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Never before in the history of cinema has one film been so anticipated as the Star Wars prequels, which was the first issue that Phantom Menace had to grapple with.Unfortunately, Lucasfilm did little to hose down the anticipation, signing promotional deals with hundreds of brands including a $2 billion deal with PepsiCo, ensuring that there wasn’t a person alive who wasn’t aware the film was coming out.
This effectively set the film up for a fall. The Phantom Menace, even if it was an amazing movie was going to be a disappointment on some level. The fact it was a relatively weak science fiction film made the fall even more enhanced.
12 years on, divorced from the hype (did I say this film was hyped?) and what were once cutting edge special effects are now aging and The Phantom Menace is left to stand on its own two feet, finally speaking for itself. I’ll be frank. It’s not a great film. It’s a good film.
It’s not a good Star Wars film, it’s a weak effort. But worse is to come.
Full story at Tweak Town.