Back in 1999 when The Phantom Menace was released I hated it. I didn’t understand why there were so many crazy robots and so much tech in general that was nowhere to be found in the movies that supposedly took place decades after the events of The Phantom Menace. The character Jar Jar Binks was super annoying. The boy who played Anakin was not a good actor. There were more things to dislike but you get the picture.
Now some history. I have tried to get my boys, the oldest of whom is 9, to watch Star Wars Episode 4 a number of times. They get bored because it’s actually quite a slow movie. The visual effects that were enough to thrill audiences in the late 70’s are not enough to thrill audiences in the 2020’s. And here’s where the genius of George Lucas comes in. They weren’t enough to thrill audiences in 1999. So of course he had to up the ante.
And while Jake Lloyd may not have been a great actor, it was actually brilliant to start the movie with a child as the focus because kids could see themselves in him. So on a whim I decided to see if I could get the boys to watch Episode I. And they loved it! They were confused as hell because they don’t get the political aspects. But they understand a giant fish monster biting a boat only to be eaten by an even larger and different type of fish monster.
The movie gets right to it with light saber battles early on. There’s lots of light saber action. The kids had questions about light sabers. Light sabers are cool.
So back in 1999 I wasn’t the only one who hated it. The merchandise did not sell anywhere near the level that was expected. There were quite a few companies who went out of business because they guaranteed too much royalty to Lucasfilm for the rights to sell merch.
But the movie has aged relatively well, including a scene where characters watch and use a tablet computer / tv. And the reality is that the movie wasn’t made for the fans of the original trilogy. It was made for their kids.