https://starloggers.com/2024/05/19/looking-back-at-star-wars-episode-one-the-phantom-menace-25-years-later/
This year is the 25th anniversary of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which is one of the most divisive films ever made. It was the first Star Wars film since Return of the Jedi in 1983, an…
Im of the opinion that E1 was brilliant, but not for the fans of the original trilogy, but for the kids of those fans who got taken to see the movie. It solidified an entire new generation of Star Wars fans who, just like their folks, hate everything made after the movies that came out when they were kids.
EP1 isn't a good movie, if just looking at the main plot. The pacing is bizarre. A full 40+ minutes of that movie are dedicated to podracing. I remembered the podracing of course, but on a recent rewatch I was actually surprised by how much there was. Even as I kid I remember enjoying the podracing but thinking something was really weird about how it was taking time away from Naboo and the trade federation situation that was clearly more epic.
I think what EP1 did was have a vision about the universe of Star Wars. Even if the plot was bizarre, EP1 captured that magic of having a world that dangled lots of intriguing things in front of me that made me want to know more. It didn't just feel like "The Original Trilogy (Again)". The republic era was different structurally and aesthetically while being believable as the same universe as the originals.
The amount of EU material set in the prequel era illustrates what kind of creative playground the movies left behind for others.
One thing about about ep1 is its pretty much not necessary. amadala is not the regent in ep2, the confederacy plays no real role later, You get a pretty fine idea of who everyone is in ep2 such that the backstory does not mean much.
I agree. That is what feeds into both my opinion that the plot is bizarre, and my enjoyment of the worldbuilding.
I have long thought that showing such a young Anakin was pointless, aside from establishing that he was born as the chosen one, which could have been covered in a flashback, timeskip, or just some dialog. All the other elements of the plot that were relevant to the trilogy would have worked with a 16 year old or so Anakin that was already in training. The plot of the movie just doesn't quite work.
Putting that aside, I just really like Naboo. I like the planet, the designs, the society. Gungans (Jar-Jar aside) are actually really interesting. I like the dynamic they have with the Naboo human population. Plenty of room for side stories there.
Podracing, despite utterly dragging down the pace of the important story, is awesome. The designs, the vibe.
Darth Maul is, at least visually menacing. He is so interesting that later writers retconned his death and turned him into a real character.
There's so much rich unique design and worldbuilding in Ep1 that it feels like skimming through a visual encyclopedia or something.
yeah for me darth maul was sorta bittersweet as he was the coolest thing in it. The pod racing is not real great if your not a kid basically. All said and done it feels more like a star wars side story than part of the megology.
It gave us the best Star Wars video game though. (Yes I have played KOTOR. Yes I have played Droidworks. I said what I said.)
I saw Empire and Jedi and in theaters as a kid. I was disappointed at the prequels but really enjoyed many parts of them. I loathe the sequel trilogy except for TFA which was a mediocre reskin but somewhat enjoyable.
But I absolutely loved Rogue One and Andor.
We don’t hate everything that comes out after we grow up, we just get higher expectations.
but for the kids of those fans who got taken to see the movie.
There's nothing kids like more than the economic implications of trade disputes and political posturing in governmental politics. /s
Lego has never released sets covering these scenes which consumed a surprisingly large amount of screen time.
Yes, there was plenty of other stuff for kids to like, but I'd say it succeeded in spite of how bad a move it was. I wouldn't call the movie brilliant because of that thought. Yes, I'm still disappointed I camped out in front of the theater the day before to get tickets for opening night.
We can’t overcome our trauma without engaging it head-on. It’s awful what George Lucas did to a generation of fans, but it’s time to heal. What a monster.
Oh my god I just realized Ep 1 is further away today than Ep 4 was when I was born 😑