The Phantom Menace is a bad movie. As a whole, it’s unwatchable. I did see it in the theater at the time despite not being much of a Star Wars fan.

However, the entire scene where Kenobi stands guard while Qui Gon uses his light saber to slowly melt through the blast doors on the starship is really nicely done. It shows how powerful the Jedi are, how relentless, and how fanatical. If the rest of the prequels had continued like this they might have been worth watching.

Just the part of the scene in particular of the light saber in solid metal melting it like butter is so effective in itself. Not just the special effects, but mise en scene, the acting, the costumes — it all works so incredibly well, unlike most of the rest of the film.

Ah, what could have been.