In this video, we're celebrating the 25th anniversary of Star Wars Episode 1 by taking a look back at a magical time in 1999, when the Phantom Menace ruled the world.
I went to see Phantom Menace again today for the anniversary. I was 6 years old when I first saw it. After Anakin won the pod race, I heard a kid in the seats behind me cry out a joyous "skibidi!" of endearment. Clearly todays kids still enjoy this movie-
As soon as Sebulba said Puju the row in front of the packed theater unanimously yelled it. It was a really fun day. I wasn’t even born for the original release just shy of a few months later.
Same here I was 6 (Born in 93) and I remember Phantom Menace being such a big deal to me and my Kindergarten friends. We had a big sleepover the night we went to go see it in the cinemas. That poor mom was responsible for like 10 little kids dressed as Jedi with lightsabers going crazy in the cinema lobby lol
I was 17 back then. I loved the original trilogy, but Episode I made my passion for Star Wars explode. For me was the coolest movie I’ve ever watched at that point. It took me years to learn that it was hated that much. To this day, Qui-Gon Jinn is my favorite Jedi ever.
I’m 24 now. My love for Star Wars was a result of me watching Phantom Menace and actually having to think of why Lucas would convey the story in that manner. Needless to say it remains to be the best world building film without having a reference material via books. Lucas is very good at keeping his narrative in a consistent manner.
First time? You know it was in theaters in 1999 right? Get with the program. If you weren't such a Star Wars hater in 1999 you wouldn't have had to wait 25 years to watch it. Why do you hate Star Wars so much?
Amusing fact about the novelization- I was at a book signing for Terry Brooks once when it came up. He mentioned he was reluctant to do it, because grew tired with the tedious notes he kept getting when he wrote the novelization of Hook. But he took the job out of fear his big fan daughters would never speak to him again if he didn’t.
Same, 10 year old me was in awe of the sheer amount of merch in FAO Shwartz Toy Store in NYC in summer of 1999 (i was there on vaction from Ireland) it was huge especially in the US, glad i got to see it.
@@yukikid2195 If it makes you feel any better, us who were there as kids for Ep1 weren't there for the OG trilogy in the late 70s to early 80s lol the force is balanced
I am so glad I was a kid when Phantom menace came out. I knew nothing of any hate towards it and it took me years before I heard that people in general didn't like Jarjar. Everybody in my class loved the film (or they had no opinion on it if they had not seen it). Now I have great nostalgia for it and still think it's a great movie/trilogy. Had a huge crush on Qui-Gon too.
My parents thought Star Wars was too violent, but they finally made a deal under duress of my relentless begging - I agreed to no screens (no movies, TV, video games, etc) for one month to be allowed to see Episode I in theatres. I was 10 years old then…the memory of that experience and the pure joy and exhilaration of that experience is still clear as day to me now.
I'm happy that Star Wars was looked at so highly because of how rare it was. Having new shows every year is nice for expanding lore and I like lore. But what I love more is the fan reaction to seeing Star Wars after not seeing it in years.
Man I remember getting Pizza-Hutt and seeing Darth Maul on the box also Doritos or Ham-Cheese chips with Obi-Wan on the packaging. Phantom Menace was literally everywhere, the movie wasn't the best but those times sure were and I miss them...
Episode 2 and 3 had a lot of merchandise too, albeit not as big as Phantom Menace. Contrast that with the sequel trilogy where it felt like there wasn’t really much merchandising. Heck we don’t even get very many games ever since Disney took over either.
@@lawrencetalbot8346 very true, it feels like during the prequel era, star wars used to be this big cultural experience with tons of merchandise and hype. With the sequels, that sort of buzz and hype just isn't there imo. I loved the prequel merchandising and event status, especially for rots
watching it again in theaters was like taking a Time Machine back to 99 I remember the Taco Bell and mcdonlads toys too and also watching Tarzan and the first Pokemon movie, must suck to be a kid nowadays
@@aamirrazak3467ehhh episode 7 was everywhere. You could not escape Star Wars in November 2015. Every store had figures, trailers on every game, food had force awakens packaging, it was inescapable.
I remember seeing TPM one day on Austrian national tv (I'm Slovenian) as a 6-7 year old boy. Didn't know anything about Star Wars and turned on that channel right when the Duel of Fates started. That was it. Since then I'm a diehard fan of SW
I was born in '98, so I was way to young for the Phantom Menace craze. Didn't change my love for the film. I had the lightsabers, the action figures, i still have my 12 inch Qui Gon Jinn doll lying around. And miraculously, I still love this film to this day, Jar Jar and all.
