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After the divisive 'Star Wars' sequels, a former Lucasfilm insider re-evaluates The Phantom Menace

After the divisive 'Star Wars' sequels, a former Lucasfilm insider re-evaluates The Phantom Menace

Everyone's life has a "Luke Skywalker moment" – when something completely unexpected happens that hurls you from the life you knew into one you didn't think was possible, and you take your first step into a larger world.

For me, it came in December 2002, when a friend told me about a job he had been interviewing for, but which he decided he couldn't take. He and his wife were moving back to their hometown, and he thought I would be perfect for the role. He submitted my resume; I got a call the next day, a week after that I was interviewing, and five days later I got an offer to join Lucasfilm Ltd., initially to manage international publicity and ultimately to work as director of entertainment publicity.

Star Wars had already been one of the defining moments of my childhood (including my own 10-minute-long, Super 8 "remake"), now it was going to change my adult life. For six years, I made my professional home at Lucasfilm, and had the enormously good fortune to spend time with George Lucas, who entertained questions from journalists, fans, researchers and employees with unmatched patience and genuine interest.

As we all worked on the production and release of what we assumed was the final Star Wars film – Episode III Revenge of the Sith – I listened to many discussions of the origins and ideas behind Star Wars. Eventually, I came to think of Star Wars movies less as entertainment and more as work, and I spent a not-insignificant amount of time defending the Star Wars prequels. On the day I left Lucasfilm, a TV producer I know joked, "Now you don't have to keep insisting that those movies are good anymore."

I never really had to insist on that, and always did believe it. But once I left Lucasfilm in 2009, I never watched any of the first six Star Wars films from start to finish. The stay-at-home world of coronavirus changed that, and I allowed myself to watch Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace … and discovered that I appreciated it more than I ever thought possible.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace - Trailerwww.youtube.com

When it was released in 1999, I saw The Phantom Menace a half-dozen times in theaters and was bemused by each screening. Since 1977, I had only occasionally wondered what the "war" in Star Wars was all about, and why an intergalactic civil war had raged. The Phantom Menace promised an explanation, and gave one – but it wasn't at all what anyone expected: Princess Leia had stolen secret plans, Darth Vader had killed Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker had blown up the Death Star, Yoda had trained Luke, Han had been frozen in carbonite, all because trade routes were unfairly taxed?

That sense of disbelief was long-lasting, and by the time I started working at Lucasfilm four years after The Phantom Menace was released, it hadn't abated. The questions of Episode I loomed over everything we did, and were still on my mind when I re-watched The Phantom Menace through different eyes.

It was impossible not to hear the mildly exasperated chuckle in George Lucas's voice whenever he answered questions about what it all meant. He always maintained a patient insistence that it had not been a mistake to tell the world that the roots of Star Wars were indeed in political bureaucracy and microscopic organisms.

To watch Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace again is to realize a truth: George Lucas was absolutely right to do it the way he did. When given complete artistic freedom (he was spending his own money, after all) to tell the Star Wars story he wanted to tell, he remained true to his extraordinary vision of a mythology rooted in the foibles and imperfections of our own world.

Director Jim Henson (left) and Lucas working on Labyrinth in 1986

The Phantom Menace is a film stuffed – perhaps overstuffed – with ideas, so many that it is hard to keep up with them. Though it is far from a perfect film, with stilted dialogue and sometimes uncomfortable acting, it is never a dull or boring movie. And as arcane as "the taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems" may seem, so are the origins of all wars – even the unbelievable one we're in now, which began not with a bat or pangolin, but with bureaucratic, political decisions that stretch back years.

Mundane actions have massive consequences, and The Phantom Menace still surprises by looking at some of those actions closely. Even the opening scene, with its discussion of blockades, negotiations, ambassadors and senators stands in opposition to the slam-bang openings of the first three Star Wars movies.

The first half of The Phantom Menace can seem drawn out and dry, yet Lucas's script is doing much more than simply setting up the action that will lead to the discovery of Anakin Skywalker. It's also establishing a complicated world view, one in which politics as a whole is not to be trusted, but is the only imperfect option for getting anything done. Sound familiar?

