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Star Wars Fans React To The Phantom Menace On 1999 Opening Night In Awesome Video


There was a good reason why people were so excited for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace back in 1999. It's been more than a decade since the release of Return of the Jedi and fans were looking forward to the new Star Wars movie that would focus on how Darth Vader became a Sith Lord. Not surprisingly, a video taken during the film's opening night captures the excitement and first reactions to Episode I.

The video shows fans lining up for the first midnight screening of The Phantom Menace on May 19, 1999. Everyone is certainly excited as some guys are shown singing the Star Wars theme as a man dressed as Darth Maul shows off his lightsaber skills. Amusingly, Darth Vader is also waiting to watch the film and even declares that "there's no way that it's gonna be a disappointment." When the reporter asks if anyone thinks it's going to be a lousy movie, the resounding response is "No!"

So how did people react to the film? Several fans, including the guy who dressed as Darth Maul, couldn't help but praise it. Someone even pointed out that George Lucas did a great job. However, another fan stated that he deserved a public apology from the Star Wars creator because he hated The Phantom Menace.

In the end, the reporter checked with fans and found 10 people who loved it, seven who were OK with it, and two who simply hated Episode I. It's mostly positive but things would change later on as more people started seeing the movie.

What did you think of The Phantom Menace when you first watched it? Let us know in the comments below.

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