Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is a 2015
American epic space opera film directed by
Dave Filoni, written by
Jon Favreau and co-produced by
George Lucas and
Marcia Lucas. It is the first installment in the
Star Wars prequel trilogy and is chronologically the first Star Wars movie, although it is the fourth (seventh if the made-for-TV
sequel movies are included) to be produced. It was produced by
Lucasfilm and distributed by
20th Century Fox. The film’s ensemble cast includes
Ewan McGregor,
Zazie Beetz,
Adam Driver,
Oscar Isaac,
Michael K. Williams,
Joel Edgerton,
Lupita Nyong’o,
Ian McDiarmid and
Donald Glover. Set 27 years before the events of
A New Hope,
The Phantom Menace follows Padme Amidala, Obi Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu’s attempt to come to the aid of Anakin Skywalker, who is trying to prevent his planet Naboo from seceding from the Galactic Republic to join the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
The film was long-awaited, with Lucas promising that it would be produced at some point following the release of
Return of the Jedi in 1983. Lucas wrote the first draft of the script in 1994 but was persuaded by his wife, Marcia Lucas, to abandon it and instead concentrate on what eventually became the
Heir to the Empire television series and tv movies. After many years of hiatus, Lucasfilm announced that it would begin production again in October 2012, with George and Marcia Lucas producing. George and Marcia Lucas is credited for the story and the script was written by Jon Favreau.
John Williams, the composer for the previous films, returned to compose the score. Filming began in April 2014 in
Iceland, with principal photography taking place mainly in the
United Kingdom, in
Ireland and
Pinewood Studios.
The Phantom Menace was widely anticipated and was backed by an extensive marketing and merchandising campaign. It premiered in
Los Angeles on May 20, 2015, before its global release on May 22. The film received positive reviews for its acting (particularly those of Driver, Beetz and Isaac), score and visual effects. The film broke various box office records and became, unadjusted for inflation, the highest grossing film of all time, with a worldwide gross of over $2.7 billion. It received five nominations at the
CGAAs and four nominations at the
CAFTAs, winning at both ceremonies for Best Visual Effects. It was followed by
Attack of the Clones in 2017 and
Revenge of the Sith in 2019.
CAST
- Adam Driver as Anakin Skywalker
- Zazie Beetz as Padme Amidala
- Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Michael K. Williams as Mace Windu
- Oscar Isaac as Count Dooku
- Lupita Nyong'o as Adi Gallia
- Giancarlo Esposito as Viceroy Gideon
- Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars
- Richard Ayoade as Saesee Tiin
- Dani Pudi as General Naut Gunray
- Donald Glover as General Rune Haako
In addition,
Iain McDiarmid and
Frank Oz reprise their roles as
Sheev Palpatine and
Yoda, respectively, from the original trilogy. Director Jon Favreau had a cameo as the Jedi
Plo Koon, who accompanies the rescue mission to Naboo.
Anthony Daniels and
Kenny Baker have cameos as
R2-D2 and
C3PO, also from the original trilogy.
PLOT
The planet Naboo is unstable, with many factions in its governing class threatening to secede from the Galactic Republic in order to join with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Anakin Skywalker (Driver) obtains evidence that the Confederacy is already interfering in Naboo’s elections and is planning to invade other planets in the Republic. He manages to send a message requesting aid to the Republic’s capital in Coruscant but Skywalker himself is captured by Count Dooku (Isaac).
The message is received on Coruscant by Padme Amidala (Beetz), an obscure clerk in the republican bureaucrac. She takes it to her boss Sheev Palpatine (McDiarmid), a senior member of the bureaucracy and the Galactic Senate’s chosen intermediary with the Jedi Council. He takes the message to the Jedi Council and argues that the Jedi should try and resolve the crisis themselves before the Republic uses its clone army to crush Naboo’s rebellion. Jedi Master Mace Windu (Williams) demands to lead the Jedi response because Dooku is a former friend of his who has betrayed and left the Jedi Order. Grand Master Yoda (Oz) agrees but insists that the Jedi Saesee Tiin (Ayoade), Adi Gallia (Nyong’o), Plo Koon (Favreau) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (McGregor) also accompany him.
The Jedi floatilla prepares to depart in two gunships, one carrying Windu, Tiin and Koon and the other carrying Kenobi and Gallia and being piloted by Owen Lars (Edgerton). At the last minute, Padme sneaks aboard the second ship. She is discovered by Kenobi after they have transitioned to lightspeed but persuades them to let her accompany them. After the two Jedi ships leave lightspeed in Naboo’s atmosphere, they are attacked by Naboo starfighters. Windu’s ship escapes to a nearby moon but Lars’s is badly damaged and only escapes when Obi-Wan and Adi Gallia use the Force to make it look like the crew escaped on pods.
Crash-landing near the Naboo capital Theed, Padme impresses her companions with her engineering knowledge, working with the ship’s astromech droid R2-D2 to fix the speeders in the ship’s hold and using them to infiltrate the capital with the two Jedi. They discover the capital already under occupation by the Confederacy’s droid army, commanded by Generals Gunray and Haako (Pudi and Glover, respectively). The occupation itself is overseen by the ruthless Viceroy Gideon (Esposito), who is increasingly frustrated by the behaviour of his incompetant military subordinates.
Padme discovers that Anakin is imprisoned in the central capital and scheduled to be executed and she and the two Jedi rescue him. During the course of their escape, Anakin manages to deflect droid blaster-fire with his mind, demonstrating his Force-sensitivity and leading to him bonding with Obi-Wan. However, they eventually come to be cornered by Gideon, Gunray and Haako and their soldiers. Count Dooku appears to personally oversee their execution.
At the last minute, Lars, Windu and the other Jedi arrive to effect a rescue. At the climax of the battle, Windu engages Dooku in a vicious lightsaber duel and sacrifices himself so that the others can escape. During their escape, Lars and Anakin demonstrate their piloting skills to commandeer two Naboo starfighters and use them to shoot down droid fighters pursuing the Jedi.
Finding refuge on Naboo’s moon, Anakin passionately argues that they should launch a surprise attack in order to liberate the other Nabooean prisoners so that they can continue their resistance elsewhere. Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padme once more infiltrate Theed while the others cause a distraction. In the ensuing battle, Tiin and Koon are killed by the droid army. Padme and Anakin successfully free the prisoners but Dooku intercepts them and engages Obi-Wan in lightsaber combat. Dooku defeats Obi-Wan and knocks him unconscious. Anakin takes up Obi-Wan’s discarded lightsaber and channels the Force to hold off Dooku and allow the prisoners enough time to escape. As they escape on the remaining ship, Padme triggers a bomb which destroys the Confederacy’s base, severely injuring Gideon in the process.
Back on Coruscant, Yoda oversees the memorial for Windu, Tiin and Koon and confirms that Obi-Wan will tutor Anakin in the ways of the Jedi. An injured Gideon is shown being taken for surgery by Dooku. The Republic declares war on the Confederacy and Palpatine is promoted to oversee the war effort, while Padme is promoted to his old job. The last shot is of Palpatine and Yoda watching the Republic’s clone army preparing for war and Yoda ruefully declaring that the Clone War has begun.