History YMMV / ThePhantomMenace

* BrokenBase: Everyone found something to hate about this movie. Problem is, they all found different things to hate. This applies to the Prequel Trilogy as a whole, but the other two films have aged better in the fandom's view than this one. Thus Machete Order, one fan's answer to the debate over whether to watch the films in release order or episode order, is still popular today: IV, V, II, III, VI. Note that it omits this movie. That said, Episode I does have its supporters.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the film was the highest-grossing ''Star Wars'' film until the sequel trilogy, it has been an ''extremely'' divisive since its original release both among critics and '''especially''' Star Wars fan. For over a decade, it was a very popular film on the internet to trash, and [[FandomHeresy admitting to liking it]] was a surefire way to enrage people, both on and off the Net. However, as time has gone by, and also due in part to the equally divisive reception of the Sequel Trilogy (particularly in regards to ''Film/TheLastJedi''[[note]]especially since the personal attacks against Kelly Marie Tran (Rose) were [[HistoryRepeats shockingly similar]] to those against Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd, which made many fans realize that they'd set the precedent for that[[/note]]), the film started being seen in a more positive light, amassing more defenders and even a sincere and unapologetic following.[[note]]There has even been a fan documentary released, ''The Prequels Strike Back'', that defends the film and debunks some of the myths surrounding it; such as the idea that it almost entirely relied on CGI for its effects.[[/note]] While it is still far from universally lauded and those who like the movie do think some of the criticisms are valid; fans in general are more inclined to cut it more slack in recent years. And even those who dislike it are considerably more forgiving towards the movie and it's fans than they were in the decades prior.

* WTHCastingAgency: Casting Creator/SamuelLJackson as [[TheStoic Mace Windu]] is a waste of a terrific and energetic actor on an underused and soporific character. The best that can be said is that it establishes Mace's presence so that when he becomes important in ''Attack of the Clones,'' nobody's wondering "Who's this then?" In fact, Jackson specifically took the role with the understanding that the role would become progressively larger in the subsequent two films.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: The plot of the film is incited by a dispute over the taxation of trade routes by the Republic, which the Trade Federation opposes. While it's unknown if [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting Lucas even knew this]], the academic consensus would have entirely [[http://www.igmchicago.org/surveys/free-trade sided with the villains]]; it is nigh-universally agreed among economists that tariffs are bad (although that's in regards to taxing international trade, rather than inter-state trade within [[TheFederation a single non-unitary republic]] as shown in the film).[[note]]Exceptions also can and have been made in the event of national security being at risk, though it's not certain if the Republic viewed the Trade Federation as a threat up until they were revealed to work with an evil space wizard.[[/note]]Perhaps the Jedi negotiators could have been persuaded to their view if the Trade Federation weren't [[GreaterScopeVillain secretly working for an evil space wizard]] and didn't attempt to murder them from the first minute.

** Qui-Gon is often criticized for coldly leaving Shmi on Tatooine (his line to Shmi "I didn't come here to free slaves" didn't help his case). Except he did attempt to free her. He made a side bet with Watto: his pod for the two Skywalkers. Watto retorts that no pod is worth two slaves and pulls out a chance cube: if it lands on blue, he'll wager Anakin, if it lands on red, he'll wager Shmi. Qui-Gon decides that he must choose Anakin and manipulates the cube to land on blue. After Anakin wins the race and is informed of his freedom, Anakin asks if his mother is coming with them. Qui-Gon tells Anakin "I tried to free your mother, Ani, but Watto wouldn't allow it." Sure, Qui-Gon could have forced Watto to give Shmi up if he really wanted to, but doing so would have almost certainly caused unnecessary conflict too great for him to handle alone, and the Republic as a whole has practically zero influence on Tatooine. Qui-Gon probably could have done more to free Shmi, but to say that he didn't try to free her at all is blatantly false.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the film was the highest-grossing ''Star Wars'' film until the sequel trilogy, it has been an ''extremely'' divisive since its original release both among critics and '''especially''' Star Wars fan. For over a decade, it was a very popular film on the internet to trash, and [[FandomHeresy admitting to liking it]] was a surefire way to enrage people, both on and off the Net. However, as time has gone by, and also due in part to the equally divisive reception of the Sequel Trilogy (particularly in regards to ''Film/TheLastJedi''[[note]]especially since the personal attacks against Kelly Marie Tran (Rose) were [[HistoryRepeats shockingly similar]] to those against Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone which made many fans realize that they'd set the precedent for that]][[/note]]), the film started being seen in a more positive light, amassing more defenders and even a sincere and unapologetic following.[[note]]There has even been a fan documentary released, ''The Prequels Strike Back'', that defends the film and debunks some of the myths surrounding it; such as the idea that it almost entirely relied on CGI for its effects.[[/note]] While it is still far from universally lauded and those who like the movie do think some of the criticisms are valid; fans in general are more inclined to cut it more slack in recent years. And even those who dislike it are considerably more forgiving towards the movie and it's fans than they were in the decades prior.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the film was the highest-grossing ''Star Wars'' film until the sequel trilogy, it has been an ''extremely'' divisive since its original release both among critics and '''especially''' Star Wars fan. For over a decade, it was a very popular film on the internet to trash, and [[FandomHeresy admitting to liking it]] was a surefire way to [[FandomBerserkButton enrage people]], both on and off the Net. However, as time has gone by, and also due in part to the equally divisive reception of the Sequel Trilogy (particularly in regards to ''Film/TheLastJedi''[[note]]especially since the personal attacks against Kelly Marie Tran (Rose) were [[HistoryRepeats shockingly similar]] to those against Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone which made many fans realize that they'd set the precedent for that]][[/note]]), the film started being seen in a more positive light, amassing more defenders and even a sincere and unapologetic following.[[note]]There has even been a fan documentary released, ''The Prequels Strike Back'', that defends the film and debunks some of the myths surrounding it; such as the idea that it almost entirely relied on CGI for its effects.[[/note]] While it is still far from universally lauded and those who like the movie do think some of the criticisms are valid; fans in general are more inclined to cut it more slack in recent years. And even those who dislike it are considerably more forgiving towards the movie and it's fans than they were in the decades prior.

