25 Years of Disappointment: Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
The Summer of George (Lucas)
On May 19th, 1999, the world received their first “Star Wars” film in 16 years. To say that society was hyped beyond belief would be an understatement. The Phantom Menace was the origin story to beat all origin stories, the beginning of Darth friggin’ Vader, one of the greatest villains of all time. George Lucas was back writing and directing, his first film since the original Star Wars in 1977. Darth Maul looked awesome, lightsaber battles, C-3PO without his armor on, Natalie Portman in kabuki makeup. It couldn’t fail! And it didn’t! The film was the fastest grossing film of all time upon its release, and when its initial theatrical run was complete, it had grossed $924.3 million worldwide, second only behind Titanic.
And yet, despite its box-office records, few seemed to enjoy it. Many criticized Jar Jar Binks, Jake Lloyd’s acting, all the boring Trade Federation nonsense, the over-reliance on CGI. Most of all, however, the warmth and heart from previous Star Wars films were all but missing. There was no cheeky Harrison Ford hamming it up as Han Solo, no amusing robot banter between C-3PO and R2-D2. Seasoned actors recited their lines as solemnly as possible while Jar Jar Binks played the minstrel fool. Oh, how the mighty space juggernaut had fallen.
I have a theory that many Star Wars fans saw the movie twice, if not three or more times in the theater, not because they enjoyed it, but because they felt like they were missing something. I’m not even a Star Wars fan, and I saw it twice. I couldn’t believe how empty and flat Phantom Menace felt. Lots of things happen – Trade Federation meetings, the Gungans, the Naboo, droids that say “Roger, Roger” a lot, Pod Racing, Duel of the Fates, etc. - and yet, the film almost feels like a moving screensaver, devoid of any actual life.
For all its flaws, though, I’d rather watch Phantom Menace a thousand times over than The Force Awakens or the most recent trilogy as a whole. The prequel trilogy is unwieldy and bizarre, but at least George Lucas stuck with his vision for the three films. The sequel trilogy is a boardroom-created mess that failed to present any worthwhile new characters, insights, or possibilities. If The Phantom Menace was a chink in the Star Wars armor, Rise of Skywalker was the franchise’s death knell.
In the beginning of 1999, it was inconceivable to think we could live in a world where a “Star Wars” film was less than fantastic. By summer’s end, however, that world existed. George Lucas, Lucasfilm, and Disney would never recreate the magic that birthed the original trilogy ever again. “Star Wars,” as we’d known it, had changed. Little did we know that this was just the beginning.
On May 3rd, 2024, 20th Century Films is re-releasing “The Phantom Menace” in theaters for its 25th anniversary. When money and nostalgia are involved, you just can’t keep a good menace down.
BUT WHAT ABOUT “THE PHANTOM MENACE” GAMES?
According to Wikipedia, approximately ten games based on some aspect of The Phantom Menace were released between 1999 and 2002 (well, eleven, but I don’t think Bounty Hunter counts). Quite a lot of games for a film that didn’t appeal to many people, but most of these were probably in development long before anyone knew how mediocre Phantom Menace was. I have played Star Wars Episode 1: Racer for the N64 once or twice, but none of the others. Nevertheless, I shall list all the games here and question why they exist.
Star Wars: Episode I (pinball)
The last pinball machine to be developed by the legendary WMS Industries, and… it looks cool! Hard to go wrong with pinball, even if the property itself isn’t the greatest (see also: Baywatch).
Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo (N64, WIN)
A third-person arcade flying game where you destroy all the droids and fight the Trade Federation. The game got positive reviews, but was criticized for being a part of the Episode I universe, which is hilarious. Not my kind of game, but if you like Rogue Squadron, you’ll probably like this one.
Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (PS1, DC, GBA)
Janky, mindless hack-and-slash based on the first film’s events. You can play as the main characters, solve puzzles with the Force, and marvel at how much 3D graphics have improved over the years.
