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[Sqorin Hammerfarf]

I saw Phantom Menace on opening day at like 8 am and I loved it. I would end up seeing it multiple times it the theater - literally the only movie I’ve ever done that with. I still like the movie a lot and I’m always happy to watch it again.

I’ve noticed that when TPM is criticized, it is usually something very nit picky, with the majority of the people who despise it instead talking about their disappointment or feelings of betrayal rather than actual objective criticism of the movie itself. People didn’t get what they wanted, so they pout.

Don;t get me wrong, the movies have their pr9blems. But they are better than the first two Thor movies by a country mile, and I don’t see anyone declaring Thor to be shit and the biggest disappointment of their adult life. The hate for these films is wildly disproportionate to their actual quality. The hype betrayed you, not George Lucas.

 

[cryptoadam]

Padme was very vocal about that issue with Qui-Gon. Lucas was trying to paint the Jedi as not being the altruistic order that people assumed (which is why Anakin turned) and much of it was just lost in translation or never picked up on.

It was a recurring theme throughout the prequel trilogy with the jedi though (like the jedi leaving Schmi Skywalker to her fate as a slave and forcing Anakin to choose between staying with his mother and continue his life as a slave or leave with the jedi). If you paid close attention you could see where Lucas was going with it but midway through Lucas went fuck it and I'll give them plain old vanilla sith vs jedi because of the backlash. The jedi are way more morally grey in TPM than they are portrayed in AoC or RotS.

From a story perspective it has a much bigger impact on Anakin losing his mother when he's a young child rather than when he's a young adult. The traumatic experience is more powerful in inciting him to harbor contempt for the jedi order.

From a story perspective the foundation for the reason of Anakin betraying the jedi is really solid, it's just that it starts to falter midway through.

Meh still would of made a better movie with Anakin being 18ish then 10.

No one really likes kid actors, and we had to have essentially 2 different Anakins. If Anakin was actually a decent and entertaining character in PM it would elevate the movie. As a kid he kinda is just there watching things. Just imagine Anakin and Obi bantering with each other. Instead we get a kid who just kinda gets in the way.

Really him being a kid didn't add anything to the movie, it detract from the whole series, ended getting us Hayden who was a horrible Anakin and the biggest weak link of the triology.

Cast a decent actor against Ewan and Liam and you would have a nice little trifecta that probably could of made a decent buddy cop adventure movie.

 

[DetectiveBananas]

Not a great movie but gave us some Awesome things going forward (Ewan McGregor as Young Kenobi, John Williams “Duel of the Fates” score was top notch, Darth Maul, and a Great Lightsaber battle at the End.

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

Yeah, it’s even worse on subsequent viewings.

 

[K1Expwy]

Padme was very vocal about that issue with Qui-Gon. Lucas was trying to paint the Jedi as not being the altruistic order that people assumed (which is why Anakin turned) and much of it was just lost in translation or never picked up on.

It was a recurring theme throughout the prequel trilogy with the jedi though (like the jedi leaving Schmi Skywalker to her fate as a slave and forcing Anakin to choose between staying with his mother and continue his life as a slave or leave with the jedi). If you paid close attention you could see where Lucas was going with it but midway through Lucas went fuck it and I'll give them plain old vanilla sith vs jedi because of the backlash. The jedi are way more morally grey in TPM than they are portrayed in AoC or RotS.

From a story perspective it has a much bigger impact on Anakin losing his mother when he's a young child rather than when he's a young adult. The traumatic experience is more powerful in inciting him to harbor contempt for the jedi order.

From a story perspective the foundation for the reason of Anakin betraying the jedi is really solid, it's just that it starts to falter midway through.

One detail I would have added is Anakin looking at Mace while he executes Jango Fett. It would have added some gravity to the Mace/Sheev/Anakin standoff in RotS.

 

[ComptonJapan]

Darth Maul was a bad ass character. Sucked they killed him off in the first movie.

