Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Director:

George Lucas

Writer:

George Lucas (written by)

Release Date:

19 May 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Every generation has a legend. Every journey has a first step. Every saga has a beginning.

Plot:

The evil Trade Federation, led by Nute Gunray is planning to take over the peaceful world of Naboo....

Plot Keywords:

Queen | Planet | Young Boy | Warrior | Apprentice

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 49 nominations

Cast

Liam Neeson	...	Qui-Gon Jinn
Ewan McGregor	...	Obi-Wan Kenobi
Natalie Portman	...	Queen Padmé Amidala
Jake Lloyd	...	Anakin Skywalker
Pernilla August	...	Shmi Skywalker
Frank Oz	...	Yoda (voice)
Ian McDiarmid	...	Senator Palpatine
Oliver Ford Davies	...	Gov. Sio Bibble
Ray Park	...	Darth Maul
Hugh Quarshie	...	Capt. Panaka
Ahmed Best	...	Jar Jar Binks (voice)
Anthony Daniels	...	C-3PO
Kenny Baker	...	R2-D2
Terence Stamp	...	Supreme Chancellor Valorum
Brian Blessed	...	Boss Nass (voice)

Also Known As:

Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace (USA) (video box title)
Star Wars: Episode I (USA) (working title)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Beginning (USA) (working title)
The Phantom Menace (USA) (short title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sci-fi action/violence.

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS (8 channels) | DTS-ES

Certification:

Iceland:10 (original rating) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Malaysia:U | Brazil:Livre | South Africa:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Belgium:KT | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12/9 (original rating) | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Hong Kong:I | Ireland:PG | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:PG | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:PG | Canada:G (British Columbia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Philippines:G

Filming Locations:

CTV Services, Tunisia

Company:

Lucasfilm

Trivia:

EASTER EGG: If you highlight the THX logo in the Language Selection page on the DVD and press 1138 with the remote you will access a hidden blooper reel.

Goofs:

Continuity: Obi-Wan's hair length and style changes between shots, starting when Amidala returns from Coruscant. It goes from spiky to smooth and back once or twice.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Qui-Gon Jinn: Captain.
Radiant VII captain: Yes, sir?
Qui-Gon Jinn: Tell them we wish to board at once.
Radiant VII captain: [to communication device] With all due respect, the ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor wish to board immediately.
Nute Gunray: [on view screen] Yes, of course. As you know, our blockade is perfectly legal and we'd be happy to receive the ambassadors.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Retarded Animal Babies (2003) (V)

When does the hurting stop?

This movie is a perfect example of when what could have been one of the most brilliant movies ever is made, through the incompetence of only one man, into one of the worst. I cannot list in detail the number of ways this movie could have been made better, and they are all mind-bogglingly simple and all George Lucas's fault. Even so, I will try to condense them into a short list.

1. Actors/Casting - I have to give all of the actors credit for this because I know they tried their best, even Jake Lloyd. The movie did not give me a single reason why I should have cared for any of the characters and I can't explain why I did anyway.

I can't count how many times people have told me how much better Haley Joel Osment would have been in the role, and I am almost inclined to agree with them. Supposedly there's something dark and ominous about the Anakin character that all of the Jedi council can see, after all, he's gonna be Darth Vader, right? Osment projects that fear which leads to anger which leads to etc., and Lloyd just looks like your run-of-the-mill blond California Cabbage Patch kid. I'd call Jake Lloyd a terrible actor if it weren't for what the great sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card, who personally knows Lloyd, observed: "Jake Lloyd's a good actor, and it's a pity you didn't get to see that on-screen, since he had no direction or screenplay. In the same way, Liam Neeson is a great actor, but you didn't see that onscreen because he had no direction or screenplay."

Which brings me to my second fault:

2. Direction - Let's face it, George Lucas has lost it. He has gone from the great actors' director he was when he made American Graffiti to a special effects artist gone wildly out of control. I do give him some credit: It takes a lot of deliberate effort to sap all of the energy and life out of Ewan McGregor.

3. Screenplay/Plot - This is the section that really makes me wince, and proves that there is nobody left in Hollywood with the courage to tell George Lucas that he can't write. I mean, logical inconsistencies aside, this dialogue is simply ridiculous. If a first-grader were called in as a script consultant, he could most likely have improved this movie.

There are a thousand instances of questionable logic in this movie like, why did Queen Amidala reveal herself when she did? Why did she want to go back to Naboo so badly if it would do no good whatsoever and she would probably just get killed? Are we supposed to believe that a ten year old is going to have twins with her eventually? Why is she called a Queen anyway, if Naboo is supposed to be a democracy? Do the natives of Naboo share one collective brain cell to elect a teenager to run their planet? And what kind of name is Naboo anyway?

Beyond that, it doesn't even make sense in terms of the rest of the established Star Wars universe. For example, the shields that repelled blaster fire, obviously added so the death count would be lower and they could appeal to the 'family' market. Why do we not see them in the later episodes, when they seem to be of immeasurable tactical value?

As for the so-called 'Phantom Menace' conspiracy, does the initiation into the Jedi knighthood include an IQ curtailment? Why didn't those clods figure out at once that Palpatine was behind it all along? In the end, I found myself rooting for Palpatine/Sidious, simply because he was geometrically more intelligent than any of the other characters and would probably do a pretty good job of ruling the universe. At least he would be a better emperor than George Lucas is a screenwriter.

Well, it seems that I didn't do a very good job at condensing, but oh well.

I am ashamed to say that I saw this movie three times and hated it more each time. That it has grossed over $400 million makes me wonder that the entire American society doesn't grind to a halt as soon as someone sees a bright shiny object. Did I mention that the special effects were too amazing for their own good?