Star Wars: Episode I: Obi-Wan’s Adventures (GBC)
Kudos to THQ and LucasArts for showing the Game Boy Color some love, but the graphics here are rough. Rougher than your grandfather’s jagged chin stubble. Rougher than peanut brittle wrapped in sandpaper. Rougher than a broken pottery shard on the coarse sores of a leper. You get the idea.
Star Wars: Episode I: Racer (N64, DC, GBC, WIN, MAC, PS4, NS, XB1)
Episode I: Racer is widely considered to be the best piece of media related to the Phantom Menace, including the movie itself. I’m not the biggest fan of multiplayer racing games, but even I can’t deny its speed and intensity.
Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (WIN, PS1, PS4, PS5)
According to critics, Phantom Menace is a mediocre romp through the first film. The game looks to have some exploration elements sprinkled in between the combat portions, but otherwise, I’m not sure how it differs from Jedi Power Battles.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan (XBOX)
Obi-wan kicks a multiplicity of butts in his first ever starring role. Obi’s a great character and all, but judging by the screenshots, Obi-Wan looks like all the other Episode I action games, just with shinier graphics.
Star Wars: Racer Arcade
Take Episode I: Racer and put it in an arcade cabinet with a big screen and fancy pod-racer controls. Sounds like a winner to me, but I’ve never seen it out in the wild, nor do I know anyone who’s played it.
Star Wars: Starfighter (PS2, XBOX, WIN, PS3)
The most generic title for a Star Wars game, ever? You bet! The game itself is like The Battle for Naboo, but gussied up for the beefier consoles.
Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing (PS2)
The big head craze of the 90s wasn’t quite dead when Super Bombad Racing decided to give Darth Maul and the Episode 1 gang oversized melons atop puny bodies. Maybe the racing is good here, but those heads are dealbreakers.
BACKSTREET’S BACK – AGAIN!
On May 18th, one day before The Phantom Menace confused audiences worldwide, The Backstreet Boys’ third album, Millennium debuted to millions of adoring young girls. As Phantom Menace broke all the records, so too did Millennium, selling over a million copies in its first week and eventually becoming one of the best selling records of all time, with 24 million copies sold.
I hated the Backstreet Boys’ music growing up. They were glossy pop, they were “good” twentysomething boys who appealed primarily to young teenage girls (which in retrospect, doesn’t seem that good at all). They weren’t edgy and “real,” like my beloved Korn, Deftones, or Rage Against the Machine. The Backstreet Boys lacked grit and substance. I wanted truth to satiate my aching, angry teenage soul, I had no time for slop-peddlers, phony-baloney jokesters looking to seduce their way to the back of the aisle.
Today, when I hear any of the singles from Millennium, singles like the mid-tempo perfection of “I Want it That Way,” the pseudo-futuristic funk of “Larger than Life” or the bombastic balladry expertly captured in “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely,” I hear well-crafted pop songs, the kind you don’t hear anymore, the kind that make you think everything’s gonna be ok after all. That’s what songs are supposed to do. Maybe it’s the nostalgia talking. I felt so old and rigid at 14, all that angst seems laughable now.
With Millennium, Backstreet Boys could do no wrong. Like Taylor Swift today, they were everywhere and their chaste, goody-two-shoes act was cloying and obnoxious. We get it, you’re popular, all the girlies love you and not me or my other friends who can’t grow a full mustache. The tunes are aces, though, perfect examples of late 90s pop to satiate the masses. Backstreet was back in 1999. Hey, alright.
Funny enough, I was recently putting together a 90s playlist for my workout group (F3, highly recommended). Mostly guys in the 35-45 age range who grew up at least somewhat with this music.
And the exact question I asked myself, “Which are these guys going to find more cringe? The Backstreet Boys, or a lot of the oh so cool ‘alt-rock’ we listened to back then?”
I really liked the N64 game as a kid. I still have the John Williams episode 1 soundtrack stuck in my head because of that game.