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Originally released on June 17, 2025,Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menacerecently celebrated its 25thanniversary. Upon its initial release, George Lucas’ film was met with mixed reviews and was judged harshly by both critics and fans. While the visual effects for the film were appreciated, viewers weren’t too kind toward the characters or how the story played out.
As a result,The Phantom Menacebecame the lowest-rated film of the entireStar Warsfranchise with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 53%. However, it now looks like the fandom has evolved and so has their original opinion on the first prequel film starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and more.
Star Wars: Episode I –The Phantom MenaceCelebrates 25 Years
Back whenThe Phantom Menace wasfirst released in theatres, the film was put on a blast by die-hard fans who expected something greater and better fromGeorge Lucas.Star Wars: Episode Idid not live up to the fans’ expectations.
Both fans and critics did not take it easy on the prequel, which tells the origin story of Darth Vader. Everything from the writing to the character of Jar Jar Binks received unending hate from the viewers.Ahmed Best, who played the role of the animated Jar Jar Binks, was so traumatized by the backlash he received that he even contemplatedsuicideat one point. You can imagine just how bad it had gotten forThe Phantom Menace.
Of course, things didn’t get much better forEpisode IIandEpisodeIII,and the overall trilogy was once considered some of the worst works in the franchise.
Even Ewan McGregor Wouldn’t Have Agreed With The Phantom Menace Original Plans Completely Ruling Out One Star Wars Actor
However, 25 years later,The Phantom Menaceis finally getting the love and attention it deserves. The appreciation for the film has only grown in recent years. Over time, the fans began to understand and appreciate the complex characters in the film, including Jar Jar Binks, who was once heavily ridiculed. Not to mention that the expansion of theStar Warsuniverse with projects likeThe Clone WarsandObi-Wan Kenobiprovided fans with additional context about the characters and storylines ofThe Phantom Menace.
All in all,The Phantom Menaceis finally being applauded for almost everything it was disliked for initially. Take a look at what some of the fans had to say about the film whenStar Wars’officialInstagram account sharedthe original teaser trailer ofEpisode 1on the occasion of its 25thanniversary:
@tony_carnev: Before the woke ages. Before Disney (the true empire) took over, there was peace.
@bourbongolf: Back when Star Wars was Star Wars.
@seanocuana: Don’t care what anyone says…this was a brilliant brilliant brilliant movie!
@jmaruyama: One of the best trailers of all time. I remember it well.
@estebsak52: Still better than everything Disney has ever made for Star Wars.
These are just a few of the many fans who have vocalized their love and support for the film. This is the redemption arc everyone deserves!
George Lucas DefendsThe Phantom Menace
AfterA New Hope(1977),Lucas was returning to the franchise about twenty years later, and of course, the expectations were soaring through the skies. However, we all know what happened onceThe Phantom Menace wasreleased in theatres. While its box office run ended with a whopping$924 millionduring its initial release, the negativity around it was enough to make Lucas step out and defend his piece of work.
“The three of us would just lose it”: One Iconic Jar Jar Binks Dialogue From The Phantom Menace Left Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor in Utter Hysterics
He stated (viaWorld of Reel),“I love Episode I very much because it fills in a lot of the holes. I really wanted to do that.”He went on to add how people forgot that the film was made for children and ended up judging a bit too harshly since fans from the time ofA New Hopehad obviously grown up.
When it came out, we got blasted out of the water and then the movie had this patina around it of failure and stupidity and whatever. The films were designed for 12-year-olds. I said that right from the very, very beginning and the very first interviews I did for A New Hope. It’s just that they were so popular with everybody, that everybody forgot that.
Lucas added
Then, when I came back to do Phantom Menace, it was 20 years later. So if you were 10 years old when you saw A New Hope, you would be 30 years old when you saw Phantom Menace. So you weren’t a kid anymore. I think you were kind of embarrassed, and what you thought was a really fantastic movie for a 12-year-old wasn’t that great for a grownup. I think that was the main cause of the fall of Episodes I, II, and III. Believe me, it took a beating.
To celebrate its 25thanniversary,The Phantom Menacehas been re-released in theatres, so if you want to relive the experience or give the film another chance, now’s the time!
StreamThe Phantom Menaceon Disney+.
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2257
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you can find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
