Escape to the Movies: The Phantom Menace 13 Years Later

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I never did think it was all that bad. I do however think the re-releasing it 3D is entirely superfluous though.

Agreed. I enjoyed the movie when I first saw it as a kid (though I saw the originals first like a good kid <.<) and with the perspective of time I just have downgraded my opinion of it. Nostalgia goggles aside, the movie is under par when compared to the originals but certainly not what episode 2 was...

I hope even more people watch the Plinkett reviews now thanks to you

I was half hoping for someone to actually leave that comment here XD

But yeah, hopefully Bob has led some people to see the awesome that is Plinkett's Star Wars reviews.

 

[MB202]

So what Plinkett said is true, Attack of the Clones IS worst than The Phantom Menace... and it's the worst thing since bagpipes!

 

[daxterx2005]

I can't wait till episodes 7-9 come out and all the bawing starts alllll over again

 

[English Stew]

I do think that It is better than Attack of the Clones, I'll give you that.

But if we're talking about the worst Star Wars film, that easily goes to this turd.

Spoiler

By god was this movie bad.

Oh god. I remember seeing that for one reason and one reason only: to see what locations might be made into maps for SW: Battlefront 3.

At the time, I really just saw it as Battlefront The Movie, and from that point of view there were a few things I liked, namely the vertical combat sequence and that the droids were essentially the dumb Nazis from an old world-war 2 movie. But yeah,it is completely meh in every other respect, except for that infuriating girl.

 

[GeorgW]

Wait, what was so horrible about Van Helsing? I can't remember it, which is never a good sign, but I don't remember it as an example of classicly bad movies. As I can't remember it I can't really argue for or against it, I'm just looking for someone to explain it?

However, I don't see how you can possibly say that episode 2 is the worst star wars movie. 3 is horrible in almost every way, there's no real reason for anything to happen in that movie except that it drives the plot, there's no investment in the plot or characters in any way. I actually thought episode 2 was the best of the prequels, it has its problems but it has by far the best music, and a lot of character development.

 

[Alberts82]

Can I just say, we're not all nerdy fan boys like you make all your viewers out to be. And I?m kinda insulted that you assume that we're like you. I for one am nothing like you, I actually liked the phantom menace, granted it wasn't the best movie but it was still good. So can you please stop generalizing your viewers into fat annoying fanboys like yourself. Thanks

 

[Kolby Jack]

I do think that It is better than Attack of the Clones, I'll give you that.

But if we're talking about the worst Star Wars film, that easily goes to this turd.

Spoiler

By god was this movie bad.

You said it yourself Bob.

And yet, what it kicked off is currently one of my favorite shows on TV. So even if it doesn't hold up as a movie, I'm still grateful that the movie was made because it attracted a lot of attention, which in turn caused many people to "check out" the show, which is now a huge hit with a very large audience, which allowed the writers to push the limits of what they can do with the series, which has made the show even better.

 

[Cousin_IT]

Didn't end with a frame from the remastered Return of the Jedi, I see.

 

[Ickabod]

@TsunamiWombat

Glad you brought the original animated Clone Wars anime up, they were great.

 

[Abedeus]

Well, can I still be angry at Matrix sequels? At least the 3rd movie, pretty please?

 

[biter]

Bob,
I was just really, REALLY, expecting you to cut in at the last second remembering midi-chlorians and that Mr Lucas had indeed fucked up this whole damn movie series with that alone.

Oh well, there, I said it for you!

I just think those are a fundamental mechanic to the fictional universe and if cannon, detract from the overall ...

Well, in the end, you are right, fan-boy hatred is, often (read: always) hand-ringing over who ruined a fictionalized childhood experience that has been enshrined in the rosy hue of imperfect hindsight.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I don't like the prequels but I'm not one of those fanboys who think their lives don't have a meaning anymore. To me those movies are just forgettable. But I am thankful for their existence because they are the reason why so many awesome Star Wars video games were released. As far as I'm concerned Lukas can make another trilogy, even worse than the last one if that's what it takes for me to get another Jedi Knight and Battlefront game.

 

[emeraldrafael]

I always thought that Phantom Menace was a decent movie. Sure, its not great but its not the worst (to me, the worst is episode 2). But then again I always liked episode 6 over episode 5, so apparently Im either wrong or just retarded.

So yeah. And since its being mentioned, I dont really care for Plinkett's review. Im sure he's great at what he's doing, but to me its just coming off as overly pretentious.

 

[Cabamacadaf]

I love The Phantom Menace. I actually love all of the Star Wars prequels. Now I can't think of anything else to say because someone distracted me. :<

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

Well, apparently I was five or six years old when I first saw The Phantom Menace, and for me, it was a pretty awesome movie. I'd already seen the other Star Wars movies (somehow, I find it hard to believe that I was exposed to that kind of violence at such a young age, and yet I wasn't allowed to get an Xbox for many more years), and this one stood up with the rest of them.
The way I see it, George Lucas wasn't making a movie for all the old fanboys, he was making a movie for their children. My dad loved Star Wars, and after The Phantom Menace, he passed the fandom on to me. Now that I'm older, my interest has waned, in favor of the Halo and Firefly universes, but I can still defend the new movies as a great way to get kids into the series.

 

[SilverUchiha]

Bob, I never "hated" Phantom Menace. It was just my least liked film of the entire series. Why? I just found it incredibly boring. Say what you will, that second act took up way too much of that movie for me to keep my interest in it. Third act was fine and the first act was competent. But having to be on Tatooine for that long, enduring Podraces, and what not. I suppose it's the same reason I never really cared for the original Star Wars, I just found it boring because I find Tatooine to be boring. But, that's just me. Hate, no. Live without, probably.

 

[Davroth]

Doesn't do anything you say?

George Lucas recently retired from film-making and Star Wars especially. Why? Because the backlash by fans has been so bad about the prequels that he doesn't want to ever touch it again.

 

[pigmy wurm]

I mostly agree with you. First of all, I thought most people hated attack of the clones more than Phantom Menace I sure do. But my dislike of phantom menace comes down more to missed opportunities. Their were choices they made in phantom menace which were a little silly but fine within the movie it's self, but lead to elements in the 2nd and 3rd ones that suffered because of things they had to carry on with. Mainly the one thing that bothers me is Anikens age, not because the actor was mediocre (although he was) but because it created a lot of issues down the line, like how he seems to age 8 years in the time everyone else ages 2.

And did you really say that the first time Burton batman film is at the same level as this? The second one, maybe, but the first one is far better than this, partially since, while not perfect it actually has a halfway decent script and much better acting.

 

[Raithnor]

As a longtime fan of Star Wars I'm going to put this out there:

Star Wars is bigger than George Lucas and the 6 main movies.

The appeal of Star Wars isn't entirely in the story presented in the movies, it's in the detail of the universe where it becomes it's own genre. The Star Wars universe is big enough for people to have their own adventures in.

Look at how devoted people still are to Firefly, which is basically "The Han Solo Adventures" with an expanded cast and snappier dialogue minus the force and all of the aliens. There's still interest in Star Wars as a Science Fantasy genre if not in the actual stories Lucas wanted to tell.

Even if the prequels and the Clone Wars are a terrible mess of film they still work as a visual reference guide of ships, weapons, locations, and aliens.