I also would have loved Maul as a persistent villain. Swap him in for Dooku in the fight at the end of Ep. II and the beginning of Ep. III and you add a whole other level to Anakin killing him.
I loved all of this, Eric! Especially loved hearing just how much this entire creative universe means to you. It's awesome. Let's see...I was working as the Community Relations' Manager at our town's Barnes & Noble at that time. I was taking a year off between undergraduate and graduate school. We partnered with the local movie theatre to give away film passes--you had to write a 1-page essay or something like that. We were swamped with entries, which felt pretty awesome. I remember getting a Phantom Menace pen--one of those liquid ones where you turned it and maybe Darth Maul slid around or something. I am pretty sure I still have. Like you, being a Star Wars youth, pretty much any swag that came to the store went STRAIGHT into my bag. I regret nothing. Me and two other friends from the store went to a midnight showing. It was packed; people were dressed in costumes; everyone cheered and, yes, same, I cried, when the trumpet fanfare came on and the opening prologue rolled. Holy smokes, I can STILL feel the goosebumps. And I also remembering wanting to love it desperately. One of the guys I was with was way more critical in the same way you were; he had just seen his youth burned to the ground. I get it. It was almost like it felt TOO NEW. Like Lucas was so focused on building out an outlandish world with so much going on that he forgot story, character, the simple touches that made the earlier films so endearing. You could easily go back to those and just track all of Harrison Ford's facial expressions and delivery to see what I'm talking about. And it's not like Lucas didn't have BIG figures in PM, right? So, I felt really let down as well. I don't mind bad art in the sense of feeling incensed that it exists or that no one should pay attention to it. BUT I do mind when the magic is leeched from art. I purposely avoided the Muppet "sitcom" type reboot for that reason. I have been so gratified to see that the relaunched Fraggle Rock is full of Henson's original spirit, smarts, wit, and play. It's too bad Lucas couldn't go back to the well for PM to restart the franchise on a better foot. But as you've shown here..it still gives us a lot to talk about, consider, and even love. :)
I love this so much! This is the funnest part of talking about this stuff -- the reminiscing.
It's weird because at one time George could tell human stories, but he sorta lost that touch and became enamored with the technology of filmmaking, rather than the art of it. Though even at his best, he was never super comfortable directing actors.
In 99 I was working at a Blockbuster. My favorite job ever. The podcast episode this week will be on The Matrix because doing The Phantom Menace pod awoke all this 1999 nostalgia and I still want to live there a bit longer. (I'm also writing a Matrix-related article this week, so two birds and all that.)
I have read that about Lucas...being sort of "humans..uh-oh..meep! morp!" And you're right about the art of the craft. I think that's what I meant about the "magic" factor. You can talk all day about technical and art design and casting and writing choices, BUT when the magic isn't there..it's just somehow too devastating to even articulate. I know I felt that way in the theatre that night watching Menace. It was like "where is the playfulness and the quirky, smart flourishes that made the other three films feel like you were watching people you knew battle for the fate of the universe?" Unrelated-ish: we just tucked into The Acolyte. I like it a lot so far. I think I'm partial to Jedi-inspired stories anyway. And FINALLY A WOOKIEE GETS THE SMAHHHT JEDI TREATMENT!! (makes wookiee noise...poorly) :)
I am too! And I love me a revengeful twin!! Very peak General Hospital circa 1986! The opening combat scenes were stunning—felt more like watching dancers than two people locked in a battle to the death :)
My main memory of The Phantom Menace is proposing to my girlfriend (now wife). She was visiting me in Oxford, and I was visiting my parents (we all lived in different parts of the UK at that point). We'd planned to all go and see The Phantom Menace together - and we did - but the same day, I proposed to her whilst we were on a picnic earlier in the day. :)
My thoughts on The Phantom Menace and the prequel trilogy in general are well documented elsewhere. However, my top five lightsabre fights are as follows:
5) The Phantom Menace. I don't care about the film that much, but the physicality of this fight is remarkable and breathtaking.
4) The Last Jedi. For all the reasons you state in the podcast.
3) Star Wars. Yes, I know it's not anywhere near as dynamic as some of the later fights in terms of nifty moves, but I love the mystery and allusions to the past in Vader and Obi-Wan's dialogue, plus Obi-Wan's sacrifice has significant dramatic weight. It all adds proper Arthurian gravitas, amid all the droids, aliens, and banter.
2) Return of the Jedi. Not so much for the acrobatics, but for the sheer emotion and dramatic crescendo of "I am a Jedi, like my father before me." That's eight-year-old me inwardly cheering in the cinema, by the way.
1) The Empire Strikes Back. The winner by a country mile. Great locations. A real physical challenge for Luke as Vader clearly has the upper hand throughout. The most dramatic and capped by the best plot twist ever.
I gotta admit, I went to see it when I was like 22 and was expecting something a whole lot different. Didn’t hate it… but didn’t love it. THEN when my son was born and we finally watched it I could see it more through a kids eyes and have really come around to it sense. Now I’m nostalgic about Phantom Menace
It’s a family affair at Tatooine Sons. Dad is an OT kid who played with the original action figures and watched Star Wars on HBO. The Sons didn’t get into the galaxy until Star Wars Rebels a decade or so ago.
I know what you mean about having an existential crisis. Star Wars had never been bad before. :)
It was a shocking development to say the least.
I also would have loved Maul as a persistent villain. Swap him in for Dooku in the fight at the end of Ep. II and the beginning of Ep. III and you add a whole other level to Anakin killing him.
💯💯
Force speed! That ability literally would have changed the ending of the movie if Obi-Wan had used it to get through the energy barriers.
