Many people like to rank the Star Wars films in order of preference, or ask others for their top three, top five, etc. Inevitably these lists are held up against one another, the upshot being that the things people like the least are often discussed the most.
I've never cared too much for ratings or lists. Every Star Wars film is - in some way - fantastic. Here we celebrate the best things (I think) about each of them, starting with The Phantom Menace.
Style and Feel
The Phantom Menace is for me the Star Wars film that feels closest to the Original Trilogy. There's something about the feel of it, the way the story is allowed room to breathe compared to the more hectic later installments, that rekindles that feeling of Episodes IV, V and VI. The Sequel Trilogy achieves this a little from time-to-time, but no film has managed it throughout its length as well as Episode I.
While the visual effects were moving with the times - replacing more and more practical effects - their prevalence compared to Episodes II and III is much more constrained and is more in keeping with the originals.
What we end up with is an occasionally imperfect film that feels like it came from a perfect place.
The Podrace
Ah, the podrace. Every so often a film will pause its narrative mid-way through for a well-crafted set-piece. Sometimes a great film will deliver a stunning set-piece, showing you something you've never seen before and driving the story forward.
The more you watch it, the more you realise the race itself is pretty straightforward. But it's the little details and the breadth of what is happening that elevates it to something more: Tusken Raiders taking pot-shots at the pods, the vivid personalities of the colourful racers, the sound design of the crafts - especially Sebulba's hammering engines overtaking the mix as he bears down on Anakin.
It's a masterclass in how to cinematically present a set-piece.
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| Lucasfilm / Starwars.com |
Naboo
We've been to a lot of planets and locations in the Star Wars galaxy, but few can match the spectrum of Naboo. The splendour of the Nubian cities and their architecture, the sweeping plains, the gorgeous lake country, the vibrant life-filled swamps, the entire beautiful hidden Gungan culture, the porous planetary core teeming with monsters... It's difficult to sum up Naboo in one breath, let alone one paragraph.
Naboo is a colourful world that seems to invite exploration. It's my number one wished-for location in SWTOR, or any open-world Star Wars adventure game to be honest.
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| Lucasfilm / Starwars.com |
That Lightsaber Duel
It's a testament to the evolving choreography of the Star Wars series over the decades that it's possible to look back at this Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Darth Maul duel and see deficiencies in it. But even if it does look at times a little staged (particularly compared to the fluidity we've been spoilt with in the Disney era), the speed and ferocity are astonishing.
The Original Trilogy and The Phantom Menace established the high-point of lightsaber battles that actually told a story without words (something later encounters have struggled a bit with).
Qui-Gon's patience mixed with Obi-Wan's youthful adrenaline tells you everything you need to know about this fight and its impact on galactic history - the importance of which has been so eloquently described by Dave Filoni in Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian (well worth a watch on Disney+).
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