And then there was 2. I am not a fan of the final two movies, but I believe one of them is so bad that it good.....sadly this isn't the fan. This was the biggest let down of any film I have ever seen in my life. I had extremely high expectations for this movie before I went to see it based upon the other movies this franchise...then agian you can say teh say thing about the other movie on this list. There are somethings I like about both the films left in this countdown.
Back on track. This is the absolute worst film I have ever seen, although it was very cool to see a character that was a main character from the other films in this franchise appear in this film. The only other cool thing about this film in my opinion was a new character that was amazing. Well...here we go this craptcaular film as decided by you is the 2nd worst movie of all time that we have seen....
with a grand total of 19 points from votes is..........
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/40/Star_Wars_Phantom_Menace_poster.jpg)
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
here's what we had to say about this
I want to strangle the kid and the evil Jar-Jar…there’s a reason this is the only
Star Wars movie I’ve only seen once completely, it’s like George Lucas forgot the art of how to tell this story…the last 3 of this series is epic but the first episode is just so awful...that kid and the alien become SUPER ANNOYING SUPER QUICK...GRRRRRRR!!!!
Wiki says......
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It was the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the first in terms of internal chronology. It was also Lucas' first film as a director in 22 years, and only his fourth overall. The film follows Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, who flee the planet Naboo with Queen Amidala in the hope of finding a peaceful end to a trade dispute. Along the way, the ship must stop for repairs on the planet Tatooine, where the Jedi encounter Anakin Skywalker, a young slave boy who is unusually strong with the Force. Meanwhile, they must contend with the mysterious return of the Sith.
Lucas began production when he felt special effects had advanced to the level of what he had envisioned for the film. Shooting took place during 1997 at various locations including Leavesden Film Studios and the Tunisian desert. Special effects made extensive use of computer-generated imagery, with some characters and scenarios being completely digital.
The Phantom Menace was released in May 19, 1999, almost sixteen years after the previous film in the series, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, and was accompanied by extensive media coverage and great anticipation. Despite mixed reviews by critics, who praised the visuals and action scenes but criticized the writing, characterization and acting, it grossed $924.3 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Star Wars film and the 9th highest-grossing film of all time. It was the 2nd highest-grossing film of all time after its theatrical run, and was the highest grossing film of 1999.
The Galactic Republic is in a period of decline, with its bureaucracy bloated and corrupt and its economy deteriorating. In response to a taxation on trade routes, the greedy Trade Federation organizes a blockade of battleships around the small planet of Naboo. Hoping to resolve the matter, the Supreme Chancellor dispatches two Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to negotiate with Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray. Unbeknownst to them, the Trade Federation is in league with the evil Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who orders them to invade Naboo with an army of battle droids and kill the Jedi. Narrowly evading death, the two Jedi stow aboard landing crafts and escape to Naboo. There Qui-Gon saves local Gungan outcast Jar Jar Binks from being trampled by a Federation tank. Indebted to the Jedi, Jar Jar leads them to the underwater Gungan city of Otoh Gunga, where the Jedi unsuccessfully attempt to persuade the Gungans to help the people of Naboo, though they are able to obtain a transport to reach the city of Theed on the surface.
Queen Amidala of Naboo is captured by the Federation army, but is rescued by the Jedi. The Queen escapes Naboo with the Jedi on her personal starship, which is damaged on its way through the blockade surrounding the planet, forcing them to land on the nearby desert planet Tatooine for repairs. Qui-Gon ventures into the settlement of Mos Espa with Padmé, disguised as one of the Queen's handmaidens, to a junk shop to purchase a new hyperdrive generator. There they meet a young slave child named Anakin Skywalker, who takes an immediate liking to Padmé. After spending time with Anakin and his mother, Qui-Gon senses a strong presence of the Force within him, and suspects he may be the Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force. Qui-Gon makes a bet with Anakin's owner to enter him in a Podrace, and that if Anakin wins, he will be freed. With Qui-Gon's guidance, Anakin manages to win the race and joins the group to be trained as a Jedi, but he is forced to leave his mother, who Qui-Gon was unable to release, behind. Before they leave, they are attacked by Darth Sidious' apprentice, Darth Maul, who was dispatched to capture the Queen. After a brief fight, they manage to escape.