*** Again regarding Yoda he may have been offering to train Anakin himself, in their private conversation, due to the fact Obi-Wan is completely inexperience compared to Qui-Gon and Yoda.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the film was the highest-grossing ''Star Wars'' film until the sequel trilogy, it has been an ''extremely'' divisive since its original release both among critics and '''especially''' Star Wars fan. For over a decade, it was a very popular film on the internet to trash, and [[FandomHeresy admitting to liking it]] was a surefire way to [[FandomBerserkButton enrage people]]. However, as time has gone by, and also due to the equally divisive reception of the Sequel Trilogy (particularly in regards to ''Film/TheLastJedi''[[note]]especially since the personal attacks against Kelly Marie Tran (Rose) were [[HistoryRepeats shockingly similar]] to those against Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone which made many fans realize that they'd set the precedent for that]][[/note]]), the film started being seen in a more positive light, amassing more defenders and even a sincere and unapologetic following.[[note]]There has even been a fan documentary released, ''The Prequels Strike Back'', that defends the film and debunks some of the myths surrounding it; such as the idea that it almost entirely relied on CGI for its effects.[[/note]] While it is still far from universally lauded (and those who like the movie do think some of the criticisms are valid); fans in general are more inclined to cut it more slack in recent years. And even those who dislike it are considerably more forgiving towards the movie and it's fans than they were in the decades prior.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the film was the highest-grossing ''Star Wars'' film until the sequel trilogy, it has been critically divisive since its original release ('''especially''' among the fanbase) and was an extremely popular film on the internet to trash from the get-go. This hate was fueled even more during the late 2000's and early 2010's with the highly successful ''WebVideo/RedLetterMedia'' reviews and others like it making waves online. However, as time has gone by, and also due to the equally divisive reception of the Sequel Trilogy (particularly in regards to ''Film/TheLastJedi''[[note]]especially considering that the personal attacks against Kelly Marie Tran (Rose) were shockingly similar to those against Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone which made many fans realize that they'd set the precedent for that]][[/note]]), the film started being seen in a more positive light, amassing more defenders and even an unapologetic following. There has even been a fan documentary released, ''The Prequels Strike Back'', that defends the film and debunks some of the myths surrounding it; such as the idea that it almost entirely relied on CGI for its effects. While it is still far from universally lauded (and those who like the movie do think some of the criticisms are valid); fans in general are more inclined to cut it some slack in recent years. And even those who dislike it are considerably more forgiving towards it than they were in the decades prior.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: The plot of the film is incited by a dispute over the taxation of trade routes by the Republic, which the Trade Federation opposes. While it's unknown if [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting Lucas even knew this]], the academic consensus would have entirely [[http://www.igmchicago.org/surveys/free-trade sided with the villains]]; it is nigh-universally agreed among economists that tariffs are bad (although that's in regards to taxing international trade, rather than inter-state trade within [[TheFederation a single non-unitary republic]] as shown in the film).[[note]]Exceptions also can and have been made in the event of national security being at risk, though it's not certain if the Republic viewed the Trade Federation as a threat up until they were revealed to work with an evil space wizard.[[/note]] Perhaps the Jedi negotiators could have been persuaded to their view if the Trade Federation weren't [[GreaterScopeVillain secretly working for an evil space wizard]] and didn't attempt to murder them from the first minute.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: The plot of the film is incited by a dispute over the taxation of trade routes by the Republic, which the Trade Federation opposes. While it's unknown if [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting Lucas even knew this]], the consensus (at least within academia) would have entirely [[http://www.igmchicago.org/surveys/free-trade sided with the villains]]; it is nigh-universally agreed among economists that tariffs are bad (although that's in regards to taxing international trade, rather than inter-state trade within [[TheFederation a single non-unitary republic]] as shown in the film). Perhaps the Jedi negotiators could have been persuaded to their view if the Trade Federation weren't [[GreaterScopeVillain secretly working for an evil space wizard]] and didn't attempt to murder them from the first minute.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the film was the highest-grossing ''Star Wars'' film until the sequel trilogy, it has been critically divisive since its original release ('''especially''' among the fanbase) and was always a common film on the internet to trash. The hate was fueled even more by the extremely popular WebVideo/RedLetterMedia reviews, and other videos like it, making waves online. However, as time has gone by, and also due to the equally divisive reception of the Sequel Trilogy (particularly in regards to ''Film/TheLastJedi''[[note]]especially considering that the personal attacks against Kelly Marie Tran (Rose) were shockingly similar to those against Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone which made many fans realize that they'd set the precedent for that]][[/note]]), the film started being seen in a more positive light, amassing more defenders and even an unapologetic following. There has even been a fan documentary released, ''The Prequels Strike Back'', that defends the film and debunks some of the myths surrounding it; such as the idea that it almost entirely relied on CGI for its effects. While it is still far from universally lauded (and many who like the movie do agree some of the criticisms are valid), fans are more inclined to cut slack on it in recent years. And even those who dislike it are considerably more forgiving towards it than they were in the decades prior.

