eddie4
Genuinely Generous
Came here to post this.God damn its been 25 years??
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace returning to theaters for its 25th anniversary on May 3rd
- Thread starter ManaByte
- Start date
gimmmick
Member
Me watching this on release day.
I remeber skipping school and waiting in line for an hour to see this train wreck.
Tokio Blues
Gold Member
Masterpiece.
Duel of the fates its top notch.
Duel of the fates its top notch.
BlackTron
Member
When I first saw this I was utterly dumbstruck by the fight between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Maul. It's still the best lightsaber fight IMO, a high point in the series and an iconic memory for me. Of course this doesn't change the fact that the film is riddled with ridiculous problems either, which were easier to overlook at that age. I still appreciate its accomplishments, amidst its failures.
Insane Metal
Member
Loved this back in the day, damn
dispensergoinup
Gold Member
I'm in for this, that soundtrack was insane and I want to hear it blasted out in the theater again!
Pegasus Actual
Member
I will go check this out...
...only if they promise to put the Plinkett review up on the big screen in its entirety right after the end-credits.
...only if they promise to put the Plinkett review up on the big screen in its entirety right after the end-credits.
NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt
Biggest Trails Stan
Still love this movie to this day
Mitsurux
Member
There is something special about seeing a Star Wars movie in the theater. Will defiantly check this out.
Thinking back, Episode 1 is the only movie i have ever watched twice in a row in the theater.
Went with a bunch of friend to see it on opening night, then once we got out someone said "Want to see it again" and everyone was like "yes", so we got right back in line for the next showing.
The Hype and Excitement around this move was really on another level.
Thinking back, Episode 1 is the only movie i have ever watched twice in a row in the theater.
Went with a bunch of friend to see it on opening night, then once we got out someone said "Want to see it again" and everyone was like "yes", so we got right back in line for the next showing.
The Hype and Excitement around this move was really on another level.
Chuck Berry
Gold Member
Same. Walked out of the theater with my sister just sorta dumbfounded by what I had just seen.
Ive warmed up to it a little more over the years, but not much. The shittiness of that new trilogy has actually made me grown to appreciate it a little.
Chuck Berry
Gold Member
Evil Calvin
Afraid of Boobs
There are some de-mastered 4k releases out there that undid all of the Lucas changes over the years. Basically a 4k version of the original releases in the theater.
Faust
Perpetually Tired
It is sad to see Star Wars take up less than a few shelves in the toy isles these days. They took up entire aisles like this back in the day.TPM nostalgia is something else.
There will never, ever, ever be a movie as feverishly anticipated or heavily merchandised as The Phantom Menace again.
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
I'm in the camp that still hates this movie and all the prequels. It hasn't improved with age. It's not better in light of the sequels being shite as well.
Dev1lXYZ
Member
I read the novelization early, so I knew all of the major plot points going in opening night. It just blew people away with all of the special effects. This movie is a showcase for ILM. George Lucas can build worlds and characters like a master. Dialogue and directing should have been another guy. For every moment of tension, there is a moment of pure tomfoolery. It starts as soon as the Neimodians (whatever) start speaking with the Chinese accents and continues with Jar Jar the rest of the film. The Pod race is awesome on a big screen. I would suggest playing the video game to appreciate that sequence even more. The ships all look totally different than any other Star Wars movie. The Jedi use powers that you don’t see in any other one as well. Battle of the Fates had its own music video on MTV.
Looking back, I think the prequels in general are more enjoyable as an adult.
Looking back, I think the prequels in general are more enjoyable as an adult.
Party McHardy
Member
I fucking LOVE this film. They’re getting my money again.
ManaByte
Gold Member
All toy lines are like that now that Toys R Us doesn't exist.
VulcanRaven
Member
4K77, 4K80 and 4K83 projects are very good 4K scans of the original release film prints.
Last edited:
Mattyp
Not the YouTuber
I only realised 4K80 just released the other day, I've been waiting years for this moment to enjoy in my theatre.
They also have a scan of The Phantom Menance... I'm intrigued to see what they could do with the first 3 next.
