10 Famous Movies That Ruined The Reputations Of Classic Films
9. The Prequels Cement Return Of The Jedi As The Star Wars Trilogys Weakest
When The Phantom Menace first hit theatres, people weren't just excited by the prospect of new Star Wars; the film marked the return to the director's chair for George Lucas after an absence of twenty-two years.
Revered as one of the greatest directors on the planet (no exaggeration - the reviews at the time called him a master), the Star Wars Trilogy was viewed as the best cinematic trilogy full stop, lacking the weak link The Godfather had. Once the backlash against the film began to sink in, everything about that last sentence was reevaluated. It became clear that since Star Wars in 1977 Lucas had become a merchandiser and the generation that had viewed the original trilogy with extreme nostalgia began to view them objectively. And so the most child-friendly episode, the Ewok'd Return Of The Jedi, slipped down in estimations. All because of Jar Jar.
If you need proof of this change in opinion, look no further than Kevin Smith. Rudimentary as it is, his Clerks is a great time capsule, showing where pop culture stood for a brief period in 1994. In it, Randal and Dante have a discussion over which is better, Empire and Jedi. And there's a legitimate discussion; at that point Episode V wasn't the favoured victor.