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

Two Jedi escape a hostile blockade to find allies and come across a young boy who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to claim their old glory.

Director:

George Lucas

Writer:

George Lucas

Stars:

Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 26 wins & 65 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Liam Neeson	...	Qui-Gon Jinn
Ewan McGregor	...	Obi-Wan Kenobi
Natalie Portman	...	Queen Amidala / Padmé
Jake Lloyd	...	Anakin Skywalker
Ian McDiarmid	...	Senator Palpatine
Pernilla August	...	Shmi Skywalker
Oliver Ford Davies	...	Sio Bibble
Hugh Quarshie	...	Captain Panaka
Ahmed Best	...	Jar Jar Binks
Anthony Daniels	...	C-3PO (voice)
Kenny Baker	...	R2-D2
Frank Oz	...	Yoda (voice)
Terence Stamp	...	Chancellor Valorum
Brian Blessed	...	Boss Nass (voice)
Andy Secombe	...	Watto (voice) (as Andrew Secombe)

Storyline

The evil Trade Federation, led by Nute Gunray is planning to take over the peaceful world of Naboo. Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to confront the leaders. But not everything goes to plan. The two Jedi escape, and along with their new Gungan friend, Jar Jar Binks head to Naboo to warn Queen Amidala, but droids have already started to capture Naboo and the Queen is not safe there. Eventually, they land on Tatooine, where they become friends with a young boy known as Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon is curious about the boy, and sees a bright future for him. The group must now find a way of getting to Coruscant and to finally solve this trade dispute, but there is someone else hiding in the shadows. Are the Sith really extinct? Is the Queen really who she says she is? And what's so special about this young boy?

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Plot Keywords:

saga | chosen one | nine year old | r2 d2 character | c 3po character | 

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Taglines:

The Force Returns May 19th

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sci-fi action/violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Star Wars: Episode I - The Beginning

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$115,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$64,820,970, 23 May 1999, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$474,544,677

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,027,044,677

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lucasfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX SDDS (8 channels) DTS-ES

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Yoda agrees that Anakin will be Obi-wan's apprentice, a dragon can be seen out the window, flying in the sky.

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Goofs

When Obi-Wan falls off the walkway during the duel with Darth Maul, his lightsabre lands on a lit strip of the floor. A few shots later he jumps up and retrieves his sabre, which is now resting on a dark area on the floor. Even if the sabre continued to roll on the floor between the shots, it couldn't have ended up in this position.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Qui-Gon Jinn: Captain.
Republic Cruiser Captain: Yes, sir?
Qui-Gon Jinn: Tell them we wish to board at once.
Republic Cruiser 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.

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Crazy Credits

Jabba The Hutt - Himself

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Alternate Versions

In the theatrical version, right after Sebulba's name is announced in the podrace opening, there is a shot of Watto, in his booth, cheering on Sebulba with joy. On the DVD, this scene has been omitted from the actual movie on disc 1, but is still present as part of the "extended podrace sequence" on disc 2.

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Connections

Referenced in ReBoot: Life's a Glitch (2001)

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Soundtracks

Anakin Defeats Sebulba
Composed by John Williams

User Reviews

The First Chapter of an Epic Saga!

The Phantom Menace far surpassed my expectations, probably because my expectations had been lowered by much of the negative criticism this film generated, mostly by disgruntled geeks who are afraid of change, like hardened conservatives panicking when a democrat wins an election. It's really childish and pathetic.

The "magic" of Star Wars is still present in Episode 1. Although this first film seems slightly bent toward a more younger audience, this in no way affects the quality of the film. The acting, plot, visuals, audio are all top notch. The main complaints for this film seem to center around Jar Jar Binks, a character I happened to really like. The underwater trip to the Gungan city and then to the capitol of Naboo was one of the best parts of the film, and I thought the interaction between Jar Jar, Qui Gon, and Obi Wan was splendid entertainment at its finest! Sure there are a few clichés throughout this film that serve as minor annoyances but they don't in any way inhibit that "magic" from shining through.

Episode 1 is a fine edition to the Star Wars saga, and one that did not deserve the rampant criticism it received by many. This is top notch entertainment, and George Lucas' complete Star Wars saga is a stupendous success, an impressive result of a vision and the drive to fulfill that vision. Thank you Mr. Lucas!