Watched the episode. It skirts very, very close to being a full-on hitpiece, with a few positive bits thrown in to make it seem less so.
All of the usual prequel-bashing tropes are rolled out—George became fixated on digital effects to the exclusion of all else, made baffling and pointless changes for the Special Editions, decided to leave the older fans behind to pander to kids and push toys, was surrounded by yes-men, etc., etc.
Marcia even calls the film “racist”, and Howard Kazanjian literally says that the prequels would have been better if
he had been involved in making them. Roger Christian’s supposed importance to the franchise is once again overinflated, although at least he doesn’t bash George, here.
Listen, I was there. I watched the insane anticipation for the film as it grew and grew. I was there in the theater on opening day in 1999, and felt the inevitable disappointment of it. And it
was inevitable, because nothing—NOTHING—could have met those expectations. In retrospect, we all should have seen that coming.
Not that I was ever a “hater”, or anything, but, as the years have gone on, I’ve come to better appreciate the film and what Lucas was trying to do. Even when I first saw it, there were things I liked about it, and things I didn’t like, with the positive outweighing the negative. It was by no means the worst film ever made, or any of the other ridiculous, hyperbolic labels assigned to it.
And, coincidentally, just a few days ago, an 18-year-old female coworker actually blurted out “Oh, I love PHANTOM MENACE!” when the topic of STAR WARS came up. Also, a friend and former boss of mine
loves Jar Jar. The movie absolutely found its target audience. Because, at the end of the day, these movies are for the young and the young at heart (like me). That is the rock-bottom reality of the situation, and anyone arguing against it needs to grow up, frankly.
In recent times, I’ve found myself more and more appalled by the aging fanboys who insist that the things they loved as kids must grow and change along with them. We actually now live in a world of dark and violent DC Comics movies and shows which I would not want young kids to see. Which is disgusting. I mean, how sick is it that parents now have to question whether or not to let their kids see a
Superman or
Batman movie? Come on, people. That’s absolutely crazy. Maybe even evil.
Anyway, one of the great ironies of all this is that George is right. He was always right. Digital technology was the way forward, but without a story to serve, it’s empty and useless. How many big and empty CGI blockbusters have we had in recent years that no one will remember or talk about? Whereas the prequels continue to be discussed and debated and resonate with the generation that grew up with them. Despite their excellent effects, the Disney films will never, ever have the longevity of either of Lucas’ trilogies, because the story and the characters and the ideas just aren’t there. They’re already disappearing from the cultural conversation, despite the futile attempts of the cult to insist that they’re beloved, successful movies, or that THE LAST JEDI is a artistic and deep masterpiece.
Whereas the prequels have found their audience, and are undergoing a critical reevaluation, now that they’re removed from the time and place of their release, and have a legitimate negative (the Disney movies) to be measured against.
When you strip away the baggage of unrealistic expectations, time and place, and petty jealousies, PHANTOM MENACE is a flawed, yet still very interesting and well-thought-out film with amazing worldbuilding and the seeds of compelling thematic ideas which grow later in the prequel trilogy. I almost have to laugh at notions like the Machete Order, which promote watching the films ANH-ESB-AOTC-ROTS-ROTJ and skipping TPM entirely. Which completely misses the point that the film provides vital setup for everything to come later.
Especially now, since the disaster of the Disney era has provided a perfect yardstick for people to appreciate what they had with Lucas, I’ve really become fed up with all of these know-it-all bashers like RedLetterMedia, who will attack the prequels from any (and every) angle just because they didn’t meet their fannish, immature expectations. It’s all become very, very tiresome.
In fact, as I’ve noted before, I’ve more and more developed the sneaking suspicion that a large amount of the backlash to THE PHANTOM MENACE is because the Access Media (…the mouthpiece for jealous and petty mainstream Hollywood, which has always resented Lucas for going his own way and having huge success because of it)
told people that it wasn’t cool to like it, and people quickly fell into line. But, looking at the facts, all three prequels were massive financial hits, and the franchise remained both huge and healthy for years after, with STAR WARS remaining a significant pop culture touchstone in the early 00s, breeding a new generation of eager fans.
Compare this to the Disney Trilogy, with the films’ box office showing that they lost fully
half the audience from the first movie to the third, merchandise sales falling off a cliff, and this once-great cinematic franchise being downgraded into a vehicle for a flood of lousy TV shows to promote a streaming service.
Lucas did not ruin STAR WARS, or anyone’s childhoods. He was the one who kept STAR WARS safe, healthy, and fresh for 40-plus years, and brought joy to countless people. And he was repaid for it by jealous, greedy, and small minds smearing him at every turn, and killing his baby after he thought he’d put it into safe hands.
On a related note, I recently came across this article, which articulates exactly the same feeling I’ve had for some time now about the media being the actual cause of the prequel backlash. And, now that the Access Media has lost its stranglehold on the hearts and minds of genre fans, it really does feel more and more like the truth is finally coming out.
The legacy media continues to try and dictate what fans should and shouldn't love, but their time is fading as fans revolt against the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power TV series.
boundingintocomics.com