improve phantom menace

[aussiemuscle308]

many think that sw prequels weren't as good as they could have been, but this guy has put up a 12 minute video of his alternative version to fix the phantom menace. i was wondering what others thought of his alternate storyline.
http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-ceter ... e-2012034/

[Grumman]

Something I liked that he didn't specifically point out was how in his version, Obiwan starts the movie longing for the days when the Jedi were fighting the Sith, and then he finds out just what that really means when his error of judgement helps cause Quigon's death at the hands of a Sith. This would be a good starting point for how Obiwan sobers up and becomes the man we saw in A New Hope.

[Knife]

I can agree with most of that. There was a sense of, disconnect, in the prequels. Each one was really kind of 'stand alone-ish'. Making Maul the main henchmen through out would have been nice. You could have set up two competing triangles, where the OP wants just the one. The video wants a Obi, Anakin, Maul triangle; you could easily set up another with Dooku in ep II. I agree with the video that a small Obi loves padme vibe would help the fall of anakin be a bit more believable imho.

[Channel72]

His version is somewhat of an improvement, I guess, but it really sidelines Anakin's role in TPM, banking on Obi-Wan as a main character. I don't know if that's really a good idea, considering that the Prequel trilogy is supposed to be Anakin's story, and that Anakin's rise and fall should parallel Luke's arc in many ways. I don't think Lucas did this effectively, but the OP's changes take the spotlight off of Anakin entirely for Episode I, which just makes the problem worse.

However, I do agree with some of the OP's minor points, such as the need for more witty banter between the characters. A lot of the entertainment in the OT was derived from the snippy remarks between Han and Leia, or Han and Threepio. There's barely anything like that in the Prequels, since most of the "humor" is derived from slapstick. At one point in Attack of the Clones, Padme condescendingly points out how Anakin is only a Padawan in front of some important officials, and Anakin gets pissed. For a minute, it looks like the seeds of an interesting Han/Leia-ish dynamic is being established, but then nothing ever develops from this. In the next scene the two are on a romantic Gondola ride in Venice, and any hint of sexually-charged antagonism is dropped.

[Ultonius]

I wonder if TPM might have been better if Captain Tarpals had taken Jar-Jar's role in the story. You could have him carrying out a patrol in the swamp when the droid army lands, then have Qui-Gon save him his life. Realizing the implications of the invasion, he leads the Jedi to Otoh Gunga and an audience with Boss Nass.

Nass is skeptical of the threat, believing that the Trade Federation will leave the Gungans alone, but allows Tarpals to accompany the Jedi in order to fulfil the life debt he owes Qui-Gon, and to find out if the invasion really is a threat to the Gungans. Tarpals quickly proves to be a useful companion, using his knowledge of the caves beneath Naboo's surface to pilot the bongo to Theed while avoiding the attacks of native sealife. In Theed, he helps the Jedi to dispatch the droids guarding the queen's party, allowing them all to escape Naboo.

The story continues as in the original film, minus Jar-Jar's slapstick (which would require Anakin's introduction to be slightly different). In the decoy battle outside Theed, Tarpals commands the Gungan Grand Army, but is eventually captured after the shield falls and the Army's retreat is cut off. Finally, after the destruction of the Control Ship and the deactivation of the droid army, he leads the Grand Army in its parade through Theed, and watches happily as Boss Nass receives the Globe of Peace from Queen Amidala.

[Batman]

His version is somewhat of an improvement, I guess, but it really sidelines Anakin's role in TPM, banking on Obi-Wan as a main character. I don't know if that's really a good idea, considering that the Prequel trilogy is supposed to be Anakin's story, and that Anakin's rise and fall should parallel Luke's arc in many ways. I don't think Lucas did this effectively, but the OP's changes take the spotlight off of Anakin entirely for Episode I, which just makes the problem worse.

Anakin was essentially irrelevant in TPM. They only reason he was in there was because this was supposed to be the story of the fall of Anakin Skywalker, and, um, we have to cram him in somehow. Not only was nothing he did being done by him really crucial to the plot (what there was of it) but it was done by a kid. If it was all about the fall of Anakin Skywalker, make him a teenager/twen (which would get rid of the problem of him being a decade older by AOTC while Padme apparently hasn't aged a day).
TPM didn't do beans to advance Anakin's story. It merely parked him in there so he would be there for it to happen.

[Galvatron]

Something I liked that he didn't specifically point out was how in his version, Obiwan starts the movie longing for the days when the Jedi were fighting the Sith, and then he finds out just what that really means when his error of judgement helps cause Quigon's death at the hands of a Sith. This would be a good starting point for how Obiwan sobers up and becomes the man we saw in A New Hope.

