Summary
- Ed Sheeran's favorite Star Wars movie is The Phantom Menace, causing mixed reactions in the fanbase.
- Despite widespread criticism, The Phantom Menace has highlights like Darth Maul and pod racing.
- Younger fans appreciate the Star Wars prequels, leading to continued interest in that era through TV shows and re-releases.
Everyone has their favorite Star Wars movie, and for most people, it tends to be a debate about the original trilogy as to which one speaks personally to them. The franchise has proven to be a gigantic success over the years and is showing no signs of slowing down, with future movies being planned, and that's because, for the most part, the quality is so high.
There's a lot to love about the Star Wars movies, and each brings something different, whether in terms of tone, characters, or the level of action. However, Ed Sheeran has had the Star Wars fanbase up in arms this week when he revealed his favorite movie from the franchise.
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The talented musician recently spoke to Not Gonna Lie with Kyle Kelce about various topics, including his fandom of Star Wars. However, he caught people by surprise when he revealed that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was his favorite movie in the entire franchise.
“I think Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is my favorite. I know that's unpopular, but I was eight when it came out, and I really liked it. I liked Jar Jar Binks.”
Sheeran might be a beloved musician, but his Star Wars answer will surely have a few hardcore fans judging him. Episode One is often considered to be the weakest Star Wars movie in existence, out of all nine major films, as well as the spinoff movies. Critics widely panned the film upon its release, and the fact that he doubled down on liking Jar Jar Binks, a controversial character in his own right, won't have helped people's feelings regarding this. However, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and the fact that Sheeran grew up on Star Wars: The Phantom Menace has obviously left a special place in his heart.
It goes to show that regardless of how a movie is viewed among the wider public, there's always going to be some people who find joy in it, and that's the case with Sheeran and The Phantom Menace. The 1999 release has a 54% Tomatometer score and a 59% Popcornmeter score, with many people disliking how much science fiction politics ended up being part of it. Jar Jar Binks was also universally disliked, but there were a lot of positives from this movie. Whether it was the introduction of Darth Maul, seeing a young version of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the epic pod racing scene, or some of the far superior lightsaber battles, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace certainly has its highlights.
The Star Wars prequels have gotten a lot of love recently among people like Sheeran, who grew up with them as their versions of the movies. While many older fans of the franchise might disagree, the characters from this time have started to shine, which is why television shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi are able to exist. Fans are pining for more content from this time period, which was clear when Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith grossed $42 million on its re-release day earlier this year. So, while Sheeran might have taken a lot of people by surprise with his love of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, his opinion might be shared by more people than fans originally think.