** Watto similarly drew accusations of being a GreedyJew caricature: fat, ugly, big nose, business owner, and his hat is seen as resembling a yarmulke (Although his accent sounds more Italian than Jewish.), however, people still find Watto enjoyable, thanks to his LargeHam, his accent, and what he says in any media he appears in (Like his lines in the Star Wars racing game ''VideoGame/StarWarsEpisodeIRacer''), can lead to funny moments, making him a bit more of a MemeticMutation.

** While Jar Jar is still far from being a universally loved character, in light of the news of his actor (Ahmed Best) nearly committed suicide due to the severe backlash he received over the role (and this news came at a time where the harassment of actors playing [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive characters]] and Lucasfilm alumni was becoming a hot topic), fans have started to become far more sympathetic to the character in light of this news. Regardless on one's tolerance for Jar Jar, it is now generally agreed that Ahmed Best is an unacceptable target.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: The plot of the film is incited by a dispute over the taxation of trade routes by the Republic, which the Trade Federation opposes. While it's unknown if [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting Lucas even knew this]], the academic consensus would have been entirely [[http://www.igmchicago.org/surveys/free-trade behind the villains]] on this one; economists universally agree that tariffs are bad (although that's in regards to taxing international trade, rather than inter-state trade within [[TheFederation a single non-unitary republic]] as shown in the film). Perhaps the Jedi negotiators would have come around to their point of view as well if the Trade Federation weren't [[GreaterScopeVillain secretly working for an evil space wizard]] and hadn't attempt to murder them from the first minute.

* ValuesResonance: One reason the film was VindicatedByHistory during TheNewTens was that by then, its themes of the decline of democracy and the toxic influence of wealth in politics had become much more relevant than when the film was made. At the time, people thought a war started by a private entity like the Trade Federation was [[SillyReasonForWar preposterous]], but with subsequent events like the ''Citizens United'' Supreme Court case, which ruled that "corporations are people" and equated money with free speech, and [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror the War in Iraq]] suspected of being driven by the desires of energy companies to obtain Iraq's oil supply, it doesn't seem so outrageous anymore.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the film was the highest-grossing ''Star Wars'' film until the sequel trilogy, it has been critically divisive since its original release, '''especially''' among the fanbase, and after the extremely popular WebVideo/RedLetterMedia reviews made waves on the internet, it became extremely popular to trash the film online. However, as time has gone by, and also due to the equally divisive reception of the Sequel Trilogy (particularly in regards to ''Film/TheLastJedi''[[note]]especially considering that the personal attacks against Kelly Marie Tran (Rose) were shockingly similar to those against Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone which made many fans realize that they'd set the precedent for that]][[/note]]), the film started being seen in a more positive light, amassing more defenders and even an unapologetic following. There has even been a fan documentary released, ''The Prequels Strike Back'', that defends the film and debunks some of the myths surrounding it (such as the idea that it almost entirely relied on CGI for its effects). It's still far from being universally lauded, but fans have been inclined to cut far more slack on it in recent years.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: The whole film looks gorgeous, especially the scenes on Naboo, which are rife with SceneryPorn and lovely architecture. The creature designs are amazing, and the starships look fantastic. The podracing sequence and starship battles can easily rival any CGI sequence from today's blockbusters, and the bustling city planet of Coruscant is a spectacle to behold. Lucas wanted you to know this film was set in the more civilized age that Obi Wan alluded to in ''A New Hope'', and he fired all cylinders to see that through to the silver screen.

* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: The film received many tie-in games, several of which were critical and commercial hits, including ''[[VideoGame/RogueSquadron Battle For Naboo]]'' for the N64, ''VideoGame/StarWarsStarfighter'' for the [=PS2=], Xbox and arcade, ''VideoGame/StarWarsEpisodeIRacer'' for the N64, Dreamcast, and UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, ''Star Wars Jedi Power Battles'' for the [=PS1=] and Dreamcast, and later on ''VideoGame/LEGOStarWars''. Some of the children aimed tie-in computer games, such as ''Jabba's Game Galaxy'' and the LCD Podracing and Naboo Fighter handheld games, aren't so bad either.
* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: On the other hand, the other games are of uneven to bad quality, including the original tie-in game for the [=PS1=] (see more information below), ''Super Bombad Racing'', and ''Star Wars: Obi Wan'' for Xbox.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Whatever the film's faults, Music/JohnWilliams more than delivers on the soundtrack, with the result often considered a strong contender (along with ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'') for the best soundtrack in a ''Star Wars'' film. "Duel of the Fates" is usually the first piece that will be talked about.

** In the scene where Anakin gives Padme the necklace, the shadow is digitally added behind Jake Lloyd, meaning he was composited into the shot rather than actually interacting with Natalie Portman. It's even more bizarre because it's ordinary dialogue between two people, not a big spectacle, so why Lucas did this is baffling.

** Darth Maul's human skinned neck is easy to notice when he talks to Darth Sidious.

* AccidentalAesop: A message about the importance of having a strong military can be found in this film; Naboo is completely defenseless against the Trade Federation's droid army due to her planet lacking one of its own and the Republic practicing HeadInTheSandManagement, so Padmé has to recruit a faction that does have its own army. The message can basically be summed up as this: not having a strong military means that you'll be conquered or bullied by countries that do.

*** Mundi gained attention for his prominence on the Jedi Council and his distinct silhouette, and subsequently went on to be a mainstay of the trilogy.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The idea of an elected Queen sounds extremely strange, but, in fact, there are some places that actually ''did'' elect monarchy, including the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire, medieval UsefulNotes/{{Ireland}}, and early modern UsefulNotes/{{Poland}}. There are still elective monarchies, including UsefulNotes/{{Malaysia}}, UsefulNotes/{{Cambodia}}, and Wallis-and-Futuna, a French territory in the Pacific Ocean, which is divided into three traditional kingdoms each led by a king elected among the local aristocracy. There's also a point that in a democracy like the United States, there's still pretty much everything Queen Amidala has that goes with the elected office: a "royal palace" (the White House), a "royal transport" (Air Force One), a "royal guard" (the Secret Service), and so on. There's no absolute rule that an elected ruler ''can't'' be called by titles traditionally associated with royalty; UsefulNotes/{{Samoa}} for example is a parliamentary republic, but one whose head of state is given the title of His Highness.

** The fan hate for Jar-Jar reached shocking levels, leading to such intense harassment that Ahmed Best, his actor, contemplated suicide. Recalling the discourse among the fandom now, even if you feel you have valid complaints, can be uncomfortable.

* HarsherInHindsight: The FalseFlagOperation is a lot harsher after the Truther conspiracy theory.

** If you're disappointed with Creator/AlecGuinness' (Obi-Wan's actor in the Original Trilogy) [[CreatorBacklash low]] [[MoneyDearBoy opinion]] about the franchise, don't worry. Because the actor who portrayed young Obi-Wan, Creator/EwanMcGregor, is very much a PromotedFanboy.

** Though not as infamous, C-3PO's origin of being built by Anakin gets this, as it wasn't particularly necessary (C-3PO is part of a mass-produced line anyway), raises questions (why would he pick a clumsy and limited protocol droid and not something more helpful for slaves?), and doesn't inform either character's relationship (Vader and C-3PO never so much as make eye contact in the original trilogy). Though it seems to have been an attempt to somehow involve 3PO in the film, he has very little screentime and could have easily been one of Padmé's droids instead.

** Watto similarly drew accusations of being a GreedyJew caricature: fat, ugly, big nose, business owner, and his hat is seen as resembling a yarmulke (Although his accent sounds more Italian than Jewish.), however, people still find Watto enjoyable, thanks to his LargeHam, his accent, and what he says in any media he appears in (Like his lines the Star Wars racing game ''VideoGame/StarWarsEpisodeIRacer''), can lead to funny moments, making him a bit more of a MemeticMutation.