow the plot and understand the context of the film in contrast to its predecessors.
Crosses the Line Twice: The Tusken Raiders cheering like they just scored a touchdown after murdering one of the podracers is so twisted it's kinda funny.
Oliver Ford Davies as Sio Bibble is quite memorable as one of the best actors in the Naboo cast. Hugh Quarshie as Panaka qualifies as well due to a background in Shakespeare and of course, there’s also BRIAN BLESSED!!!!! as Boss Nass.
Silas Carson, in addition to playing Nute Gunray, managed to pull off a three-for-one as Ki-Adi Mundi, Lott Dodd, and Antidar Williams. Three different characters, each one of them distinct and all played by the same person, and two being portrayed via makeup and practical effects. This is what makes these characters memorable. Mundi gained attention for his prominence on the Jedi Council and his distinct silhouette, and subsequently went on to be a mainstay of the trilogy. He's one of the more difficult Jedi to acquire in Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes as a result. Some Jedi, even named characters, you can max out without trying simply by trying to acquire other things. Mundi requires you to build up a specific team enough to take part in a specific portion of the game that only appears every so often and which requires a well-managed guild to get through. They do that for characters popular enough that players will go through the effort and appreciate the reward.
Lott Dodd was a One-Scene Wonder in the Senate; functioning as the largest example of the hold that the Trade Federation had in the Republic, and doing his utmost to steal the scene with his volume.
As far as droids go, Lindsay Duncan makes TC-14 what would otherwise be just another pointless robotic character.
Jar Jar would already be The Scrappy from his antics alone, but the fact that he's considered an alien caricature of Jamaican people, with the fins on the back of his head even suspiciously resembling dreadlocks just making it even worse (even although the creators and the actor claim the entire similarities to be unintentional).
Watto similarly drew accusations of being a Greedy Jew caricature: fat, ugly, big nose, business owner, and his hat is seen as resembling a yarmulke (although his accent sounds more Italian than Jewish), however, there are people who still find Watto enjoyable, thanks to his Large Ham, his accent, and what he says in any media he appears in (Like his lines in the Star Wars racing game Star Wars Episode I: Racer), can lead to funny moments, making him a bit more of a Memetic Mutation.
The Neimoidians were seen as Asian stereotypes by critics, being a race of slit-eyed, inscrutable, unscrupulous villain aliens who speak with a vaguely Asian accent, wear Qing Dynasty-inspired robes and hats, and threaten the galaxy with their trade routes and mass-production technology.
Evil Is Cool: Again Darth Maul, for the same reasons (as well as the double-ended Laser Blade).
The midi-chlorians have become a byword for unwanted explanations in fiction. This is partly due to confusion, as Common Knowledge states they are the source of the Force when Qui-Gon's explanation states that they just communicate with the Force. However, even those who know the actual explanation feel it places too much value on powers Randomly Gifted by virtue of birth, and many feel that the prior Fan Wank of Force abilities being granted due to a combination of strong belief and intense training fit better with the original movies' themes of people becoming heroes regardless of where they came from.
Though not as infamous, C-3PO's origin of being built by Anakin gets this, as it wasn't particularly necessary (C-3PO is part of a mass-produced line anyway), raises questions (why would he pick a clumsy and limited protocol droid and not something more helpful for a slave laborer?), and doesn't inform either character's relationship (Vader and C-3PO never so much as make eye contact in the original trilogy). Though it seems to have been an attempt to somehow involve 3PO in the film, he has very little screentime and could have easily been one of Padmé's droids instead.
Fanon Discontinuity: Followers of the Machete Order for watching the Star Wars movies disregard the film as an unimportant chapter in Anakin/Darth Vader's character arc, to the extent where without it, the other two prequel trilogy films actually make a little more sense, and maintain stronger continuity with the original trilogy.
Fan Nickname: Ric Olié is given the nickname of Captain Obvious, by virtue that nearly all of his lines are blatantly obvious assessments of what he sees.
Fan-Preferred Cut Content: The rough draft of the film is considered by many to be superior to the final product: Obi-Wan is the main character rather than Qui-Gon (whose role is much smaller), Anakin has a less irritating and more mystical personality, Padmé and her plight are more interesting, Darth Maul has more dialogue, and Jar Jar Binks is actually tolerable, as he and the other Gungans speak in plain English and actually receives Character Development (becoming a wiser person through his experiences and even being a Badass Normal hero in the end battle rather than bumbling his way into victory).