Bear in mind that within the first couple of minutes of the original Star Wars, we've already learned about a civil war, an Imperial senate, and, a bit later, an "Old Republic." While he could have chosen a more action-oriented, mindless backstory, George Lucas uses The Phantom Menace to begin showing how that republic became an empire, how a politician became a tyrant, and how the senate allowed it all to happen.

In that regard, The Phantom Menace is a more consequential and intriguing film than any of the most recent sequels. It's also pointedly, proudly a George Lucas film. Its sprawling story, which is always splitting its time between two or three different plot lines, bears much more resemblance to Lucas's earliest features – THX-1138 and American Graffiti – than any of the Star Wars films Lucas didn't direct. Watching The Phantom Menace, it's easy to see Lucas's love of the craft of moviemaking come to the fore.

DARTH MAUL - Complete Lightsaber Fight - Star Wars : The Phantom Menacewww.youtube.com

The Phantom Menace is equally a rumination on the cultural significance of mythology – when Anakin Skywalker's mother Shmi struggles to explain what she means about her son's conception and birth the film is also observing how the mythology of cultures around the globe share the same underpinnings. If Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope found inspiration in Joseph Campbell's ideas of comparative mythology, The Phantom Menace is a master's thesis in the teachings.

One of its most central ideas is one of the concepts most derided by fans: midichlorians. With the benefit of having heard George Lucas talk over and over about the concept of an underlying physical connection with the Force, I've come to think of midichlorians as the most intriguing aspect of the entire Star Wars saga. They are destiny made manifest, a bold attempt to explain why some people, given the same opportunities, passions and training, achieve more than others. They do not undermine the concept of the Force, but help explain why not everyone becomes a hero.

Star Wars: Phantom Menace - What Are Midichlorians (Movie Clip)www.youtube.com

Thy also speak to a concept that George Lucas would bring up over and over: the ubiquity of myths. For some reason, people around the world, separated by time and distance, have developed similar myths. Their stories and their religions bear remarkable resemblance to each other. Could it be something within us that motivates these beliefs?

Ultimately, The Phantom Menace becomes a rousing action film, though never a straightforward one. To get us to its final 45 minutes, Lucas concocted a story filled with switches and reverses, betrayals and false allies. It all leads to a grand finale in which at least four different battles are happening simultaneously. Lucas' skill as a filmmaker ensures we always know where we are throughout this massive conclusion, even if we aren't entirely sure of the ever-changing identity of one core character.

Though its midichlorian-induced hangover effect put fans on the defensive for years, a rewatch of The Phantom Menace proves the furor over the film may have been overdone. The more you watch The Phantom Menace, and the more you look at how it's put together, listen to its dialogue and even its music, the more you realize that it has a great deal to say – not just about Star Wars but about our endless need for stories that help us make sense of a non-sensical world.

John Singh is a writer and entertainment-industry veteran who began his career as a newspaper journalist and has also worked at Disney, Lucasfilm Ltd., DreamWorks Animation and on a variety of films and TV series.

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People from around the globe share 15 signs that someone is obviously an American

"An Italian told me that Americans walk confidently in the wrong direction."

tourists, american tourists, us tourists, vacation, american style

via Tarnie/Flickr, Paul Duncan/Flickr, tAlex Bikes/Flickr

Americans on vacation.

One of the fun things about traveling to different countries is that you not only get to learn about other cultures, but you also learn some things about your own. Americans who travel abroad often learn that people around the world appreciate them for being open, friendly, and good at spreading hope and optimism.

On the other hand, people in other countries can often tell when an American is coming from a mile away because they speak loudly, whether indoors or outdoors. Americans also have a very peculiar body language and are known to lean on things when they have to stand for an extended period.

A Reddit user posed a question in the AskReddit subforum to learn more about how Americans stand out abroad: What's an "obvious" sign that someone is American? The post received more than 35,000 responses, with an overwhelming number of commenters noting that Americans are all smiles and love to make small talk, something most people appreciate.

According to Redditors, here are 15 "obvious" signs that someone is American:

1. They have a unique confidence

"An Italian told me that Americans walk confidently in the wrong direction."

