Qui-Gon, first of all, is a man of exceptional faith. [10] Keira Knightley's parents tried to convince her not to audition, but the teenage actress still sought a role since she was a Star Wars fan. Gillard likened the lightsaber battles to a chess game "with every move being a check". Featured on Meta New Feature: Table Support. It is the first installment in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and begins the "Skywalker saga," though it was the fourth film to be produced chronologically. With Watto refusing to accept payment in Republic currency, Qui-Gon wagers both the required hyperdrive part and Anakin's freedom in a podrace. [32] The story ended with five simultaneous, ongoing plots, one leading to another. [103], The teaser poster, featuring Anakin with his shadow forming Darth Vader's silhouette, was released on November 10, 1998. This was the final step toward turning the franchise into a saga. [119], On April 7, 2015, Walt Disney Studios, 20th Century Fox, and Lucasfilm jointly announced the digital releases of the six released Star Wars films. Some of his actions seem too risky and thoughtless, but somewhere in general they can be mistaken for a desperate bluff. April 2007 Issue. Again, many fans paid full theater admission to watch the new trailer. All future films would be shot using Sony CineAlta high-definition video cameras. If you want to continue to explore the fascinating world of "WandaVision," we have you covered with some inspired recommendations. Additionally, Brian Blessed, Andy Secombe, and Lewis MacLeod voiced Boss Nass, the leader of the Gungan tribe who allies with the Naboo surface dwellers, Watto, a junk dealer on Tatooine who owns Anakin and his mother as slaves, and Sebulba, an aggressive, scheming podracer who is Anakin's main rival at the Boonta Eve podrace, respectively. "[34], Before Lucas had started writing, his producing partner Rick McCallum was preparing for the film. Which isn't to say it's a disappointment: on the contrary, it's awesomely entertaining, provided you accept it on its own terms ... Like the original film, it's a Boy's Own adventure yarn with a corny but irresistible spiritual subtext. [112] It was the first Star Wars film to be officially released on DVD, on October 16, 2001, in a slightly extended cut from the theatrical release. 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.[41]. 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. "[159] The greedy and corrupt Neimoidians of the Trade Federation speak with East Asian accents, and the unprincipled trader Watto has been interpreted as a Jewish stereotype reminiscent of Charles Dickens' character Fagin. Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to confront the leaders. As a new threat to the galaxy rises, Rey, a desert scavenger, and Finn, an ex-stormtrooper, must join Han Solo and Chewbacca to search for the one hope of restoring peace. Film historian Daniel Dinello says, "Anathema to Star Wars fanatics who thought they reduced the Force to a kind of viral infection, midi-chlorians provide a biological interface, the link between physical bodies and spiritual energy. This arse-numbing inactivity recurs throughout The Phantom Menace: because the battles lines are not yet drawn and sides are still being taken there is always much explaining to be done, characters are forever having update meetings or being introduced to one another. 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 voice actors were then removed and the live-action actors would perform the same scene alone. Phantom Menace presents an impressive list of features. [96] Other charity premieres included the Dallas premiere for the Children's Medical Center, the Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research at the Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York, the Big Brother/Sister Association of the Philadelphia premiere, and the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. A statement said that tickets were sold at US$500 apiece and that certain sections of the theaters were set aside for disadvantaged children. With the exception of the Gungan city, which had an art nouveau-inspired visual, these locations would be given distinctive looks with some basis in the real world. Nine R2-D2 models were created; one was for actor Kenny Baker to be dropped into, seven were built by ILM and featured two wheelchair motors capable of moving 440 pounds (200 kg), enabling it to run and be mostly used in stage sets, and the British studio produced a pneumatic R2-D2 that could shift from two to three legs and was mostly used in Tunisia because its motor drive system allowed it to drive over sand. A funeral is held for Qui-Gon, attended by the other Jedi, who contemplate that there is still one Sith remaining since there are always two of them. Hugh Quarshie considered the part of Panaka as "a good career move" and a production that would be fun to make. Foreshadowing his future conversion to digital cinematography, Lucas said the film would be released on four digital projectors on June 18, 1999. Lucas began production of this film after he determined that computer-generated imagery (CGI) had advanced to the level he wanted for the prequel trilogy's visual effects. 