The film is fondly remembered in Spain, where the whole prequel trilogy was a juggernaut. Within the film, the podrace subplot was considered especially iconic, even though in America it's often considered pointless filler; the dedicated racing video game Star Wars Episode I: Racer, although commercially record-breaking overall, still sold like crazy in Spain.
The film, along with the rest of the prequels, were quite loved in Japan too. While Jar Jar was, to put it lightly, not very popular in the west, he actually did earn himself something of a fanbase in Japan, to the point where a good number of video games and anime in the early 2000s featured characters clearly inspired by him.
The film and its trilogy were also better loved in the Philippines than in America.
Glurge: Yoda’s "Fear leads to anger" speech is regarded as profound, but shows shades of this trope, particularly in the context of which it is made. Yoda is talking to a nine-year-old boy, who fears for his mother after being separated from her permanently. Moreover, given that his mother is a slave in a backward hellhole, Anakin's fear is 100% rational. However, rather than show sympathy or acknowledge Anakin's valid concerns, Yoda tells Anakin straight out that his fear is the problem, suggesting that it will turn him into a psycho.
The fan hate for Jar-Jar reached shocking levels, leading to such intense harassment that Ahmed Best, his actor, contemplated suicide. In a similar vein, Jake Lloyd, who played Anakin, retired from acting almost immediately afterward, citing bullying at school and harassment by the press. Recalling the discourse among the fandom now, even if you feel you have valid complaints, can be uncomfortable.
If you're disappointed with Alec Guinness' (Obi-Wan's actor in the Original Trilogy) lowopinion about the franchise, don't worry. Because the actor who portrayed young Obi-Wan, Ewan McGregor, is very much a Promoted Fanboy (they had to keep reminding him, throughout his appearances, not to make the woom-woom noises for his lightsaber, because those are added in post).
Ewan: I've been waiting nearly twenty years to have my own light saber. Nothing's cooler than being a Jedi Knight.
Anakin claims to have seen a dream of himself as a grown man, coming back as a Jedi and freeing the slaves. This never happens, but about two decades later, Luke comes back with the lightsaber he once wielded and frees the slaves. Anakin saw a vision of his son, but because they look so alike he assumed it was himself.
Anakin says to Shmi, "Mom, you always said the biggest problem in the universe is that no one helps each other." 67 years later, a large fleet from all over the galaxy show up at Exegol to help the Resistance fight the Sith Fleet in The Rise of Skywalker. Also, "all the Jedi" help Rey defeat Palpatine once and for all.
Samuel L. Jackson was famously so adamant about being in the film that he said he'd even accept a cameo appearance as a helmeted stormtrooper. The sequel trilogy later had several such cameos by big name stars.
Qui-Gon jokes to Anakin that he killed a Jedi and took his lightsaber from him. Describes General Grievous's M.O. pretty nicely doesn't it?
When discussing Darth Maul to the Jedi Council, Qui-Gon says that "he was trained in the Jedi arts" (despite being a Sith Lord). One can't help but to think of Grievous' "You fool! I've been trained in your Jedi arts by Count Dooku!", aided by the fact that Dooku was also a Sith Lord when training Grievous.
Anakin's infamous "Are you an angel" line becomes this when you consider that Padmé's voice actor Catherine Taber in Star Wars: The Clone Wars also voiced a member of the Diathim species (the angels that Anakin was referring to).
It Was His Sled: Padmé actually being the same person as Queen Amidala was originally something of a twist, but her dual identity is now common knowledge.
The first trailer was shown in front of select screenings of A Bug's Life and Meet Joe Black, The Waterboy and The Siege, and the second was shown in front of Wing Commander. In both cases, many people would buy a ticket just to see the Phantom Menace trailer, and as soon as it was over, they would walk out of the theater (some theaters would show the trailer again after the movie ended to ensure people wouldn't leave). Wing Commander was an especially interesting case, as the movie underperformed at the box office: it cost $30 million to make, but only grossed $11.5 million... yet it probably would have performed way worse had it not been for people buying a ticket just for the Phantom Menace trailer. For context, this was in the infancy of video sites that would lead to YouTube and its ilk, where you could watch a trailer on demand as many times as you liked. While you could certainly do that in 1999, it would take several hours to download the video, which would only be as big as a drinks coaster, and that's not even mentioning how inferior PC speakers are to a cinema's sound system. Thus the only way to see it in high quality was at the beginning of another movie.
