Original Star Wars editor and ex-wife of George Lucas, Marcia Lucas, says she cried after watching The Phantom Menace. Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace was the first of the prequel trilogy for writer/director George Lucas, who returned to the Star Wars universe he created sixteen years after producing the finale of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi in 1983. The Phantom Menace starred Jake Lloyd as a young Anakin Skywalker and Ewan McGregor as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, with c0-stars Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala, Ray Park as Darth Maul and Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine. It was Lucas' first film since 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
Upon release, The Phantom Menace was a massive success, eventually taking in over $1 billion at the global box office. Reviews and audience reactions were split, however, and many criticisms hailed the film as a technical marvel, but otherwise a clunky failure with poor acting, bad casting, a wonky story line and even wonkier dialogue. Still, that didn't stop Lucas from completing his trilogy, which most agree got better with each new entry, at least in terms of critical and audience reception.
In a new book about producer Howard Kazanjian, Howard Kazanjian: A Producer's Life, George Lucas' ex-wife, Marcia Lucas, an editor on all of the original trilogy films, revealed that seeing The Phantom Menace made her cry, and not in a good way. Lucas said that she "didn't think it was very good" and that her ex-husband had basically squandered "such a rich vein to mine, a rich palette to tell stories with". Other issues she had were with casting and story, as well as the visual aesthetic: "...it was a lot of eye candy. CG." Here's what she had to say about her initial reaction after seeing the film:
"George is, in his heart and soul, a good guy and a talented filmmaker. I wish he would’ve kept directing [other kinds of] movies. But when I went to see Episode I—I had a friend who worked at ILM, who took me as a guest to a preview—I remember going out to the parking lot, sitting in my car and crying. I cried."
Another source of contention for Lucas over The Phantom Menace was the dynamic between Anakin and Padme (Queen Amidala). She felt the story was "weird", particularly for a six-year-old boy who's "supposed to get with this princess who looked like she was twenty years old." While that relationship is developed over the course of the three films, there have been many similar complaints about the two characters and how they met since the film was released. Actor Jake Lloyd never returned to the role of Anakin Skywalker after The Phantom Menace due to his age, with Hayden Christensen taking on the role and presenting a more believable match for Natalie Portman's Padme.
While sentiments over the Star Wars prequel trilogy have improved throughout the years, The Phantom Menace continues to be the black sheep of the franchise on the whole. Jar Jar Binks, Jake Lloyd and many odd story/character/editing beats have plagued the film since release, but it wasn't all for naught. Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon has gained considerable respect over the years and Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan easily became the star of the prequel series, leading him (as well as Christensen as Darth Vader) to reprise the role for the upcoming Disney+ Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi. While the film may not be the most popular of the franchise, it does have its fans and has been forgiven for much of its sins over the last few decades, making it at least tolerable enough not to cry in a parking lot over.
Source: The Direct