WEEK 5 FINAL PAPER

FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 1

Final Film Critique: Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace

Your First and Last Name

University of Arizona Global Campus

ENG 225: Introduction to Film

Instructor Name

Due Date

Purpose: Use this modeled example of the Week 5 Written Assignment to explore the elements that make this an exemplary submission. Read the

comments to learn about what the student has done well in this assignment.

FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 2

Final Film Critique: Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace

Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace is a powerful story that

showcases expert use of narrative elements and cinematic techniques. In the

following film critique the author will analyze the Star Wars theatrical presentation

through the lens of the formalist theory. The formalist theory enables critics in

analyzing how meaning is conveyed through study of a film's form. By aligning the

theory with plot structure, editing style, sound elements, camera techniques, and

overall mise en scène it is clear that Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace

is a must-watch action adventure learning experience for all science fiction

aficionados. I will also reflect upon how my personal film analysis capabilities have

developed throughout this course. Lastly, the author will conclude with an

explanation of why Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is an eloquent entertainment

experience in excitement, thrill, achievement effect and virtue familiarity.

The Phantom Menace has many different themes intertwined throughout

the story. The most influential and encompassing of the many themes is the

‘confrontation with evil’ unique subject matter and the manner in which it is derived

from and leads to subthemes (i.e. fulfilling hope, honoring trust, respecting

friendship, valuing honesty, controlling ambition, garnering respect, etc.). The

heritage, legacy, culture, and family dynamics of the theatrical presentation

enhance the central ‘conflict with evil' theme for a first-rate, top-quality lesson in

structuring faith, developing compassionate understanding, and appreciating

egalitarian esteem. The analysis will address contextual information, story and plot

anatomy, aesthetic choices and social affect.

The author has written a strong introduction that

gives a clear sense of the topic

and purpose. Additionally, a

strong introduction

explains how the purpose will be

accomplished –in this instance,

what techniques and

methodologies will be explored.

The author makes a claim

about the theme of the film under discussion and then indicates how this claim

will be proven in the succeeding

paragraphs.

FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 3

Contextual information means basic identifying elements such as title,

director, and cinematographer. Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace is

directed by George Lucas. Mr. Lucas, as the director, guides technical teams and

controls the creativity skills of actors in script interpretation. The cinematographer,

David Tattersall, is in charge of the camera crew and carries team collaborative

responsibility in technical artistry. Choreographer/stunt coordinator, Nick Gillard,

arranges and plans action sequences such as lightsaber battles. The editor, Paul

Martin Smith, is technically responsible for connecting shots into a consistently

cogent sequence. Major actors and actresses include: Anthony Daniels, Kenny

Baker, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Oliver Ford Davies, Frank Oz, Jake

Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, Keira Knightly, Ahmed

Best, Pernilla August, Silas Carson, Sofia Cappola, Ray Park, Hugh Quarshie, and

Dominic West, (Star Wars, 2015). Their roles in the overall design process include

creating a sense of culture and species diversity. The Phantom Menace’s concept

design relies upon a galactic community theme with subsequent political

complexity subthemes. The identifying information in the eighteen named major

actors, from the author's perspective, assist in conceptualizing the blockbuster’s

multi-theme sophistication. Released in 1999, the science fiction, multi-million

dollar, epic, space soap opera is rated PG and has an average runtime of one

hundred thirty-six minutes.

A brief summary of Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace will

serve as an overview of the plot and story, and orient the treatment of theme. Jedi

Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to distant planet

Following the guidelines for

this assignment, the author has

delivered required

contextual information in

this paragraph – and has done so

fully with complete

sentences that explain how

even this information links

to the overall concepts under

discussions.

A plot summary is just that – a

summary of the important events and

current events of a film. In this paragraph, the author covers

the broad strokes of the plot without

getting bogged down in too

many specific details.

FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 4

Naboo to save its monarch, Queen Padme Amidala, from an invasion by the evil

Trade Federation. After escaping Naboo with Queen Amidala, the Jedi’s spacecraft

is damaged which causes an emergency landing on the planet Tatooine. On

Tatooine, Jedi Master Jinn discovers a child slave with tremendous force powers.

Named Anakin Skywalker, the child slave wins a Tatooine vehicle podrace,

establishes his freedom, and joins the Jedi in their trip to the planet Coruscant. After

undergoing unsuccessful political attempts to stop the Naboo invasion, Qui-Gon

Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Queen Amidala and Anakin Skywalker return to Naboo.

On Naboo they separate to engage in the story's ultimate thematic plot correlation:

Queen Amidala and Anakin versus the invasion force, and, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-

Wan Kenobi versus Darth Maul. After sacrificially winning their thematic battles

the heroes (sans Qui-Gon Jinn) become aware that the Naboo invasion is just the

beginning of an elaborate Sith plan to revive the Dark Side’s control of the galaxy.

The differences which indicate a film's story and a film's plot are sequence and

method. The writer transcribes the story, or sequence of development/action, into a

plot, which retells the story in a certain way (Goodykoontz, Jacobs, Meetze, &

Pritts, 2019). In transcribing the Star Wars Episode 1 story into The Phantom

Menace’s themed plot, writer/director George Lucas organized the David Tattersall

camera team and each actor/dialogue/setting sequence toward intended narrative

ideology development. The narrative ideology, computer-generated imagery and

live action, is fast-paced and full of critical moment scenes.

An example of Mr. Lucas' directorial plot methodology recapturing the

Episode One story sequence, and a scene from the aforementioned film summary,

In the plot summary, the

author is sure to signal how the plot connects to

the theme.

The author provides specific

examples, including scenes from the film, to

support the viewpoint being

discussed.

FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 5

is Qui-Gon Jinn and ObiWan Kenobi saving Queen Amidala from the initial Trade

Federation invasion. The techniques and design elements, as they apply to the

overarching them of confrontation with evil are correspondingly represented in

setting changes, character movement, camera angles and editing styles. As the film

transitions from the evil sneak attack destruction of the spacecraft, the audience

sees Trade Federation droids communicating with a hologram Darth Sidious who

commands them to kill the Jedi Master and apprentice Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan

Kenobi. The following cinematic events support the four areas of in-depth film

analysis and is but one of many which work together to convey the central Episode

1 themes.

The setting, a Naboo guest quarters annex, is low-key lighting and smoke-

filled with greys and vibrant blues as the Trade Federation droids gas then approach

the slowly opening doors of the Jedi's guest room. The diegetic and non-diegetic

sounds correlate the computer-generated droids' ‘command and control'

conversation and the suspenseful background music. The scene transitions to an

over-the-shoulder camera angle of the droids' perspective and silence as a servant

droid walks out of the room. The editing sequence from that moment shifts back

and forth from the droid perspective to the open guest room doors to heighten

expectation of a Jedi appearance. Instantly laser blasts sound, two lightsabers

appear, heroic theme music plays and Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi appear

deflecting laser projectiles and defeating the droid attack. The Nick Gillard-styled

coordinated character movement, the Paul Martin Smith-styled fast-paced camera

angles of David Tattersall styled close-up, medium, and full ‘battle sequence' shots

These specific examples, used to support the claims made

throughout the paper, are

closely analyzed from scenes and shots from the film itself. The author has used

the proper terminology to discuss these techniques

which demonstrates

mastery of course content.

FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 6

helped make sense of the twisting and turning loyalty shifts and mise en scene

chronological changes. The efficacy in the specific editing, sound, and computer-

generated imagery (CGI)/special effects mixture gives the audience a clear

interpretation of thrilling action, comprehensible excitement and protagonist

‘heroic triumph over evil' engagement. In furthering the focus of the overall

‘confrontation with evil theme', the CGI effects devise a unique Star Wars

subtheme aesthetic that promises a superior advantage.

