Some Star Wars diehards seem to have fallen under a mesmerizing spell of nostalgia regarding which film they believe is the high point of the entire franchise.
A fan took to the r/StarWars subreddit to silence critics with a detailed argument as to why The Phantom Menace is the most on-brand film in a galaxy far, far away.
A Redditor agreed with OP that the premise of The Phantom Menace was excellent. They chalked up the widespread dissatisfaction with the film to faulty storytelling.
Another also argued that The Phantom Menace is indeed the underrated zenith of the Star Wars saga, no matter how misunderstood and harshly judged it is by many fans.
Yet another was basking in secondary pleasure, pointing out that it had a unique purpose that set it apart from other Star Wars movies. It came after a 15 year gap between Star Wars releases, and was faced with a pretty daunting task.
No discussion about The Phantom Menace is complete without the topic of Jar Jar Binks rearing its head. One described the character as a stinging insult to the intelligence of Star Wars fans.
Another view was that film was an encounter with the unfettered genius of filmmaker George Lucas.
While it is true that opinions about the best Star Wars movie are entirely subjective, there is no doubt that after a lengthy hiatus, The Phantom Menace had the Herculean task of reacquainting moviegoers with the franchise, which it did successfully, and the end product is an invitation to revisit the tales from the faraway galaxy that’s captivated generations of moviegoers.