The Jedi escort the Queen to the Republic capital planet of Coruscant so she can plead her people's case to the Galactic Senate. Qui-Gon, meanwhile, attempts to persuade the Jedi Council to train Anakin as a Jedi, but they refuse as Anakin is too old and has too many attachments, which would risk him turning to the dark side of the Force. Within the Senate, Senator Palpatine of Naboo convinces the Queen to move for a vote of no confidence in the Supreme Chancellor so they can vote for a new, stronger Chancellor who will help end the conflict. However, she grows frustrated with the lack of action by the Senate, ultimately deciding to return to Naboo with the Jedi.
Back on Naboo, Padmé reveals herself to be Queen Amidala, the other "Queen" having been a decoy for her own protection. The Queen convinces the Gungan people to form an alliance against the Trade Federation. While the inept Jar Jar leads his people in a battle against the droid army and the Queen moves in to capture Viceroy Gunray in Theed, Anakin commandeers a vacant starfighter and joins the dogfight against the Federation droid control ship in space, using his skills with the Force to destroy it, which deactivates the entire droid army. The Jedi, meanwhile, encounter Darth Maul once more and engage him in a two-on-one lightsaber duel. Qui-Gon is mortally wounded in the battle, but Obi-Wan manages to kill the Sith apprentice. With his dying breaths, Qui-Gon tells Obi-Wan to train Anakin. Senator Palpatine is elected as the new Supreme Chancellor, Viceroy Gunray is sent to stand trial for his crimes, and the Jedi Council reluctantly allows Anakin to become Obi-Wan's apprentice. At a grand ceremony, Queen Amidala presents a gift of appreciation and friendship to the Gungan people.
Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn: A Jedi Master and mentor to Obi-Wan. When he discovers Anakin, he insists that the boy be trained as a Jedi, despite the protests of the council. Lucas originally envisioned an American actor in the role, but cast Neeson, who is Irish, because he considered Neeson to have great skills and presence, describing him as a "master actor, who the other actors will look up to, who has got the qualities of strength that the character demands."[2]
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi: Qui-Gon's young Jedi apprentice. He holds Qui-Gon in high regard, but questions his motives at times. McGregor prepared for the role by watching Alec Guinness, who portrayed the elderly Obi-Wan, in both the original Star Wars trilogy and Guinness' early work.[2]
Natalie Portman as Queen Padmé Amidala: The young queen of Naboo at 14 years of age, Amidala hopes to protect her planet from a blockade brought on by the Trade Federation. Over 200 actresses were auditioned for the role,[3] with production notes stating that "The role required a young woman who could be believable as the ruler of that planet, but at the same time be vulnerable and open." Portman was chosen specially for her performances in The Professional (1994) and Beautiful Girls (1996), which impressed Lucas.[2] He stated, "I was looking for someone who was young, strong, along the lines of Leia [and] Natalie embodied all those traits and more."[2] The actress was unfamiliar with Star Wars prior to being cast,[2] but was enthused over being cast as the Queen of Naboo, a character she expected to become a role model: "It was wonderful playing a young queen with so much power. I think it will be good for young women to see a strong woman of action who is also smart and a leader."[4]
Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker: A 9-year-old slave boy from Tatooine. He is discovered to have a higher midi-chlorian count than any Jedi, and is therefore exceptionally gifted in the Force. More than 3,000 young actors auditioned for the role of Anakin Skywalker through North America and the United Kingdom.[5] They included child actors Michael Angarano, Justin Berfield, and Haley Joel Osment.[6] The field narrowed to three actors, all of whom were interviewed by Lucas and then screen-tested with Natalie Portman.[5]
Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine / Supreme Chancellor Palpatine / Darth Sidious: The Senator of Naboo, who grows concerned about Naboo's blockade and defends his position in the Senate. McDiarmid was surprised when Lucas approached him 16 years after Return of the Jedi to reprise the role of Palpatine, because he considered that the prequel trilogy would use a younger actor for the role instead.[7]
Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks: A clumsy Gungan, exiled from his home but taken in by Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. He accompanies them throughout the film. Best was hired after Gurland saw him on a Stomp performance in San Francisco,[8] and originally was just going to provide motion capturing, but after offering to also voice the character, was accepted. He wandered in the set in a foam-and-latex suit and headpiece to provide reference for the actors, with his filmed performance later replaced by the computer-generated character.[9] Best frequently improvised movements to make Jar-Jar as clumsy and comedic as possible.[8]
Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker: Anakin's mother. She is concerned for her son's future, and lets him leave with the Jedi. August, a veteran from Swedish cinema, was chosen after auditioning with Liam Neeson, although she was afraid of not being chosen due to her accent.[9]
Anthony Daniels voices C-3PO: A protocol droid built by Anakin, he lacks a metal covering in this film, which R2-D2 refers to as being "naked". A puppeteer — dressed in a color close to the one seen in the background, similar to the Japanese puppet theater Bunraku, so he could be erased during post-production — manipulated a skeletal C-3PO figure attached to his front, while Daniels read his lines off-camera.[8][10]
Kenny Baker as R2-D2: An astromech droid, notable for saving Queen Amidala's ship when all other droids fail.
Ray Park as Darth Maul: A young Zabrak Sith apprentice to Darth Sidious who uses a double-bladed lightsaber. He was voiced by Peter Serafinowicz. A martial arts champion with experience in gymnastics and swordfighting, Park was originally only a member of the stunt crew,[8] and stunt coordinator Nick Gillard filmed Park to demonstrate how he envisioned the lightsaber battles. Lucas and McCallum were so impressed with the test tape that they gave Park the role of Maul. But his voice was considered "too squeaky", leading him to be dubbed over.[9]
Silas Carson as Nute Gunray: The Viceroy of the Trade Federation who leads the invasion of Naboo and tries to force Queen Amidala to sign a treaty to legitimise the occupation. Carson also portrays three minor characters: Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, Trade Federation Senator Lott Dod, and an ill-fated pilot (which was the role Carson originally auditioned for).[11] Carson got the role because another actor was uncomfortable with the costumes used by the Trade Federation characters - which were hot, did a lot of pressure, and took about 15 minutes to wear. The Thai accent used by the character was chosen after Lucas and McCallum listened to various langugages to pick how the Neimodians would speak.[12]
Hugh Quarshie as Captain Panaka: a bodyguard of Queen Amidala who is a security guard at Theed Palace.
Andy Secombe voices Watto: A junk dealer on Tatooine who owns Anakin and his mother as slaves. With a design that was an amalgalm of various rejected ideas, Watto's expressions were based on video footage of Secombe doing the voice acting, photos of animation supervisor Rob Coleman imitating the character, and modeler Steve Alpin saying Watto's lines to the mirror.[13]
Lewis MacLeod voices Sebulba: An aggressive, scheming Podracer and rival of Anakin. Sebulba's design was described by Lucas as "a spider crossed with an orangutan crossed with a sloth",[14], with a camel-like face, and clothing inspired by medieval armor.[15]
Frank Oz voices Yoda: The leader of the Jedi Council who is apprehensive about allowing Anakin to be trained. Yoda was mostly portrayed as a puppet designed by Nick Dudman, based on Stuart Freeborn's original design, with Oz controlling the mouth and other parts controlled by the puppeteers using remote controls.[9] A computer-generated Yoda is featured in two distant shots and Warwick Davis portrays him in the scene in which Obi-Wan is turned into a Jedi Knight.[16]
Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu: A member of the Jedi Council who also opposes the idea of training Anakin. After Jackson expressed interest in appearing in a Star Wars film, he was approached by cast director Robin Gurland to play Windu.[8]
Terence Stamp as Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum: The current Chancellor who commissions Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to negotiate with the Trade Federation Viceroy.
