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IMDbPro

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

  • 19991999
  • PGPG
  • 2h 16m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
813K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
437
134
Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Anthony Daniels, Liam Neeson, Jake Lloyd, Kenny Baker, Ahmed Best, and Ray Park in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Two Jedi knights uncover a wider conflict when they are sent as emissaries to the blockaded planet Naboo.
Play trailer1:34
19 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureFantasy
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 original glory.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 original glory.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 original glory.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
813K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
437
134
    • George Lucas
    • George Lucas
  • Stars
    • Ewan McGregor
    • Liam Neeson
    • Natalie Portman
    • George Lucas
    • George Lucas
  • Stars
    • Ewan McGregor
    • Liam Neeson
    • Natalie Portman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 4KUser reviews
    • 362Critic reviews
    • 51Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars

    Videos19

    3D Re-release Version
    Trailer 1:34
    Watch 3D Re-release Version
    Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
    Trailer 1:05
    Watch Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
    Ewan McGregor on Prequel Memes, Jar Jar Binks, and "Obi-Wan Kenobi"
    Clip 4:04
    Watch Ewan McGregor on Prequel Memes, Jar Jar Binks, and "Obi-Wan Kenobi"
    How Does Emperor Palpatine Fit Into 'The Rise of Skywalker'?
    Clip 4:03
    Watch How Does Emperor Palpatine Fit Into 'The Rise of Skywalker'?
    The Evolution of Anakin Skywalker
    Clip 3:23
    Watch The Evolution of Anakin Skywalker
    "The Mandalorian" and the Future of 'Star Wars'
    Clip 3:05
    Watch "The Mandalorian" and the Future of 'Star Wars'
    "Pod Race 2"
    Clip 0:26
    Watch "Pod Race 2"
    "Pod Race 1"
    Clip 0:51
    Watch "Pod Race 1"
    "Darth Maul 2"
    Clip 0:46
    Watch "Darth Maul 2"
    "Darth Maul 1"
    Clip 0:41
    Watch "Darth Maul 1"
    Star Wars
    Clip 0:57
    Watch Star Wars
    Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace: 3D Re-Release
    Featurette 3:12
    Watch Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace: 3D Re-Release

    Photos335

    Warwick Davis, Jerome St. John Blake, and Andy Secombe in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
    Natalie Portman and Ian McDiarmid in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
    Ahmed Best in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
    Ewan McGregor, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Kenny Baker, and Ray Park in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
    Liam Neeson in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
    Jake Lloyd in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
    Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
    Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
    Natalie Portman in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
    Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
    Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
    Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Jake Lloyd, and Kenny Baker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ewan McGregor
    Ewan McGregor
    • Obi-Wan Kenobi
    Liam Neeson
    Liam Neeson
    • Qui-Gon Jinn
    Natalie Portman
    Natalie Portman
    • Queen Amidala…
    Jake Lloyd
    Jake Lloyd
    • Anakin Skywalker
    Ian McDiarmid
    Ian McDiarmid
    • Senator Palpatine
    Pernilla August
    Pernilla August
    • Shmi Skywalker
    Oliver Ford Davies
    Oliver Ford Davies
    • Sio Bibble
    Hugh Quarshie
    Hugh Quarshie
    • Captain Panaka
    Ahmed Best
    Ahmed Best
    • Jar Jar Binks
    Anthony Daniels
    Anthony Daniels
    • C-3PO
    • (voice)
    Kenny Baker
    Kenny Baker
    • R2-D2
    Frank Oz
    Frank Oz
    • Yoda
    • (voice)
    Terence Stamp
    Terence Stamp
    • Chancellor Valorum
    Brian Blessed
    Brian Blessed
    • Boss Nass
    • (voice)
    Andy Secombe
    Andy Secombe
    • Watto
    • (voice)
    • (as Andrew Secombe)
    Ray Park
    Ray Park
    • Darth Maul
    Lewis Macleod
    Lewis Macleod
    • Sebulba
    • (voice)
    Warwick Davis
    Warwick Davis
    • Wald…
      • George Lucas
      • George Lucas
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Here's Your Cheat Sheet for the 'Star Wars' Saga

    Here's Your Cheat Sheet for the 'Star Wars' Saga

    With the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, this is the perfect opportunity to recap the epic space opera audiences have enjoyed for over 40 years.
    View the Force
    Image caption not available
    8:18

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Liam Neeson was so eager to be in the film that he signed on without having read the script.
    • Goofs
      Some naturalists have stated that Watto's wings weren't big enough to lift his body in flight. George Lucas explains that Watto's digestive system filled his rotund belly with helium, making Watto a blimp, not a bird.
    • Quotes

      Obi-Wan: But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future.