 

[Sqorin Hammerfarf]

Jar Jar, 99% of the dialogue, midichlorians, everything surrounding Jango/Boba Fett, Hayden/Jake Lloyd as Anakin, Maul being a jobber, the entirety of the Trade Federation storyline, the overreliance on CGI instead of practical effects...

Some of those things would've been hard to say no to Jar Jar since the special effects wouldn't be done at the point the "no" would've need to be had. This is what he looked like on set. I don't want to defend Jar Jar too much, since I'm not a fan, but I don't think dailies would've been enough cause to overrule Lucas on the character. Jar Jar wouldn't have nearly as awful in the script.

Maul was awesome. Midichlorians are fine (they are attracted to the force, which has established EU precedent), but the lady razor they used to detect it was terrible. Phantom Menace had mostly practical effects - it was only with Attack of the Clones that they went more digital than practical (same with Revenge of the Sith, which was legitimately awesome). The Trade Federation was fine because you need an excuse to start a war at a political level in order to spawn the Clone Wars... It needed to be something the Sith were manipulating invisibly behind the scenes. By the end of AotC, the Trade Federation doesn't matter anymore and it is droids versus clones, all day long, like the good lord intended. I'm not sure ANY of this is something that Lucas could've been overruled on.

What's left is the dialogue and the acting. I won't defend that stuff. I think the large majority of the dialogue and acting is fine (not standout, but acceptable), but there are numerous cringe-worthy moments that completely detract from everything else. If a guy just stands there for 2 hours but spends 10 seconds peeing on a dog, you're gonna remember the peeing on the dog above all else. For that matter, Jar Jar is just peeing on a dog, and he definitely takes TPM down a full letter grade. As much as I like everything else, there are multiple moments in TPM where I just wince.

 

[Sqorin Hammerfarf]

Darth Maul was a bad ass character. Sucked they killed him off in the first movie.

He was barely a character. He looked cool and fought like a bad ass, but he had like one line of dialogue (which they dubbed over the actor on). Even after The Clone Wars revived him, he was still far less interesting than even Savage Oppress, much less Ventress, Cad Bane, Aurra Sing, and basically every other bad guys character. In a way, he's kind of like Boba Fett in that he looks really cool, but actually doesn't really do much except die like a chump.

He was replaced with Count Dooku in the next film, who was closer to Emperor Palpatine in that he was smart and manipulative, choosing to work behind the scenes rather than get his hands dirty. He was a much more appropriate figurehead for the Sith leadership of the droid army

 

[SirKicksalot]

I never had a problem with the politics of the prequels.

 

[Sqorin Hammerfarf]

I never had a problem with the politics of the prequels.

What about the new trilogy? The Force Is Female!

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

The music was great. The sound effects were great. The fight choreography and the large-scale battles were great. Podracing was great.

The characters and the dialogue and the whole plot, really, are awful.

 

[Cimarron]

Revenge of the Sith was a good movie. The other two not so much.

 

[Jubenhimer]

Of the prequels, The Phantom Menace feels the most unnecessary. Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith were clumsy, but those films at least had some substance and moments of what could've been, an awesome backstory, which we would later get with the two TV shows that spawned from them. TPM was a boring slog of a mess that could've been cut from the trilogy all together and nothing would change.

 

[Soltype]

Of the prequels, The Phantom Menace feels the most unnecessary. Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith were clumsy, but those films at least had some substance and moments of what could've been, an awesome backstory, which we would later get with the two TV shows that spawned from them. TPM was a boring slog of a mess that could've been cut from the trilogy all together and nothing would change.

It was there for world building, and it did a fine job.TPM felt like an EU novel, and I liked that, people who hadn't touched star wars since 1983 were blindsided and upset, but I understand why.