Brian Blessed voices Boss Nass: The leader of the Gungan tribe who allies with the Naboo and defeats the Trade Federation. Blessed actually auditioned for another role, for which he was considered "too loud".[17] Blessed described Nass as a "reluctant hero",[17] and a fun role to play.[18]
Greg Proops and Scott Capurro voice Fode and Beed, the two headed announcer of the Boonta's Eve Race. The actors were filmed wearing make-up and blue bodysuits, so their heads would be joined in a computer-generated body. The visual effects crew did not like the original results, and ended up crafting Fode and Beed as an entirely computer generated alien.[19]
Keira Knightley as Sabe: Queen Amidala's body double and decoy. The role was originally going to be filled by a stand-in, until casting director Robin Gurland came across Knightley, who bore a striking resemblance to Natalie Portman. Knightley's role was kept quiet by The Phantom Menace's marketing department in order to heighten the surprise of there being a decoy Queen when the film was released. The Queen's costumes were specifically designed to hide any height and shape differences between Knightley and Portman, so much so that Portman's mother could not distinguish between the two on set.[20]
While writing the original Star Wars, George Lucas realised the film would not in fact be the first in the sequence, but a film in the second trilogy in the saga.[21][22] By the time of the third draft Lucas had negotiated a contract that gave him rights to make two sequels. He had also by that point developed a fairly elaborate backstory to aid his writing process.[23] While writing the first sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas considered different directions in which to take the story. He turned the villain Darth Vader into the father of hero Luke Skywalker, and developed a backstory depicting Vader as the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who at certain point was swayed to the dark side of the Force.[24] With this new backstory in place, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy, renaming the film from "Episode II" to "Episode V".[25] By the time of the final film of the trilogy, Return of the Jedi, Vader was turned into a sympathetic character and ultimately redeemed. However, Lucas stated that he was "burned out" and would take a break from the series.[26]
After losing much of his fortune in a divorce settlement in 1987, George Lucas had no desire to return to Star Wars, and had unofficially canceled his Sequel Trilogy by the time of Return of the Jedi. But since Lucas had developed most of the backstory, the idea of prequels continued to fascinate him.[27] In the early 1990s, Star Wars saw a ressurgance in popularity in the wake of Dark Horse's comic line and Timothy Zahn's trilogy of novels. Seeing that there was still a large audience for his idea of a prequel trilogy, and with the explosion of CGI technology, George Lucas considered returning to directing.[28] By 1993 it was announced, in Variety among other sources, that he would be making the prequels. He began outlining the story, now indicating that Anakin Skywalker would be the protagonist rather than Ben Kenobi, and that the series would be a tragic one examining Anakin's turn to the "Dark Side". Lucas also began to change how the prequels would exist relative to the originals, from a "filling-in" of history, backstory, existing parallel or tangential to the originals, to the beginning of one long story that started with Anakin's childhood and ended with his death. This was the final step towards turning the franchise into a "saga".[29]
George Lucas began writing the new Star Wars trilogy on November 1, 1994.[30] The screenplay for Star Wars was adapted from Lucas' 15-page outline that was written in 1976. The early outline was originally designed to help Lucas track the character backstories and what events had taken place before the original trilogy.[30] While the working title for the film was The Beginning,[30] Lucas later revealed the true title to be The Phantom Menace; a reference to Senator Palpatine's true nature as seemingly good and just in public, but in private a manipulative Sith Lord.[31]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/16/Duelfates.jpg)