"Been taught to walk fast, and look worried.. People think you know what you're doing."

2. They're friendly

"I worked as a cashier in a tourist place in Paris, I always recognised Americans because they were kinda friendly to me and they always left tips."

"I guess there are worse things than friendly and generous."

3. Time = distance

"If someone asks how far away something is, an American will tell how you long it takes to get there as opposed to a physical distance."

"It actually pisses off some Americans to give a distance in miles, unless they're calculating gas mileage. In some places, you have to give with and without traffic options. I think it's more valuable info in time than in distance."

4. Grinning at strangers

"The gentle grins you give to strangers if you make eye contact with them as you pass by, at least in the Midwest. was not well received in Germany."

"I dated a European man here in the US. When we walked together, every time I made eye contact with someone on our path I would smile at them, and they would always smile back. Boyfriend was so confused at all these strangers smiling at me. Kept asking if I knew all these people. It was hilarious."

5. They like personal space

"How much personal space they give themselves. Americans like at LEAST an arm's length."

"We're conditioned to fill spaces evenly. I noticed when i worked delivery, spending lots of quality time on elevators that for every new person that enters, everybody shuffles to even things out. Similar thing plays out in social gatherings and bars. Not sure if that's universal or not, but I find it interesting. I think the size of our personal bubbles is because our spaces are generally much larger because we've got the space (heh) to build bigger buildings, sidewalks, roads etc. Might also explain why we're louder. Used to filling larger spaces with volume."

Body language expert Joe Navarro says that among Americans, the social zone for acquaintances and casual interactions is four to 12 feet, while family and close friends stand 1.5 to four feet apart. The intimate zone, for those closest to us, ranges from the skin to about 18 inches.

6. They lean

"According to the CIA, when training to be a spy, you have to unlearn how to lean. Americans tend to lean on things when standing still."

All of this is true, according to Jonna Mendez, the former chief of disguise at the CIA, who has shared some of her tips and tricks for making Americans seem more European. "So we would de-Americanize you," Mendez told NPR. "They think that we are slouchy, a little sloppy. And they think that they can almost see that in our demeanor on the street because they stand up straight. They don't lean on things."

7. They don't have an indoor voice

"I've lived in America for 25 years, and it still irritates me that instead of lowering their voices in restaurants so everyone can hear, Americans just scream over each other and make their restaurants as loud as clubs."

"For some reason, my otherwise smart and wonderful American friends will speak in the same volume, diction, and speed regardless of any outside factor unless specifically asked."

8. Dessert for breakfast

"In my homestay in London, I was told that I was 'so American' for enjoying a piece of cake for breakfast (not frosted cake, but like a nuts and dried fruit spiced coffeecake kind of thing). Apparently, that's exclusively for like a 4 pm snack, and breakfast is more of a savory meal."

"A lot of American breakfast items in my mind are desserts (pancakes, muffins, waffles, etc.). It doesn't mean I won't eat them, but it's kinda weird to do so."

9. They wear their clothes differently

"A British man once told me he knew I was American because I was wearing a baseball cap backwards."

"An Italian told me they could tell I was American because I wore my sunglasses on the top of my head when I wasn't using them."

10. Exposed soles

"While visiting Turkey, I was told that I looked American because I was sitting with one leg across the other, and the bottom of my shoe was exposed. Apparently, it's rude idk."

"In a lot of places outside of the US, showing the bottom of your shoe is rude."

11. Tactical gear

"Tactical sunglasses."

"I'm in the US, and virtually anything marketed towards men has the word 'tactical' in front of it."

12. They love small talk

"I'm from California (though a smallish town), and we wave to neighbors on our road, even if we haven't met, and start conversations in the grocery line with people if the opportunity presents itself. Also, smiling and saying hello to someone you happen to walk by and make eye contact with is quite normal. We are a social species, it would be so weird not to be friendly, even to strangers, for me, and I'm not even that social of a person."

