Reviewed - 16th October 2001 by PCL

Star Wars Episode 1:The Phantom Menace (1999) - 20th Century Fox/Lucasfilm

Director : George Lucas

Starring : Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L Jackson, Terence Stamp

Picture : 2.35:1 Anamorphic, DD 5.1 surround ex, Single-Side, Dual-Layer, Keep Case

Running Time : 132 mins

The story:

Every generation has a legend. Every journey has a first step. Every saga has a beginning.

As imminent conflict brews between the powerful Trade Federation and the peaceful planet of Naboo, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) travel to Naboo to warn the Queen (Natalie Portman) of the galactic fallout which is to follow. Eventually, Naboo is invaded forcing the Jedis to evacuate the planet with the Queen and her court. They travel to the desert planet of Tatooine where they meet a slave boy called Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) who is unusually strong in the ways of the Force. They enlist his help in fighting the war, while the Jedis confront one of the Dark emperors students, Darth Maul, his master Darth Sidious continues to lead the invasion as a "phantom" behind the scenes.

The summary:

Perhaps the most eagerly awaited film ever made, The Phantom Menace continued George Lucas' career as the most profitable film maker on the planet. Prequalling the Star Wars Trilogy (episodes 4,5 & 6) the film starts the story of Annakin Skywalker, who was to become Darth Vader and the eponymous father of Luke and Leia in the films that we have all grown up with.

There really was no question that this would be a profitable movie. Good or bad the films fan base was already established and nothing could keep them away at the box office. Theater's in Los Angeles were inundated and the hysteria that surrounded the film was bigger that the film turned out to be. Such was the popularity that people queued for days to be the first to see it & there was even a web site where you could watch the queue ! But is it any good ? Well the answer is yes, I think so.

The movie is a visually stunning piece of sci-fi fantasy that prequels the events leading up to the trilogy that we already have. Annakin (Jake Lloyd) is a young boy who has an aptitude for pod racing and possesses lightening quick reflexes. Thrown together with two Jedi (Ewan McGregor & Liam Neeson) they notice that he is unusually strong in the ways of the force and set against a backdrop of a planet in turmoil they set out to convince the Jedi council to train him. The evil emperor has different plans however. Its all a big fairytale - which does echo the feel of the originals. The major downside is that the film seems to play too heavily on this and tries to hard to introduce characters for all ages rather than naively lapsing into it like the other films. The characters are very twee and Jar, Jar Binks is downright annoying. George Lucas always had his own personal mountain to climb trying to make this a worthy addition to the story and sadly it seems to try too hard visually, whilst sacrificing the plot. One notable example of this is Darth Maul. He is criminally underused in the film and has none of the presence that Darth Vader brought to Star Wars when it was first shown.

The upside of the film is that it truly is an audio visual delight and offers some good background to its major characters. We learn more about the Jedi and how powerful they were before the empire took hold and we also see Annakin in a much different light. The set pieces are superb and everything has a polished feel that makes it stand out miles from other lacklustre sci-fi affairs. Had this not been part of the Star Wars franchise it would have been a very above average film, however with so much to live up to it just does not match up.

The DVD is a well produced double disc edition in a winged keep case. The film plus commentary are contained on the first disc, whilst the extra's are on the second. The movie is an absolute stunner in the home cinema stakes, with blisteringly loud 6.1 sound and a picture that never fails to impress with its excellent colour and clarity. This truly is THE film that DVD was destined for. As you start the film it even boasts its own THX trailer (like the THX release of T2) and from then on the assault on your senses never lets up. The extra's, as you will see below, are huge and rank alongside T2: Ultimate Edition, Fight Club and The Matrix as the best collection we have seen. Get this disc immediately !

Extras:

* Theatrical Trailer

* Teaser Trailer

* Music Video - "Duel of Fates" by the films composer, John Williams, set to scenes from the film

* TV Spots - Seven TV Spots

* Web Documentaries - 12 documentaries that were released on the Internet in the build up to the films release. Featured on Starwars.com they focused on 12 different aspects of the production. They are ; All I need is an Idea, Thousands of things, Home Sweet Home, Boys in Paradise, This is a creature film, Prime of the Jedi, Assistant Directors, 3000 Anakins, Its Like War Now, Costume Drama, Bad Droid Karma & Movie Music.

* Introduction to Animatics - Rick McCallum discusses "Animatics", which are crude animation shorts used instead of storyboards. 1m 55s.

* Podrace Lap One Animatics - Wow! The first lap of the Podrace sequence is completely broken down into animatics, Storyboards and the completed shots from the film. Four angles are used to toggle between the three concepts and one showing all three. Very impressive use of the multi angle feature.

* Submarine Sequence Animatics - The same as the breakdown of the Pod race, but with the underwater gungan sequence.

* Exclusive Production Photo's - This set of Photo's have been specially assembled for this DVD release and can be viewed with text captions on or off. 76 Photo's.

* Print Campaign - Nine posters to highlight the successful "one" campaign used to promote the film.

* Posters - The film had a teaser poster and a main advertising poster. 17 different versions are included here to show advertising around the world.

* Deleted Scenes Documentary - 7 minute 27 second documentary highlighting aspects of the deleted scenes and discusses there worth to the movie. includes interviews with George Lucas and Rick Mcallum.

* Deleted Scenes - 7 Deleted scenes that have been specially finished and restored to film quality for this DVD release. Can be viewed with or without the documentary.

* The Beginning : Making Episode 1 - Documentary that looks behind the scenes from conception to production and release. very, Very good and 66 minutes long. Features interviews with all the major cast and crew. The Jewel in the crown of this extra's disc.

* Visual Effects Featurette - 8m 36s Feature that looks at the "illusion" of the filmmaking process

* Costumes Featurette - 8m 8s look at the feel and the look of the costumes created for the movie

* Design Featurette - 7m 12s look at the films look and the design process behind it.

* Fights Featurette - The stunning Jedi fights are looked at in depth. 7m 43s

* Story Featurette - From writing to actually producing the screenplay the story, this featurette looks at the work involved. 8m 14s.

* Commentary - Excellent Commentary from George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, John Knoll, Dennis Muren & Scott Squires.

* Hidden Feature - Hidden in the Deleted Scenes menu this feature is accessed by clicking on a small door opening button that can be selected on the left of the screen. the feature that is brought up is a short documentary about the creatures that are featured in the movie. Better than some hidden features we have seen.

Our Verdict...

Above average Sci-fi prequel that captivates with its stunning effects and visual depth. A stunted storyline lets it down but it still entertains. 7/10

Visually Stunning eye candy throughout. Colours are vividly reproduced and the clarity and razor sharp detail is breathtaking.10/10

As you would expect from the pioneers of home cinema sound, this is aurally perfect. A home cinema tester to make your ears bleed ! perfection in 6.1 10/10

A great level of extras on this two disc edition. Documentaries, Deleted scenes, featurettes, marketing material, web links - its all here. Oh and a commentary too from the man himself ! 10/10

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