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Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace |
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Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 film by George Lucas starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Jake Lloyd. It is the first in a trilogy of films that function as a prequel to the original trilogy of Star Wars films and, in chronological story order, the first in a six-part saga.
Opening crawl
Turmoil has engulfed the
Galactic Republic. The taxation
of trade routes to outlying star
systems is in dispute.
Hoping to resolve the matter
with a blockade of deadly
battleships, the greedy Trade
Federation has stopped all
shipping to the small planet
of Naboo.
While the congress of the
Republic endlessly debates
this alarming chain of events,
the Supreme Chancellor has
secretly dispatched two Jedi
Knights, the guardians of
peace and justice in the
galaxy, to settle the conflict....
Plot summary
A trade dispute between Naboo and the Trade Federation leads to a blockade of the planet.Chancellor Valorum of the Republic secretly sends two Jedi Knights to resolve the dispute.The trade federation is in league with Darth Sidious.Sidious orders the invasion of Naboo and the killing of the two Jedi.The Jedi escaped the assassination and escaped to the surface of Naboo. At the surface of Naboo, they meet Jar Jar Binks.Jar Jar Binks brought them to the Gungans settlement underneath the sea to escape from the trade federation army.Meanwhile, trade federation invaded Naboo and captured Queen Amidala.In the sea, the Jedi meet Boss Nass and asked them to help Naboo but Nass refused and give them a submarine and send them off.With it, they reached the capital of Naboo and saved Queen Amidala from the Trade Federation Droid army.They leave for Coruscant, the Republic’s capital planet to ask for help from senate. Before reaching Coruscant, they are forced to land on the desert planet of Tatooine for repairs.In tatooine, they befriend anakin skywalker, a slave, while searching for parts.The boy eventually helped them to pay for repairs by winning the pod race.Sensing that Anakin could be the chosen one, who will bring balance to the force as stated in the prophecy due to the talent and gifts he had with the force and the level of midi-chlorians he possessed as he had the highest amount which no other jedi have ever had, the boy is also freed from slavery by Qui Gon Jinn and to be brought to Coruscant to be trained as a Jedi.Meanwhile, Darth Maul was sent by Darth Sidious to kill the Jedi and find the queen. On their way out of Tatooine, Darth Maul appeared and engaged Qui Gon in a fight.Qui Gon managed to escape through the ship. In Coruscant, Qui Gon informed the Jedi Council of the mysterious attacker he encounted.The mysterious attacker is well-trained in Jedi arts.This matter raised the concerns about the reappearance of Sith.He also informed the council about Anakin, hoping that Anakin can be trained as a Jedi.However, the council deemed Anakin as too dangerous and too old to be trained as a Jedi.Meanwhile, Senator Palpatine is making use of Queen Amidala to get himself elected as the new chancellor by calling a motion of no confidence in chancellor Valorum so that he can be elected.Senator Palpatine was then nominated to succeed Chancellor Valorum.However, Queen Amidala decided to return to Naboo to repel the invasion as she deemed that by the time Palpatine was elected as chancellor,it will be too late.The two Jedi will follow Queen Amidala to Naboo as well. In Naboo, Queen Amidala formed an alliance with the Gungans against the Trade Federation.At the beginning of the battle, the alliance appears to be losing but they won eventually as Anakin Skywalker flew a fighter plane into the Trade Federation droid command ship and destroyed the ship which results in the destruction of droids while Queen Amidala and her force fought all the way into the palace to capture the leader of the Trade Federation.In the battle, Qui Gon and Obi Wan engaged in a battle with Darth Maul.Qui Gon was killed by Darth Maul while Obi Wan killed Darth Maul later on.Qui Gon instructed Obi Wan to train Anakin before he passes away. Obi Wan was named as a Jedi Knight after the battle by the Jedi Council. He also conveyed his master’s wish to Yoda and Yoda reluctantly approved his request for Anakin to be Obi Wan’s apprentice.Qui Gon was then cremated.Mace Windu and Yoda both agreed that it is a fact the Sith have returned and believed that there is still one more sith alive as the sith goes by the rule of two, one master one apprentice. During the celebration of liberation from Trade Federation, Queen Amidala presented a gift of appreciation and friendship to Boss Nass.