I was born 96 and all into the Phantom menace thing haha. My first time watching it I had to to bed cuz it was bedtime but I snuck out of bed and finished watching through the space in-between the stair railings cuz I could see the TV in the living room from there. My dad actually saw me but kept it quiet from my mom so I could finish it. That battle at the end was so cool and definitely what got me into the whole series. Years later dad took me to Revenge of the Sith in theaters when it was released. Good times
@@MrTreework I went to Revenge of the Sith with my brother, my friend and his friend. We wrere extatic after it; it is one of my most beloved and heartfelt memories. All the way to his friends home we were talking about; the story, the characters, the epic fight. Ah...
The Phantom Menace was one of my earliest movie memories. Loved the Prequel era as a kid. Started hating them as a teen due to influence from RLM and all the other anti-Prequel videos, but then started respecting them again as an adult for what they tried to do in spite of the flaws.
Same here. It was only after I’ve developed my literacy of the cinematic language that gave every shot, and yes I do say every shot, as purposeful to the greater philosophies as motifs on the idea of symbionts and mutual advantage. Originally owned this on VHS, and when I was six I would wake up in the middle of the night and watched it many, many times. Although at the time it was my only Star Wars home media it still meant a lot to me.
I saw this movie when I was 5 with my family in 1999. It was for my 5th birthday I had just graduated kindergarten. First time seeing a movie in the theater that I picked. My uncle and aunt were even there too man those were the days
I remember 1999. I was five. Taco bell had a bunch of phantom menace toys. Legos had stuff, and there were lightsaber toys, and jedi tunics kids could buy. I remember all the good stuff was constantly sold out. Eventually I got a darth maul saber. My sister went as amidala for halloween and I went as darth Vader. The costume I had was pretty lame. They didnt make good costumes at the store back then.
This really highlights something we often forget in modern day, which is that the identity of this series really did change with every movie. Now, in hindsight, we think of the prequels, sequels, and original trilogy as all existing in their own generational bubbles, but at the start of each one that first movie really was a franchise in and of itself. When a new hope first came out it was the entirety of Star Wars as a concept. When Phantom Menace released it was an event which, even with the promise of two more movies, still basically was its own IP in the sense that all attention was focused on the film itself. This is a part of culture which isn't so easily archived. Because while we can preserve individual pieces of media or merchandise, the actual atmosphere surrounding them is ephemeral. Time passes, and young people who weren't alive or old enough to remember an era become the primary ones discussing it. Likewise those who were old enough to remember it can forget those moments as new memories and add ons to that cultural instant come to blur the picture. You did a really great job putting into perspective just how massive of a cultural moment this was, which is very useful considering just how much baggage and infamy this movie has accrued over the years.
Something to especially note regarding the video game portion you missed. Rogue Squadron was one of, if not the first Star Wars game to have Episode 1 content in it, and only a handful of people in the dev team knew of its existence. The codes to unlock the N-1 was privy only to those who implemented the craft. It's the only cheat that requires two codes and both will come up as incorrect when inputted as if to throw off the player. But when you unlocked it, it was bar none the best fighter in the game. What's surprising is that they got so many of the details right except for the engine color. The PC version didn't even have the N-1 until after the movie release following a downloadable patch Just for reference, Rogue Squadron came out in December 1998. This was several months before Episode 1 released in theaters. Well before the Episode 1 games started pouring out
I had a Darth Maul backpack in Elementary School. I still have it to this day. Who would’ve thought an 8 year old’s back pack would become a sought after collector’s item
Still have all my episode 1 toys and merch from when I was a kid. Most still in original boxes. Something was special about this StarWars and marketing amd hype that went into was something you dont really see happen anymore.
To me it always has to do with introducing new characters. Epi 1 was the only hype I was alive to enjoy at that point and I remember getting pamphlets and shit with character bios for all the jedi council members (well, the big the Yoda, Mace and Ki-Adi) and I would ponder with my friend over what they would be like. Darth Maul will always be one of the most hype characters ever.
