A new video compilation of fan reactions from 1999 reveals that the majority of The Phantom Menace midnight premiere viewers loved the film after their first viewing.
While it's now virtually hated by all, fans in 1999 seemed very positive about the thing. One fan claimed that the film was "better than all of them." Another stated that the movie that introduced Jar Jar Binks was, "Everything [they] thought it'd be and more."