Filming
The budget of Menace was US$115 million. Filming was primarily done at Leavesden Studios in England, with additional location shooting in the Tunisian desert and the Italian palace Palazzo Reale, Caserta.
Reaction
After an enormous marketing campaign, with the distinctive artwork of Star Wars series artist Drew Struzan gracing the movie poster and other advertising, there was almost unprecedented interest amongst both fans and the wider community in the return of one of the most successful movie series of all time. However, critical and fan reaction ranged from guarded praise to outright derision.
The much-hyped special effects, while generally viewed as groundbreaking in their sheer scope, were perhaps less impressive than anticipated simply because of high expectations. This attitude was confirmed with the rival film, The Matrix, winning the visual effects Academy Award for 1999 over the Star Wars film. It was the first time a Star Wars film did not win that Oscar competition category. Many critics heavily criticised the direction and the acting of Portman and especially Jake Lloyd as the young Anakin Skywalker. Some aspects of the scripting were also criticised. Special venom was directed at the character of Jar-Jar Binks, who was regarded by most of the older fan community as purely a merchandising opportunity rather than a serious character in the film. Fan reaction was mixed, with some fans opposing the critics' views while others agreed with the negative opinions.
Another source of dissatisfaction comes from the decision to explain the Force in terms of hard science, hence the introduction of midi-chlorians. Many fans felt this was unnecessary and ruins an aspect of the saga which sets it apart from other popular sci-fi titles in which religion and spirituality are of little importance or totally absent.
A number of people anonymously re-edited the film and released their edited versions over the Internet. One, known as The Phantom Edit, is regarded as a superior version by many who have seen both.
Title
There is a great deal of speculation as to what the title, "The Phantom Menace", refers to; the titles of the other films seem to generally be self-explanatory. It is usually suggested that the title refers to Darth Sidious, Darth Maul, or the Sith in general.
The title could also refer to the origin of Darth Sidious' name, which is the adjective 'insidious'. The Oxford Dictionary gives following definition:
Full of wiles or plots; lying in wait or seeking to entrap or ensnare; proceeding or operating secretly or subtly so as not to excite suspicion; sly, treacherous, deceitful, underhand, artful, cunning, crafty, wily. (Of persons and things.)
So the 'phantom' in the title of Episode I could be referring to the Dark Lord of the Sith and ‘menace’ to the meaning of the name 'Sidious.' Another possible meaning of the title is a subtle indication at the ultimate outcome of the Saga--Anakin becomes Darth Vader.
A further theory is based upon the understanding that the central menace of the movie, the Neimoidian dominated Trade Federation's blockade and invasion of Naboo, is itself nothing more than a phantom, a piece of political misdirection wrought by Darth Sidious as part of the machinations designed to bring about the ultimate victory of the Sith. In this sense, the key outcome of this movie is the elevation of Palpatine to the office of Chancellor - an outcome that would have resulted had the Trade Federation's gambit succeeded or failed. The keystone of the plot is the plight of the Naboo arousing a sympathy vote in the Senate. Whilst the heroes are focused on combating the threat to Naboo, they are unwitting pawns in a connivance of far greater scope.
Given Lucas' penchant for layered meanings in these movies, it is arguable that all these interpretations contain a grain of truth.
Influences
- While Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress has often been seen as a source of inspiration for A New Hope, The Phantom Menace's middle section on Tatooine , with its series of non-violent bargaining and twists of chance, demonstrates the strongest correspondence to Japanese film in the saga.
- The pod race sequence on Tatooine is also an homage to the chariot race in Ben-Hur.
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