Within three to four months of Lucas beginning the writing process, Doug Chiang and his design team started a two-year process of reviewing thousands of designs for the film.[33] Stunt coordinator Nick Gillard was recruited to create a new Jedi fighting style for the prequel trilogy. Gillard likened the lightsaber battles to a chess game "with every move being a check." Because of their short-range weapons, Gillard theorized that the Jedi would have had to develop a fighting style that merged every swordfighting style, such as kendo and other kenjutsu styles, with other swinging techniques, such as tennis swings and tree-chopping. While training Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor, Gillard would write a sequence to be an estimated 60 seconds in length, meant to be among five to six sequences per fight.[34] Lucas later referred to Jedi as being "negotiators", rather than high-casualty soldiers. The preference of hand-to-hand combat was intended to give a more spiritual and intellectual role to the Jedi.[34] Lucas also decided to make elaborate costumes, considering that the society was more sophisticated than the one depicted in the original trilogy. Designer Trisha Biggar and her team created over one thousand costumes, with inspiration from various cultures around the globe.[35]
Filming began on June 26, 1997 and ended on September 30 of that year, primarily taking place at Leavesden Film Studios in England, with additional location shooting in the Tunisian desert for the Tatooine scenes and the Italian Caserta Palace for the Theed City Naboo Palace interior.[36] The city of Mos Espa was built in the desert outside Tozeur. On the night following the third day of shooting in Tozeur, an unexpected sandstorm destroyed many sets and props. With a quick rescheduling to allow for repairs, production was able to leave Tunisia on the exact day originally planned.[37]
Lucasfilm spent $20 million in The Phantom Menace's advertising campaign. The company also made licensing deals for promotion with Hasbro, Lego, Tricon Global Restaurants and PepsiCo.[56] Lucasfilm also helped the Star Wars fan club to organize a special event, Star Wars Celebration, which was held in Denver, Colorado between April 30 and May 2, 1999.[57]
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released on VHS on April 4, 2000, in two different versions, a standard pan-and-scan and a Collector's Edition widescreen. In its first two days of availability, the regular version sold 4.5 million copies and the limited edition, 500,000.[68] Later it became the first Star Wars film to be officially released on DVD, in October 2001. The DVD version of the film had certain scenes and other elements edited and inserted by George Lucas, making it slightly different from its theatrical release while retaining an identical plot. Among the special features are seven deleted scenes completed specifically for the DVD, a commentary track featuring among others Lucas and producer Rick McCallum, and a number of documentaries, including a full-length documentary entitled "The Beginning: Making Episode I". The Phantom Menace became the fastest selling DVD ever in the US, with 2.2 million copies were sold in its first week after release.[69] The DVD version was re-released in a prequel trilogy box set on November 4, 2008.[70] A LaserDisc version of The Phantom Menace was also released in Japan, several months before it was available on DVD in the US.[71]
The Phantom Menace received mixed reviews from film critics and fans. It has a "fresh" rating from Rotten Tomatoes of 63 percent with an average rating of 6/10 (39 percent when filtered to include only critics from mainstream sources).[72] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it three and a half stars (out of four), praising its visual effects and calling it "exhilarating".[73] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly complimented Liam Neeson's performance and the action scenes,[74] and Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today thought the movie did "plenty right", including the characters of Darth Maul and Watto.[75] Some aspects of the scripting were criticized. Much criticism was directed at the character of Jar Jar Binks, who was regarded by many members of the older fan community as purely a merchandising opportunity rather than a serious character in the film.[76][77][78] In defense of the character, George Lucas stated that the Star Wars films are also for children and that the original trilogy also drew similar criticism from fans over the characters R2-D2, C-3PO, and Yoda. He also criticized the American media for using fan opinions from the Internet as a reliable source for their news stories.[79] In 2002, with the release of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, McGregor said that in retrospect Episode I slightly lacked in some of the "humor and color" of the forthcoming Episodes. He felt as a result of bearing the weight of setting up the entire saga, it seemed "kind of flat".[80]
