Had an absolute blast with this! It’s not as good as anything in the original trilogy, but those 3 films (especially the first one) were such huge weird swings that have now become modern mythology, and Phantom Menace (and I’m assuming the other 2 prequels, though I’ve genuinely never seen them!) has an important place in the mythology. It tells the first crumbs of this story on a smaller scale that makes you realise for the first time how huge this universe is, hints excitingly at what you know is coming, and provides so much joyous energy while preserving the feeling of an odd-ball space opera. Love it or hate it, but it takes a swing, and I think it’s not quite a home run, but it’s whatever’s slightly less than a home run. I’ve never watched baseball. If I really think super critically, Lucas should’ve gotten someone else to direct and co-write and he should’ve been more of a very hands-on producer and co-writer (which I don’t think is a hot-take) but I almost prefer the fact that so many elements of this are just a kinda strange artist getting to do whatever he wants with the knowledge it’ll probably be the biggest thing in the world. Also Jar Jar fucking rules as well. 1999 may have been a little bit early to try and pull off a fully cgi character like him technically, but I am his biggest defender. It is too long though. Fuck it’s long.
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