The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special

05/07/24 • 150 min

1 Listener

May the 4th be with you! Just in time for Star Wars Day this year, The Phantom Menace, the 1999 prequel film written and directed by George Lucas, returned to theaters in honor of its 25th anniversary. In those 25 years, the film has been on a tumultuous journey. After its initial release, it withstood harsh reviews from critics and backlash from fans. The more toxic among them harassed actors like Jake Lloyd and Ahmed Best. Fast forward to today and the film seems to be beloved by many. In fact, to the surprise of The Hollywood Reporter, The Phantom Menace came in second at the box office this past weekend, beating out Zendaya’s new film, Challengers.

In this episode of The Long Take Review, P.T., Greg, and I take a trip down memory lane to our initial reactions to and relationship with The Phantom Menace, as well as reflect on our experience seeing the film again in theaters this past weekend. We try to make sense of the public perception of this film over the years, contemplate its broader influence on the history of cinema, share all of our favorites, and end by, of course, discussing what Oscars the epic space opera could have or should have won. Every podcast has a beginning, and it does seem as though this film was a genesis moment for all three of us.

You can listen to The Long Take Review on Substack, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Image Credit: StarWars.com

Looking Back at 1999 We each share memories about the first time we saw The Phantom Menace. 3:52

The Legacy of The Phantom Menace How did this film forever change filmmaking? 17:48

Our Re-Release Experience in 2024 We each share our experience seeing The Phantom Menace in theaters this past weekend. What did we notice this time around? 33:45

The Rhetorical Situation Jen pathetically attempts to explain the concept of homosocial male desire from literary theory and how it guided her interpretation of the film. 1:06:53

Our Own (Unsolicited) Notes What would we go back and change about this film if we could? 1:31:55

Our Favs We try (and mostly fail) to name our favorites in a lightning round fshion. Includes favorite character, glup schitto, cringy line of dialogue, Queen Amidala fit, pod racer, Jedi council member, scene, and shot. 1:55:37

Oscars Watch Did this film get nominated for any Oscars? In which categories would we have given it a golden statue? 2:20:15

Show Notes:

This is the TED podcast with Ahmed Best that Greg referred to during the episode.

Jen referred to “Dave Filoni’s transcendent” monologue about how The Duel of the Fates connects to Return of the Jedi. Here’s an IGN article about it. You can also watch the whole thing during the episode of the Disney Gallery about The Mandalorian (on Disney+).

All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

Get full access to The Long Take at thelongtake.substack.com/subscribe

You can listen to The Long Take Review on Substack, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Image Credit: StarWars.com

Looking Back at 1999 We each share memories about the first time we saw The Phantom Menace. 3:52

The Legacy of The Phantom Menace How did this film forever change filmmaking? 17:48

Our Re-Release Experience in 2024 We each share our experience seeing The Phantom Menace in theaters this past weekend. What did we notice this time around? 33:45

The Rhetorical Situation Jen pathetically attempts to explain the concept of homosocial male desire from literary theory and how it guided her interpretation of the film. 1:06:53

Our Own (Unsolicited) Notes What would we go back and change about this film if we could? 1:31:55

Oscars Watch Did this film get nominated for any Oscars? In which categories would we have given it a golden statue? 2:20:15

Show Notes:

This is the TED podcast with Ahmed Best that Greg referred to during the episode.

All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

Get full access to The Long Take at thelongtake.substack.com/subscribe

Previous Episode

Challengers Review

After a strike-induced 8-month delay, Luca Guadagnino’s psychosexual sports drama, Challengers has finally bounced into theaters. The film follows a tennis coach and her star player husband who find themselves competing against a former friend and lover. A powerhouse trio comprises the cast: household name Zendaya, Mike Faist, who stood out as Riff in West Side Story, and Josh O’Connor, is best known for playing Prince Charles on Netflix’s The Crown. Guadagnino, for those who might not know, directed Oscar-winner Call Me By Your Name (2017), starring Timothee Chalamet. Since Amazon MGM Studios has distribution rights in the U.S., Challengers will likely be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video after its theatrical run.

In this episode of The Long Take Review, Antonio, P.T., and I volley a variety of reactions to and interpretations of the film, which is aggressive and bold in its style yet subtle or ambiguous in its storytelling. Antonio lends his expert knowledge of tennis to our discussion as we assess this as a sports movie, Jen overanalyzes the relationship drama, and P.T. brings a critical eye to the film form and character development. For about 15 seconds there, we were actually podcasting.

You can listen to The Long Take Review on Substack, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Image Credit: The Hollywood Reporter

Movies News Update Quentin Tarantino makes a big announcement. 3:35

The Short Take We each share our general impressions of Challengers. 6:16

The Recommendation Algorithm Who should see this film? Do you need to be a tennis fan to enjoy it? Does the marketing of the film set false expectations about how much sex is in it? 13:08

SPOILER MODE What actually happened in that final scene? 26:07

The Rhetorical Situation Jen pathetically attempts to explain the concept of homosocial male desire from literary theory and how it guided her interpretation of the film. 1:02:55

Which character is our favorite/for whom were we rooting during the film? 1:15:24

Oscars Watch Does Challengers have a shot at any Oscar nominations? 1:37:54

All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

Get full access to The Long Take at thelongtake.substack.com/subscribe

Next Episode

Mad Max Retrospective

Thirty years after the original Mad Max films — Mad Max (1979), Mad Max 2: Road Warrior (1981), and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) — George Miller wowed critics and Academy voters with Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). The dystopian post-apocalyptic action spectacle won six Oscars, and has earned a spot on countless best of lists for 2015, the decade, and even the century. It stands to reason, then, that many eagerly await the next installment in the franchise: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The prequel film, which premieres at the Cannes Film Festival tomorrow and hits theaters May 23rd, recounts the traumatic past of Fury Road’s most beloved character.

On this episode of The Long Take Review, P.T., Greg, and I try to pass the time as we impatiently wait for Furiosa by looking back at the entire franchise to date. We recall our initial reactions to all the films (some made as recently as this past weekend!), try to trace common themes and elements across them, and rank them all based on personal preference. We eventually focus in on Fury Road and try to determine what made it so exceptional. Along the way, P.T. shares fascinating behind-the-scenes stories that re-contextualize a lot of what we notice in Miller’s work. The episode concludes with our discussion of early reviews of Furiosa as well as our speculation for it and the summer box office more broadly. Rev your engines and buckle up for another deep dive of an episode!

You can listen to The Long Take Review on Substack, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Image Credit: Variety, LA Times, and IMDb

The Mad Max Franchise We each share how we have engaged with the franchise and what our reactions to the different films are. What appeals to us about this franchise? What common themes or elements can we trace across all the films? 4:58

To what extent has the role of women and feminism in these films evolved? 29:59

What context about the production or George Miller’s history can help us understand the franchise better? (There’s more of this throughout the rest of the episode as well.) How are we supposed to think about the original trilogy in relation to Fury Road? 41:46

P.T. asks Jen to guess what happens at the end of Beyond Thunderdome . 54:45

We very quickly rank all four films. 1:14:40

Oscars Watch Why did Fury Road win so many Oscars? Why is it so exceptional? 1:18:01

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Preview How do we think Furiosa will compare to Fury Road? What have early reviews of the film been saying? And what does the success of this film mean for the summer box office? 1:29:50

Show Notes:

The Kyle Buchanan piece from The New York Times that P.T. referred to during the episode.

And here are pieces on early reviews of Furiosa: Screen Rant on Hideo Kojima, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety.

All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Get full access to The Long Take at thelongtake.substack.com/subscribe