Many prequel haters watch the movie just for Maul himself, especially his final battle set to "Duel of the Fates".
Lost in Medias Res: The film rushes through its setup so quickly that it doesn't take time to properly establish fundamental story points so the viewer can understand whats at stake, such as why the Trade Federation are blockading and invading Naboo other than the opening crawl implying its solely out of greed (not helping is that we don't or barely even see the effects both are having on the planet's population) and why they would recklessly risk their entire organization by going along with Darth Sidious's oblique plans without any guarantee of a concrete reward other than, again, the vaguely implied benefit of much more power and money. Making matters worse is that the tie-in material used to elaborate on these more oblique story elements (such as the novelization) are now considered non-canon by Disney.
Memetic Loser: Qui-Gon Jinn died after being stabbed by Darth Maul. Not bad in and of itself, but Obi-Wan Kenobi features two characters The Grand Inquisitor and Reva being stabbed and surviving it, with the latter having survived two stabbings, one of which happened when they were a child. While their survivals were chalked up to The Power of Hate (like how Maul survived his bisection), which Jedi don't use, many have pointed out how these events retroactively make Qui-Gon look like a chump.
Misaimed Merchandising: Learn Letter Sounds With Sebulba coloring book; nothing like having a murderous bully who is willing to cheat in a podrace and kill anyone who gets in his way, including a child racer, to win, teach your kids how to learn letter sounds, especially when you consider that he doesn't or can't even speak basic!
Most Wonderful Sound: Sebulba's pod-racer has a sort of piston engine sound that a lot of viewers find quite satisfying to hear.
One scene had Jar Jar talking to Queen Amidala and was supposed to sound serious. It doesn't work.
Jar Jar: Gungans not dyin without a fight. Weesa warriors, weesa got a grand army.
The movie introduces Jedi Masters Oppo Rancisis and Yarael Poof, whose designs look rather impractical for combat that makes you wonder how they managed to live long enough to become masters — Rancisis is a giant snake-man (he would have plenty of exposed body parts and is a heavyweight) and Poof has a long neck that would also be easily exposed to opponents. The expanded universe show that those two were Force prodigies, with Rancisis himself being possibly not very far from Yoda and Windu, but as this was not shown in the film (and most of it is non-canon now) a viewer couldn't possibly know it.
Padmé comes across this way when you learn some things not stated directly in the film. Namely, she's a fourteen year old elected Queen. Lucas wanted Anakin to be nine to emphasize how restrictive the Jedi truly were in their age limits, but didn't want the age gap between Anakin and Padmé to be too great, resulting in a fourteen year old queen. The webcomic Darths & Droids reached the same result by having the character dreamed up on the fly by the dungeon master's nine year old sister.
Narm Charm: It's generally agreed that the puppet originally used for Yoda was unconvincing, inconsistent with the other movies, and slightly offputting. However the performance given by the Yoda puppet can also feel more sympathetic to Anakin in key moments such as when warning him of the dangers of fear. Which gave the implication that Yoda was hardened and embittered by the increasing power of the Dark Side by the time of Episode 2.
No Problem with Licensed Games: The film received many tie-in games, several of which were critical and commercial hits, including Battle for Naboo for the N64, Star Wars Starfighter for the PS2, Xbox and arcade, Star Wars Episode I: Racer for the N64 and PC, Dreamcast, and Game Boy Color, Star Wars Jedi Power Battles for the PS1 and Dreamcast, and later on LEGO Star Wars. Some of the children aimed tie-in computer games, such as Jabba's Game Galaxy and the LCD Podracing and Naboo Fighter handheld games, aren't so bad either.
The Problem with Licensed Games: On the other hand, the other games are of uneven to bad quality, including the original tie-in game for the PS1 (see more information below), Super Bombad Racing, and Star Wars: Obi-Wan for Xbox.
