History YMMV / ThePhantomMenace

** To be fair he isn't saying that fear itself is evil but that left unchecked it will lead him down a path that leads to the dark side. However it's still a bit much to expect a nine year old boy recently separated from his mother to appreciate this sentiment and none of the Jedi besides Qui-Gon show any sympathy whatsoever Anakin's sacrifice. This foreshadows their later conversation in Episode 3 where Yoda still can't connect with Anakin and simply expects him to let go of those he loves with out any difficulty.

* NarmCharm:
** It's generally agreed that the puppet originally used for Yoda was unconvincing, inconsistent with the other movies, and slightly offputting. However the performance given by the Yoda puppet can also feel more sympathetic to Anakin in key moments such as when warning him of the dangers of fear. Which gave the implication that Yoda was hardened and embittered by the increasing power of the Dark Side by the time of Episode 2.

** Though of course both the Republic and the Trade Federation are being manipulated into making irrational decisions. Normally the Republic was so corrupt and the Trade Federation so powerful that the Trade Federation could have easily remedied the situation. Everyone is being manipulated to serve Palpatine. It can be argued that ultimately only Padme and maybe Qui-Gon defy this.

** To be fair he isn't saying that fear itself is evil but that left unchecked it will lead him down a path that leads to the dark side. However it's still a bit much to expect a ten year old boy recently separated from his mother to appreciate this sentiment and the Jedi never show any sympathy for Anakin's sacrifice. This foreshadows their later conversation in Episode 3 where Yoda still can't connect with Anakin and simply expects him to let go of those he loves.

** There's been quite a bit of debate over whether or not Obi-Wan's general coolness towards Anakin after their introduction and the rocky relationship between the two in the next film are a result of jealousy on Obi-Wan's part regarding Qui-Gon's determination to teach Anakin, and that his demand to be able to train Anakin himself at the end of the film is less out of a genuine desire to teach the boy and more resentfully trying to fulfil his former master's last request without ever truly intending to teach Anakin to the best of his ability.

* 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. And in February 2024, when news broke of a limited re-release in May 2024 for the movie's 25th anniversary, a lot of fans posted enthusiastic messages on social media.[[/note]] While it is still a very polarizing movie among both critics and audiences; both are considerably more forgiving towards it and its fanbase than they were in the decades prior, even if their opinion is still a negative one.

** The Yoda puppet in this film bears no resemblance to the original (his eyes looking stoned for one). This was replaced with a CGI version for the UsefulNotes/BluRay, digital and 3D releases. George Lucas' changes to his films were generally not well received, but this one was, as it brought better graphic continuity with how Yoda will be in ''Attack of the Clones'' and ''Revenge of the Sith''.

** 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 started to become significantly less harsh towards the character in light of this news. Today, even [[EveryoneHasStandards among fans who still hate Jar Jar as a character]], it is unanimously agreed upon that Ahmed Best himself 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 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, however, 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 said evil space wizard]] and didn't attempt to murder them from the first minute.

** 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 opinion of Jar Jar, it is now unanimously agreed among fans that Ahmed Best himself is an unacceptable target.

* 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; audience in general (even those who dislike it) are considerably more forgiving towards the movie and its fans than they were in the decades prior. In February 2024, when news broke of a limited re-release in May 2024 for the movie's 25th anniversary, a lot of fans posted enthusiastic messages on social media. A certain subset of the fandom is actively looking forward to (re-)discovering the movie, and many of them will see it for the first time on the silver screen.

** 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}} and UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}}. 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 relationship between Anakin and Padmé is often cited as an example of {{Squick}} for supposedly being an example of paedophilia. However, though it's not stated in the film, Anakin is 9 and Padmé is 14, so the age gap is not nearly as wide or inappropriate as it's made out to be, not to mention the fact that, in this film, they're just friends and Anakin has a one-sided PrecociousCrush.

** 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, not to mention that he also died before he could take any further actions.

** Silas Carson, in addition to playing Nute Gunray, managed to pull off a three-for-one as Ki-Adi Mundi, Lott Dodd, and Antidar Williams. Three different characters, each one of them distinct and all played by the same person, and two being portrayed via makeup and practical effects. This is what makes these characters memorable.
*** 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. He's one of the more difficult Jedi to acquire in ''VideoGame/StarWarsGalaxyOfHeroes'' as a result. Some Jedi, even named characters, you can max out without trying simply by trying to acquire other things. Mundi requires you to build up a specific team enough to take part in a specific portion of the game that only appears every so often and which requires a well-managed guild to get through. They do that for characters popular enough that players will go through the effort and appreciate the reward.
*** Lott Dodd was a OneSceneWonder in the Senate; functioning as the largest example of the hold that the Trade Federation had in the Republic, and doing his utmost to steal the scene with his [[LargeHam volume]].

* 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; audience in general (even those who dislike it) are considerably more forgiving towards the movie and it's fans than they were in the decades prior.

** Qui-Gon jokes to Anakin that he killed a Jedi and took his lightsaber from him. Describes General Grievous's M.O. pretty nicely doesn't it?
*** Another Grievous-related example: when discussing Darth Maul to the Jedi Council, Qui-Gon says that "he was trained in the Jedi arts" (despite being a Sith Lord). One can't help but to think of Grievous' "You fool! I've been trained in your Jedi arts by Count Dooku!", aided by the fact that Dooku was ''also'' a Sith Lord when training Grievous.

** The first trailer was shown in front of select screenings of ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' and ''Film/MeetJoeBlack'', ''Film/TheWaterboy'' and ''Film/TheSiege'', and the second was shown in front of ''Film/WingCommander''. In both cases, many people would buy a ticket just to see the ''Phantom Menace'' trailer, and as soon as it was over, they would walk out of the theater (some theaters would show the trailer again after the movie ended to ensure people wouldn't leave). ''Wing Commander'' was an especially interesting case, as the movie underperformed at the box office: it cost $30 million to make, but only grossed $11.5 million... yet it probably would have performed ''way worse'' had it not been for people buying a ticket just for the ''Phantom Menace'' trailer.
*** For context, this was in the infancy of video sites that would lead to Website/YouTube and its ilk, where you could watch a trailer on demand as many times as you liked. While you could certainly do that in 1999, it would take several hours to download the video, which would only be as big as a drinks coaster, and that's not even mentioning how inferior PC speakers are to a cinema's sound system. Thus the only way to see it in high quality was at the beginning of another movie.

* 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 Platform/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.

** Anakin says to Shmi "Mom, you always said the biggest problem in the universe is that no one helps each other." 67 years later, a large fleet from all over the galaxy show up at Exegol to help the Resistance fight the Sith Fleet in 'TheRiseOfSkywalker'. Also, "all the Jedi" help Rey defeat Palpatine once and for all.

** 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 opinion of Jar Jar, [[EveryoneHasStandards it is now unanimously agreed among fans that Ahmed Best himself is an unacceptable target]].

* 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.

* CameraScrew: A very frequent complaint cited with the game is its really uncomfortable camera angle, which is fixed to an almost top-down view only tilted slightly, and zoomed so far in that you can't see any further than a few feet in front of you.

** 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 opinion of Jar Jar, it is now unanimous agreed among fans that Ahmed Best himself is an unacceptable target.

** 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.