I was in 7th grade when the original Star Wars came out in 1977, so it was fascinating watching the world catch fire leading up to the Phantom Menace. What many have mentioned here are interesting memories and I love hearing those.
But what I remember vividly are all of the people who either got fired or quit their jobs just to stand in line and wait for this film. There were generations of people waiting on this movie. It got so hysterical George Lucas had to come out before the film opened just to remind people this is just a movie and not to make more out of it than what it is.
It was a great lesson given the way people talk so poorly about it today. But there was a bigger lesson which Disney never figured out - REBUILDING DEMAND. Lucas allowed sixteen years to elapse between trilogies which kept that original generation on the hook while new ones discovered the series and got in line to wait with everyone else.
What almost all of these comments share is how much of an "event" this movie was. That's exactly right. It can be debated until the end of time where Lucas belongs as a director, but there's nothing to debate about his masterful ability to market these films. He understood how to pull back and fuel that market share. And he understood he was as much a brand as the movies. Who doesn't think of George Lucas with Star Wars? He took fans into "Lucas Ranch" and on this visual tour into his creative process. Fans ate that up and focused on every word he mentioned about upcoming stories. George Lucas was not only the creator, but also the spokesman and ring leader for the brand.
Fans will always have varying opinions about him because of some of these films, but they always responded to his calling to bring them back for more. And he was rebuilding that demand again for the next Star Wars movie when he decided to chuck it and sale off the property.
So that demand was there when Force Awakens opened. But now where do fans go? They still want to know what George thinks. Did HE like it? The brand no longer has a cheerleader. It no longer has someone championing the cause. Now they have a corporate head that shows little to no interest in the brand and tries to instill her own social agenda in these movies instead of honoring what was passed on. And people wonder why the magic seems to be gone? Why we now have a movie that bombed?
Lucas made 6 movies in 28 years. Disney has made 4 in 3 years. And it's led by someone who doesn't like the product. Suddenly Phantom Menace is not that bad. I'm just fine with it.
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