It would have also given us a better glimpse into Obi-wan's "reckless" youth than anything the prequels actually showed us.

That said, this guy is clearly a nerd-raging, basement-dwelling, neck-bearded, perma-virgin fatty who hates George Lucas for not making the movie that only he wanted to see.

[Channel72]

Anakin was essentially irrelevant in TPM. They only reason he was in there was because this was supposed to be the story of the fall of Anakin Skywalker, and, um, we have to cram him in somehow. Not only was nothing he did being done by him really crucial to the plot (what there was of it) but it was done by a kid. If it was all about the fall of Anakin Skywalker, make him a teenager/twen (which would get rid of the problem of him being a decade older by AOTC while Padme apparently hasn't aged a day).
TPM didn't do beans to advance Anakin's story. It merely parked him in there so he would be there for it to happen.

In theory, TPM laid the groundwork for Anakin's attachment to his mother, which later played a big role in his fear of losing loved ones, which was a key element in his transition from Jedi to Sith.

I say "in theory" because even though that's likely what Lucas was going for, the reality is that TPM Anakin comes off as almost entirely disconnected from AOTC/ROTS Anakin. (TPM Anakin is a totally different character, after all.) So I essentially agree with you. All I'm saying is that the OP's "solution" to this is to sideline Anakin even more, and focus on Obi-Wan as the main character. To me, that's not a good way to fix Lucas's mess. A better way would be to have Obi-Wan meet Anakin as an adult, and to have the story revolve around their adventures together.

[Galvatron]

To be fair, the OP only really "sidelined" Anakin on Coruscant while everyone else went to Naboo, which would've been acceptable to me if it resulted in a better movie overall. Sure, it wouldn't be my ideal Episode 1, but it would definitely have been passable enough that I wouldn't be talking about how much I hate it nearly 12+ years later.

[Jim Raynor]

I don't agree that he's irrelevant to Episode I. There's more to Anakin than just attachment and fear of loss. There's the desire to control his own life, as well as the ambition to become a great hero and change the galaxy. These things were all established in the first movie. This fits his early life, where he lived under the corruption and injustice of slavery.

AOTC takes these and puts it into a 19 year old, struggling against under the restrictive and authority-minded Jedi Order that didn't believe in him from the start (also established in TPM). Anakin wants to do well for others, and during the Coruscant chase scene he's even joking and optimistic. The problem for him is that Obi-Wan was there to point out his every mistake. And as a teenager trying to make his own path into adulthood, he's naturally more angsty and bitter.

[PainRack]

I'm going to repeat what I said so many years ago. TPM wasn't that bad a film.

Rewatching it in 3D just reinforced it in my mind. The problem with TPM was the huge hype about a new Star Wars movie and it didn't deliver. I would even agree that if TPM had been the first Star Wars movie, the saga would never have been allowed to continue,

However, comparing it to the other prequels or taking it as part of the entire Star Wars franchise, it was decent enough. It showed us a young Obiwan Kenobi who was flashy in his light sabre swords, a bit naive but mature. We saw how he treated Jar Jar and Anakin, treating him as another stray his master picked up.

Anakin Skywalker was a young boy whoose fascination with Padme was obvious, and it also becomes clear why their love could never really last. It was a fantasy on both parts, although Padme was established in AOTC. Look at his fascination with Padme. A young boy working in his shop, entranced by a beautiful stranger. Oh wait, that's Luke Skywalker arc too. We saw his pants at work, when Anakin scarificed effort to help Padme and their party. We saw his fascination with the Jedi Order, the naive belief that the Jedi could right everything and free the slaves and etc. We saw him take the first, hard decision in his life when he left his mother.


All these begins to show how Anakin fell into the Dark Side. And even his eventual redemption given the course Luke took.


It doesn't work as a standalone film and that was TPM problem. It simply could not be accepted on its own two feet and still be watchable, although comparing those duels with that seen in AOTC and ROTS was....... sheer beauty. At least, we don't see Jedi balancing a lit lightsabre on their fucking shoulders, where your fucking headtails are swinging about!

[Luke Skywalker]

TPM was a terrible film. After watching it in 3d (with, like, eight people in the theatre), it's easy to forget how terrible it really was, at least in relationship to the rest of the saga. My dad fell asleep, despite having been an enormous Star Wars fan growing up. I saw an old person leaving the theatre and never returning.

There's just too much filler and stupid shit. The opening scroll is completely unexciting and tries futilely to sound complex. None of the characters show any emotion that you can connect with. The action sequences are bland and pointless, and in an interview, Lucas establishes that he intended for battle droids to be completely useless. He intended for there to be absolutely no tension in any of the scenes.

The only entertaining portions are the podracing scene (in 3d) and the lightsaber duel. The latter, however, suffered from looking too coreographed.