I've just got back from the cinema after watching the Phantom Menace on the big screen for the first time. This is probably my most-watched Star Wars film, I rented the VHS from our local library dozens of times. I was too young to see it at the cinema, but I remember the hype and still have a dozen of those Phantom Menace figures. I still have that Rubik's cube somewhere! I remember Jar Jar merchandise being everywhere - I still have a Jar Jar Binks piggy bank! I really wanted to like Jedi Power Battles, but I could never make it off the Trade Federation ship. 😐 I thought this film was so amazing and often re-enacted the lightsaber fights with my brother during the credits music. Great times, I have nothing but great feelings and memories towards this movie.
I also went to see it for the first time, the phantom menace was a movie I didn't get to see in theaters, I didn't get to a movie in theaters until ep.3 came out, it was so cool finally seeing it in theaters
This is something that always comes to my mind from time to time. In 1999 EVERYTHING was Star Wars. Pepsi was Star Wars, all snacks were Star Wars, billboards, advertising, every toy at the stores. I was 4, so I didn't remember the world before, I thought that was, like, the standard. I remember being scared of Darth Maul because his face was everywhere, so I logically thought he was a famous guy that really existed.
I have had the Star Wars fighting banks on my dresser since we moved into this house in 2001. I remember my grandparents couldn’t make my birthday in September of 1999 so they gave me my gift early, which was the Obi-Wan bank. I also remember my step sister being sick with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the hospital and biding the time with an Episode 1 coloring book. One of the nurses saw it and told me Qui-Gon died (not in a spiteful way, just that we were talking about the picture I was coloring and she said “Oh yeah, he gets killed by {Darth Maul}”.” Can you believe I didn’t even see the movie in theaters? I guess I was just experiencing the movie through all the merchandise (like my Jar Jar figure which came the same day as my Animorphs contest prize tape. Talk about a high for a child of 99).
I waited a long time for a video about this time period! So glad it is from you. I'll be 30 in just 2 years, but this time period is special to me because it is some of my earliest memories I can still recall. I had already seen the original Star Wars trilogy on tape and had owned some of the Kenner toys (before they were expensive collectors items before the nostalgia for 70s and 80s kids kicked in card less toys were just junk you could buy in $3 baggies at my local thrift shop) I also played the hell out of Star Wars Trilogy arcade game at Chuck E. Cheese and Shadows Of The Empire on N64. I was about 3 in 1999 and Star Wars was one of my favorite things along with Nintendo and Fox Kids. I obviously wasn't made of money and was too little to be deserving of expensive new toys, but I remember going to the local Dollar Tree during this time with my parents and getting tons of cheap Episode 1: The Phantom Menace merch like inflatable chairs and somewhere in we got the bedsheets and blanket set of podracer Anakin (my brother has a photo of us from then with the bedsheets visible) Flandrew, you are the best Star Wars nostalgia man on RU-vid thanks for making this and please cover more games on GBA.
I have one very cool happening with Episode 1, when i was 10 years old, my dad was going to take me to see the movie in the cinema, but at the end my dad didn't take me, so my mom took me to see the movie at the premiere at 12am, i remember seeing the whole theater full of people and fans, the movie ended a 2am, with no cabs at that hour, we had to walk home in the middle of the night, at the end we got home safe and sound, That's why the Phantom Menace has a special part in my life beacuse it was my first Star Wars Movie in a Premiere more because my mom became a Star Wars fan since there.
I didn't become a Star Wars fan until Revenge of the Sith was just coming out, but one of my earliest memories is seeing TPM on premiere day when I was 5. Particularly, I'll never forget the terrifyingly thunderous applause and standing ovation at the end. It always makes me laugh when the supposed adults who all hated the movie claim that everyone immediately hated it, or that everyone spent the aftermath talking shit 😄 Not in my experience.
My introduction to Star Wars was the podracer game, and this was the only Star Wars movie I had to watch for many years. Was shocked when I grew up and heard people didn't like it!
Born in ‘94. Didn’t make it to the theater at the time for “The Phantom Menace”, but it has been one of my favorite films and Jar Jar has always been my favorite character in the film and I had a good chunk of his merchandise from the blow up chair to the plastic mug with his face on it. I did see TPM in 2012 when it was released as a 3D film. Love this movie to this day.
I always love the Star Wars prequel trilogy films no matter what and The Phantom Menace is always my most favourite prequel trilogy film no matter what.
I just watched Phantom Menace for its 25th anniversary last night on May the 4th. When it was finished the audience applauded. It was the first time I've ever heard an audience applaud after a movie.