Heimdall_Xtreme
Hermen Hulst Fanclub's #1 Member
She looks so beautiful
wondermega
Member
I was 24 when this released in 99 (....) It was all over the news setting a precedent for film like none I had ever witnessed before, there was so much hubbub about people camping out/waiting in line in front of theaters for.. weeks? to see this. How could anything live up to that hype?
People now have to be aware, nerd culture was so different 25 years ago. Star Wars had always been cool but it wasn't this steady, consistent thing always bubbling under the hood of our entire culture back then. People lovingly remembered the original trilogy, but it was absolutely not so omnipresent as it would become, nothing was to that same degree really. It was exciting that a new SW movie was somehow finally coming out after all of that time (and out of nowhere) but it did feel like it was going to be its own fresh thing. After all, as a prequel - nothing had really been done on such a scale before.
Our team took the afternoon off to go see the film together, which was pretty cool (and unusual). The film played for the first 10-15 min or so with no audio, which was jarring, before they corrected the error and restarted it. I am not sure what I expected but - definitely not what I was watching. Jar Jar was so aggravating. I didn't care for the focus of the entire movie being on this little kid, it kept taking me out of the suspension of disbelief. The constant goofy/joke aliens (two headed announcer), again, kept freeing my mind from the immersion that the movie was trying to settle me into. I could go on and on about what I didn't like about it, but the problem was that there wasn't really anything I LIKED about it.
And that was fine, I immediately conceded that the film was just simply not for me. It was for a different kind of SW fan, not the sort who almost couldn't stand Return of the Jedi like myself because even as a little kid, the whole Ewoks thing just completely ruined that film for me. This seemed like it was just for mouth-frothing SW fans to come out of the woodwork for, and little kids of course. "Fine.. it's fine." I never saw another SW film again for many, many years (until Rogue One).
I've recently been inspired to wanna re-watch this, actually, since supposedly the practical effects in this film are supposed to be far beyond what had been done in anything else at the time, but really I am having a hard time mustering the enthusiasm. Anyway, that is just me. It is fascinating to see that this particular film still has enough goodwill to merit a re-release on such a scale, and to hear people wax nostalgic about it. Love the film, or hate it, or just don't care, there is no arguing the fact that it was definitely a cultural flashpoint (again).
People now have to be aware, nerd culture was so different 25 years ago. Star Wars had always been cool but it wasn't this steady, consistent thing always bubbling under the hood of our entire culture back then. People lovingly remembered the original trilogy, but it was absolutely not so omnipresent as it would become, nothing was to that same degree really. It was exciting that a new SW movie was somehow finally coming out after all of that time (and out of nowhere) but it did feel like it was going to be its own fresh thing. After all, as a prequel - nothing had really been done on such a scale before.
Our team took the afternoon off to go see the film together, which was pretty cool (and unusual). The film played for the first 10-15 min or so with no audio, which was jarring, before they corrected the error and restarted it. I am not sure what I expected but - definitely not what I was watching. Jar Jar was so aggravating. I didn't care for the focus of the entire movie being on this little kid, it kept taking me out of the suspension of disbelief. The constant goofy/joke aliens (two headed announcer), again, kept freeing my mind from the immersion that the movie was trying to settle me into. I could go on and on about what I didn't like about it, but the problem was that there wasn't really anything I LIKED about it.
And that was fine, I immediately conceded that the film was just simply not for me. It was for a different kind of SW fan, not the sort who almost couldn't stand Return of the Jedi like myself because even as a little kid, the whole Ewoks thing just completely ruined that film for me. This seemed like it was just for mouth-frothing SW fans to come out of the woodwork for, and little kids of course. "Fine.. it's fine." I never saw another SW film again for many, many years (until Rogue One).
I've recently been inspired to wanna re-watch this, actually, since supposedly the practical effects in this film are supposed to be far beyond what had been done in anything else at the time, but really I am having a hard time mustering the enthusiasm. Anyway, that is just me. It is fascinating to see that this particular film still has enough goodwill to merit a re-release on such a scale, and to hear people wax nostalgic about it. Love the film, or hate it, or just don't care, there is no arguing the fact that it was definitely a cultural flashpoint (again).
