10 Things Learned From Re-Watching Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

We need to talk about Binks.

For far too long this bumbling Gungan was mocked by some viewers as one of the worst things to ever happen to not just the galaxy far, far away, but cinema as a whole. 

And the actor behind the comedic character, Ahmed Best, found himself being targeted by the worst corners of the Internet and critics for his performance, with the actor even considering suicide following that terrible media backlash.

Fast forward 25 years, and in the wake of Best making a triumphant comeback to Star Wars in The Mandalorian recently it finally feels like the star and Jar Jar are getting the flowers they deserve.

It's difficult not to feel some form of wonderful nostalgia seeing Best flailing his way through a warzone or trying to sneak a little snack at the market when hopping back into this first Episode all these years later. 

And a film which spends decent stretches perched in senates and measuring midi-chlorians actually benefits from these occasional bouts of goofiness more than folks were probably prepared to admit back when they were fuming over the ways Lucas had ruined their childhoods with this return to Star Wars.

Without Jar Jar - the first-ever fully CG supporting character - there would be no Gollum, Thanos, or Na'vi. And the groundbreaking visual effects used to bring the character to life in the film have largely aged remarkably well for a movie which just turned the big 2-5.