Star Wars: Ranking Every Film From Worst To Best
9. The Phantom Menace
Despite all the hate, despite all the decades' worth of vitriol which has been said about this film, it is an absolute one-of-a-kind and its hard not to respect Lucas' resolve.
It would have been ludicrously easy for George Lucas to return to the world of Star Wars in 1999 and simply deliver something he knew would placate audiences. All he had to do was check off a few boxes on a list, cheaply give audiences what they thought they wanted, and watch the cash roll in.
Instead, Lucas went in the complete opposite direction and created a gargantuan biblical epic that embraced the franchise's operatic undertones like never before. It mixes mythology and politics and children's fairy tales all into one distinct artistic statement that no one else in the world could have made.
It's also an utter joy to watch Lucas return to the world of directing for the first time in decades and absolutely mop the floor with modern action directors. With setpieces like the podrace, the Duel of the Fates, or even the four-story-overlapping climax, Lucas delivered cutting-edge spectacle the likes of which had never been seen before.
It may not be perfect, but Phantom Menace is a more-than-worthy and fittingly idiosyncratic opening salvo to this saga.