EPISODE 1
The Phantom Menace
|
The official title is Star Wars: Episode I - The
Phantom Menace
The official release date is May 19, 1999
End
of the countdown! The Phantom Menace has been officially released.
Heard that the (extra shows) sneak previews it self has gone up to us$50
mil already? So, we shall say the target US$115 is definitely possible
for the first week of its released. Record holder was Jurassic Park with
US$95mil. see Latest Updates
Premise
Young 8-year old Anakin
Skywalker lives on the planet Tatooine with
his mother Shmi. He is a very special young boy, because he is both spectacularly
talented with machines and is also imbued with a connection to the Force,
the lifeforce that binds us all.
Anakin comes in contact with a much larger galaxy when two Jedi Knights,
Obi-Wan Kenobi
and Qui-Gon Jinn,
are sent to Tatooine on a special mission. At hand is an impending war
between the Republic and the Trade Federation, and the fate of the young
Queen Amidala Padme
of the Republic.
predicted
premise (before officially realeased)
Episode I will take place on three planets: Coruscant
(pronounced Kohr-uh-sahnt), the galactic capital (huge towers, massive
cities), Tatooine (Anakin's home planet and
Luke's home planet from ANH and ROTJ) and Naboo,
the home of the Queen (Natalie Portman) which will be done in a Renaissance
style with castles and will have a swamp that will play an important role.
The old characters that will definitely appear in Episode I are: R2-D2,
C3PO, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Palpatine (this time as a Senator),
Anakin, and Jabba.
For more on these characters, see the cast section. Tusken
Raiders (sand people) will also make an appearance as will Wookies,
Jawas, this familiar creature and these creatures from Jabba's palace.
Since about one-third of the movie will take place on Tatooine, you can
expect to see alot of familiar characters. There will be hundreds of new
creatures in Episode I. Many will be completely computer generated. The
Trade Federation is the main evil in Episode I. They send out battle
droids to do much of their dirty work. As for the ships, expect to recognize
very few. There will be familar speeders (like the one Luke had in Episode
IV), but that's about it.
New vehicles include Royal
N-1 Naboo Fighters, Gian Speeders, Flash Speeders, Gungan subs and
the Queen's ship for the good guys and Sith
Fighters, Droid Starfighters (ships
that are actually droids), Trade Federation Battle Ships and Battle Tanks
for the Federation.
Click at the logo to go
to the Jedinet (for the fans by the fans),
lots of great stuff in there. Go check it out!
note: some infos are also taken
from the official website and other star wars sites.
the visions
As you can see
by the above quotes, Lucas wrote the existing trilogy all at once. Realizing
that it was way too large to make into one movie, he cut it and decided
to make the first third. However, he still had to make some adjustments.
For example, he put the Death Star in the first third, although originally
its destruction had been the climax of the last third. Also, Lucas originally
placed Wookies in the last third, fighting alongside the rebels on Endor.
But he liked them so much, that he made one a co-pilot in the first third.
When he got back to that climactic battle, he cut the Wookie in half and
make an Ewok.
The
backstory, the prequels, were never actually written out in the form of
a screenplay. They were ideas that George had in his head and possibly
script treatments. Lucas nowhere indicates that he ever had any ideas about
sequels. The story that he originally wrote in the 1970s ended after a
climactic space and land battle that is depicted in Episode VI. Perhaps
if Lucas were now 35 instead of 55, he would write a story for sequels.
Young Vader
last updated: 25th May 99
Star Wars, Episode I
- The Phantom Menace: The critics screening
of the Episode I took place on Friday night and already some have
posted up their reviews. Both Rolling
Stone Magazine and The
L.A. Daily News were positive while Time,
The
NY Daily News, Newsweek,
and The
Toronto Star had mixed & negative ones. The movie is being labeled
as a "special effects spectacle without heart"...from the looks
of things, this isn't good.
|
|
BACK
|
Writer/Director: George Lucas
Producer: Rick McCallum
Production Designer:Gavin
Bocquet
Director of Photography:
David Tattersall
Costume Designer:
Trisha Biggar Editor:
Paul Martin Smith &Ben Burtt
Design Director:
Doug Chiang
Casting: Robin
Gurland
Stunt Coordinator:
Nick Gillard Creature Effects Supervisor:
Nick Dudman
Cast:
Obi-Wan Kenobi Ewan McGregor
Queen Amidala Natalie Portman
Anakin Skywalker Jake Lloyd
Qui-Gon Jinn Liam Neeson
Palpatine Ian McDiarmid
Darth Maul Ray Park
Shmi Skywalker
Pernilla August
Oliver Ford Davies
Chancellor Valorum
Terence Stamp
Ahmed Best
Yoda Frank Oz
Mace Windu
Samuel L. Jackson
Bail OrganaAdrian Dunbar
Captain Panaka
Hugh Quarshie
Warwick Davis
Brian Blessed
Ric Olié Ralph Brown
C-3PO Anthony Daniels
R2-D2 Kenny Baker
Silas Carson Dhruv Chanchani Celia Imrie Ray Park Andy Secombe Margaret
Towner Oliver Walpole Kristina DaSilva Jerome Blake Steven Speirs Synthia
Monroe Benedict Taylor Clarence Smith Dominic West Alexi Kaye Campbell
Greg Proops Scott
|
|
Truly
amazin facts about Ep. 1; The Phantom Menace
The first movie will have around 2200 special
effects shots! In case you don't know what a large number that is,
Independence Day and Star Wars 'only' had approximately 500 each and Titanic
about 400.
About 55 sets were built for Episode I, 40 of which were in Leavesden.
Most of the sets were only built to the height of the actors, with the
rest of the set being added in digitally by ILM
John Williams composed the score for the prequels. He wrote the
Episode I score from late November '98 through early February '99. Shortly
thereafter it was recorded with the London Symphony
Orchestra
George Lucas directed Episode I. It was the first movie Lucas has
directed since Star Wars: A New Hope.
my
reviews, more of this. the prediction. the speculations toward this mega
flick, more photos click
here
the behind scenes news. about the actors, more
photos click here
lots of SW photo
Bloopers: click here
latest updated news: click
here
After a look at the four environments of Episode I, it becomes apparent
that Lucas is staying true to this theme. Coruscant,
the galactic capital and ultimately the home of the Emperor, is a gigantic,
towering city. The home of the evil Empire is a very mechanical, inorganic
place. Naboo is home to two different environments,
a Renaissance-style city (that we see in the trailer) and a swamp which
has been discusses above. The planet of Naboo is one of peace and the architecture
depicted in the trailer certainly gives off the impression, although I'm
sure you already noticed that. Something that you might not have noticed
is the color of the Naboo Royal Fighters.
THE YOUNG DARTH VADER
|
|
|