      Qui-Gon Jinn: But not at the expense of the moment.

    • Crazy credits
      Jabba The Hutt - Himself
    • Alternate versions
      The 2011 Blu-ray version replaces the Yoda puppet with a computer generated Yoda.
    • Connections
      Edited into Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

    User reviews4K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    A solid but flawed addition to the Star Wars Saga
    Well, after waiting 16 years for his next installment, George has given us "The Phantom Menace". As a Star Wars fan I got what I expected - another chance to immerse myself in the Star Wars universe - a film whose sole purpose is essentially escapism. But as a movie fan, and judging it as I would any other movie, I frankly feel mildly disappointed. Any movie that's made can always be improved upon but I feel that this SHOULD have been better. Firstly the good points :

    1) The visuals are stunning - a lot of love and hard work has quite obviously gone into the effects and the people involved can quite rightly be proud of their work

    2) All the performances by the main cast were good. Particularly Natalie Portman and Pernilla August.

    3) The Pod Race was exciting and amusing.

    4) The final sabre duel was quite fantastic : Darth Maul prowling up and down like a caged tiger was a particularly excellent touch - it added real tension and anticipation to the scene.

    5) The music as always was magnificent. The Star Wars saga would lose much of its charm and intensity without Williams' scores.

    And now the negatives :

    1) The pacing was too fast in parts! The first half hour of the film just left me cold - you weren't led into the story. You were dumped straight into the action. On paper I'm sure the first half hour looked fantastic but I found myself sitting in the theatre going - 'hey, great special effect shot there!' I wasn't involved in the story and the scenes lacked tension and danger.

    2) The film only truly started for me on reaching Tatooine. I finally got a chance to get to know the characters. However there still was not enough character development in the film as a whole. For example, Obi Wan had nothing to do or say throughout the movie except flash his light sabre around from time-to-time. Who is Obi Wan??? After seeing the film I'm none the wiser. And the final sabre duel (good as it was) would have been infinitely better had the relationship between Qui-Gon and Obi Wan been explored past the mere mentor-apprentice motif. The final sabre duel lacked emotional involvement as a consequence.

    3) Why did they make Jar-Jar so incomprehensible?? I found myself becoming annoyed at having to strain to understand his nonsensical utterings! (Having said that, he wasn't as annoying as I'd been led to expect) Why George used easily identifiable racial accents for his alien characters completely puzzled me. It just shows a lack of imagination!

    4) Not enough Darth Maul.

    5) What's with the biological exposition on the Force! Was that necessary? The first three films pointed to links between the Force and genetics but I don't need tiresome cold scientific explanations as to the Force's origin, thank you very much! It just ruins the mystique.

    6) Can we have less of the mindless gaffes that occur in the final battle scenes (You know the ones that save the day!) Its an insult to the audience's intelligence (In a full theatre I swear I didn't see a single soul who looked under sixteen! - has George forgotten about the original fans). In the original trilogy there was none of this cringeful embarrassing material (Ewoks excepted!!)

    Well I think I'll stop there. To summarise : a good movie that could have been a whole lot better. Perhaps there was too much story to cover in two hours? In which case the plot should have been shortened on the adage that "less is more". I've always thought that episode one was always going to be the lamest of the new films so I await the next installment with anticipation and hope .....
    helpful•407
    248
    • wgh
    • Jul 18, 1999

    See 'Star Wars' Stars In and Out of Costume

    See 'Star Wars' Stars In and Out of Costume

    Check out our gallery of stars from the Star Wars saga in character and in real life.
    View image
    Photos

    FAQ24

    • How do the Gungans lose their shield generator in the droid battle? When the generator is hit the shield is still active until it explodes so how did the droids do that if as we see the shield blocks all laser fire even from the tanks?
    • When does this take place in the Star Wars timeline?
    • What is 'Phantom Menace' about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 19, 1999 (United States)
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Disney+ Hotstar
      • Lucasfilm Ltd. [United States]
      • English
      • Sanskrit
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Sidi Bouhlel, Bouhlel Sdada, Tunisia
    • Production company
      • Lucasfilm
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 16 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

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