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: $1,046,515,409 (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,

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 (Voice)

Anthony Daniels – C-3PO (Voice)

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)

Oliver Ford Davies – Sio Bibble
Warwick Davis – Wald/Pod

Racer Spectator/Mos Espa Citizen

Ralph Brown – Ric Olié
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 Gallia
Khan Bonfis – Saesee Tiin
Michaela Cottrell – Even Piell
Dipka O'Neill Joti – Depa Billaba

Michelle Taylor – Yarael Poof

Phil Eason – Yaddle

Mark Coulier - Aks Moe

Celia Imrie – Fighter Pilot Bravo 5

Benedict Taylor – Fighter Pilot Bravo 2

Clarence Smith – Fighter Pilot Bravo 3

Dominic West – Palace Guard

Karol Silva – Rabé

Sofia Coppola – Saché
Keira Knightley – Sabé

Bronagh Gallagher – Republic Cruiser Captain

Amanda Lucas – Tey How (Voice)/

Diva Funquita

Toby Longworth – Lott Dod/

Gragra (Voice)

Marc Silk - Aks Moe/Sil Unch (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)

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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