In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Lucasfilm rereleased the first chronological movie in the Star Wars saga. For many Star Wars fans, ‘Star Wars Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace’ is a divisive film for multiple reasons. While many herald the soundtrack and lightsaber duel as some of the best parts of the franchise, its faults have been an overly beaten dead horse since 1999. But time and distance from its initial release, and comparisons to Disney Star Wars projects, have allowed fans to re-examine their views on Episode 1 now that it’s back in theaters for a short time. Did people quickly judge the film back then? Most likely. But did it take a long time for everyone to finally see and accept that? Most definitely.
What makes The Phantom Menace so unique among the other Star Wars films is how much it’s burdened by setting up the rest of the saga. Back in May 1999, people had wild imaginations of what could be the beginnings of the original trilogy. What were the Clone Wars, what were the Jedi like in their prime, and how did the Empire come to be? Unfortunately, hardly any of those concerns are addressed in The Phantom Menace itself, and instead only given the basic foundation for those answers to be given in the movies that followed.
It’s for these reasons that The Phantom Menace was viewed harshly by critics and Star Wars fanatics who love the first three movies. Adding in the disdain for characters like Jar Jar Binks, a young Anakin Skywalker, and the boring details of a trade dispute, and you have a recipe to upset fans. But what we have now that we didn’t have back then is the benefit of hindsight knowing what came after, as well as seeing Star Wars projects that are of varying quality compared to Episode 1.
On the big screen, Star Wars Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace is a big spectacle that not only aims high in scope, but it’s trust in the audience. The movie was one of the first films in 1999 to really pioneer the use of computer graphics to construct scenes and interact with live actors. By today’s standards, it’s much more primitive to see but it was cutting-edge for the time. Planets like Naboo and Coruscant are huge locations that became staples of the series afterward, along with sounds and music that are distinct to them.
In addition, the story of The Phantom Menace plays off the fact that audiences know where the plot is going to end up, despite everything being so far off in the future. We know about Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi, but we only see subtle hints of what the Emperor was before the rise of the Galactic Empire. We know that the Jedi are all but extinct in Episode IV – A New Hope, but we get a view of the Jedi at their height of power and what could’ve led to their eventual downfall.
It’s these first layers placed down that give way to the rest of the series, and audiences didn’t clearly see it at first back then. But throughout the 25 years since its initial release, people have been able to think over and re-examine Episode 1 in a different light. Much of this is also due to comparisons to some of the latest projects from Disney and Lucasfilm, which were often criticized for poor planning and execution. While many of the criticisms of The Phantom Menace are still fair and valid, audiences have come to accept how the movie had more thought and planning put into it. Some people will never get over some of the poorly written dialogue and weird characters, but they’ll agree that George Lucas still had a blueprint and strong sense of direction for the prequel films, starting with this one.
Despite its shortcomings, the best parts of The Phantom Menace are even better when experiencing them on a large screen. Every location our heroes visit stands out in colorful detail, with all the weird and wondrous sounds that make them come to life in a movie theater. Seeing the double-bladed lightsaber come out and “Duel of the Fates” beginning to crescendo brings back all the excitement that audiences felt in 1999. For many, these are moments in cinema that elicit a strong feeling that is timeless for everyone, no matter how many times they see it.
For its 25th anniversary, Star Wars Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace has aged a lot more gracefully than most would’ve believed. It’s a movie that has all the marquee aspects of classic Star Wars that people grew up with while laying a foundation that would eventually complete the saga. For all the crazy opinions that Star Wars fans have expressed throughout the years, almost all of them would agree that The Phantom Menace is still fun to experience on the big screen. Every saga has a beginning, and we’re still enjoying this one a quarter of a century later.
