Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Released May 19, 1999

2h 16m

Sci-Fi

Adventure

Action

Fantasy

TRAILER

for Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace: Trailer 1

List

52%

Tomatometer

242 Reviews

59%

Audience Score

250,000+ Ratings

Experience the heroic action and unforgettable adventures of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. See the first fateful steps in the journey of Anakin Skywalker. Stranded on the desert planet Tatooine after rescuing young Queen Amidala from the impending invasion of Naboo, Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discover nine-year-old Anakin, who is unusually strong in the Force. Anakin wins a thrilling Podrace and with it his freedom as he leaves his home to be trained as a Jedi. The heroes return to Naboo where Anakin and the Queen face massive invasion forces while the two Jedi contend with a deadly foe named Darth Maul. Only then do they realize the invasion is merely the first step in a sinister scheme by the re-emergent forces of darkness known as the Sith. After the feature, fans will also get a special first look at Star Wars: The Acolyte series coming to Disney+ June 2024.

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Critics Consensus

Burdened by exposition and populated with stock characters, The Phantom Menace gets the Star Wars prequels off to a bumpy -- albeit visually dazzling -- start.

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

The dialogue isn't the issue; the acting isn't really the issue; nor is it any single annoying character... There's no sense of wonder. No yearning. No spirit.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 20, 2019

Full Review

Evan Williams

The Australian

Everything in Phantom Menace exists in a bright noisy vacuum.

Dec 15, 2015

Full Review

Joe Holleman

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The movie is fun, for the most part, and several scenes are as good or better than anything Lucas created in the original films. The human characters, however, are not nearly as interesting as those in the earlier episodes.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 14, 2015

Full Review

Roger Salvans

Fotogramas

Without a sense of adventure, excitement, or danger, the only thing that remains is a feeling of boredom... [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 1/5

Jun 17, 2024

Full Review

Akhil Arora

AkhilArora.com

The Phantom Menace fails on virtually every front. It features curiosities like Anakin’s implied virgin birth, [Liam] Neeson running around calling him “the chosen one”, and spouting nonsense about midi-chlorians (unnecessary exposition about the Force).

May 31, 2024

Full Review

Eric Marchen

Untitled Movie Podcast

John Williams delivers one of his best scores.

Rated: 3/5

May 16, 2024

Full Review

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Kyle

Best star wars of the franchise!!!!! Just as good the first time I saw it released in theatre's!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/04/24

Full Review

Jacob M

I saw this originally 25 years ago at a midnight showing and I looked it back then, however this and the other prequels have gotten better with time and now I love this movie... More so now after the ones released by Disney... Episodes 1-6 are the true star wars movies, everything after is just fan fiction.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/28/24

Full Review

Justin Adam

this movie honestly holds up alot better then I thought. time has done many favors for this movie

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/11/24

Full Review

Vee

I love this episode of Star Wars as you meet a lot of the characters for the first time and the Esquire Theater is so cozy and comfortable. Will be back.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/07/23

Full Review

R V

I remember how angry I was in the theater over this movie when it first came out. I was so excited, and wanted to like it. But as soon as Jar Jar Binks appeared on the screen and I realized that he wasn’t going away, I couldn’t appreciate any of the rest of the movie. That, coupled with some really bad acting, weird characters that seemed out of place even for Star Wars, and cheesey, sitcom-like transitions, pretty much made me lose my interest in the movie. There were some good parts — parts that I’ve discovered on rewatching — that didn’t quite make up for the bad parts. I enjoyed Qui-Gonn Jinn (Liam Neeson), young Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor), and some of the other cast. And I liked the scenes on Tatooine. Other than that… yikes.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/11/24

Full Review

Le B

Never listen people who spit on this movie, they're cringy af. It's a masterpiece, like every Lucas movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/04/24

Full Review

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George Lucas

Director

Liam Neeson

Qui-Gon Jinn

Ewan McGregor

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Natalie Portman

Queen Amidala

Jake Lloyd

Anakin Skywalker

Pernilla August

Shmi Skywalker

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Synopsis

Director: George Lucas
Producer: Rick McCallum
Screenwriter: George Lucas
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Lucasfilm Ltd.
Rating: PG (Sci-Fi Violence|Sci-Fi Action)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 19, 1999, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 3, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $452.0M
Runtime: 2h 16m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, Dolby EX, Dolby SR, SDDS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, DTS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1), Digital Projection

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