# Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
**Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace** is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by [George Lucas](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-lucas), the first installment of the [Star Wars prequel trilogy](https://www.edgepedia.org/star-wars-prequel-trilogy) and the first new [Star Wars](https://www.edgepedia.org/star-wars) film since *Return of the Jedi* in 1983.[1](https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-oral-history) Set in the era of the Old Republic, when Anakin Skywalker was still a child and Obi-Wan Kenobi a mere apprentice, the film features Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, and Natalie Portman.[2](https://www.lucasfilm.com/productions/episode-1/) The film set box-office records on release, became the highest-grossing film of 1999, and marked a turning point in the use of digital visual effects in mainstream filmmaking.[3](https://files.core.ac.uk/download/pdf/288058094.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | May 19, 1999, distributed by 20th Century Fox; running time 133 minutes; rated PG[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Star-Wars-Ep-I-The-Phantom-Menace) |
| Writer/director | George Lucas, directing for the first time since the original 1977 *Star Wars*[1](https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-oral-history) |
| Principal cast | Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn), Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Natalie Portman (Queen Amidala), Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker), Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks), Ray Park (Darth Maul)[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-05-03/the-1999-project-star-wars-episode-i-phantom-menace-franchise) |
| Visual effects | Over 1,900 shots with visual effects, split among supervisors John Knoll, Dennis Muren, and Scott Squires[6](https://www.starwars.com/news/5-groundbreaking-digital-effects-in-star-wars) |
| Box office | $28.5 million opening day (then a record); $474.5 million domestic on its original run; highest-grossing film of 1999[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/05/21/menace-debut-sets-record/c577353b-a34e-447f-951b-a6b1f2325e5b/) • [8](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91198236-OPP-29.pdf) • [3](https://files.core.ac.uk/download/pdf/288058094.pdf) |
| Critical scores | 54% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (290 reviews); Metascore 51 on Metacritic[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_i_the_phantom_menace) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-i---the-phantom-menace/critic-reviews/) |
| Production budget | $115,000,000[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Star-Wars-Ep-I-The-Phantom-Menace) |
## Spoilers
### Story
The film opens as two Jedi Knights, the master [Qui-Gon Jinn](https://www.edgepedia.org/qui-gon-jinn) and his apprentice [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.edgepedia.org/obi-wan-kenobi), help Queen Amidala escape a hostile blockade of her planet Naboo by the Trade Federation. Stranded on the desert planet Tatooine, they discover nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, a slave unusually strong in the Force. Anakin wins a Podrace and with it his freedom, leaving home to be trained as a Jedi. When the heroes return to Naboo, Anakin and the Queen face invasion forces while the two Jedi battle the Sith apprentice [Darth Maul](https://www.edgepedia.org/darth-maul), and they realize the invasion is the first step in a scheme by the re-emergent Sith, long thought extinct.[2](https://www.lucasfilm.com/productions/episode-1/) • [9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_i_the_phantom_menace)
The story sets up the prequel trilogy's larger arc, the fall of Anakin Skywalker to the dark side and his transformation into [Darth Vader](https://www.edgepedia.org/darth-vader) as Emperor Palpatine rises to power.[1](https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-oral-history) The Los Angeles Times retrospective highlights the film's memorable sequences, including Anakin's podrace and the lightsaber duel scored by [John Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-williams)'s theme "Duel of the Fates."[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-05-03/the-1999-project-star-wars-episode-i-phantom-menace-franchise)