On the other hand, many fans and critics agree that the lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul — showcasing high-flying choreography and Ray Park's martial arts skills — is a high point, and one of the best lightsaber duels in the entire Star Wars saga.[81] Nevertheless Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was rated by Entertainment Weekly as one of the "The 25 Worst Sequels Ever Made".[82] James Berardinelli would later note, "The Phantom Menace was probably the most overhyped motion picture of the last decade (if not longer), and its reputation suffered as a result of its inability to satisfy unreasonable expectations."[83]
The introduction of midi-chlorians (microscopic organisms that allow communication with the Force) in the film has been controversial among fans. Those against it have seen it as a concept that negates the spiritual quality of the Force. Film historian Daniel Dinello notes, "Anathema to Star Wars fanatics who thought they reduced the Force to a kind of viral infection, midi-chlorians provide a biological interface, the link between physical bodies and spiritual energy."[84] Religion expert John D. Caputo adds, "In the 'Gospel according to Lucas' a world is conjured up in which the intractable oppositions that have tormented religious thinkers for centuries are reconciled. ... The gifts that the Jedi masters enjoy have a perfectly plausible scientific basis, even if its ways are mysterious: their bodily cells have a heavier than usual concentration of 'midi-chlorians.'"[85]
After the release of the film, there was controversy over whether several alien characters reflected racial stereotypes, notably: the oafish, slow-witted Jar Jar Binks had long droopy ears reminiscent of dreadlocks and spoke with what many perceived as a Caribbean patois (particularly Jamaican Creole);[86] the greedy and corrupt Neimoidians of the Trade Federation spoke with East Asian accents; and the unprincipled desert trader Watto is interpreted by some as a Fagin-esque Jewish stereotype. Lucas has categorically denied all of these implications;[76] however, animator Rob Coleman admitted that he viewed footage of Alec Guinness as Fagin in Oliver Twist to inspire his animators in creating Watto.[87]
The Phantom Menace debuted breaking many box office records. It broke The Lost World: Jurassic Park's records for the largest single-day gross with more than $28 million in the opening day (first surpassed in 2001 by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), and fastest to $100 million gross in five days (surpassed in 2002 by Spider-Man).[88] It also became the fastest movie to reach the $200 million and $300 million mark, surpassing Independence Day and Titanic respectively.[89] The Phantom Menace was 1999's most successful film, earning more than $431 million in North America and $493 million elsewhere.[89] The worldwide total of $924 million makes it the ninth highest grossing film of all time.[90]
The Phantom Menace was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Sound Effects, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound, losing all three to The Matrix.[91] In contrast, the film received several Golden Raspberry, or Razzie, nominations. These included Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, Worst Supporting Actor (Jake Lloyd as Anakin), Worst Supporting Actress (Sofia Coppola as Saché), Worst Screen Couple (Jake Lloyd and Natalie Portman), and won the Worst Supporting Actor category with Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best.[92] The film won Saturn Awards for Best Costumes and Best Special Effects,[93] the MTV Movie Award for Best Action Scene,[94] and a Young Artist Award for Jake Lloyd's performance.[95] It was also nominated for, among others, the BAFTAs in Visual Effects and Sound,[96] and the Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack.[97] Empire ranked The Phantom Menace 449th in a 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.[98]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6e/DevilMaul.jpg)
imbd.com rates this movie as 6.4/10
now I want to focus on a great source of anger for many fans..Jar-Jar Binks
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/Jjportrait.jpg)
Banished from his childhood home of Gungan City for his clumsiness, the naïve Jar Jar is first encountered while living in the swamps of Naboo. In the events of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi arrive on Naboo, ending up in the swamps rather than the intended destination of the capital, Theed.
Qui-Gon Jinn saves Jar Jar's life as the Trade Federation's droid army advances on Theed, and, as a result, Jar Jar explains that he owes Qui-Gon a life debt (implying that he is obligated to stay by Qui-Gon's side for the rest of his life, or until he is released). Jar Jar is later arrested by troops loyal to Boss Nass when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan visit Otoh Gunga, and Qui-Gon uses the excuse of this life debt to free Jar Jar from the custody of the Gungan Bosses.
