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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Play trailer 2:12 Poster for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace PG Released May 19, 1999 2h 16m Sci-Fi Adventure Action Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
54% Tomatometer 289 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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Jeff Strickler Minneapolis Star Tribune In terms of craft, it scores off the chart. Dazzling to look at, its an all-you-can-eat buffet of special effects. But if you're hungering for creativity, all you'll find is a light snack. Rated: 3.5/5 Apr 16, 2025 Full Review Xan Brooks Independent (UK) So this is a bizarre, Janus-like creature, looking both backward and forward, setting the scene for a story that it never quite gets around to telling. Still, thats Star Wars for you. An ongoing story, a narrative jigsaw, a phenomenon in portions. Rated: 3/5 Apr 16, 2025 Full Review Colin Kennedy Empire Magazine Liam Neeson has manfully carried the action on his shoulders throughout (the subsequent prequels desperately miss him) and his final words...provide the movie with its only real weight. Rated: 3/5 Apr 16, 2025 Full Review Michael D. Reid Victoria Times Colonist (B.C., Canada) What The Phantom Menace lacks in compelling dialogue (and it's a lot) and character development, it makes up for in Industrial Light and Magic's technical wizardry as our heroes undergo a series of alternately humorous and hair-raising adventures. Rated: 3/5 Apr 16, 2025 Full Review Dennis King Tulsa World ...it delivers enough blissed-out thrills to please the easily pleased, but seems less like a satisfying story than a sketchy prologue to Episodes II and III... Rated: 2.5/4 Apr 16, 2025 Full Review Katherine Monk Vancouver Sun A good movie touches you, and Phantom Menace - cocooned in cold, computer-generated images and dull, unsympathetic characters - couldn't poke a single finger out of its hard drive shell. Apr 16, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
Mr rager Still an amazing movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/12/25 Full Review Cristian Amazing movie. Comfortable chairs Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/25 Full Review Manny "Back then they didn't want me, now I'm hot they all on me" Classic one for me. I will never forget going to see this on theaters when I was a child. my first Star Wars experience in theaters Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/25 Full Review Zach LOVE this movie. I was born the year it came out and loved it ever since. I love it even more now that I got to see it in theatres! The final act is about the most action packed in any Star Wars movie. Duel of the Fates is one of the best Star Wars songs and fights ever! Pod racing is amazing! Jar Jar didnt annoy me when I was a kid. I remember really liking him when I was a kid and then hating him when I was a teenager but now that Im older I love Jar Jar again. Hes a silly comic relief character and you can tell Ahmed Best had a blast with the role! He did not deserve the hate he got at all! Same with Jake Loyd. He a skid playing a kid and he does a good job. Not the best child actor ever but definitely not the worst by far! Qui Gon is definitely my third favorite Jedi behind Luke and Yoda. Obi Wan is not far behind Qui Gon. Liam Neeson does amazing job portraying a Jedi as a Jedi should be. Not what the Jedi had become during the prequel era which will lead to their downfall. And Amazing Star Wars movie that kicked off the entire Prequel Era, the era I grew up with and love. I love this movie snd no one can ever convince me otherwise I even like the politics! You cant show a Republic fall to a Dictatorship without, you know, showing how that happened! It would be pretty cheap if we never saw the Senate and how corrupt and weak theyd become. Only for Palpatine to show up and take power. Theyre be no setting without the political setting and thats true for the Prequels and OT. Anyway, LOVE this movie and Ill never stop loving it Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/02/24 Full Review Crystal B A classic that is worth watching every time it’s on! May the Force be with you while watching, and always. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/19/24 Full Review Jake Still one of the best Star Wars movies Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/12/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

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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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