The social impact of Star Wars: Episode One – The Phantom Menace

begins with the popular science fiction escapism of the 1970s and 1980s. Released

two years after the end of the Vietnam War, Star Wars: Episode Four – A New

Hope broke all-time box office records and garnered a multi-faceted, dedicated and

vastly expanding science fiction fan base and culture. The theatrical presentation

was such an awarded success that the culturally demanded sequels, The Empire

Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983) created even more intense multi-

faceted social demand. As the Star Wars response to the extreme popularity and

demand of the afore mentioned blockbusters, Episode One – The Phantom Menace

satiated the expectation, anticipation and excitement of the legendary space soap

opera. When fans anxiously awaited the premiere of the theatrical presentation back

in 1999 the elation of a new Star Wars overrode any critical disdain in the mind of

superfans (Kickham, 2015). The social impact is in adding to the Academy Award

record-breaking potential of the Star Wars franchise and invigorating a multifaceted

(artificial intelligence, aeronautics, health, audio engineering, astronomy, physics,

genre sophistication, etc, (Gent, 2015) theoretical science culture.

A reader won’t believe what you’re saying

unless you give clear and direct references as

support. In this class, that

support often comes from

specific scenes or shots from the film itself.

The author begins a

discussion of the social

impact of the film by

appealing to an understanding

of the culture at the time,

showing the delicate

interconnections between film and society.

Even though the film under

discussion is primarily meant

as entertainment,

the author explores this topic fully –

considering the many ways a

film may interact with the larger culture. Additionally,

outside resources have been brought in to support this

discussion.

FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 7

The author's ability to analyze movies has increased sufficiently according

to previous study and course terminology definitions and descriptions. The

completion of English 225: Introduction to Film enables the student in explaining

how movies incorporate meaning beyond story events. Quite professionally, the

author is able to better distinguish cinematography variations and differences and

recognize like elements in portraying similar themes. An effective refinement in

differentiating story and plot gives the author greater appreciation for engaging

audiences with socially-sensitive narrative elements and uniquely interpreted

literary devices (such as metaphor, conflict, foreshadowing, symbol, point of view,

tone, etc.). A better understanding of the relationship among directors/writers,

actors and technical teams changes the author's use of film theory and criticism by

prioritizing the application of cinematic innovation in attracting and retaining

audiences. The author's skills, developed in the English 225: Introduction to Film

course, are central to an in-depth understanding of a filmmaker's use of actors. In

recognizing the difference among actors and characters, the author can better

determine the applied aspects in effective realistic or stylized acting. Recognizing

the types of actors and the interdependency in acting styles effectuates what the

author considers promising and proficient professional acting skill.

Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace fashions meaning through

an elaboration in optimistic promise and objective consequences in moral

significance. The formalist approach directly highlights narrative elements and

cinematic techniques for focusing thematic collaboration and definitive

comprehension correlation. As a must-watch action adventure for all science fiction

The author has integrated his

required personal

reflection, showing how the work done in this paper is

an integral capstone to the

learning accomplished in

the class.

The author has written a complete

conclusion that serves to look

back at the entire paper and

gather the various ideas and concepts

that have been discussed.

Additionally, the conclusion

is linked to some specific information

from the film.

FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 8

aficionados, the highly recommended theatrical presentation expertly represents

human ‘good versus evil' ideological interaction on its finest scale.

FINAL FILM CRITIQUE: STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 9

References

Gent, E. (2015). ‘Star Wars' Tech: 8 Sci-Fi Inventions and Their Real-Life Counterparts.

Live Science. http://m.livescience.com/53114-real-life-star-wars-technology.html

Goodykoontz, B., Jacobs, C.P., Meetze, J., & Pritts, N. (2019). Film: From watching to seeing (3rd

ed.) [Electronic version]. https://content.ashford.edu/

Kickham, D. (2015). Star Wars fans react to the first screenings of The Phantom Menace

in vintage clip. Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/08/star-

wars-fans-react-phantom-menace

Star Wars. (2015). Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. http://www.starwars.com/films/star-wars-

episode-i-the-phantom-menace