May 19, 1999, in a galaxy not so far away…
Enthusiasm for “Star Wars” is at an all-time high. The first new film in the beloved series that originally concluded with 1983's “Return of the Jedi” is about to open in 2,970 theaters, with most beginning their first screenings shortly after midnight. (Ticket sales opened just the week before).
The public has had 16 long years to dream about what George Lucas has come up with for this new cinematic adventure. But instead of what they had imagined, “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” involves an ill-fated trade dispute, myth-bending midi-chlorians, and Jar Jar Binks.
And while it becomes, for a time, the second-highest-grossing movie of all time, the divisive new chapter earns a reputation as one of the worst “Star Wars” movies ever.
The 1999 project
All year long we will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the pop culture milestones that remade the world as we knew it then and created the world we live in now. Welcome to the Los Angeles Times' 1999 Project.
Today, “The Phantom Menace” returns to theaters to celebrate its 25th anniversary. In the 19 years since 2005's “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” the much-maligned prequel trilogy has been redeemed, in many ways.
Just look at how its stars, including Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen and Ahmed Best, have once again been embraced by fans in their return to the franchise in television projects such as “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and “Ahsoka.” Even the actors themselves have expressed their gratitude that their original films seem to be regarded more positively. Being “more aware of the affection that the generation for whom we made the prequels has for those films… [has] It meant a lot to me,” McGregor told NBC News in 2022.
And as the “Star Wars” franchise continues to grow, with upcoming projects including two new series, “The Acolyte” and “Skeleton Crew,” second seasons of “Andor” and “Ahsoka,” and at least two additional films, It's becoming increasingly apparent how much of this builds on a foundation established by the prequels. The most recent “Star Wars” hits wouldn't exist if it weren't for “The Phantom Menace.”
“The Phantom Menace” came loaded with many expectations. Audiences who grew up watching “Star Wars” in theaters or on VHS tapes knew how Darth Vader's story ended.
“The Phantom Menace” was going to show how it started, something that was only teased in the original films. Many fans camped outside theaters for weeks, just to be among the first to see it. Reports at the time mention that the line in front of Westwood's Village Theater included about two dozen regulars ages 14 to 40 equipped with couches, recliners, beach chairs, video games and even satellite television.
“It's just a movie,” The Times reported, Lucas insisting during a pre-release press event. “We have tried with all our might to ensure that the film is not overrated. . . . [It’s] a movie for 12 year olds. . . a Saturday afternoon series for kids.”
From left to right, Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Jake Lloyd and Ewan McGregor in the film “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.”
(Keith Hamshere/Lucasfilm Ltd.)
Set approximately 30 years before the events of the original “Star Wars” (which was retitled “A New Hope” in 1981 after a re-release), “The Phantom Menace” introduced audiences to 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker . (played by Jake Lloyd), a boy who would eventually grow up to become Darth Vader.
Anakin's story begins when a diplomatic mission gone awry brings in Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (McGregor), the clumsy and, to some, embarrassing Jar Jar Binks (Best), and the young Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) to her home planet, Tatooine.
Many critics were disappointed. Reviewing it, Times film critic Kenneth Turan described the film as a “considerable disappointment” but “certainly adequate.”
“It is not going to change anyone's life or method of worship,” Turan wrote. “It's just a movie, and… far less impressive than all the accompanying genuflection would have you believe.” (Lucas, for his part, noted before the release of “Phantom” that the original trilogy received “generally poor reviews” and that he expected the same this time around as well.)
What “The Phantom Menace” did have were state-of-the-art visual effects: Lucas wasn't interested in revisiting “Star Wars” until technology caught up to his vision. The film features the first fully computer-generated supporting character, Jar Jar Binks, and regardless of one's opinion of the character, that's a milestone that paves the way for Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings” and the movies. from “Avatar”.
“The Phantom Menace” also featured such memorable sequences as Anakin's pod race and a lightsaber showdown (referenced in the accompanying John Williams theme, “Duel of the Fates”) between our Jedi heroes and the film's fantastically designed villain, Darth Maul. .
From left to right, Liam Neeson, Ray Park and Ewan McGregor in the climactic lightsaber duel of “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.”
(Keith Hamshere/Lucasfilm Ltd.)
Still, audiences were much more vocal about the ways in which “The Phantom Menace” was a disappointment. Criticism of the film included concerns that certain new aliens, such as Neimoidians and Gungans, seemed to reflect racist tropes. (Lucasfilm rejected those claims as “absurd.”) Any thoughtful response was drowned out by a more scathing reaction about everything from the characters and acting to the story and execution.
It was an early look at the darker side of “Star Wars” fandom, and perhaps self-titled fandom in general. Jar Jar Binks actor Best has been candid about how negative responses to his character led to him receiving abuse and death threats online. That bad behavior intensified 16 years later, beginning with the release of the sequel trilogy, in which stars John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran became targets of racist backlash.
And the newest shows come at a time when “anti-woke” superfans who can't imagine a “Star Wars” galaxy (one already populated by non-humanoid aliens) as diverse and inclusive have been increasingly encouraged to make racist and sexist comments.
Fortunately, “Star Wars” fandom is not defined by that vocal minority.
In recent years, appreciation for “The Phantom Menace” has grown. The 2022 arrival of “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” in particular, caused even skeptics to reevaluate the importance of the prequel trilogy.
“Nostalgia for the prequels can't redeem those movies entirely… But they're quotable, they're memeable, and they're fun to rant about, argue about, and rally around,” wrote the Ringer's Justin Charity.
Part of the reason “The Phantom Menace” has become increasingly accepted is because for a generation of fans, “Episode I” was their first “Star Wars” experience. Now they are old enough to defend what was as fundamental to them as seeing “Star Wars” in a children's theater in 1977.
The prequel films have also been further recontextualized through additional narration. Series like the animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” set in the years between the events of “Attack of the Clones” (2002) and “Revenge of the Sith,” have fleshed out the universe. Live-action shows like “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett” have built on the lore established in the prequel-era stories, with success.
The “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series revisits McGregor's version of the title character to glimpse how the man at the end of “Revenge of the Sith” became the one in “A New Hope” (played by Alec Guinness). Concepts like cloning and even midichlorians, the Force-linked microorganisms first mentioned in “The Phantom Menace,” have also endured: the only reason the Mandalorian and Grogu cross paths is because the remnants of the Empire are so interested in the midichlorian count of the latter.
Jake Lloyd and Pernilla August in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.”
(Lucasfilm Ltd.)
In a broader sense, even shows like “Andor” can trace their DNA back to the prequels, by not being afraid to go into what is considered canon and challenge the assumptions of what is expected of a “Star Wars” story. The franchise has increasingly become a large tapestry where new titles build on and rethink what came before, not a collection of three classics “owned” by gatekeeper fans. And while later projects don't actually change the quality of previous deliveries, they sometimes do lead to re-evaluation.
“The Phantom Menace” is also a precursor, for better and worse, to today's modern media landscape of sprawling intellectual property and interconnected universes like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Universe, and even Godzilla's Monsterverse. Lucas' enormous box office success not only made an eventual sequel inevitable, but also signaled to others that there were possibilities for revisiting dormant worlds to attract new audiences.
The bar for “The Phantom Menace” was incredibly high, not necessarily because of the films in the original trilogy, but because of the audience's relationship with them. But the “Star Wars” movies are special for their potential to make people fall in love with the storytelling as much as the world itself.
And for a generation that grew up on the prequels, “The Phantom Menace” did just that.
