Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

[neals79 7]

Just watched the rifftrax version and forgot what a heaping pile of crap that George Lucas dropped

[JoshuaCoffman 1]

Wait-I totally missed the words "The rifftrax version". I'm stupid.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

Perhaps not the absolute worst movie ever, but considering when came before, probably the most disappointing movie ever made. I loved Star Wars so much as a kid, so when this thing came out... talk about crushed dreams.

[Mr Orangejuice 4]

Perhaps not the absolute worst movie ever, but considering when came before, probably the most disappointing movie ever made. I loved Star Wars so much as a kid, so when this thing came out... talk about crushed dreams.

I can't think of a movie more confusing, disjointed and removed from human emotion / logic.

 

The actor who played Jar Jar would make an excellent guest.

[EliN.G.Ross 4]

i literally cannot believe they never did this one, or haven't yet. it's, i don't know, nonsensical plot, weird racist cgi characters and questionable acting and directing choices surely earns it a place among the likes of howard the duck. i hate that movie, and while i understand with crystal clarity what star wars fans, i am one, are supposed to know the plot is, it doesn't tell it correctly or in an interesting way, when i realized that they had to do a third lap of pod racing, i wanted to stab myself in the eyes. now whenever i see a movie with over the top, pointless and completely unneeded cgi action sequences in movies i turn to the person next to me and say, "now that's what i call podracing!". now that's what i call podracing? now that's what i call podracing!? what!? seriously, i need June to make some sort of sense at this damn movie, cuz i swear that movie plot the fans explain to me happened, it didn't happen in the film i saw.

 

maybe its too well trodden territory but i think listening to june's take on this movie might salvage some of the shattered chunks of what used to be my childhood hopes and dreams.

[jarrycanada 2483]

Perhaps not the absolute worst movie ever, but considering when came before, probably the most disappointing movie ever made. I loved Star Wars so much as a kid, so when this thing came out... talk about crushed dreams.

 

It's a good close second, it's got the most dust on it of all of my video collection of star wars movies. maybe a finger print from where i maybe touched a part of the case, but only by pure accident.

it's no

 

 

as yoda would say. there is another, Phantom that needs to be done first.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n5qVJEg3qA

and it's done by the same studio 20th century fox

 

afterthought, that trailer really gets me every time. what a peace of shit. is the guy doing the voice over on the trailer talking about the same movie here?

 

I wounder was paul williams the inspiration for

[Blast Hardcheese 636]

The actor who played Jar Jar would make an excellent guest.

 

The only guest this episode would require is Mr. Plinkett.

[jarrycanada 2483]

 

The only guest this episode would require is Mr. Plinkett.

 

That reminds me. I don't think paul and the gang would ever do a show about a starwars movie. but this is as close as it's going to get

[wyldride 285]

Although it's a well worn path by now, the prequels would make an interesting special occasion podcast for hdtgm. There is still some meat on the bone, like, why are they OK with using clone troopers that were made from a guy that works for a known Sith Lord?!? We're supposed to know that Jango is leading Obiwan to find clones, right? Why does Anakin have better chemistry with Padme when he's played by Jake Lloyd? And so on.

[EliN.G.Ross 4]

why are they OK with using clone troopers that were made from a guy that works for a known Sith Lord?!? We're supposed to know that Jango is leading Obiwan to find clones, right? Why does Anakin have better chemistry with Padme when he's played by Jake Lloyd? And so on.

 

right? i still have hundreds of questions about those movies. most of them are like: "What!?" and "Why did that happen?" but more specifically, "when i was growing up as a child obsessed with jedi's and the force, the one question i never even thought to ask was 'what is the force?' and 'does the force have a scientific component that would make it seem less magical and more like having good blood pressure?', why is having the force now as magical as having a high white blood cell count?" it is amazing just how many of the good things of the original movies got ruined by the prequels. it would have been kind of sad, if it hadn't been so infuriating.

[wyldride 285]

The idea of a well understood technology turning into something regarded as magical and mythical: Good idea. The idea of the happening within the coming of age of a young adult: Nonsense.

 

Other good things: Why raise a child in "secret" by having him use the last name of the person you're hiding him from, and have him raised by someone you know he may have an active grudge against? If making Jedi involves training them from birth, why not train him from birth?!?