Protection from Editors: The only one of the first six Star Wars films to be entirely written by George Lucas, with no input from any other writer.note (A New Hope credits Lucas as sole writer, but he consulted with many of his industry friends when developing the story, and had Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz do an uncredited re-write on script) This is widely considered to be a likely cause of the film's questionable quality, and almost certainly why George Lucas had co-writers on the next two films (Jonathan Hales on Attack of the Clones, and the uncredited Tom Stoppard on Revenge of the Sith).
Replacement Scrappy: Jar Jar can be seen as this to C-3PO, who only appears briefly and stays with Shmi. Regardless of who built him, C-3PO has always been more acceptable comic relief, especially pairing with R2-D2, and when he's occasionally annoying (and the droid factory scenes in Attack of the Clones were less than ideal for comic relief), C-3PO is not Jar Jar. But C-3PO had too little screen time to show any annoying tendencies, and is sorely missed when he doesn't go with Anakin.
While Jar Jar is still far from being a universally loved character, in light of the news of his actor (Ahmed Best) nearly committed suicide due to the severe backlash he received over the role (and this news came at a time where the harassment of actors playing divisive characters and Lucasfilm alumni was becoming a hot topic), fans started to become significantly less harsh towards the character in light of this news. Today, even for fans who still dislike Jar Jar, it is unanimously agreed upon that Ahmed Best himself is an unacceptable target.
The "Darth Jar Jar" theorynote Originally used for a joke in a Robot Chicken skit, with a detailed breakdown being posted on Reddit in 2015 by user 'Lumpawarroo', the theory posits that Jar Jar was actually planned to be a Sith lord or agent who essentially masterminded the events of The Phantom Menace (and thus the rest of the saga) to ensure Anakin's fate, but that the vitriolic reaction from fans convinced Lucas to change his mind before/during the production of Episode II, causing Jar Jar to be effectively Demoted to Extra for the rest of the Prequel Trilogy has also significantly boosted Jar Jar's popularity - to the point where many fans are now actively wishing the theory to become true in the hope that it will canonically rescue both the character and the actor from the scrappy heap.
Jar Jar also got a big boost from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as it toned down his goofiness and stupidity and portrayed him as braver, smarter, wiser, and something of The Beastmaster.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars rescued a lot of the characters and really redeemed some of the plot points that didn't get developed well in the trilogy.
Richard Armitage is one of Naboo Fighter Pilots (named as Tonra in new canon). Yes◊.
Dominic West has a small part as one of the queen's guards.
The Scrappy: Jar Jar is one of the most infamous examples in pop culture, so much so that the German and Russian versions of this site named The Scrappy after him. Many would argue the fact that he's considered an alien caricature of Jamaican people makes him an Ethnic Scrappy as well. None of them found this supposed Plucky Comic Relief character either plucky or comical—and frankly somebody they needed relief from! (Discuss!) He is such an infamous character, that there have been at least 32 fansites dedicated solely to bashing him. It seems George Lucas got the message, giving Jar Jar Binks a smaller role in Attack of the Clones and giving him only a few cameos in Revenge of the Sith, and that's not even getting to the Expanded Universe - one reviewer in particular noted that seeing Jar Jar suspended in carbonite was the highlight of The Force Unleashed.
Jar Jar Binks's opening scenes and introduction to Qui-Gon Jinn. Regardless of fan opinion, he is an iconic fixture of popular culture and household name, and his Establishing Character Moment cemented his dynamic and characterization.
The podrace sequence.
Anakin's first meeting with the Jedi Council and especially Yoda's "Fear leads to Anger" speech.
The Duel of the Fates: Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul both for its music, and the lightsaber choreography, which is considered among the best fights in the entire franchise.
So Bad, It's Good: This "kids featurette" for the movie is full of cheesy narration more suited for a lighthearted comedy.
Special Effect Failure: A number of the CGI effects used in the film haven't aged very well.
The animation for Jar Jar has not aged well, especially compared to the other fully CG characters like Boss Nass and Watto.
The Yoda puppet in this film bears no resemblance to the original (his eyes looking stoned for one). This was replaced with a CGI version for the Blu-ray, digital and 3D releases. George Lucas' changes to his films were generally not well received, but this one was, as it brought better graphic continuity with how Yoda will be in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
The facial animatronics on the Viceroy and those of his kind are also quite crude; particularly jarring is Daultay Dofine who after Anakin destroys the control ship's reaction utters "Nothing can get through our shield!"; look closely and you'll see that his lips barely move.
