The notion of "the phantom menace" goes on to permeate the rest of the Skywalker Saga. Two versions were released in North America on April 4—a standard pan and scan version and a widescreen Collector's Edition version. What if Obi-Wan killed Anakin on Mustafar? In the end, Qui-Gon dies, and thus Anakin loses his father figure; Obi-Wan Kenobi ultimately becomes his master to honor Jinn's dying wish despite his initial contempt for him, and while he comes to eventually see him like a brother as shown in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, he doesn't act like a father, which coupled with the Jedi's indifference, seals Anakin's fate. [178] It was also nominated for—among others—the BAFTAs for Visual Effects and Sound,[179] and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. [81], Japanese films such as Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress influenced the original Star Wars film; scholars say that The Phantom Menace was likewise influenced by Korean and Japanese culture. [124], Lucas stated the 3D re-release was "just a conversion" of the film's 2011 Blu-ray release and no additional changes were made. As the physical threat throughout the whole film, he chases down the heroes to feed both his desire to kill Jedi and obey his master's commands. [47] Life-sized replicas of the engines were built and sent to Tunisia to provide reference in the film. Time Out New York, May 12–19, 1999, p. 13, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (video game), Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (soundtrack), Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, third highest-grossing film in North America, "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace", "George Lucas talks about adding a digital Yoda to 'The Phantom Menace' – exclusive video", "Star Wars Episode 1 Was Offered to Ron Howard", "Silas Carson: Hero with a Thousand Faces", "Watto's Character Development – From Concept to CG", "Keira Knightley: 'my most exciting role was on The Bill, "Microcast: In The Cantina With Hugh Quarshie", "Brian Blessed Talks On British Radio About STAR WARS EPISODE ONE. [168][173], The Phantom Menace was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound (Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Shawn Murphy and John Midgley); all of which went to The Matrix. Set 32 years before the original trilogy, during the era of the Galactic Republic, the plot follows Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi as they try to protect Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo in hopes of securing a peaceful end to an interplanetary trade dispute. The Phantom Menace returns to the elements that influenced the original film – a fusion of 1930s space opera serials, mythological motifs, Akira Kurosawa, and a dash of Lucas’ own philosophical and political ideas. [66], Editing took two years; Paul Martin Smith started the process in England and focused on dialogue-heavy scenes. This was done for dozens of scenes in the film but was first and primarily used in the pod race sequence. [98] To keep fans from leaving before the movie was over, some theaters played the teaser an additional time after the film finished. This was the final step toward turning the franchise into a saga. [28] The film's working title was The Beginning;[27] Lucas later revealed that its true title was The Phantom Menace; a reference to Palpatine hiding his true identity as an evil Sith Lord behind the facade of a well-intentioned public servant. The cameras were fitted with data capture models to provide technical data for the CGI artists. He has been called everything from a clown to a racist stereotype, and fans have no issues with letting people know he isn't well-liked. [117], On April 7, 2015, Walt Disney Studios, 20th Century Fox, and Lucasfilm jointly announced the digital releases of the six released Star Wars films. ", "G Force: George Lucas fires up the next generation of Star Warriors", "Flip the Record : 'The Phantom Menace' topples two of three box office records", "All Time Domestic Grosses – Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation", "Weekend Report (cont. Whitlatch also designed detailed skeletons for the major characters and facial muscles on Jar Jar Binks as a reference for ILM's animators. [161] At that time, the film was the third highest-grossing film in North America behind Titanic and Star Wars (1977), and the second highest-grossing film worldwide behind Titanic without adjusting for inflation of ticket prices. [30] The story ended with five simultaneous, ongoing plots, one leading to another. Except for Jake Lloyd inside a hydraulically controlled cockpit and a few practical podracer models, the entire podracing scene—which the effects crew designed to be as "out of this world" as possible—is computer-generated. Qui-Gon asks the Jedi Council for permission to train Anakin as a Jedi, but the Council refuses, concerned that Anakin is vulnerable to the dark side of the Force. A 3D reissue, which earned an additional $102.7 million at the box office and brought the film's overall worldwide takings to over $1 billion, was released in February 2012. The Star Wars prequels are not everyone’s favorites, but the trilogy has been going through numerous reevaluations in the last years, especially Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.However, these reevaluations are missing the biggest problems of the film. [109], The film was released worldwide on