To say nothing of all the clean energy benefits. Jedi must be pimping for big coaxium.
I loved all of this, Eric! Especially loved hearing just how much this entire creative universe means to you. It's awesome. Let's see...I was working as the Community Relations' Manager at our town's Barnes & Noble at that time. I was taking a year off between undergraduate and graduate school. We partnered with the local movie theatre to give away film passes--you had to write a 1-page essay or something like that. We were swamped with entries, which felt pretty awesome. I remember getting a Phantom Menace pen--one of those liquid ones where you turned it and maybe Darth Maul slid around or something. I am pretty sure I still have. Like you, being a Star Wars youth, pretty much any swag that came to the store went STRAIGHT into my bag. I regret nothing. Me and two other friends from the store went to a midnight showing. It was packed; people were dressed in costumes; everyone cheered and, yes, same, I cried, when the trumpet fanfare came on and the opening prologue rolled. Holy smokes, I can STILL feel the goosebumps. And I also remembering wanting to love it desperately. One of the guys I was with was way more critical in the same way you were; he had just seen his youth burned to the ground. I get it. It was almost like it felt TOO NEW. Like Lucas was so focused on building out an outlandish world with so much going on that he forgot story, character, the simple touches that made the earlier films so endearing. You could easily go back to those and just track all of Harrison Ford's facial expressions and delivery to see what I'm talking about. And it's not like Lucas didn't have BIG figures in PM, right? So, I felt really let down as well. I don't mind bad art in the sense of feeling incensed that it exists or that no one should pay attention to it. BUT I do mind when the magic is leeched from art. I purposely avoided the Muppet "sitcom" type reboot for that reason. I have been so gratified to see that the relaunched Fraggle Rock is full of Henson's original spirit, smarts, wit, and play. It's too bad Lucas couldn't go back to the well for PM to restart the franchise on a better foot. But as you've shown here..it still gives us a lot to talk about, consider, and even love. :)
I love this so much! This is the funnest part of talking about this stuff -- the reminiscing.
It's weird because at one time George could tell human stories, but he sorta lost that touch and became enamored with the technology of filmmaking, rather than the art of it. Though even at his best, he was never super comfortable directing actors.
In 99 I was working at a Blockbuster. My favorite job ever. The podcast episode this week will be on The Matrix because doing The Phantom Menace pod awoke all this 1999 nostalgia and I still want to live there a bit longer. (I'm also writing a Matrix-related article this week, so two birds and all that.)
Thanks for sharing this!
I have read that about Lucas...being sort of "humans..uh-oh..meep! morp!" And you're right about the art of the craft. I think that's what I meant about the "magic" factor. You can talk all day about technical and art design and casting and writing choices, BUT when the magic isn't there..it's just somehow too devastating to even articulate. I know I felt that way in the theatre that night watching Menace. It was like "where is the playfulness and the quirky, smart flourishes that made the other three films feel like you were watching people you knew battle for the fate of the universe?" Unrelated-ish: we just tucked into The Acolyte. I like it a lot so far. I think I'm partial to Jedi-inspired stories anyway. And FINALLY A WOOKIEE GETS THE SMAHHHT JEDI TREATMENT!! (makes wookiee noise...poorly) :)
I'm super optimistic about The Acolyte! It feels so new and different. Wookiee Jedi!!!
I am too! And I love me a revengeful twin!! Very peak General Hospital circa 1986! The opening combat scenes were stunning—felt more like watching dancers than two people locked in a battle to the death :)
The Matrix fan in me is hoping they pull a General Hospital style "sike, she's totally not dead actually". 😵
My main memory of The Phantom Menace is proposing to my girlfriend (now wife). She was visiting me in Oxford, and I was visiting my parents (we all lived in different parts of the UK at that point). We'd planned to all go and see The Phantom Menace together - and we did - but the same day, I proposed to her whilst we were on a picnic earlier in the day. :)
That's awesome!
My thoughts on The Phantom Menace and the prequel trilogy in general are well documented elsewhere. However, my top five lightsabre fights are as follows:
5) The Phantom Menace. I don't care about the film that much, but the physicality of this fight is remarkable and breathtaking.
4) The Last Jedi. For all the reasons you state in the podcast.
3) Star Wars. Yes, I know it's not anywhere near as dynamic as some of the later fights in terms of nifty moves, but I love the mystery and allusions to the past in Vader and Obi-Wan's dialogue, plus Obi-Wan's sacrifice has significant dramatic weight. It all adds proper Arthurian gravitas, amid all the droids, aliens, and banter.
2) Return of the Jedi. Not so much for the acrobatics, but for the sheer emotion and dramatic crescendo of "I am a Jedi, like my father before me." That's eight-year-old me inwardly cheering in the cinema, by the way.
1) The Empire Strikes Back. The winner by a country mile. Great locations. A real physical challenge for Luke as Vader clearly has the upper hand throughout. The most dramatic and capped by the best plot twist ever.
I hadn't even considered Vader's big reveal! Doh!! That alone should've made it number one lol
I gotta admit, I went to see it when I was like 22 and was expecting something a whole lot different. Didn’t hate it… but didn’t love it. THEN when my son was born and we finally watched it I could see it more through a kids eyes and have really come around to it sense. Now I’m nostalgic about Phantom Menace
It’s a family affair at Tatooine Sons. Dad is an OT kid who played with the original action figures and watched Star Wars on HBO. The Sons didn’t get into the galaxy until Star Wars Rebels a decade or so ago.
Rebels is a great on-ramp!
Absolutely. We’re breaking down our love for it on our podcast episodes that comes out on the 14th.
Nice! Just subbed
Amazing! Thank you!