## Production
Lucas began writing the screenplay on November 1, 1994, working from notes he had made in the 1970s, and filming commenced on June 26, 1997.[11](https://www.starwars.com/news/critical-opinion-the-phantom-menace-original-reviews) [Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) took place in the summer of 1997 at Leavesden Studios in England, under the working title *The Beginning*, which remained in use well into post-production.[12](https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/history-in-objects-commemorating-the-phantom-menace/) Lucas said his decision to make the film was driven by technology: the original trilogy had been designed to be made cheaply, and the new digital tools finally allowed him to realize the full scope of his vision.[1](https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-oral-history)
The production was enormous in scale. At an early meeting at [Skywalker Ranch](https://www.edgepedia.org/skywalker-ranch), the core team reviewed some 3,500 storyboards, and visual effects supervisor John Knoll recalled that almost every one contained something the pipeline of the time was not capable of doing.[13](https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/20-years-of-the-phantom-menace-at-star-wars-celebration/) The film also relied heavily on practical craft: Knoll called it the biggest model-effects production ILM had ever done, and perhaps the biggest on any film.[13](https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/20-years-of-the-phantom-menace-at-star-wars-celebration/) Not everything went smoothly on location; a massive storm wiped out most of the Mos Espa set built in Tunisia.[14](https://www.starwars.com/news/25-fun-facts-the-phantom-menace)
## Visual effects and technology
**A landmark in digital effects.** The Phantom Menace carried more visual effects shots than any film in [Industrial Light & Magic](https://www.edgepedia.org/industrial-light-and-magic)'s history to that point, with over 1,900 effected shots in the film and more than 2,000 shots produced entirely within ILM.[6](https://www.starwars.com/news/5-groundbreaking-digital-effects-in-star-wars) • [15](https://www.ilm.com/light-magic-joe-johnston-interview/) To realize Lucas's vision, Knoll's group developed fresh software tools, among them simulators that rendered the clothing of computer-generated characters.[6](https://www.starwars.com/news/5-groundbreaking-digital-effects-in-star-wars)
The film introduced characters like [Jar Jar Binks](https://www.edgepedia.org/jar-jar-binks) and Watto, among the first leading computer-generated characters in movie history. Jar Jar was a fully CG character painted over [Ahmed Best](https://www.edgepedia.org/ahmed-best)'s motion-capture performance, with creature designer Terryl Whitlatch providing skeletal and muscle sketches so animators could create his expressions.[13](https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/20-years-of-the-phantom-menace-at-star-wars-celebration/) • [6](https://www.starwars.com/news/5-groundbreaking-digital-effects-in-star-wars) The film was also among the first projected to the public with digital projectors.[16](https://social-imps-phantom-menace.github.io/phantom-menace-website/Phantom%20Menace%20Presentation.pdf) [Lucasfilm](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucasfilm) had tested high-definition digital video during production, but a digital camera was ready only in time for pick-up shoots; the fully digital workflow arrived with the next film, *Attack of the Clones* (2002).[17](https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/lucasfilm-originals-digital-cinema/) The Phantom Menace itself was mostly shot on 35 mm film.[18](https://mediaenviron.org/article/158695.pdf)
## Release and box office
Anticipation began early. A trailer released in the summer of 1998, attached to prints of *The Mask of Zorro*, drew hundreds of people (thousands worldwide) to theaters who queued to see the trailer itself, and many fans left the auditorium after it played; internet forums filled with discussion and speculation.[19](https://era.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/1842/9469/2/Hesford2013.pdf) A second trailer followed in March 1999.[11](https://www.starwars.com/news/critical-opinion-the-phantom-menace-original-reviews)
The film premiered at midnight on May 19, 1999, and broke box-office records from the first day: $28.5 million at 2,970 locations, beating the one-day record of $26.1 million set by *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* in 1997.[12](https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/history-in-objects-commemorating-the-phantom-menace/) • [7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/05/21/menace-debut-sets-record/c577353b-a34e-447f-951b-a6b1f2325e5b/) Its opening weekend grossed $64.8 million, and it passed $100 million in five days, faster than any film to that time.[20](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-24-ca-40355-story.html) On its original run it earned $474.5 million domestically and about $924 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 1999.[8](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91198236-OPP-29.pdf) • [3](https://files.core.ac.uk/download/pdf/288058094.pdf) The Numbers records a lifetime domestic gross of $487,574,671 across re-releases, against a production budget of $115 million.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Star-Wars-Ep-I-The-Phantom-Menace) It was also the top summer film of 1999 with $421.4 million grossed from release through [Labor Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/labor-day), according to Comscore.[21](https://apnews.com/article/988d3e996ec52afdb3117aa42336a092)
