Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom is a low point among Star Wars fans. Between the emphasis on CGI visuals over the story; the cheap, pandering humor; and the retroactive rewriting of continuity.Phantom Menace regress a beloved older franchise to make it more palatable for a younger audience — one eager to buy countless toys. I recently watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to find Them for a second time over the holiday weekend, and one thing was clear from the repeat viewing: Fantastic Beasts is the Phantom intimidation of the Harry Potter world.
Now, I realize that’s an extreme smear, so let's break down the contrasting. Because while The Phantom Menace undoubtedly had problems, it can be viewed as a valuable cautionary tale of how not to revive your franchise.
The Phantom Menace was released in May 1999, 16 years after postulated to-be Star Wars finale Return of the Jedi. Arriving after years of fan speculation and hope, it was the progenitor of modern nostalgia-based sequel and reboots. At the time, fans only had an exaggerated universe of books to draw from, and The Phantom Menace was a shining promise of a return to a galaxy far, far away, right down to the first trailer featuring John Williams’ iconic score.
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