Temper your Episode VII expectations with this supercut of 'Phantom Menace' fanboys

It is very nearly December 18, 2015, which means the newest entry in the Star Wars series of films is almost ready for public consumption. At this point, the fervor over the new film, and all its offshoots, has reached frothing-at-the-mouth status.

If you’re one of the many who is counting down the days until you’re in the theater watching The Force Awakens, take three minutes and 40 seconds to check yourself before your expectations wreck themselves, with this supercut of people going crazy for The Phantom Menace after seeing it for the first time in 1999.

Using the gift of hindsight, we know that most of these people were objectively wrong. While 1990s Lucy Liu is right that the movie was “the hugest thing” that year, in terms of box office receipts, the film was a critical and cultural misfire, scoring only a gentleman’s C (56%) on Rotten Tomatoes and was generally considered a disappointment.

This isn’t meant to shame anyone who is excited to see a new Star Wars movie, or anyone in the supercut—save the members of *NSYNC asking The Pepsi Girl if she wants to marry Darth Vader. (Go home, 1999, you’re drunk). The people in the supercut were excited to see a movie and probably enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Then again, this supercut only exists because the people in it are so enthusiastic about a middling movie.

So let this be a gentle reminder that 1999’s fashion was a little weird and people went a little overboard with the hype. The new Star Wars will probably be fine, so long as Jar Jar stays far, far away. But in the event the movie is kind of a mess or downright bad, and you’re seeing it opening night: don’t say anything to the local news.

Disclosure: Fusion is partly owned by Disney’s ABC network. Disney also owns Lucasfilm and Star Wars.

David Matthews operates the Wayback Machine on Fusion.net—hop on. Got a tip? Email him: [email protected]