For its 25th anniversary the film returned to theaters on May 3, 2024, paired with an exclusive first look at the Disney+ series *The Acolyte*, and made an estimated $14.5 million at the global box office that opening weekend.[22](https://www.starwars.com/news/the-phantom-menace-25th-anniversary) • [23](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/star-wars-the-phantom-menace-box-office/)
## Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 54% Tomatometer from 290 reviews and a 59% audience score from more than 250,000 ratings, with the critics consensus calling it "burdened by exposition and populated with stock characters" while "visually dazzling."[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_i_the_phantom_menace) Metacritic records a Metascore of 51, classified as mixed or average.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-i---the-phantom-menace/critic-reviews/) Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that the film "sustains the gee-whiz spirit of the series," while Roger Ebert called it "an astonishing achievement in imaginative filmmaking."[11](https://www.starwars.com/news/critical-opinion-the-phantom-menace-original-reviews) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-i---the-phantom-menace/critic-reviews/) Common criticisms targeted the screenplay, the acting, and the character of Jar Jar Binks.[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-05-03/the-1999-project-star-wars-episode-i-phantom-menace-franchise) • [24](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/star-wars-phantom-menace-cinema-showtimes-re-release-b2537169.html) Lucas responded that the reviews were similar to those the original films had received, saying critics had called the earlier movies poorly acted children's films with too many special effects.[25](https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/george-lucas-critics-missed-point-the-phantom-menace.html/)
## Legacy and reassessment
The film's reputation has shifted over time. A generation that first saw it as children has grown up championing its merits, and scholars of the franchise argue that each trilogy is the "first Star Wars" for a new generation of young viewers.[26](https://doi.org/10.5810/kentucky/9781985900103.003.0019) The Independent, marking the 25th anniversary, argued the film deserved recognition as more than a failure and called it one of the most fascinating works of large-scale popular filmmaking, while still conceding its status as one of the most mocked blockbusters.[24](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/star-wars-phantom-menace-cinema-showtimes-re-release-b2537169.html) Its technical influence is widely acknowledged: the prequel trilogy's digital tools and methods, from fully CG lead characters to digital projection, became commonplace in subsequent filmmaking.[6](https://www.starwars.com/news/5-groundbreaking-digital-effects-in-star-wars) • [16](https://social-imps-phantom-menace.github.io/phantom-menace-website/Phantom%20Menace%20Presentation.pdf)
The film also spawned tie-in media of mixed fortunes. A video game adaptation released alongside the film in 1999 for PC, and a few months later on PS1, was developed by Big Ape Productions under constraints from publisher LucasArts, including a prohibition on competing with the *Jedi Knight* series; the developers described the project as a "nightmare," and the game received a dismal critical reception.[27](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/action/star-wars-the-phantom-menace-game-for-ps1-was-a-nightmare-to-make-the-ps2-was-delayed-the-devs-got-unintelligible-blue-screen-shots-from-george-lucas-and-they-could-not-compete-with-jedi-knight/) A Naboo N-1 Starfighter from the film hangs in the lobby of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, and Anakin's life-size pod racer is also on display there.[28](https://apnews.com/article/ffa8c35216fe7327d5a0b2e925786d16) • [29](https://www.wallpaper.com/art/inside-los-angeles-new-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art)
