The Phantom Edit is actually a lot better

[BenKenobi]

I've heard about it but I just decided to watch it. Jar Jars still annoying, Palpatine still has some flawed logic, but it's much much more fast paced and far less boring.

EDIT:
Nevermind slows down A LOT once we get to Tatooine. A bunch of extra unnecessary scenes added in.

 

[747]

I've never found TPM boring anyway. A bit flawed yes – but certainly not boring. Faster pace isn't the key to make TPM better.

 

[BenKenobi]

I've never found TPM boring anyway. A bit flawed yes – but certainly not boring. Faster pace isn't the key to make TPM better.

I think boring is a pretty good way to describe it imo. The movie is driven by space politics which are very flawed and bogged down by it's attempts to be overly child friendly that it just becomes boring. There are great movies where theres a lot of talking and not much action like the Godfather, but they keep the tone consistant and make sure the dialogue and the slow scenes are driving the plot forward and maintain tone. However in the prequels we jump from Jar Jar stepping in the poo to talks of corruption and bureaucratic filibuster, the adults are annoyed by the slap stick humor, and the kids are bored out of their minds by the politics they don't understand. All of the kids I knew when these movies were coming out always just fast forwarded to the lightsaber fights and the action scenes.

Not to mention we don't see any of the horrors on Naboo or the hardships of being a slave. "Clean off the racks...then you can go home" "Yippie!" this is not an exchange between master and owner, there is no plight shown in the slaves lives and as such theres no conflict driving the Tatooine scenes forward. It really doesn't seem too bad. The scenes on Corescaunt would have been a lot better if we saw any of the plight on Naboo, because then something would be at stake. We would feel the Queens frustration over the Senates inefficiency while developing a presence around the antagonists. Instead nothing is at stake and we spend almost an hour between these two worlds so we become bored. Now we cant add any of that in but cutting as much as possible from the scenes with little at stake would do wonders for the film as a whole.

 

[MistaBinks]

Did you find it online? I have yet to see it.

 

[BenKenobi]

search it on vimeo, it's pretty impressive for the technology available readily in 2000/01 but the editing can be a bit choppy.

 

[batfreakforever]

No the edits are not better. Its just ''older'' fans who ''grew up'' (but really still have'nt) with the original trilogy. When Phantom menace came & went they the ''older'' fans cried, complained just were not happy. To me they missed the point completely.

 

[BenKenobi]

No the edits are not better. Its just ''older'' fans who ''grew up'' (but really still have'nt) when the original trilogy. When Phantom menace came & went they the ''older'' fans cried, complained just were not happy. To me they missed the point completely.

You are right there are a lot of people that don't like the prequels that grew up with the originals, however I was 6 and in Kindergarten with the Phantom Menace came out so your logic is flawed. There any many people, myself included, who loved the prequels and their characters but can recognize they are very flawed.

The scripts are more like solid drafts rather than fully realized final products. The pacing is very bad in the Phantom Menace especially (not so much Episode III). And there is a great surplus of scenes that in no way further the plot of the films. Trimming them down adds a great deal to the films quality, and allows the moments where the films shine to go even brighter. Editors have been helping to fix flawed films for years.

I agree theres a totally valid argument to be made that these films are good, however "they're only fun for kids" has been proven completely invalid multiple times.

 

[Superwoman Prime]

No the edits are not better. Its just ''older'' fans who ''grew up'' (but really still have'nt) with the original trilogy. When Phantom menace came & went they the ''older'' fans cried, complained just were not happy. To me they missed the point completely.

Careful. You might clog your arteries with generalizations and hyperbole.

 

[BenKenobi]

Careful. You might clog your arteries with generalizations and hyperbole.

Yeah I was born ten years after Return of the Jedi and six before Phantom Menace. I don't think anyone would call a six year old an "older fan" so clearly this argument is void.

 

[ronindave]

It's certainly a better edit than the original but it can't make up for fundamental flaws to the story. It does show how important editing is though to the storytelling process

 

[henzINNIT]

I can't remember if I saw the Phantom Edit, but I did see his episode 2 edit and it was far, far superior.

Can't polish a turd though.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

Can't polish a turd though.

This.

I mean, in my opinion its not Jar Jar that ruins TPM or the trilogy for that matter.

It's Anakin. Both Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen equally. They focus so heavily on these two (imo) terrible actors and they essentially ruin the entire trilogy. With a different actor(s) for Anakin and no Jar Jar... We might be getting somewhere on polishing that turd.

 

[Poopoo66]

Many issues with phantom, but it remains my second favorite of the saga thus far. Sure jar jar sucked, anakin was cringe worthy. However qui-gon and obi won were awesome. Their relationship was awesome. Not to mention the phantom menace still has the best lightsaber duel to date.