Jar Jar travels with Qui-Gon's party to Tatooine,a sandy planet and later Coruscant. It is on the latter planet that he informs Padmé Amidala that the Gungans have a grand army (a term significant later in the Star Wars series - see Grand Army of the Republic), a contributory factor in her decision to return to Naboo and contest the Trade Federation's invasion militarily. After Qui-Gon and his party's return to Naboo, Jar Jar is instrumental in Padmé's brokering a deal with the Gungans for a joint attack on the Trade Federation's occupation forces, leading her and her allies to the Gungans' swamp hiding place. Throughout this ordeal, he befriends Anakin Skywalker, a nine-year-old human whom Qui-Gon believes to be the Chosen One destined to bring balance to the Force. As a result of bringing together the Naboo and the Gungans, Jar Jar reconciles with Boss Nass and is awarded the rank of Bombad General in the Gungan Grand Army. Jar Jar plays a role in the Battle of Naboo.
Many fans claim that Jar Jar is intended to provide comic relief throughout the film, including a number of battle scenes. For instance, Jar Jar accidentally sends a cart of explosive energy spheres into a group of enemy battle droids, which destroys a large number of them.
Although he has much less screen time in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Jar Jar plays a pivotal role in the narrative. As Representative Binks, he is a member of The Loyalist Committee. He is deputized by Padmé Amidala in the Galactic Senate, and subsequently manipulated by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and his allies into proposing a bill to give Palpatine emergency powers, on the ostensible grounds that this is what Senator Amidala would do if she were present. These powers enable Palpatine to approve the creation of the Grand Army of the Republic and implicitly mark the beginning of Palpatine's gathering of authority towards his own office. Jar Jar's decision sets in motion the Clone Wars and by extension, the creation of the Galactic Empire.
In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Jar Jar only has a cameo appearance, appearing onscreen three times. He is seen with a group of Senators following the Battle of Coruscant, with Padme and Bail Organa as Palpatine declares himself the Emperor, and at Padmé's funeral procession at the end of the film. He has no dialogue except for the phrase "excuse me", heard from a distance. Deleted scenes from the film, available on the DVD, portray him as a member of the Delegation of 2000, a Senatorial committee that later develops into the Rebel Alliance.
Upon the release of The Phantom Menace, Jar Jar Binks became the subject of a great deal of media and popular attention, though not in the way his creators intended. Binks became symbolic of what many reviewers such as Brent Staples (New York Times),[3] David Edelstein (Slate),[4] and Eric Harrison (Los Angeles Times)[5][6] considered to be inherent creative flaws of the film. The character was widely rejected and often ridiculed by sections of the series' hardcore fanbase,[7] who felt that Jar Jar was clearly included in the film solely to appeal to children. One fan, Mike J. Nichols, created and distributed, free of charge, a modified version of the film, entitled The Phantom Edit, which cut out most scenes featuring Jar Jar Binks.[8] The character of Jar Jar Binks was also lampooned on an episode of the television show South Park entitled Jackovasaurus as well as the parody Star Wars episodes of Robot Chicken, in which Best reprised the role in voice-over form[citation needed]. Jar Jar was even presented as evidence of "Unintelligent design" in the book The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Along with film critics, many fans have also objected to what is perceived as excessive commercialization directed at young children in the Star Wars series (a criticism first levelled with the introduction of Ewoks).[7] Star Wars creator George Lucas stated that he feels there is a section of the fanbase who get upset with aspects of Star Wars because "The movies are for children but they don't want to admit that... There is a small group of fans that do not like comic sidekicks. They want the films to be tough like The Terminator, and they get very upset and opinionated about anything that has anything to do with being childlike."[9]
Additionally, Rob Coleman, who was the lead on the Industrial Light & Magic animation team, warned Lucas that there was concern among the team that the character of Jar Jar was coming across poorly for the team and how the character was to be projected. Lucas told him that he especially put Jar Jar in the film to appeal to small children. After that, the issue was dropped.[10]
Joe Morgenstern of Wall Street Journal described the character as a "Rastafarian Stepin Fetchit on platform hoofs, crossed annoyingly with Butterfly McQueen."[11] Patricia J. Williams writes that many aspects of Jar Jar's character are highly reminiscent of the archetypes portrayed in blackface minstrelsy,[12] while others have suggested that the character is a "laid-back clown character" representing a black Caribbean stereotype.[13] George Lucas, however, has denied any intentional similarity.