Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Review











Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace


Release Date: 3rd June 1999 – Australia


Production Companies
Lucasfilm Ltd.

Distribution
20th Century Fox Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 133 minutes
                136 minutes (DVD)


Budget: $115,000,000

Box Office Gross: $1,027,082,707 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
When the peaceful planet of Naboo gets invaded by the greedy Trade Federation, it's up to Jedi Master Qui Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi to stop its leader, Nute Gunray, from taking control of the planet. After rescuing its Queen from the invasion, they end up stranded in the desert world of Tatooine, where they discover a young boy
named Anakin Skywalker
who has the unique power
of the Force. After winning
the podrace, Anakin joins
the Jedi, Queen Amidala
Amidala, with her trusted
bodyguard Captain Panaka
and a banished Gungan,
Jar Jar Binks, to liberate
Naboo. Confront the Trade
Federation as well as a dangerous enemy named Darth Maul.

Little did they know that the invasion was the first part of a grander scheme from an evil force shrouded in the darkness known as the Sith.


Cast
Liam Neeson – Qui Gon Jinn
Ewan McGregor – Obi-Wan
Kenobi
Natalie Portman – Queen
Amidala/Padmé
Jake Lloyd – Anakin Skywalker
Ian McDiarmid – Senator
Palpatine/Darth Sidious
Ahmed Best – Jar Jar Binks
Pernilla August – Shmi Skywalker
Ray Park – Darth Maul
Peter Serafinowicz – Darth
Maul/Battle Droid Commander/
Gungan Scout (Voices)
Anthony Daniels – C-3PO
Kenny Baker – R2-D2
Silas Carson – Nute Gunray/
Ki-Adi-Mundi/Lott Dod/
Republic Cruiser Pilot
Jerome St. John Blake Rune Haako/Mas Amedda/
Oppo Rancisis/Horox Ryyder/
Graxol Kelvynn/Mik Regrap
Hugh Quarshie – Captain
Panaka
Andy Secombe – Watto (Voice)
Frank Oz  Yoda (Voice)
Samuel L. Jackson – Mace
Windu
Terence Stamp – Supreme
Chancellor Finis Valorum
Brian Blessed – Boss Nass
(Voice)
Lewis Macleod – Sebulba (Voice)
Sofia Coppola – Saché

Keira Knightley  Sabé
Oliver Ford Davies – Sio Bibble
Warwick Davis Wald/Pod
Racer Spectator/Mos Espa Citizen
Ralph Brown Ric Olie
Steve Speirs Captain Tarpals
James Taylor Rune Haako (Voice)
Greg Proops Fode (Voice)
Scott Capurro Beed (Voice)
Dhruv Chanchani Kitster
John Fensom TC-14
Lindsay Duncan TC-14 (Voice)
Alan Ruscoe  Daultay Dofine/Plo Koon/
Bib Fortuna
Margaret Towner Kira
Chris Sanders Daultay Dofine (Voice)
Hassani Shapi Eeth Koth
Gin Clarke Adi Galla
Khan Bonfis Saesee Tiin
Michaela Cottrell Even Piell
Dipka O'Neill Joti Depa Billaba
Michelle Taylor – Yarael Poof
Phil Eason – Yaddle
Celia Imrie – Fighter Pilot Bravo 5
Amanda Lucas – Tey How (Voice)/
Diva Funquita
Toby Longworth – Lott Dod/
Gragra (Voice)
Matthew Wood – Bib Fortuna/
Ody Mandrell (Voice) (Uncredited)
Sally Hawkins – Villager (Uncredited)
Roman Coppola – Senate Guard
(Uncredited)
Richard Armitage – Naboo Fighter
Pilot (Uncredited)
John Knoll – Lt. Rya Kirsch – Bravo 4/
Flag Bearer (Cameo) (Uncredited)
Dominic West – Palace Guard (Uncredited)
Rick McCallum – Naboo Courier (Cameo)
(Uncredited)
Ben Burtt – Naboo Courier (Cameo)
(Uncredited)
Paul Martin Smith – Naboo Courier (Cameo)
(Uncredited)
Dan Madsen – Kaadu Handler (Cameo)
(Uncredited)