In the scene where Anakin gives Padmé the necklace, the shadow is digitally added behind Jake Lloyd, meaning he was composited into the shot rather than actually interacting with Natalie Portman. It's even more bizarre because it's ordinary dialogue between two people, not a big spectacle, so why Lucas did this is baffling.
The green hills of Naboo on which the battle between the Federation's droid army and the Gungan army happens look bizarrely empty and too "clean". The grass texture is not always visible.
Darth Maul's human skinned neck is easy to notice when he talks to Darth Sidious. The putty used to attach the horns to Ray Park's head is clearly visible in the close-up when Maul removes his hood.
After Obi-Wan slices Darth Maul in half, you can clearly see Maul bounce off the sides of the pit he falls into like the rubber model he is in this shot.
Strawman Has a Point: The plot of the film is incited by a dispute over the taxation of trade routes by the Republic, which the Trade Federation opposes. While it's unknown if Lucas knew this, the "academic consensus" would have entirely sided with the villains, as it is nigh-universally agreed among economists that tariffs are bad.note Although this is regarding international trade, rather than inter-state trade within a single non-unitary republic. Exceptions can, and have, been made also in the event of national security, though it's not confirmed if the Republic viewed the Trade Federation as a risk up until they were revealed with in league with Darth Sidious. Perhaps the Jedi negotiators could have been persuaded to such a view if the Trade Federation didn't attempt to murder them from the first minute, thereby becoming a threat to the Republic.
Took the Bad Film Seriously: Some of the actors make more of an effort than others, but even some of the film's detractors agree that Liam Neeson managed to make an engaging performance. The same goes for Darth Maul.
Unintentional Uncanny Valley: One of the few times fans agree that the CGI Yoda looks better than the puppet, since the puppet looks a bit off.
Values Resonance: One reason the film was Vindicated by History during The New '10s was that by then, its themes of the decline of democracy and the toxic influence of wealth in politics had become much more relevant than when the film was made. At the time, people thought a war started by a private entity like the Trade Federation was preposterous, but with subsequent events like the Citizens United Supreme Court case, which ruled that "corporations are people" and equated money with free speech, the War in Iraq suspected of being driven by the desires of energy companies to obtain Iraq's oil supply, and countless other events like them, it doesn't seem so outrageous anymore.
Viewer Gender Confusion: Gragra (the Swokes Swokes merchant on Mos Espa) can be easily mistaken for a male with her deep, throaty voice and monstrous design. According to supplementary material, she's a female.
Vindicated by History: While the film was the highest-grossing Star Wars film until the sequel trilogy, it has been an extremely divisive since its original release both among critics and especially Star Wars fans. For over a decade, it was a very popular film on the internet to trash, and admitting to liking it was a surefire way to enrage people, both on and off the Net. However, as time has gone by, and also due in part to the equally divisive reception of the Sequel Trilogy (particularly in regards to The Last Jedinote especially since the personal attacks against Kelly Marie Tran (Rose) were shockingly similar to those against Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd, which made many fans realize that they'd set the precedent for that), the film started being seen in a more positive light, amassing more defenders and even a sincere and unapologetic following.note There has even been a fan documentary released, The Prequels Strike Back, that defends the film and debunks some of the myths surrounding it; such as the idea that it almost entirely relied on CGI for its effects. And in February 2024, when news broke of a limited re-release in May 2024 for the movie's 25th anniversary, a lot of fans posted enthusiastic messages on social media. While it is still a very polarizing movie among both critics and audiences; both are considerably more forgiving towards it and its fanbase than they were in the decades prior, even if their opinion is still a negative one.
One of the few unanimously well-received aspects of the movie. Much of the CGI (particularly the podrace and space battle sequences) has held up astoundingly well, to where even advancements in today's CGI since don't detract much from the experience. And to give an even better idea of how ILM outdid themselves even in smaller scenes, a "making of" featurette of the film shows a scene where, in a podracer garage, the camera pans over to an area with R2 and C-3PO. The part to the right with the live actors was done with a real set, while the other half of the shot with 3PO was done entirely with CGI—part of this even overlaps with a podracer engine shared between the two. You can't tell the difference.