"What really gets me to it is not that Americans do small talk constantly, but the fact that they are so good and fast at it. I mean, I say 'yeah, it's hot,' and they reply with some interesting fact or make a connection to their hometown. I feel less of myself after this. They must have some small talk class in school or some sh*t."

13. They like to point

"I've always observed my US friends like to point at stuff while walking and say what it is…. We were out walking around Amsterdam recently and they were like 'hey look it's a smoke shop'…. 'Oh look a sex shop'…. 'Oh hey, it's a prostitute' …. 'Look at the canal'…. 'Wow it's another prostitute'….. 'another canal' etc etc. It was like watching Netflix with Audio Descriptions turned on."

"You know that little voice inside your head, your internal monologue? Americans seem to monologue their thoughts."

14. Optimism and enthusiasm

"Dunno in all context, but Americans in Europe stand out with their ceaseless optimism and enthusiasm."

"I'm reminded a lot of Ted Lasso. Everyone I know (all Americans) loves the show. I wonder what kind of European fan base it has."

"Americans are so positive and have such a thirst for life. It sickens me."

15. They eat while walking

"When I lived in Europe, people said only Americans eat while walking. I'd be eating a bagel or something on the way to work or class, and multiple people asked if I was American lol."

"Jay Leno said on Top Gear, I think it was, that Americans are also the only people who eat while driving. I don't do this, but I constantly see people who do, haha, especially in LA, where people spend a lot of time in their cars."

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Resurfaced interview shows Mister Rogers beautifully reflecting on how he wanted to be remembered

Mission accomplished.

Mister Rogers, Fred Rogers, PBS, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Make-Believe Neighborhood, children, learning

commons.wikimedia.org

Henrietta Pussycat, Fred Rogers, X the Owl

It's not especially unique to state how extraordinarily lovely and special Fred Rogers was. He was a gentle, thoughtful man who seemed to want to make the world a little bit better every day. And it wasn't just the years on his PBS show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood or the magical make-believe lands he built for kids (and quite frankly) their parents. He worked extensively to study the minds of children so he could help them feel heard, all while simultaneously advocating for them in educational spaces.

In addition to being a beloved TV figure, he was a champion for entire families and he put his expertise to good use. A recent interview clip from the Television Academy making the rounds proves that he was not only unbelievably kind, but that his humility seemed to know no bounds.

In the clip, Rogers is asked how he wants to be remembered.

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At first pensive, Rogers starts by sharing a story about another famous celebrity (whose name he omitted), who had asked, "Do you think I'll be remembered?" Rogers thoughtfully responds with, "I'm sorry that he had such misgivings about that, you know?"

As for himself, the legacy he wanted was simple: "I'd just like to be remembered for being a compassionate human being. Who happened to be fortunate enough to be born at a time that there was this fabulous thing called television that could allow me to use all the talents that I'd been given."

The video has so far garnered over 2,000 lovely comments. One person writes, "Mere seconds into this video and I'm already crying. I just adored him. I didn't have other kids to interact with until I went to kindergarten, so I'm pretty sure he was my first friend."

Another shares quite simply, "A good man. A good human. That's how I'll always remember Mr. Rogers."

Another, commenting on the hardships of today's world, had a positive spin—perhaps not unlike how Mister Rogers himself would have framed it: "He would be so disappointed in the world right now... but he'd still show up, slip into his house shoes, a comfortable cardigan, and walk us through emotionally processing the negative spaces, finding the helpers, and reminding us that we're all in this together. I miss him."

The clip was a part of a longer interview wherein Rogers discusses his childhood, his family, and how the "land of make-believe" came about on his popular PBS show, among many other fascinating revelations.

Fred Rogers shares stories about his life. www.youtube.com, FOUNDATION Interviews, Television Academy

He shares the importance of inspiring others by actually caring about what you're teaching: "When I was a senior in high school, a friend of mine taught me to fly in a little Piper Cub. And he was so enthusiastic about flying, I know that's why I wanted to learn. The best teacher in the world is someone who loves what he or she does. And just loves it in front of you."

