10 Movies That Had A Bigger Impact Than You Realise

9. Fully CGI Characters - Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

What it's known for: It's impossible to discuss The Phantom Menace without addressing the massive wall of hate constructed in the years following its release. It may have got critical praise initially, but long standing fans, disgruntled that the film wasn't aimed directly at thirty-somethings, slowly tore it down and turned mild disappointment into massive hate. And that's really what its biggest impact was. There may have been slight cases before (Batman And Robin's failure was aided by fan complaints), but Episode I marked a point where the internet commenters had the ability to totally ruin a movie's reputation. What it also changed: All this talk about the reaction to the film often distracts from the movie itself. And as a stand-alone piece its a serviceable effort head-and-shoulders above the other galactic fantasies of the late-nineties. That's saying nothing of the special effects. Although Steven Spielberg bringing dinosaurs back to life stands as a milestone, Lucas' film really pushed what special effects could do; Jar Jar, the much maligned hate figure, was the first fully CGI major character in a film and made breakthroughs with his interaction with the human cast. No Jar Jar? Then no Gollum or Na'vi. Not so stupid now.