VHS between April 3 and 8, 2000. Eventually, Anakin's younger age led Lucas to rewrite his participation in the movie's major scenes. You can't write one of these movies without knowing how you're going to accomplish it. The effects and production design are stunning, but they always serve the story, not the other way around. [71], Lucas, who had previously confronted problems with the props used to depict R2-D2, allowed ILM and the production's British special effects department to create their own versions of the robot. [57][58] Pick-ups were shot between August 1998 and February 1999 after Lucas screened a rough cut of the film for friends and colleagues in May 1998. Series, Made in Korea #1 Blends Sci-Fi with Existentialism in Image's Latest Comic, Zack Snyder Says Warner Bros 'Tortured Me' Over His Justice League Cut, Jack Black Played Spider-Man WAY Before His Viral Vaccine Video, Scream Wasn't Wes Craven's First Meta Horror Film, Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse Just Outdid Marvel’s End-Credits Scenes, F9 Video Shows What Makes the Fast & Furious Women Fearless. Biggar also consulted Gillard to ensure that the costumes would accommodate action scenes, and consulted the creature department to find which fabrics "wouldn't wear too heavily" on the alien skins. Though she is successful in pushing for the vote, Amidala grows frustrated with the corruption in the Senate and decides to return to Naboo. Dominic West plays the role of an unnamed Naboo guard, and Sofia Coppola appears as Saché, one of Amidala's handmaidens. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The film's premiere was extensively covered by media and was greatly anticipated because of the large cultural following the Star Wars saga had cultivated. As she prepared the script for her directorial debut The Virgin Suicides, Coppola heard Lucas would make a new Star Wars film and asked him if she could accompany him during filming. In Taoist philosophy, from The Way, yin and yang—the opposing but complementary aspects of reality or nature—are born. [88], More theater lines appeared when it was announced that cinemas were not allowed to sell tickets in advance until two weeks into the release. Stunt coordinator Nick Gillard was recruited to create a new Jedi fighting style for the prequel trilogy. [112], The DVD version was re-released in a prequel trilogy box set on November 4, 2008. "[151] William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer agreed that the film's massive hype caused many of the negative reactions, saying, "it built expectations that can't possibly be matched and scuttled [the] element of storytelling surprise". [127][128] The film was extensively promoted in Japan; promotional products were sold by 7-Eleven, Domino's Pizza, Pepsi and Gari-Gari Kun. [123] However, the 3D re-releases of Episodes II–VI were postponed or canceled after Lucasfilm was bought by The Walt Disney Company, who decided to focus on the development of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Star Wars: the not-so-phantom menace Space is increasingly critical to modern life on Earth. [86] Employment consultant firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimated that 2.2 million full-time employees missed work to attend the film, resulting in a US$293 million loss of productivity. The Star Wars films typically mix several concepts from different mythologies together, drawing heavily from the hero's journey, an archetypical template developed by comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell. Therefore, The Phantom Menace (A) corresponds to Return of the Jedi (A’); Attack of the Clones (B) corresponds to The Empire Strikes Back (B’); and Revenge of … This phrase is a staple of the "Star Wars" films and was first uttered by McGregor, as Obi-Wan Kenobi, in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace." [113] A LaserDisc version of The Phantom Menace was released in Japan on April 7, 2000, one year and six months before it was available on DVD in the U.S.[114] The Star Wars films were released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on Blu-ray Disc on September 16, 2011;[115] The Phantom Menace was restored to improve the picture quality and remove the magnification present on the previous DVD release, restoring approximately 8 percent of the picture to the frame. Studying Skywalkers is an exclusive column that investigates the characters, themes, and lessons of Star Wars from an educational, literary perspective. The screenplay of Star Wars was adapted from Lucas' 15-page outline that was written in 1976, which he designed to help him keep track of the characters' backstories and events that occurred before the original trilogy. Passing through the Federation blockade, the ship is damaged in the crossfire and its hyperdrive is disabled. Maul, who appears to die in The Phantom Menace, was resurrected for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and also appears in Star Wars Rebels and Solo: A Star Wars Story. [49] The casting was influenced by Knightley's remarkable similarity to Natalie Portman, with the actress admitting their mothers could not tell each other apart. In the episode "Legacy" of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, Dave Filoni explains that the use of "Duel of the Fates" during the lightsaber duel between Darth Maul against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi represents the fight for the fate of Anakin Skywalker. They also say "Amidala, in keeping with her status and character, has a number of highly formal outfits ... to go with hair sculpted into a curve that frames make-up of a Japanese cast". All three approached directors told Lucas that he should direct the film, as they each found the project "too daunting. 