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Star Wars – The Phantom Menace: still terrible after all these years?


https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/may/03/star-wars-the-phantom-menace-still-terrible-after-all-these-years

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I've never thought it was terrible. Nor do I hate the Ewok movies. I would rather watch these than the Rise of Skywalker.

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I approach it as a family film. I don't mind Jar Jar Binks, he's a character that kids would like.

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The pod racing scene, although too long, and the fight with Darth Maul at the end prevent it from being terrible. I've always loved the shot of Darth Maul getting spliced in half and his body not seperating until after he's fallen.

There's still too many flaws that really hurt it though.

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There were impossibly high standards that the Prequels were never going to live up to. They're not bad movie when you know the Sequel Trilogy exists.

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My problem with the film is that it's babyish.

I enjoyed the Attack of the Clones just for the fact that it was more mature like the original trilogy

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This single film is better than the entire Sequel Trilogy.

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The absolute loathing this film gets is quite overblown. It's not a good film but it's more boring than it is outright awful. It it were disconnected from Star Wars, it would probably be on the same level as something like Valerian & The City of A Thousand Planets.

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The absolute loathing this film gets is quite overblown


It's mostly from fans who grew up with the original trilogy, they're judging the prequels against the standards of their childhood memories of watching Luke, Han and Leia etc. It's hard for any film to live up to that, so they double down on their hatred for the prequels, which were made in a different style and thus an easy target given all the excess that's in them.

It's funny I see the same thing from prequel fans who attack the kathleen kennedy's star wars in the same way.

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Yeah thats a good summation from you guys, I guess thats exactly what Lucas envisioned/wanted it to be, something like Valerian meets Fifth Element, and as if it had been made in the 50s with CGI. . whereas the fans who'd grown up with the OT wanted The Empire Strikes Back: Origins with the same vibe/aesthetic/adult tone

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whereas the fans who'd grown up with the OT wanted The Empire Strikes Back: Origins with the same vibe/aesthetic/adult tone


Yes, exactly, well said. The original trilogy movies were basically war movies in space, while Lucas chose a completely different path & tone with the prequels, perhaps because he just wanted something new & different.

For example, the Clone Wars begin prior to the end credits of the second movie when most fans would've assumed the prequels would've begun right in the middle of them, like Star Wars did with the war between the rebellion & empire. The fans who wanted this approach were left more disappointed, with battles replaced by podraces and chases through cities.

It's also the reason why I think most people prefer the third prequel over the other two, because it's set during a war just like the originals.

Also, Lucas selling the series to Disney was no coincidence. I think the prequels have a very strong Disney tone, especially with all the animation and kid characters throughout.

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I loved this when it came out, and I still enjoy it better than the other Prequel movies. Compared to that shit show of a sequel trilogy, the prequels are masterpieces.

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