He explains how he carried this idea over to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, saying, "And that's what I like to do with the neighborhood. I love to have guests and just create a whole smorgasbord of ways for the children to choose. I mean, some child might choose painting. Some child might choose playing the cello. But there are so many ways of saying who we are and how we feel. Ways that don't hurt anybody. And it seems to me that that's a great gift. Well, television can do that all the time!"

Fred Rogers discusses "The Neighborhood of Make-Believe" in an interview with the Television Academy. www.youtube.com, FOUNDATION Interviews, Television Academy

He digs a bit deeper into the majestic make-believe land and what he drew from to create it: "King Friday thought it would be nice to have a wife. And so Queen Sarah came along. Her name was Sarah Saturday. And it gave us a chance to have a wedding on the neighborhood. It gave us a chance to have the birth of a child. To deal with that. And there was Harriet Elizabeth Cow. And Sarah, of course, was the first name of my wife. My wife's name was Sarah Joanne. So of course she would be the queen."

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History (Education)

3 simple words that helped Robert Frost stay resilient through a lifetime of anxiety and depression

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life."

robert frost, poet robert frost, robert frost poem, robert frost poems, writer robert frost

Images via Wikipedia

American poet Robert Frost as a young man in 1910 and again in 1949.

Poet Robert Frost created inspiring poems that are beloved around the world. Frost was known for his simple yet deep style of poetry, and, although he didn't publish his first book until he was 40, he went on to earn four Pulitzer Prizes.

He created a body of work that continues to touch people. Yet, like many great artists, Frost struggled with his mental health throughout his life. (Frost was born in 1874 and died in 1963.) William & Mary English Professor and Frost biographer Henry Hart found that many of Frost's relatives struggled with schizophrenia as well as depression.

"Throughout his life, he struggled to fit in. His education was irregular, routinely disrupted when Frost dropped out after suffering attacks of anxiety and depression that expressed themselves in various physical ailments," notes the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Frost experienced many hardships during his life, beginning at a young age. His father William Prescott Frost, Jr., died when he was just 11 years old. His sister Jeanie would later suffer from mental illness, and died in a mental hospital.

Frost would go on to marry his high school girlfriend, Elinor White, in 1895. The couple had six children, a blessing that came with loads of tragedy.

"Four of Frost’s six children died before he did, including Carol, the son who committed suicide. Frost’s daughter Irma suffered mental problems that required hospitalization, and Elinor battled anxiety, too. She died of heart failure in 1938," according to the NEH. "Frost’s own bouts of depression brought physical and mental anguish. 'Cast your eye back over my family luck, and perhaps you will wonder if I haven’t had pretty near enough,' he lamented at one point."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

His wife Elinor was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1937, and died in 1938 from heart disease. "She had been the unspoken half of everything I ever wrote," Frost said. He would go on to live 26 more years without her.

Through these challenges, Frost developed resilience and perseverance. One of his most famous quotes describes his advice on how he pushed through:

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."

The quote is reported to come from a September 1954 interview with journalist Ray Josephs for This Week Magazine. During the interview, Josephs asks Frost, "In all your years and all your travels, what do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned about life?"

- YouTube www.youtube.com

From there, Frost shared his wise insights.

"He paused a moment, then with the twinkle sparkling under those brambly eyebrows he replied: 'In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on. In all the confusions of today, with all our troubles . . . with politicians and people slinging the word fear around, all of us become discouraged . . . tempted to say this is the end, the finish. But life — it goes on. It always has. It always will. Don’t forget that.'"

Frost died at age 88 in 1963 and was buried in Bennington, Vermont, next to his wife Elinor. Honest about life's struggles to the end, Frost's gravestone reads: "I had a lover's quarrel with the world."

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This easy melatonin-boosting shower trick may be the answer to getting deep sleep

A better night's sleep starts in the shower.

dark showering, dark shower, better sleep, nighttime routine, how to fall asleep faster

Photo credit: Canva

Dark showering may be a helpful nighttime routine for better sleep.

Showering at night, rather than in the morning, has been shown to improve sleep quality. (Plus, showering at night can say a lot about your personality.)

Hopping in the shower at the end of the day can help prep your body for sleep. But one way to enhance your nighttime shower experience for even better sleep is to cut the lights and try "dark showering."