 

If Amidala was, briefly, a Queen, isn't it strangely coincidental that her daughter is a Princess, even though she's, hopefully, also being kept secret? See also training from birth. Did Lucas really make her mom a queen just so we'd instantly know who she was, even though that makes no sense?

[colindodge 3]

The second one is worse. I almost died laughing in the theater when Anikin's mom dies. Horribly acted. She literally goes "Egh, ugh, uhhhh!" And slowly collapses into closer to Anikin with each grunt as if she was Bugs Bunny feigning death into Elmer Fudd's arms.

[EvanDailey 29]

Please do this one

[jarrycanada 2483]

after this weeks show, with june on hackers, talking about starwars with june would be a podcast you could take to the bank.

 

IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME!!

 

[MattSinopoli 0]

Just wanted to bump this thread to say that if there was ever a time to do this movie, it would be now. A lot of people are going to be revisiting the movies to get ready for the new one anyways, and this would make rewatching Episode 1 slightly less painful...

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

It would be impossible to outdo RedLetterMedia on this movie. However, if the gang were to try this, Mike Stoklasa would have to be the guest.

[Blast Hardcheese 636]

Bumping this because of the latest episode of Doug Loves Movies which featured the back and forth between guests Paul Scheer and SW prequels defender and George Lucas devotee, Jacob Sirof. Add RLM's Mike Stoklasa to episode and sit back and listen to the fireworks.

[wyldride 285]

"Don't underestimate the number of times I can shoehorn the word 'underestimate' into the dialog." - G. Lucas, probably.

[BethElam 14]

The idea of a well understood technology turning into something regarded as magical and mythical: Good idea. The idea of the happening within the coming of age of a young adult: Nonsense.

 

Other good things: Why raise a child in "secret" by having him use the last name of the person you're hiding him from, and have him raised by someone you know he may have an active grudge against? If making Jedi involves training them from birth, why not train him from birth?!?

 

If Amidala was, briefly, a Queen, isn't it strangely coincidental that her daughter is a Princess, even though she's, hopefully, also being kept secret? See also training from birth. Did Lucas really make her mom a queen just so we'd instantly know who she was, even though that makes no sense?

 

 

You are asking for sense making from things that make no sense

[wyldride 285]

 

 

You are asking for sense making from things that make no sense

 

Or rather, expecting sense of a thing that ought to make sense, because that's the whole point of storytelling.

[Blast Hardcheese 636]

Or rather, expecting sense of a thing that ought to make sense, because that's the whole point of storytelling.

 

Oh, I'm sure they cover all of this in the course of a couple of tie-in novels, comic books, video games, online fan-fic sites and cereal boxes.

 

Or, at least did before Disney hit the reset button.

[Lando 2019]

I can't believe that there are people who are angrily pushing for the franchise to be put back in Lucas' hands, as if they forget that he brought us Jar Jar Binks.

[Blast Hardcheese 636]

I can't believe that there are people who are angrily pushing for the franchise to be put back in Lucas' hands, as if they forget that he brought us Jar Jar Binks.

 

And don't forget... Midi-chlorians!

[IRONicmerMAN 391]

I just rewatched this one and Attack of the Clones for the first time since they came out. Wow. Really, really bad. I think Phantom Menace is actually slightly better. The "dialogue" and "acting" in the second one...sheesh. Really bad.

 

It's been said that the topic is a dead horse beaten into oblivion and that there's not much left to be said, but I think there's a lot to discuss. In addition to how bad these two ended up, questions from the crew would be amazing. I feel like June would have some great insights/questions and commentary on the wardrobes. Jason could come to terms with his experience at the movie. I believe he mentioned once that he saw Phantom Menace in the theater, maybe on his birthday, and was super bummed.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

I just rewatched this one and Attack of the Clones for the first time since they came out. Wow. Really, really bad. I think Phantom Menace is actually slightly better. The "dialogue" and "acting" in the second one...sheesh. Really bad.

 

It's been said that the topic is a dead horse beaten into oblivion and that there's not much left to be said, but I think there's a lot to discuss. In addition to how bad these two ended up, questions from the crew would be amazing. I feel like June would have some great insights/questions and commentary on the wardrobes. Jason could come to terms with his experience at the movie. I believe he mentioned once that he saw Phantom Menace in the theater, maybe on his birthday, and was super bummed.

 

 

He was not only super bummed. I believe he went into full blown tears over how much the movie shattered his dreams.