## References
1. ["All Films Are Personal": An Oral History of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, StarWars.com](https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-oral-history)
2. [Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Lucasfilm.com](https://www.lucasfilm.com/productions/episode-1/)
3. [University of Mississippi media studies collection on 1999 box office](https://files.core.ac.uk/download/pdf/288058094.pdf)
4. [Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace (1999), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Star-Wars-Ep-I-The-Phantom-Menace)
5. ['The Phantom Menace' built the way forward, but it took time, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-05-03/the-1999-project-star-wars-episode-i-phantom-menace-franchise)
6. [5 Groundbreaking Digital Effects in Star Wars, StarWars.com](https://www.starwars.com/news/5-groundbreaking-digital-effects-in-star-wars)
7. ['Menace' Debut Sets Record, The Washington Post (AP), May 21, 1999](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/05/21/menace-debut-sets-record/c577353b-a34e-447f-951b-a6b1f2325e5b/)
8. [Lucasfilm Opposition No. 91198236 filing, USPTO TTABVUE](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91198236-OPP-29.pdf)
9. [Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_i_the_phantom_menace)
10. [Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-i---the-phantom-menace/critic-reviews/)
11. [Critical Opinion: The Phantom Menace Original Reviews, StarWars.com](https://www.starwars.com/news/critical-opinion-the-phantom-menace-original-reviews)
12. [History in Objects: Commemorating The Phantom Menace, Lucasfilm.com](https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/history-in-objects-commemorating-the-phantom-menace/)
13. [Star Wars Celebration: 20 Years of the Phantom Menace, Lucasfilm.com](https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/20-years-of-the-phantom-menace-at-star-wars-celebration/)
14. [25 Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Making of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, StarWars.com](https://www.starwars.com/news/25-fun-facts-the-phantom-menace)
15. [Light & Magic Season 2 Director Joe Johnston Interview, ILM.com](https://www.ilm.com/light-magic-joe-johnston-interview/)
16. [Phantom Menace Paved way for Digital Filmography](https://social-imps-phantom-menace.github.io/phantom-menace-website/Phantom%20Menace%20Presentation.pdf)
17. [Lucasfilm Originals: Digital Cinema, Lucasfilm.com](https://www.lucasfilm.com/news/lucasfilm-originals-digital-cinema/)
18. [Artoo-Detoo's Footprint: Star Wars and the Environmental Impacts of Practical and Digital Filmmaking](https://mediaenviron.org/article/158695.pdf)
19. [Hesford (2013), PhD thesis on postmodern trailers, University of Edinburgh](https://era.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/1842/9469/2/Hesford2013.pdf)
20. [Will Force Stay With 'Menace'?, Los Angeles Times, May 24, 1999](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-24-ca-40355-story.html)
21. [List of the top summer movies since 'Jaws', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/988d3e996ec52afdb3117aa42336a092)
22. [Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Celebrates 25 Years with Return to Theaters, StarWars.com](https://www.starwars.com/news/the-phantom-menace-25th-anniversary)
23. ['Star Wars: The Phantom Menace' is Still a Box Office Force, The Walt Disney Company](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/star-wars-the-phantom-menace-box-office/)
24. [Star Wars: The Phantom Menace has finally proved the haters wrong, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/star-wars-phantom-menace-cinema-showtimes-re-release-b2537169.html)
25. [George Lucas: Critics Missed the Point of 'The Phantom Menace', CheatSheet](https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/george-lucas-critics-missed-point-the-phantom-menace.html/)
26. [Changing Critical and Popular Responses to the Star Wars Prequels, Lucas: His Hollywood Legacy, Oxford Academic](https://doi.org/10.5810/kentucky/9781985900103.003.0019)
27. [Star Wars: The Phantom Menace game for PS1 was a "nightmare" to make, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/action/star-wars-the-phantom-menace-game-for-ps1-was-a-nightmare-to-make-the-ps2-was-delayed-the-devs-got-unintelligible-blue-screen-shots-from-george-lucas-and-they-could-not-compete-with-jedi-knight/)
28. [George Lucas presents a galaxy of art in new Los Angeles museum, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/ffa8c35216fe7327d5a0b2e925786d16)
29. [Inside Los Angeles' new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Wallpaper](https://www.wallpaper.com/art/inside-los-angeles-new-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license