The film opens with the worst possible set up for conflict, a trade dispute. The villains at the outset seem like weak, predictable bullies inadvertently attacking the Galactic Order by blockading and eventually invading Naboo. The fact that Nute Gunray and his team seem like weak and ineffective villains is exactly the point. They are pawns in a game played on all sides by Darth Sidious. Throughout the film Palpatine/Sidious moves every character on the board like his own personal chess pieces. the Trade Federation is the most obvious pawn, set to instigate a conflict meant to make the Galactic Republic and Senate look weak and ineffectual.
On the way towards this conflict and the ultimate ascendancy of Palpatine as Supreme Chancellor, we follow the Jedi Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in a series of haphazard adventures. After discovering the Trade Federation is more well armed and determined to fight than they expected, the Jedi escape and flee the Trade Federation’s Droid Army.
There are truly amazing portions of Episode 1. The joy of meeting R2D2 on the escape from Naboo and are shown what makes R2 so special is only superseded by the eventual first meeting of R2D2 and C3PO. The film shifts its focus to Tatooine and the beginnings of Anakin Skywalker and the foreshadowing of his powers and darkness are a key element throughout the film. It is clear that Anakin is too powerful, too unpredictable, too much of an unknown quantity. But Qui Gon chooses to ignore all these elements and ignore all of the dark potential within 
Time creates fondness of almost all of these performances. Natalie Portman plays Amidala/Padme as an incredibly intelligent, able and thoughtful young ruler who has empathy only superseded by her anger when the Jedi ignore her reservations. Pernilla August has an honest kindness about her as Anakin’s Virgin Mother Shmi Skywalker. Every line she speaks is foreshadowing to her ultimate tragic ending. Liam Neeson is a consummate Jedi, blinded by his Hope to any possibility of a dark future. And, of course, no one beats the epic performance of Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan Kenobi. Here McGregor shows a much younger and more naïve version of Obi Wan, making his future transformation into the Obi Wan with familiar gravitas of the later films even more impressive.
The greatest miscasting of the film is Jake Lloyd, rather than being an innocent slave or a thoughtful brooding child, his performance simply feels like a young child struggling through an elementary school play. Because his character is so central to the arc of these films, starting it off with such a poor performance mars this film’s place in history much more than Jar Jar could.
As the plot advances on Tatooine, the film veers into the sillier elements we often forget: The needless discussions of betting and pod-racers meant to establish in a simple way the importance of Anakin’s Jedi skills; the large amount of time spent on discussions between Watto and Qui Gon, somehow making Watto appear to be the only villain Qui Gon can defeat; The podrace itself which is the most obvious setup for a video game in the entire Skywalker Saga.
The key portion of the final sequence on Naboo lies not in the action but in the subtler diplomacy shown by Amidala. By drawing Boss Nass to her side she is able to pull together an army strong enough to buy the more skilled fighters time to (accidently) destroy the Federation droid control ship and battle Darth Maul. The 
The final closing sequences with familiar elements of a funeral and parade surround an important disagreement between Yoda and Obi Wan, with Obi Wan and the Jedi council choosing to allow Anakin’s training in spite of Yoda’s great reservations.
It’s all too easy to dismiss this film as being simplistic and juvenile. But the small, simple ways that Amidala, Obi Wan and Palpatine build their respective pieces of the larger puzzle are enough to make it interesting viewing. The action sequences and effects are well done. The performance by Jake Lloyd and character of Jar Jar Binks are unfortunately as awful as ever. But the larger epic of the Jedi and the Skywalker Saga is served well in the smaller moments throughout this film.
SCORE: 4 out of 5 Stars
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Pernilla August, Frank Oz
Director: George Lucas
Producer: Rick McCallum
Writer: George Lucas
Music: John Williams
Cinematography: David Tattersall
Production Company: Lucasfilm
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Author Profile
- M.R. Jafri was born and raised in Niagara Falls New York and now lives with his family in Detroit Michigan. He's a talkative introvert and argumentative geek. His loves include Star Wars, Star Trek, Superheroes, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Transformers, GI Joe, Films, Comics, TV Shows, Action Figures and Twizzlers.
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