Showering in the dark is a recent health trend on TikTok that many people claim helps them fall asleep faster and wake up feeling more rested. But are those claims really true? Here's what you need to know.

@emgillyy
As a mom who’s husband works 24/7 & no family close I’m always finding ways to reset my nervous system so I can show up & be the best mom I can be. #sahmlife #sahmsoftiktok #motherhoodunfiltered #momhacks #motherhood #motherhoodunplugged #momlife

What is dark showering?

"Dark showering is when you take a shower in little to no light, which can be done by turning off overhead lights, using a dim lamp, candlelight, or just showering adjacent to darkness," Dr. Daniella Marchetti, a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral sleep medicine at Rise Science, tells Upworthy. "The idea behind the trend is to reduce bright light exposure in the evening while also pairing a calming, predictable routine with conditions that are more aligned with the body's natural wind-down process before bed."

And the effects of dark showering may indeed lead to better sleep. There are three mechanisms at play:

Light exposure

By keeping the lights on during your nighttime shower, you may be losing out on some big melatonin benefits.

"Bright light in the evening, especially overhead or blue spectrum light, can suppress melatonin release and delay sleep onset," Marchetti explains. "Showering in low light supports melatonin release, which may help the brain stay in 'night mode' instead of shifting into alertness through bright light exposure."

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Temperature regulation

Showering at night can also prep the body to start cooling down—a natural part of the sleep process.

"A warm shower can promote sleep by triggering a drop in core body temperature afterward, which is a natural signal the body uses for sleep onset," Marchetti adds. "This effect is modest but well supported in the research."

Nervous system cues

A dim, quiet shower can help the nervous system downshift just in time for sleep.

"It acts as a consistent wind-down activity that signals safety and predictability," Marchetti says. "That can reduce cognitive and physiological arousal, which are two major barriers to falling asleep."

dark showering, dark shower, shower in the dark, showering in the dark, showering at night A woman takes a dark shower.Photo credit: Canva

Dark showering may also have mental health and mood benefits.

"For some people, dark showering can feel grounding or soothing, especially at the end of an overstimulating day. It reduces the amount of sensory input we get by having less light and fewer visual cues," Marchetti explains. "Getting enough sensory rest has the potential to lower mental load and quiet racing thoughts, which often interfere with sleep. Dark showering can also encourage mindfulness, which can be helpful for people who struggle with nighttime rumination or anxiety."

With promising outcomes, dark showering may be a helpful trick for some people seeking better sleep. But Marchetti adds that it may not work for everyone, especially those with chronic insomnia.

"If someone is struggling with ongoing insomnia, the solution usually isn't adding another ritual," she says. "It may be a question of addressing sleep timing, arousal, and the relationship they've developed with sleep. Sometimes adding more 'sleep rules' can increase the pressure we have to get 'good sleep' and backfires. Doing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) with a trusted sleep provider can help you address all those areas, as CBT-I is the gold standard treatment for insomnia (yes, even above sleeping pills!)."

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Viral video of the last day of high school in 2001 has millennials noticing these 5 things

It was filmed just a few months before things changed forever.

high school, school, millennials, nostalgia, 2000s, 2000s nostalgia, 2001, 9/11, teenagers, adults

Peter Taylor/Flickr & Taber Andrew/Flickr

A video of high school in 2001 has Millennial adults wishing they could go back to a simpler time.

Although hard to measure, nostalgia certainly feels to be close to an all-time high. Millennials, in particular, are one of the key drivers of nostalgia, with 14% preferring to think about the past rather than the future, according to market research firm GWI. Even younger Gen Zers are extremely nostalgic for what they view as a simpler time.

We live in a highly divisive and chaotic era, so it's no wonder that people in the Millennial age bracket—late 20s to early 40s— look back fondly at the "before times," notably, the early 2000s.

A recently unearthed clip of the last day of high school in 2001 has millennials feeling all kinds of emotions.

In the viral video, a student films a few brief interactions on his last day at the unnamed school, with classmates wishing each other well and offering cheery goodbyes. He even runs into a few other students filming on their own comically gigantic cameras, predating modern camera phones by about a decade.