I love Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Always have and always will. Never hated it and never jumped on the hate bandwagon as I grew up with it.
With the amount of hype surrounding Episode 1 long before its release, it's clear why people hated it. Hype will kill just about anything, regardless of quality. I discovered the prequels after Episode 2 released and was just a kid happy to have more Star Wars. To this day I fully believe the prequels were just misunderstood and I'm glad the internet has been kinder to them with time
You can also thank Disney for the reason why the prequels did not remain hated. Episide 1 was bad but is Citizen Kane when compared to Rise of Skywalker
I will never forget waking up one morning as a kid, going downstairs and my parents handing my brother and me a VHS copy of Phantom Menace, saying "you guys gotta watch this"
Here in the Netherlands the prequel hype was built with an re-release of the original 3 movies. This rerelease was done with more bells and whistles than even other big blockbuster movies, with an “new” movie dropping every other month if I recall correctly. We had trilogy toys, trilogy branded candy, collectible stickers + book to stick them in, trading cards and my personal favourite “Cell frames” for big scenes that came in bags of Smiths (Lays). For a small fee you could buy a holder for these cells that you could mound to an torch to ‘project’ these images to the wall. I still remember these very fondly. I also remember that all the promotion, both collectibles as for the re-release of the movies was done in dark green and black, until suddenly all the red and black merch started to pour in. Toy stores became temporarily unofficial Star Wars stores and the hype was palpable. Funny thing was that because the original trilogy was also much hyped, and readily available to rent.. I formed a closer bond with those movies then the Phantom Menace, despite being the perfect age for the prequels (I was around 10). And to this day I am one of those old grumpies who loves the original trilogy and the (Now) legends extended universe, but cant seem to care much for the other movies.
Aaaaahhhh "The Phantom Menace" the movie that introduced me to Star Wars and downright scared the hell out me with Darth Maul's face (I remember hiding behind the seats I was just a 3 year old kid), but well if It wasn't for the Phantom Menace and the original trilogy, I don't know of I would have been a Star Wars fan today.
I was only 7 years old when this movie released and I barely knew what Star Wars was. But I remember they hype and a lot of the toys. I even had some Star Wars ep1 lego of my own, and I remember playing Star Wars games at a friends house before having watched the movie. Which I watched on VHS at the same friends house later:P
I was obsessed with this movie. I recorded it off the telly and my brother and I would watch it and act out the scenes as it played. I'd have lightsaber battles with my friends in school and I'd play the ps1 game for hours, just exploring the levels, looking for secrets. It was a great time to be a kid.
Same with me and my brother dressing up as jedi and kid Anakin act out the scenes a d days I would just use my toys and get a shoe put Legos on the end of the shoestring and make a podracer just seen the movie yesterday kinda brought back memories when I was 5 back in 99
Man I remember so much merch as a kid for episode 1 ❤ I had everything, I had (from memory) - Weekly or fortnightly magazines - novelisation - Lego Sets - the ps1 video-games - The giveaways in cereal boxes - the Tesco episode 1 chocolate bars - the darth maul/qui-gon/obi wan lightsabers - the little figures that had the talking chips - a Darth Maul rucksack - a Darth Maul Pencil case/stationary set - a Jar Jar Binks Tooth brush - a Darth Maul Flannel - a Darth Maul bottle topper thing & The VHS I used to watch on loop at my nan and grandads house etc I could go on and on 😂
Phantom menace was my introduction to the series, i dont care what anyone says but it’s the best star wars movie and jar jar binks was a great character 😂
It cannot be overstated just how long that 11 month wait was. Kids, you have to understand that in those days once a movie was out of theaters, you just might never see that movie again. But, I must say, me having an April birthday, I got the best birthday gift ever in the year 2000
After 16 years of waiting The Phantom Menace was a dream come true. I remember coming home and saying to myself "Wow there are now 4 Star Wars movies."
People who weren’t around back then have absolutely no idea how excited we were for this movie to come out. By today’s standards, the 16 year dry spell of Star Wars content after ROTJ was released in 1983 was agonizing. Knowing we were going to be able to go to a theater and see an entirely new Star Wars movie with all its familiar standbys (the opening crawl, Jedi knights, lightsabers) for the first time in 16 years was indescribably exciting. We were literally starved for new Star Wars content and here was a whole new trilogy coming.
