In his latest attempt to rid the STAR WARS franchise of any remaining credibility, George Lucas is bringing STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 – THE PHANTOM MENACE back to cinemas, and in 3D. Arguably the worst in the saga — though somehow cited by my brother as the best — THE PHANTOM MENACE divided critics and fans alike back in 1999. No prizes for guessing where I stand…
The trailer reveals little in the way of plot, so here’s a summary for those who missed the prequel first time around courtesy of every lazy researcher’s friend Wikipedia:
The film follows the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, who escort and protect Queen Amidala in traveling from the planet Naboo to the planet Coruscant in the hope of finding a peaceful end to a large-scale interplanetary trade dispute. Along the way, they meet Anakin Skywalker, a young slave boy who seems to be unusually strong with nascent powers of The Force, and must contend with the mysterious return of the Sith.
STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 – THE PHANTOM MENACE is re-released in cinemas on 10th February 2012 where you can sigh at at the overly long Pod racing scenes, roll your eyes at Anakin’s ‘midi-chlorian’ levels (“Over 20,000!”), and groan at the re-introduction of Jar Jar Binks. He’s-a slightly racist! On a positive note I quite like the Darth Maul lightsaber battle…
Good news is that 3D re-releases for the original trilogy are expected in the coming years, after the 3D conversions of EPISODE 2 – ATTACK OF THE CLONES and EPISODE 3 – REVENGE OF THE SITH. The trailer below is attached to screenings of THE THREE MUSKETEERS, so it’s the first I’m seeing of it too.