Though the dialogue and interactions are simple and sometimes hard to hear in the old footage, you really get a visceral sense of being there from the grainy clips. If you lived it, you can still smell the school cafeteria and feel the painted stone walls in the hallway. These 48 seconds are a perfect encapsulation of what it was like to be a graduating high school senior in 2001.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

The clip racked up over 3 million views on YouTube. Here are the 5 things that stood out to millennials who lived through this period themselves the most.

1. Teenagers looked different back then.

Teen style in the 2000s was extremely casual, with most of the girls in the footage wearing tank tops and jeans while the boys wore short-sleeve button downs or t-shirts. (Okay, the one exception might be the guy wearing the sideways Adidas visor with matching track suit.) But otherwise, commenters were struck by how normal everyone looked.

"Kids looked happier, healthier, and more stylish 24 years ago"

"Girls looked so normal, it's almost weird to see them like that, they weren't with that much of make-up and they looked very friendly"

Several viewers pointed out how, pre-social media, teenagers weren't under nearly as much pressure to look perfect compared to their favorite celebrities and influencers at all times. Of course, '90s and 2000s beauty standards were incredibly brutal, especially for women, but the pressure wasn't as ever-present and it was still OK to wear a t-shirt to school instead of "looksmaxxing."

2. Millennials pointed out how refreshingly awkward and camera shy a lot of the students seem to be.

Several students in the clip seem to go out of their way to not to be captured on film, and there are cheesy smiles and waves galore. In 2001, there were no TikTok dances, and, in fact, selfies didn't even exist yet. Most people had no idea how to behave in front of a camera. The innocence is so endearing.

"We used to dodge cameras, remember?!" one commenter wrote.

"Look how they shy away from the camera, its so natural, so beautiful."

"Having grown up in this era, I honestly forgot that people are sometimes shy about being on camera. It seems like everyone these days must be the main character, especially with a camera or phone around."

The lack of awkwardness in modern teens is a common source of commentary and comedy on social media.

@karsonrheamorrow
How time is so fast. #teenagersthenvsnow #thegooddays #teenagers #early2000s #teenagersscarethelivingshitoutofme #2000s #timesflies #millinials #90sbabies #90skids #90sthrowback #millennial ##90smusic

3. It could just be because the video is from the last day of school, but the teenagers in the clips definitely have a joyful brightness about them.

"Anyone else notice how genuinely happy and soulful they are…?" someone wrote.

"Look at how happy and interactive everyone was. These weren't good times, they were great times."

"Everyone looked so happy, healthy, and very 'in the moment'."

"It’s hard to put my finger on, but there was a unique spirit and lightness everyone had the"

"Listen to how we talked and treated each other back then 'I’m gonna miss you' 'I love you', I feel like we treated each other so much better back then. We weren’t perfect and we had our demons, but it felt like the sun shined differently in the 90’s"

Yes, there is some nostalgic fawning coloring some of the comments, but the data doesn't lie. Teens and young adults today have been shown to suffer more depression and anxiety, with happiness for 13 to 18-year-olds peaking in the early 2000s.

4. Crucially, the video is an amazing snapshot of a pre-9/11 society. The world would change forever just a few short months after it was filmed.

Anyone who was there can remember exactly where they were when news broke of the planes hitting the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. What we didn't know at the time was how fundamentally everything would change after that day. Politics became sharply more divisive, the country went to war, and travel and the economy were altered forever.

Sobering clips of students sitting in class and learning about the tragedy have been going around social media for years.

from Damnthatsinteresting

The clip of the final day of high school in 2001 from a few months prior has struck so many viewers as one of the last moments untainted by what would ultimately happen.

5. So many commenters admitted they would do almost anything to go back.

High school wasn't kind to everyone, of course. Even through our rose-colored glasses of the time, we can remember there was bullying, racism, and cruelty. But almost all Millennials yearn for a time that was, if nothing else, simpler.

Many commenters quoted Andy Bernard from The Office as they looked back on a time where they probably couldn't wait to grow up and see what else life had in store for them: "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them."

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