Crew
Writer/Executive Producer/Director –
George Lucas
Script Supervisor – Jayne-Ann Tenggren
Producer – Rick McCallum
Casting Director – Robin Gurland
Production Designer – Gavin Bocquet
Design Director/Visual Effects
Production Designer: ILM – Doug Chiang
Concept Artists: USA – Marc Gabbana,
Kurt Kaufman, Iain McCaig, Ed Natividad,
Jay Shuster and Terryl Whitlatch
Supervising Art Director – Peter Russell
Art Directors – Phil Harvey, Fred Hole,
John King and Rod McLean
Art Director: Second Unit – Ricky Eyres
Art Director: Tunisia – Ben Scott
Set Decorator Peter Walpole
Property Master – Ty Teiger
Live-Action Creature Effects Supervisor –
Nick Dudman
Chief Makeup Artist – Paul Engelen
Costume Designer – Trisha Biggar
Director of Photography – David Tattersall
Director of Photography: Second Unit
Giles Nuttgens
Production Supervisor David Brown
Production Manager Jo Burn
Production Manager: Tunisia Peter Heslop
Unit Manager: Tunisia Jeremy Johns
First Assistant Director Christopher Newman
Second Assistant Director – Bernard Bellew
Third Assistant Director  Ben Howarth
Location Managers – Robert Jordan
and Richard Sharkey
Second Unit Director – Roger Christian
Helicopter Pilot – Marc Wolff
Stunt Coordinator/Sword Master – Nick Gillard
Special Effects Supervisor: ILM Geoff Heron
Animatronic Model Design Supervisor
Chris Barton
Visual Effects Supervisors – Dennis Muren,
John Knoll and Scott Squires
Additional Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM
Scott Farrar
Associate Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM
Barry Armour
Visual Effects Producers: ILM – Ned Gorman,
Jeff Olson, Heather Smith, Ginger Theisen
and Judith Weaver
Visual Effects Art Director: ILM –
David Nakabayashi
Visual Effects Storyboard/Conceptual Artists:
ILM – Brice Cox Jr., Warren Fu, Jules Mann
and Noel Rubin
Effects Directors of Photography: ILM
Martin Rosenberg, Pat Turner, Ray Gilberti
and Pat Sweeney
Camera Operators: ILM – Carl Miller and
Vance Piper
Animation Director Rob Coleman
Animation Supervisor: Ground Battle, ILM
Tom Bertino
Technical Animation Supervisor: ILM
James Tooley
Lead Computer Graphics Supervisor: ILM
Kevin Rafferty
Computer Graphics Supervisors: ILM – Jon &
Tim Alexander, Christophe Hery, Greg Maloney,
Patrick T. Myers, Douglas Smythe,
Euan K. MacDonald, Habib Zargarpour
and Tom L. Hutchinson
Pre-Visualisation/Effects Supervisor
David Dozoretz
Viewpaint Supervisor: ILM Jean Bolte
Motion Capture Supervisor: ILM – Jeffrey B. Light
Digital Modelling Supervisor: ILM Geoff Campbell
Model Supervisor: ILM – Steve Gawley
Chief Model Makers: ILM  Charles Bailey,
William Beck, Barbara Affonso, Brian Gernand,
Keith London, Ira Keeler, Giovanni Donovan,
Lorne Peterson and Steve Walton
Chief Model Maker: ILM/Puppeteer: C-3PO
(Uncredited) – Michael Lynch
Model Maker: ILM/Puppeteer: R2-D2
(Uncredited) – Don Bies
Editor/Sound Design/Supervising
Sound Editor – Ben Burtt
Editor – Paul Martin Smith
Supervising Sound Editor – Tom Bellfort
Supervising Sound Editor/ADR Recordist –
Matthew Wood
Sound Recordist – John Midgley
Sound Effects Editors – Teresa Eckton
and Christopher Scarabosio
Foley Editors – Bruce Lacey and
Marian Wilde
Foley Mixer – Tony Eckert
Foley Artists – Dennie Thorpe and
Jana Vance
Dialogue/ADR Editors – Sara Bolder
and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
Re-Recording Mixers – Tom Johnson
and Gary Rydstrom
Re-Recording Mixer/Scoring Engineer –
Shawn Murphy
Music – John Williams
Music Editor – Kenneth Wannberg


Awards

2000 Academy Awards
Best Sound – Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson,
Shawn Murphy and John Midgely (Nominated)
Best Sound Editing – Ben Burtt and Tom Bellfort
(Nominated)
Best Visual Effects – John Knoll, Dennis Muren,
Scott Squires and Rob Coleman (Nominated)


Review
In 1999, the most overhyped film was STAR WARS: EPISODE I – THE PHANTOM MENACE. The movie promises to take audiences on a planet-hopping adventure through the Star Wars universe and has good action sequences and groundbreaking visuals (mostly CGI). Unlike the other Star Wars movies, THE PHANTOM MENACE was not as good as many fans would have hoped.

I liked the impressive scenes, such as the podracing sequence and the lightsaber duel between Qui Gon & Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul. The acting of Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman was good. Though, the plot is too convoluted. Not to mention, the film is overloaded with exposition. Jar Jar Binks was a comedian and probably the worst character that has ever happened in the franchise. I hate to criticise Jake Lloyd for his performance as little Anakin Skywalker. He tried so hard but did the best he could.

For the music, John Williams did not disappoint the fans and composed an iconic score that redeems what is not a favourite of mine, consisting of themes like the epic "Duel of the Fates".

The whole feature was a bit disappointing, yet it did a great job of bringing the franchise back to the big screen and launching the prequel trilogy, which leads right up to Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. If you have seen THE PHANTOM MENACE, you must check out my review of the 3D version.

Star rating: (3/5) Average

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