Time has been kind to The Phantom Menace. This week’s 25th anniversary re-release of the 1999 Star Wars film demonstrates how perceptions around a film can change over time. Many people who saw the film as children are now grown adults and look back at it with fondness in a way which is completely at odds with how the film was received by many long-standing Star Wars fans upon its initial release.

Following the critical disappointment of The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, the box-office failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story the year before, and the inordinately long wait for potential future film projects (some of which are looking increasingly unlikely), The Phantom Menace, and the prequel trilogy more broadly, now stands tall within the context of the saga’s history as a somewhat successful endeavour.

The film still has its problems. The decision to centre the plot of a family sci-fi film around trade disputes and tense political negotiations remains somewhat baffling. George Lucas’ direction of his actors is also hit-and-miss; a recurring issue with his films. However, it also features stunning set-pieces and some of the franchise’s most recognisable musical cues. Most importantly, in 2024, it doesn’t feel like a franchise film made to satisfy the desires of an audience hunting for easter-eggs or references to previous instalments. Unlike the enjoyable, but ultimately safe, Episode VII: The Force Awakens, The Phantom Menace is still weird and undeniably original. For better and for worse, it’s the vision of a creator with a story to tell.