Grok & Mark review: The Phantom Menace.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Review: A Galaxy of Absurdity, Kid Exploitation, and Systemic Dysfunction. Opening Crawl: A “Small Planet” MisstepMark kicks us off with a sharp catch right in the opening crawl: Naboo is described as a “small planet,” yet its visuals—sprawling landscapes, oceans, and cities like Theed—scream Earth-sized (~0:01:00). Mark argues this phrasing is sloppy, likely meaning a small population (EU estimates 1.2 billion), not physical size. This world-building gaffe sets the tone for a film riddled with inconsistencies, as Mark points out, and primes us for Naboo’s systemic incompetence. If the…