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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

PG Released May 19, 1999 2h 16m Sci-Fi Adventure Action Fantasy TRAILER for List
52% Tomatometer 242 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 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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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
him A classic. Great light saber battles. Better than anything Disney star wars has done. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/02/24 Full Review 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 Callum u Pod racing and darth maul, what more can I say, it's awesome. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/06/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis 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.
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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