It was fantastic seeing it again in theaters, I was very young when Episode 1 came out and I don't really remember seeing it all too well. watching it again as an adult and experiencing it on the big screen was really breath-taking, everyone seemed to love it and even Jar Jar even got laughs out of the kids that were watching it.
Just wanted to say I highly appreciate the production value of this video. I remember watching The Phantom Menace on VHS so much as a kid. Also love that background of Naboo starfighters.
I remember for my birthday going to an Episode I celebration, got to see the trailer, some props and try out Racer, which was fun. I also collected the figure busts that came in Kellogg’s cereal boxes, and got a handful of figures, but not the scanner for the sound clips that came with them. What’s strange is that I barely remember seeing Episode I in the local theatre in my hometown, but I remember seeing Episodes II & III. One of my favourite memories was when Spaced came out and Simon Pegg chewed out a kid for liking Jar Jar, then being reprimanded by boss for it, lol.
I went to see TPM at age 9 with my dad. I remember being so hyped for the film. We ended up seeing it twice in the theater because the first time the film melted half way through the movie. I definitely remember the legos, toys and video games!
Seeing this movie in theaters was one of the best childhood memories for me. I especially loved the scene where they fought their way into the throne room and fired up the ascension guns. I believe this was when I learned the word ascension.
7:15 i'll never feel anymore jealous seeing this image, i can't imagine having the balls of steel and unbreakable will to share his very positive opinon on jar-Jar.
Boy, here in Brazil I remember the release of Episode I! Toys and games flooded the shopping malls and such, and altouyght the SW crazyness wasn't as much pronounced as USA, we have our share of love for the saga! I even saw the movie FOUR times on theaters...
I was 10 years old at the time and I remember this very well especially that Jar Jar Binks lolly tongue… I had one, but I didn’t think it was weird. I just thought it was stupid idea.
I can watch these kinds of videos all day. The lead up to episode 1 was sooooo GODDAMN awesome. The hype, the stuff, the thoughts, the dreams. It was a wonderful time before reality kicked is all in the balls.
I was 7 years old when I watched the phantom menace in theaters, we had a little Anakin action figure, I would take it and jam into a landspeeder that was meant for Luke and make little Ani drive it
I was born in 1992, i was 7 when i saw Episode 1, it was the greatest thing ever for me, I remember pretending being darth maul dual sabering around my parents at the exit of the movie... Man so much nostalgia.
This is literally my favorite Star Wars movie! I know it's not the best, but it never fails to entertain me. I have lots of fun even when I know the whole movie by heart and can recite it like Will Smith does with Shrek. ♥
Your videos being great is already expected. But this one was a trip down my childhood. I was 10 when Phantom Menace came out and it felt like the greatest thing ever made at the moment. Playing Phantom Menace and Jedi Power battles on the PS1 is still one of my fondest memories. Thank you!
As a kid it was great. Fun time to be a kid. The anticipation and hype for his was huge, nothing like it before or since. Not sure anything could have lived up to the hype but i know my friends and I loved it. It was mostly adults that couldnt stand it. Makes sense now that im older but i can still enjoy it for what it is.
Yes please do more videos like this! You should also do them for Harry Potter, Lord of the rings etc. as well as continuing the other Lord of the rings games, EH? Same with the other second Lego creator Harry Potter game, Harry Potter for connect and fantastic beasts as well please? :-)
I was born around the same time as the movie came out so I don't remember anything about the release, but I did grow up watching the movie on VHS, except I often wasn't allowed enough time to watch it all the way through so I would only get through the first 30-60 minutes. Because I always preferred to start at the beginning, I would always rewind it for next time. I loved watching all the action play out in reverse at double speed.
I was 19 at the premier , loved TPM, even though it felt different than the O.T. still some great memories. The marketing was memorable and still lights up my heart when looking back.
Good old memories of 99 KFC, pizza hut promos Toys R Us visits were frequent. Watched the movie 10 times from may to july 1999 Fun time I haven’t gone to watch it but Im planning to go see it tomorrow night
I would love to see more of these “ruled the world” videos. Especially the Pokémon and Yugioh videos. I was caught so hard in the hype of both of those.
I was 2 when this movie came out and my parents who were big star wars nerds took me to see the movie, putting me on a booster seat and everything lol. I don't remember that moment much but I do remember the coming years just rewatching phantom menace on VHS over and over during sick days and snuggling my jar jar plush. It was my favorite movie. And tho it isn't know (that goes to Revenge of the Sith) I still love Phantom Menace flaws and all.
