![]() Perhaps because Lucas’ creation has been elevated to such pop-culture deification, Phantom Menace doesn’t come close to the original trilogy’s witty, self-consciously ironic tone. Williams’ music, so important to the success of the original films, is suitably soaring, incorporating familiar themes as well as new elements like a haunting choral background during the final battle. And the climactic scenes, including an extended spaceship battle and a duel to the death between the two Jedi Knights and Darth Maul, are beautifully executed. The film displays one dazzling visual after another, from what seem like hundreds of types of photorealistic creatures to a multitude of elaborate scenic designs.Ī lengthy pod-racing sequence uses many of the same techniques as the celebrated forest chase in Jedi, only more elaborate and skillful. ![]() Nearly every shot contains a complicated computer-generated effect, supplemented by the usual model work. Lucas and his crew at Industrial Light & Magic have outdone themselves in production design and special effects. The opening credits have barely ended before the first lightsabers have been drawn, and the next two hours are filled with high-octane, intergalactic action. The new villain is shadowy Darth Maul (Ray Park), who displays an athletic style of fighting, and the primary alien sidekick is computer-animated Jar Jar Binks (voice of Ahmed Best), a cutesy, floppy-eared, amphibian-type creature who speaks in a thick, Caribbean-style patois.Īlthough fans are bound to debate the film’s fine points ad infinitum, the story line ends up being less important than the set pieces. Qui-Gon resolves to train Anakin as a Jedi Knight, against the wishes of the Jedi Council ever-wise Yoda (voice of Frank Oz), in particular, sees the troubles that lie ahead. When Qui-Gon meets Anakin, who lives with his mother ( Pernilla August) as a slave on planet Tatooine, he senses that the boy, to use Star Wars parlance, has the Force with him and is destined for great things. The complicated plot, which incorporates many themes and philosophical bromides of the first trilogy, centers on a conflict between the giant Trade Federation and small, peaceful planet Naboo, ruled by young Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman).Īttempting to restore peace are two Jedi Knights, master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice, young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). While the film will do mega-blockbuster business - Lucas could perform the saga with shadow puppets and gross a few hundred million - it may not match its predecessors’ long-term commercial appeal.įor those who just emerged from a coma and missed the massive publicity blitzkrieg, Phantom Menace takes place years before the original Star Wars and spotlights young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who will grow up to become Darth Vader. ![]() Hardcore fans are likely to be the most disappointed, but that won’t stop them from lining up to see it again and again. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace seems designed more as a promotion for Lucasfilm’s billion-dollar merchandising concerns than a meaningful chapter in the Star Wars canon. Lucas, directing his first effort since the original Star Wars, has delivered a brilliant technical achievement, light years ahead of its forerunners in its computer-generated special effects, but a less emotionally resonant exercise likely to appeal most to younger viewers. Sixteen years after Return of the Jedicomes the first installment of the new trilogy, for which expectation are nothing less than cosmic. ![]() 'Indiana Jones' Box Office Openings: How 'Dial of Destiny' Compares to the 4 Previous Movies ![]()
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