George Lucas: Critics Missed the Point of ‘The Phantom Menace’
The first three Star Wars films are often cited as some of the best Hollywood movies of all time, while The Phantom Menace received far less glowing reviews. George Lucas reacted to the critical trashing, saying the reviews for The Phantom Menace were identical to those for the previous Star Wars films. Fans should not take him at his word.
George Lucas defended a controversial character from ‘The Phantom Menace’
During a 1999 interview with Empire Magazine, Lucas shrugged off the negative reviews of The Phantom Menace. “The critics pretty much hated the first three movies; they said the dialogue is bad, the acting’s wooden, no story, too many special effects, it’s a children’s film,” he said.
“That same review got moved to Empire Strikes Back, that same review got moved to Return of the Jedi, and that is the review that is getting reprinted now. You’d think that after a while, they’d figure out that’s what these things are. It’s always gonna be like that because I see it as one movie, not six.”
Lucas defended the most controversial and widely panned aspect of the movie. “The irony was that it was written about Star Wars that in C-3PO, I had created the most irritating character ever created on film,” he said. “Now one of the reviews for The Phantom Menace says in Jar Jar, I have created the most irritating character ever created on film. It’s exactly the same sentence. It was like, ‘Hey, haven’t I been here? I already did that once.'”
George Lucas’ claims are not accurate
It goes without saying that salespeople aren’t always trustworthy, especially when they are selling their products. Lucas is the ultimate salesman for Star Wars, so fans and film historians should not take him at his word. The reviews for the original Star Wars were, by and large, glowing.
In the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert, one of the most famous film critics in the United States, gave Star Wars a perfect four-star rating. He felt watching the movie was an out-of-body experience, where he wasn’t in a movie theater anymore but actually in the world of the movie. He said other critically acclaimed films such as Bonnie and Clyde, Jaws, Taxi Driver, and Cries and Whispers gave him the same feeling.
Ebert was not alone. Vincent Canby of The New York Times said Star Wars was the most beautiful movie serial ever made. In addition, Star Wars was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Lucas. Of course, every movie receives negative reviews, but the critics generally praised Star Wars.
Why the director might’ve framed ‘The Phantom Menace’ a certain way
So why did Lucas say that the original trilogy was critically reviled? Well, no one can know what’s going on in his head. Perhaps the bad reviews he received had a greater impact on him.
On the other hand, Lucas may have wanted to do some damage control. Rather than really engage with the criticisms of The Phantom Menace, he could say that reviewers would pan his work no matter what. That sort of fatalism can be perversely comforting.
Whether you love or hate The Phantom Menace, it wasn’t as lauded as its predecessors.
