If you were tasked with tracking down a Star Wars fan who wasn’t exactly blown away by the franchise’s Prequel Trilogy, you wouldn’t have to look that hard. While fan and critic reactions ranged from mixed to positive when The Phantom Menace released back in 1999, nowadays, it (and the two films that followed) are generally met with contempt and disdain, thanks to wooden, stilted dialogue, awkward romance scenes between Anakin Skywalker and Padmé, downright annoying comic relief characters, such as Jar Jar Binks and, above all, the trilogy’s odd reliance on political issues.
The Phantom Menace, in particular, kicked off with an opening crawl that, for whatever reason, focused on “the taxation of trade routes,” embargoes between different planets and the stalemate playing out within the Republic’s congress. This bore of an opening was enough to elicit eye-rolls from adult moviegoers, and we can only imagine that some children fell asleep during the opening scenes. Needless to say, the focus on politics was not a home run for The Phantom Menace, but one Star Wars fan has now taken things to the next level.
Olaf Falafel, a Swedish children’s author/illustrator and comedian, recently shared his own recut of Episode I over on Twitter. Rather than showcasing podraces and action setpieces though, Olaf opted to center his efforts on the movie’s “dispute/taxation/politics.” Because Twitter limits their video uploads to 140 seconds, Falafel had to cut things a bit short and leave a few “really juicy Trade Federation motions” on the cutting room floor.
Check it out for yourself down below:
I've recut The Phantom Menace so it’s just the really cool trade dispute/taxation/politics bits.
— Olaf Falafel (@OFalafel) October 26, 2019
It looks like Star Wars fans have enjoyed this edited trailer so far, which has accrued well over 11,000 likes in the span of a couple of days. Personally, I won’t be rewatching The Phantom Menace anytime soon, but if need be, I’ll certainly give this video a rewatch if I have to brush up on the political power plays of the Republic.