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. The track was made into a music video. [63][77], As with previous Star Wars films, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace's score was composed and conducted by John Williams. Non-linear editing systems played a large part in translating Lucas' vision; he constantly tweaked, revised, and reworked shots and scenes. At the end of the interview, we turned the conversation toward Neeson's role as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in the first prequel movie, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute. [64] The Italian Caserta Palace was used as the interior of the Theed City Naboo Palace;[63] it was used as a location for four days after it had been closed to visitors. [84], 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. [25] In the early 1990s, Star Wars saw a resurgence in popularity in the wake of Dark Horse's comic line and Timothy Zahn's trilogy of novels. The film received enormous media-created hype, which made Lucasfilm's $20 million advertising campaign – with the distinctive artwork of Star Wars series artist Drew Struzan gracing the movie poster and other advertising – seem modest and almost unnecessary because of the unprecedented interest am… During the invasion, Qui-Gon saves the life of a Gungan outcast, Jar Jar Binks. Are the Sith really extinct? Darth Sidious, a Sith Lord and the Trade Federation's secret benefactor, orders the Viceroy to kill the Jedi and begin their invasion with an army of battle droids. Browse other questions tagged star-wars the-phantom-menace or ask your own question. [47] The character design of Watto was an amalgam of rejected ideas; his expressions were based on video footage of Secombe's voice acting, photographs of animation supervisor Rob Coleman imitating the character, and modeler Steve Alpin saying Watto's lines to a mirror. It includes some scenes that are not in the film and foreshadows pending developments in the following two installments of the series. [186] The story continues a decade later with Anakin grown to adulthood, played by Hayden Christensen. [38] Chiang stated that Lucas intended Episode I to be stylistically different from the other Star Wars films; it would be "richer and more like a period piece, since it was the history leading up to A New Hope." Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Ten years after initially meeting, Anakin Skywalker shares a forbidden romance with Padmé Amidala, while Obi-Wan Kenobi investigates an assassination attempt on the senator and discovers a secret clone army crafted for the Jedi. [35][36] Art development on the film began in January 1995. [144] ReelViews' James Berardinelli wrote, Looking at the big picture, in spite of all its flaws, The Phantom Menace is still among the best "bang for a buck" fun that can be had in a movie theater. These elements derive primarily from Eastern and Iranian religions and myths. Duality is a frequent theme; Amidala is a queen who passes as a handmaiden, Palpatine plays on both sides of the war, among others. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Inciting Event: Darth Sidious, a Dark Lord of the Sith, orders an invasion of the planet Naboo and the assassination of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. His voice was considered "too squeaky" and was dubbed over in post-production by Peter Serafinowicz. After rescuing Queen Padmé Amidala, the group make their escape from Naboo aboard her Royal Starship, intending to reach the Republic capital planet of Coruscant. In 1979 she was accepted at the Statens scenskola to study acting professionally. It grossed more than $924.3 million (equivalent to $1.42 billion in 2019) worldwide during its initial theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1999, the second-highest-grossing film worldwide and in North America (behind Titanic), and the highest-grossing Star Wars film at the time. The central plot is Palpatine's intent to become Chancellor, which leads to the Trade Federation's attack on Naboo, the Jedi being sent there, Anakin being met along the way, and the rise of the Sith Lords. 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. Many of the aliens are hybrids, combining features of real animals. Ralph Brown plays Ric Olie, commander of the Naboo Royal Space Fighter Corps and chief pilot aboard Queen Amidala's starship, Matthew Wood appears as the Twi'lek Bib Fortuna, alongside a CGI Jabba the Hutt who is voiced by an uncredited actor. Pernilla August, Actress: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Lucas began outlining the story; Anakin Skywalker rather than Obi-Wan Kenobi would be the protagonist, and the series would be a tragedy examining Darth Vader's origins. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space-opera film written and directed by George Lucas, produced by Lucasfilm, distributed by 20th Century Fox and stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Pernilla August, and Frank Oz. While filming scenes with CGI characters, Lucas would block the characters using their corresponding voice actors on-set. Despite the anticipation, it received mixed reviews; critics praised the visuals, action sequences, themes, John Williams' musical score, and some of the performances (notably Neeson and McGregor), but criticized the screenplay, characterization, and the respective performances of Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks and Lloyd as Anakin. What war on the middle class? [91] However, after meetings with the National Association of Theatre Owners, Lucasfilm agreed to allow advance ticket sales on May 12, 1999, provided there was a limit of 12 tickets per customer. Qui-Gon asks Obi-Wan to train Anakin before dying in his arms. This was the role for which Carson originally auditioned. [49] The work was so extensive that three visual effects supervisors divided the workload among themselves—John Knoll supervised the on-set production and the podrace and space battle sequences, Dennis Muren supervised the underwater sequence and the ground battle, and Scott Squires, alongside teams assigned for miniature effects and character animation, worked on the lightsaber effects. [49] Practical models were used when their visuals helped with miniature sceneries for backgrounds, set extensions, and model vehicles that would be scanned to create the digital models or filmed to represent spaceships and podraces. Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader. This was because of a fear that family theater-goers would be either unable to receive tickets or would be forced to pay higher prices for them. It tells a satisfying, enclosed story. [123], On September 28, 2010, it was announced that all six films in the series would be stereo-converted to 3D. Definitely not the best, but Attack of the Clones is BY FAR the worst movie. First Plot Point: The Jedi Knights survive the murder attempt, and flee to Tatooine with the Queen to replace her hyperdrive, which was damaged in the escape. [148] Colin Kennedy of Empire magazine said that despite problems with pacing and writing, "there is still much pleasure to be had watching our full-blown Jedi guides in action". [89] Queue areas formed outside cinema theaters over a month before ticket sales began. The evil Trade Federation, led by Nute Gunray is planning to take over the peaceful world of Naboo. They won't always succeed, but even in failure there is glory. Use the HTML below. "[157], There has been some controversy over whether several alien characters reflect racial stereotypes. The Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novelization was written by Terry Brooks and published on April 21, 1999, by Del Rey. Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) art director Doug Chiang impressed McCallum the most and was hired as the design director. And what's so special about this young boy? Oppo Rancisis, a Jedi Master and member of the Council. Then the wise counsel of Qui-Gon Jinn and unselfish greed deprived the boy Anakin Skywalker, wanted to visit every planet in the universe, it seems quite clear and sharp, Go up to the call of the heart, and you go on the right path. [138][139] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times described Binks as "a major miscue, a comic-relief character who's frankly not funny". It's so happy to be itself and be alive as a movie. He introduced a wider story arc that could be told in sequels if it became successful. Lucas and McCallum were so impressed with the test tape that they gave Park the role of Maul. [109], A LucasArts video game adaptation was released for the PlayStation and PC. The sets were often built with the parts that would be required on screen; often they were built only up to the heights of the actors. The words Ch'i (Chinese), gi (Korean), ki (Japanese), and the Indian term "Prana" all refer to the energy that is thought to flow through all living things, from the source of all chi (or power), which is "The Way" or "The Tao" in Chinese philosophy. McCallum stated that his experience with The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles led to many of his decisions on The Phantom Menace, such as long-term deals with actors and soundstages, the employment of recent graduates with no film experience, and the creation of sets and landscapes with digital technology. ' apprentice, who had a background on zoology and anatomy, was in charge of creature.... 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