25th Anniversary of The Phantom Menace | Episode I, the first time

Nearly 25 years ago, The Phantom Menace allowed moviegoers to reconnect with the galaxy far, far away. Memories of a long-awaited premiere and impressions of the first viewing of son, a few days ago.

On May 19, in my 1998-1999 school diary, only one thing is written: “STAR WARS”.

For weeks, the plan has been to attend the premiere of The Phantom Menace, at midnight, at the former Cinéma Laurentien, in Quebec. To say our expectations were high is an understatement.

Read “Unraveling Star Wars”

We are too young to have seen A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back And Return of the Jedi in theaters when they were released, but VHS tapes have been rolled into our homes dozens of times. And, in 1997, when the “special edition” versions of the three films were released, we were delighted to finally be able to enjoy them on the big screen.

My friends and I can’t wait to experience “our” Star Wars moment. Our family members have often told us how the exploits of Luke, Leia and Han captivated them in 1977.

Several fans, some in costumes, came for the first performance. There were so many of them that we finally saw the fourth, at 1:20 a.m. In the room, the murmurs turned into cries of joy as the logos of 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm appeared. Then, it’s the explosion, from the first note of Star Wars (Main Title)by John Williams, which accompanies the legendary prologue on a starry background.

The next two hours and fifteen minutes are a blur. Jar Jar Binks’ antics elicit timid laughter. The crowd reacts enthusiastically to the unveiling of Darth Maul – already famous thanks to the trailers – and his breathtaking fight against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

At the end of the film, after a finale celebrating the victory of the good guys similar to that ofA New Hope, the initial excitement has almost entirely dissipated. The spectators leave discussing what they have just seen without much passion. It’s after 3 a.m., maybe they’re tired…

Four additional cinema viewings confirm what we didn’t want to admit: The Phantom Menace deeply disappointed us. Jar Jar doesn’t deserve all the blame. Even less young Jake Lloyd, who had the difficult task of playing Anakin Skywalker as a child. George Lucas’ unnecessarily complex script and the film’s pacing are the biggest problems.

We will not put on trialEpisode I today, because we have learned over time that the appreciation of Star Wars lies in perspective. A generation of young people discovered this universe with the prelogy and some became its biggest fans. We tend to forget that the majority of works set in the very distant galaxy are intended for a young audience. This partly explains why Star Wars continues to arouse so much fascination almost 50 years later.

Introduce children to the Star Wars universe

As a Star Wars fan, I’ve been asked at what age my son saw the films. Until recently, he had only looked at Lego ones.

I couldn’t wait to experience this moment with him. In 2017, an article on the Star Wars website explored the question of the appropriate age for introducing children to this universe. Both authors highlighted its high level of violence, but still initiated their offspring at 3 and 5 years of age.

Read the article (in English)

After reading more on the subject, there is no right answer. The decision must correspond to our values ​​and the interests of the child.

The other question is which work to start with. Some opt for animated series, most of which are designed for a younger audience. I prefer films, because it is through this medium that Star Wars is best expressed.

Despite my reservations regarding The Phantom MenaceI felt that it was the most “childish” of the series: Anakin is my son’s age, the podrace, the clownish humor, the numerous lightsaber fights.

So we dove in… But I had neglected the exhausting scenes relating the blockade of the Trade Federation, the talks in the Senate, the motion to exclude the chancellor… There is no shortage of opportunities to squirm on the sofa . Jar Jar didn’t amuse him – in fact, he had difficulty understanding it – the endless podrace ended up boring him and he couldn’t explain why Anakin doesn’t have a father. The last act punctuated by Duel of the Fates and masterfully choreographed action scenes saved the day enough for him to tell me he loved his experience.

The next movie probably won’t beEpisode II, but the one he wants to see. I secretly hope that it will A New Hopebecause this is where it all started for me and millions of others.