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The Phantom Menacewas a glorious success in terms of box office earnings but the movie that was included in theStar Warsprequel trilogy met with heavy criticism for one primary reason. The trilogy, unlike the sequel movie series, seemed juvenile as considered by fans and critics.
Now, a few decades later, the creator ofStar Wars, George Lucas came to defend the prequel trilogy. However, fans are not ready to accept the reasoning the legendary director provided.Star Warsis one of the biggest and most successful franchises in the history of entertainment and Lucas was the mastermind behind the visionary sci-fi world which still adds shows and movies in it.
George Lucas DefendsStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
George Lucashas finally responded to the criticism ofStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.Recently, the legendary director was awarded a Palme d’Or for his glorious contribution to the film industry at the 77th Cannes Festival this year. With that note, the director recently had a chat withThe Hollywood Reporterabout the trilogy that came 16 years later after the original movie series.
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Lucasdefended the movie from criticismof the prequel trilogy includingThe Phantom Menacewhich starsLiam Neeson,Ewan McGregor,Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Pernilla August. The director claimed that it was a movie made for kids.
It was supposed to be a kid’s movie for 12-year-olds that were going through puberty, who don’t know what they’re doing, and are asking all the big questions: What should I be worried about? What’s important in life? And Star Wars has all those things in there. They’re buried in there but you definitely get it, especially if you’re young.
For context,The Phantom Menacescored only a 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes and that is very low considering the standard of the franchise. Still, the movie managed a stupendous earning at the box office grossing over $1 billion (perThe Numbers) against the $115 million.
Fans Find It Hard To Digest George Lucas’ Defense OfThe Phantom Menace
Lucas didn’t stop there, the 80-year-old industry vet who wrote and directedThe Phantom Menacefurther argued that“critics and fans who had been 10 years old when they saw the first one”and when the prequel movie trilogy was released, fans and critics were over the idea of a child movie. Now fans took to X to respond to the comment of the director.
how tf is Phantom Menace a kids movie? 😂 and this is from someone who enjoys Episode II and LOVES Episode III.
— Teejay (@TeejayMcFly)July 07, 2025
“Kids movies” don’t center around trade agreements and votes of “no confidence”
— Daren DoctorManhattan™ (@darendoc)August 03, 2025
Kids movies don’t usually involve the slaughter of children even Jedi.
— Dan Baldwin (@jacktuesday1)July 13, 2025
No, George is a bad writer, simple as that. He had some really good ideas, but didn’t have the writing skills to fully flesh out the films. We all saw what the originals had vs what the prequels had. We were supposed to love his bad writing, we don’t…
— Karrus (@karrus01)June 29, 2025
The first movie was instantly popular with adults. Kids get bored watching Empire Strikes Back.I don’t know what he’s on about.
— KingmakersGameDev (@Ian_Fisch)July 22, 2025
Lucas’ original intention behind the movie does not seem like it was designed to be a child movie, at least some fans will never believe that. Of course, the 1999 movie has a PG rating but still, at the crux of it, it was far from being a children’s movie.
Everybody said the same thing about 3P0, that he was irritating and we should get rid of him. When I did the third one it was the Ewoks: ‘Those are little teddy bears. This is a kid’s movie, we don’t want to see a kids’ movie. I said: ‘It is a kids’ movie. It’s always been a kids’ movie.
Lucas’ insistence on the idea and his defense did not work among fans very well. Of course, the franchise has been his treasure trove but the intent of the space opera was clearly visible on screen.
StreamThe Phantom Menaceon Disney+
Lachit Roy
Articles Published :1031
Lachit Roy is a seasoned writer specializing in science and entertainment news. Armed with a postgraduate degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Tezpur University, he brings a wealth of knowledge and skill to his craft.Lachit is particularly passionate about crafting engaging content on entertainment news and trends. A dedicated movie enthusiast, he possesses an in-depth understanding of the cinematic world and takes joy in disseminating the latest updates to the global fandom. When not immersed in writing, Lachit can be found indulging in his love for movies and series, occasionally tending to his garden, but predominantly expanding his expertise in the realms of his interests.