Also, the abundance of CGI in the film makes it very easy to overlook that a lot of the FX work in Phantom Menace was actually practical effects. In reality, there were many miniature models (Theed), ships (Trade Federation Capital Ship), and full sized sets and props (podracer engines in the arena), puppetry (Yoda and C-3PO), and animatronics (the Neimoidians' facial effects) that were practical effects combined all together using digital composition. It wasn't until Episode III that digital effects were powerful enough to render things like a Mile-Long Ship in anything close to the cinematic detail needed.
The Phantom Menace for its day was one of the most ambitious special effects tour de force movies ever made—out of the thousands of shots for the movie, about 1,950 of them have special effects, and there is exactly one that does not have any digital alteration or enhancement applied to it—the shot of gas being pumped out of a wall early in the movie.
Even if you don't like Jar Jar Binks as a character, he is notable as being the first fully CG/mocap character in a live action film, setting the stage for better-received Serkis Folk like Gollum, and his effects still look good enough, over 20 years later, that his presence in the scene doesn't distract the viewer by looking overly fake.
The Woobie: Anakin. He's been a slave boy on Tatooine his whole life, and when Qui-Gon takes him to be a Jedi, he is separated from the only person who actually loved and cared about him. It just gets worse for him from here.
The tie-in game
Camera Screw: A very frequent complaint cited with the game is its really uncomfortable camera angle, which is fixed to an almost top-down view only tilted slightly, and zoomed so far in that you can't see any further than a few feet in front of you.
Cheese Strategy: Sure, you could do what the game expects in some levels where you have a partner by helping them out with taking out the trash... or you could just stand back and let your partner take care of everything. Since your partner has Gameplay Ally Immortality, this is actually the much safer option.
Damsel Scrappy: Queen Amidala in "Escape from Theed". If you get too close to her, she complains that you're not giving her enough room, yet if you run too far from her, she complains that she can't keep up. Thanks to Artificial Stupidity, she is also prone to snagging on walls. Furthermore, she is depicted as being completely incapable of taking care of herself, even though in the movie and in future levels she's shown being able to handle a blaster just fine, and she even treats a bridge raised up barely above her height as an Insurmountable Waist-Height Fence.
Demonic Spiders: Droidekas in this game make their iterations in the first Star Wars: Battlefront look positively weak by comparison. Even without their shields on they have an insane amount of health, their shields doubles the problem, and the fact that they fire two blaster bullets at a time makes their fire nearly impossible to counter. They are capable of mowing you down in seconds, and the only things that take care of them effectively are the Proton Missile launchers and the screen-clearing thermal detonators which are very rare.
If you swing your saber just before you grab a ledge, the game will mistakenly act as if there's a deadly energy field in front of you while your saber is still out. This allows you to become a walking death machine and bowl your way right through enemies without a second thought.
The boss at the end of "Mos Espa Arena" can be completely cheated by just standing in the doorway and never walking far enough to trigger the start of the fight. Since he can still be damaged, all it takes is to spam ranged attacks at him and he becomes a Zero-Effort Boss.
Low-Tier Letdown: Captain Panaka and Padmé, compared to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Since they don't have lightsabers, they can't block blaster lasers, and they don't have a Force Push to knock down enemies either, crippling them significantly by comparison.
The Problem with Licensed Games: In contrast to the very well-received Star Wars Episode I: Racer (which came out the same day), this game screams of being a rushed cash-in, with its glitchy physics, stiff controls, sloppy level design, and downright brutal and unfair Fake Difficulty. Many of the design problems were caused by the developers not having enough of the source material to work off of - they had to hastily rework levels and characters right before release because the final movie was considerably different than the barebones script they had received.
That One Level: The Escort Mission with Queen Amidala (Escape from Theed) is torture. Since she cannot defend herself at all, you're left to pick off all the enemies that the level absolutely swarms you with. The only saving grace is that, even though the game makes it appear otherwise, she can't actually get killed, only stunned. It doesn't help either that you constantly have to put up with her complaining during the level either. And to add insult to injury, this isn't the real Queen, it's her decoy Sabé, while Padmé is safe with Qui-Gon.
is a real-world form of government, with occurrences as far back as Ancient Greece, if not further.
