Roger Ebert Reviews 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' & Talks With George Lucas In Vintage 'Siskel & Ebert' Special

While we’re already taking for granted the fact that we’re going to have new “Star Wars” films every year for the foreseeable future, back in 1999, all fans had to hold onto was the original trilogy. And so, the excitement around “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” at the time cannot be understated, as devotees of the franchise could hardly have imagined a new entry in the saga from George Lucas 16 years after “Return Of The Jedi.” And that fervor explains why “Siskel & Ebert” devoted an entire episode to the movie.

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While history has not been kind the prequels, the fever at the time saw many ready to praise the picture. Perhaps that explains Ebert’s declaration that ‘The Phantom Menace’ is a “remarkable achievement” (to be fair, it was technologically impressive) and why he dedicated an entire episode of his show to talk about the picture and look back on the franchise. It’s a pretty fascinating time capsule, and slightly ironic, with Lucas saying it will be a long while until digital effects can replace actors (lo and behold, 17 years later, and Grand Moff Tarkin is resurrected in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”).

It’s a fun look at how a different generation embraced the return of “Star Wars.” And it’ll be interesting to see what we’re saying about ‘The Force Awakens‘ and ‘Rogue One‘ two decades from now.