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. Non-linear editing systems played a large part in translating Lucas' vision; he constantly tweaked, revised, and reworked shots and scenes. [82], The Jedi practice Zen-like meditation and martial arts, as did the ancient Japanese Samurai warriors. However, The Phantom Menace provides one of the most mysterious titles in the entire Skywalker Saga. [55], Filming began on June 26, 1997, and ended on September 30 of that year, primarily taking place at Leavesden Film Studios in England. Chiang uses that orientation to base the droids on the Imperial soldiers, only in the same style of stylized and elongated features seen in tribal African art. [173] The film's earnings exceeded $1 billion worldwide on February 22, 2012, making it the first Star Wars film and the 11th film in history—excluding inflation—to do so. For ten years he has been reporting on the latest and greatest in the worlds of gaming, anime, and all things comics. In short, the phantom menace is a threat that was pulling strings in Episode I, and ultimately throughout all nine films. ", "Review: Star Wars (Episode II): Attack of the Clones", "Phantom: A Menace To Other Summer Films? [85] The Love Letter was a commercial failure but Notting Hill fared better and followed The Phantom Menace closely in second place. [132], On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 53% based on 232 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. Lucasfilm also partnered with Variety, the Children's Charity to raise funds for children through the sale of a special edition badge. As the viewers know, Palpatine and Sidious are the same. A one-stop shop for all things video games. Lucas has denied all of these implications,[136] instead criticizing the American media for using opinions from the Internet as a reliable source for news stories. Knoll, who remained on set through most of the production, worked closely with Tatterstall to ensure that the shots were suitable to add effects later. [143], Andrew Johnston of Time Out New York wrote, "Let's face it: no film could ever match the expectations some have for Episode I – The Phantom Menace. At times, entire food chains were developed, even though only a small percentage of them would appear in the film. George also clarified that Sidious' title as the phantom menace involved a two-pronged approach. [105] Additionally, a Scholastic junior novelization was written by Patricia C. But with the Rule of Two stressing that there can only be one master and apprentice, it isn't hard to believe there could be a few out there. [21] In the trilogy's final episode, Return of the Jedi, Vader is redeemed through an act of sacrifice for Luke. [16] Lindsay Duncan voices TC-14, a protocol droid on the Federation ship. [22], Throughout the 1980s, Lucas said he had no desire to return to Star Wars and had canceled his sequel trilogy by the time of Return of the Jedi. The site's critical consensus reads, "Burdened by exposition and populated with stock characters, The Phantom Menace gets the Star Wars prequels off to a bumpy – albeit visually dazzling – start. [76] While composing Anakin's theme, Williams tried to reflect the innocence of his childhood and to foreshadow his transformation into Darth Vader by using slight suggestions of "The Imperial March" in the melody. RELATED: Star Wars: Dark Side Users Can't Become Force Ghosts - But Some Have Gotten Close. [19] While writing the second film, The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas considered directions in which to take the story. [119] Additionally, all six films were available for 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos streaming on Disney+ upon the service's launch on November 12, 2019. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Episode_I_The_Phantom_Menace [72], Lucas originally planned to create many of the aliens with computer graphics, but those that would be more cost-effectively realized with masks and animatronics were created by Nick Dudman's creature effects team. [180] The film did however receive seven Golden Raspberry Award (Razzie) nominations for Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, Worst Supporting Actor (Jake Lloyd as Anakin), Worst Supporting Actress (Sofia Coppola as Saché), Worst Screen Couple (Jake Lloyd and Natalie Portman), and Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best won the Worst Supporting Actor category.[181]. Star Wars timeline from Phantom Menace to Rise of Skywalker Many of the aliens are hybrids, combining features of real animals. [161] Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 84.8 million tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run.