5 Reasons Why Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Is A Genuinely Brilliant Film

5. Visually Spectacular

At the 72nd Academy Awards and BAFTAs of 2000, The Phantom Menace was nominated for Best Visual Effects. Though it lost out to The Matrix in both ceremonies, the nominations alone demonstrated how the creators of Episode I had managed to continue the success of the original Star Wars trilogy in regards to pushing the envelope of visual appeal. The original trilogy of Star Wars films is a visually stunning film series, and it must be acknowledged that the visuals of The Phantom Menace are worthy of the same praise and critical attention. The scale of the effects used was huge, with nearly 2000 shots in total being subject to visual effects. What is notable is that Episode I marked the first nomination in the Best Visual Effects category since the 1977 A New Hope. The most memorable visual effects of The Phantom Menace are seen in the Pod Race sequence. Actor Jake Lloyd, playing Anakin Skywalker, sat in a real-life Pod Racer cockpit in front of blue screens. The desert landscape was produced entirely out of Computer Generated Imagery, and the high speed racing between chariot-like Pods took months of perfecting in post-production. On screen, the Pod Race is fluid and realistic, and the visual effects of 1999 still hold up well today. Another memorable visual effect is the character of Jar Jar Binks. Actor Ahmed Best donned a Jar Jar suit and mask during filming and interacted with the other actors in character on set. Though Best's performance was meant to be a base for further computer generated imagery, the finished film features an entirely computer generated Jar Jar, one which blends seamlessly into the scenes. Though his character is often considered awful and unnecessary, we must at least appreciate the film-making feat of producing such a slick visual effect.