 

[mcz117chief]

When you get off the hate-train the movie ain't half bad. Definitely Star Wars, unlike the sequel trilogy, and most of it is fun. I enjoyed the focus on politics the most to be honest, it really fleshed out the universe. Also seeing Jedi when they were popular and renowned felt very cool.

 

[Rentahamster]

It still sucks, but it has its moments. Props to Rian for making people actually miss the prequels. Well done.

 

[Duallusion]

Short answer: yes.
Long answer: yeeeeeeeessss.

 

[Randall365]

It was a decent film - expectations were too high and it could not please people who were in their twenties/thirties who were used to Pulp Fiction, Seven and Scream, as it was aimed at kids. The original Star Wars had a far broader appeal, but then again there were no child actors or people as wooden and talentless as Portman and Christenson involved.

 

[Stiflers Mom]

I never understood why Anakin was so young in these movies.
Darth Vader without the Mask in RotJ looked like 50 to 60 easily.

So he should have been 30 to 40 in the prequels.

What I liked about TPM:
* Qui Gon Jin and Liam Neesons performance as him
* Darth Maul
* Some of the imagery. Like Padmes costumes and stuff..

What I didn't like:
* Everything else

It's still the best of the three prequels for me. Feels at least a bit star warsy, which the other two don't.

 

[pramod]

Speaking of Darth Maul, does anyone else find it illogical that Qui-Gon got stabbed through the stomach and died instantly, while Maul was totally cut in half and survived?

 

[Catphish]

The prequel trilogy was bad. Bad writing, boring setpieces, special effects oversaturation.. every good thing offset by something stupid. Meh/10.

But they're brilliant fucking masterpieces compared to episodes 7 and 8.

 

[Sqorin Hammerfarf]

Speaking of Darth Maul, does anyone else find it illogical that Qui-Gon got stabbed through the stomach and died instantly, while Maul was totally cut in half and survived?

Maul was kept alive by channeling his seething hatred towards Obi-Wan into super dark side powers. Even then, it warped him mentally. It wasn't something that should've happened. I mean, it was an ass-pull retcon in order to bring a popular character back, but it kinda sorta makes sense, from a distance.

 

[Chiggs]

He was barely a character. He looked cool and fought like a bad ass, but he had like one line of dialogue (which they dubbed over the actor on). Even after The Clone Wars revived him, he was still far less interesting than even Savage Oppress, much less Ventress, Cad Bane, Aurra Sing, and basically every other bad guys character. In a way, he's kind of like Boba Fett in that he looks really cool, but actually doesn't really do much except die like a chump.

Darth Maul LITERALLY has more of a meaningful role in Solo, IMO.

 

[Vader1]

It’s bad, but not as bad as people make it out to be.

The biggest issue is how boring it is, throughout the whole movie. But it has some really cool characters and interesting world building ideas. Darth Maul is awesome, the podracing scene isn’t bad, and the duel at the end is just epic. I also really liked the introduction of droids, battle droids and specifically droidekas.

 

[MC Safety]

This may sting a little, but Star Wars was never great. It was a series of amusing and entertaining movies for children -- fairy tales -- that people built up in their minds to be far more than they were.

The prequels were something that could never live up to the hype. People expected them to be this transcendent experience instead of a follow-up to, again, entertaining kids' movies. So there was that.

In terms of quality, the prequels are slightly less enjoyable and entertaining than the originals. They've got a lot of weird and dumb stuff and make some inexplicable choices. But they're not terrible the way people made them out to be. And they're also not necessarily better than they are when stacked up against the new films.

In conclusion, Boba Fett got killed by a blind guy with a stick. And Mace Windu took the most inept Jedi with him to capture the emperor. I mean those guys lasted less than three seconds.

 

[HE1NZ]

Phantom Menace was the first Star Wars I've seen. I was 10. I was instantly a fan even though I didn't understand most of the political stuff and didn't care for Anakin. The world building in this is top notch and filled with Star Wars magic. Disney can't dream of ever making a movie as creative as this.