[162]. While the visual effects, action sequences, musical score, and some performances (particularly Neeson and McGregor) were praised, criticism largely focused on the screenplay, characterization, pacing, and the character of Jar Jar Binks. [97], The teaser trailer was released on selected screens accompanying Meet Joe Black on November 13, 1998, and media reported that people were paying full admission at theaters to see the trailer. At the ShoWest Convention, Lucas said the change was intended to give the fans a "head start" by allowing them to view it during the week and allowing families to view it during weekends. He introduced a wider story arc that could be told in sequels if it became successful. He mortally wounds Qui-Gon, but is cut in half by Obi-Wan and his remains fall down a shaft. About 1,950 of the shots in The Phantom Menace have visual effects. The young child shows great promise in the Force, and on his way to training to be a Jedi, he comes in contact with Senator Palpatine. [184], A sequel, Attack of the Clones, was released in 2002. Some scenes, mostly of elements filmed by the special effects team, were shot on high definition, digital video tapes to test the performance of digital recordings, which Lucas and McCallum considered the next logical step because of the amount of digitizing—an expensive process compared to recording directly on digital media—for the compositing of computer-generated effects. [141] In an Entertainment Weekly review for the DVD release, Marc Bernardin gave the film a "C–", calling it "haplessly plotted, horribly written, and juvenile". When not writing you can find him with his lovely girlfriend, cooking, reading comics, or collecting any new Star Wars Black Series, Marvel Legend, or Transformer that comes out. It broke The Lost World: Jurassic Park's records for the largest single-day gross for taking more than $28 million in the opening day and fastest to gross $100 million in five days. Phantom Menace is still goofy and only half-enjoyable. Joined by Anakin Skywalker—a young slave with unusually strong natural powers of the Force—they simultaneously contend with the mysterious return of the Sith. The terrifying part is that while The Phantom Menace's title seems out of place and unclear, its full explanation shows that it is the most ominous out of the entire saga. Undaunted, Qui-Gon vows to take up Anakin as his new apprentice. The Republic's leader, Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, dispatches Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to negotiate with Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray. Each creature would reflect its environment; those on Naboo were more beautiful because the planet is "lush and more animal-friendly", Tatooine has rough-looking creatures "with weather-beaten leathery skin to protect them from the harsh desert elements", and Coruscant has bipedal, human-looking aliens.[39]. [54] Blessed described Nass as a "reluctant hero". A month after the film's release, "Weird Al" Yankovic released the parody song and music video "The Saga Begins", in which he interprets the film's plot from Obi-Wan's point of view to the tune of "American Pie"; this was included as a bonus feature on a 2011 Star Wars Blu-ray. The result was a mixture of original techniques and the newest digital techniques to make it difficult for the viewer to guess which technique was being used. Here are 17 things to know about the disastrous Phantom Menace. The Jedi fail to persuade the Gungan leader, Boss Nass, to help the planet's surface dwellers, but manage to obtain Jar Jar's guidance and underwater transport to Theed, the capital city of Naboo. [83], The release on May 19, 1999 of the first new Star Wars film in 16 years was accompanied by a considerable amount of attention. [49], Silas Carson was cast as Nute Gunray because another actor was uncomfortable with the costumes used by the Trade Federation characters, which were hot, exerted a lot of pressure on the bearer, and took about 15 minutes to apply. The Phantom Menace became the fastest selling DVD ever in the U.S.; 2.2 million copies were sold in its first week after release. This album featured the score, which Williams restructured as a listening experience; it is not presented in film order and omits many notable cues from the film because of the space restriction of the compact disc. "[139] Georgetown University professor of African-American studies Michael Eric Dyson says that the entire Gungan species seems suggestive of a primitive African tribe, with Boss Nass portrayed as "a fat, bumbling ... caricature of a stereotypical African tribal chieftain. In short, the phantom menace is a threat that was pulling strings in Episode I, and ultimately throughout all nine films. [37] Bocquet would later develop the work of Chiang's team and design the interiors, translating the concepts into construction blueprints with environments and architectural styles that had some basis in reality "to give the audience something to key into. "Balance" is frequently suggested; Anakin is supposedly "the one" chosen to bring balance to the Force—Lucas said, "Anakin needed to have a mother, Obi-Wan needed a Master, Darth Sidious needed an apprentice" as without interaction and dialogue, "you wouldn't have drama". [138] Drew Grant of Salon wrote, "Perhaps the absolute creative freedom director George Lucas enjoyed while dreaming up the flick's 'comic' relief—with no studio execs and not many an independently minded actor involved—is a path to the dark side. [42] Biggar worked closely with concept designer Iain McCaig to create a color palette for the inhabitants of each world: Tatooine followed A New Hope with sun-bleached sand colors, Coruscant had grays, browns, and blacks, and Naboo had green and gold for humans while Gungans wore "a leathery look, like their skin". Return of the Jedi introduced the Ewoks, a primitive race of cute and cuddly …
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