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Star Wars: Episode I –
The Phantom Menace
Illustration depicting various characters of the film, surrounded by a frame which reads at the top "Every saga has a beginning". In the background, there is a close-up of a face with yellow eyes and red and black tattoos. Below the eyes are a bearded man with long hair, a young woman with facepaint and an intricate hat, three spaceships, a short and cylindrical robot besides a humanoid one, a boy wearing gray clothes, a young man wearing a brown robe holding a laser sword, and an alien creature with long ears. At the bottom of the image is the title "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" and the credits.
Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
Directed by George Lucas
Produced by Rick McCallum
Written by George Lucas
Starring
Music by John Williams
Cinematography David Tattersall
Edited by
Production
company
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • May 16, 1999 (1999-05-16) (Los Angeles)
  • May 19, 1999 (1999-05-19) (United States)
Running time
 133 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $115 million
Box office $1.027 billion

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas, produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the first installment in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Ahmed Best, Pernilla August, Brian Blessed, Ray Park, and Frank Oz.

The film is set 32 years before the original film, and follows Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi as they protect Queen Amidala, in hopes of securing a peaceful end to a large-scale interplanetary trade dispute. Joined by Anakin Skywalker—a young slave with unusually strong natural powers of the Force—they simultaneously contend with the mysterious return of the Sith.

Lucas began production of this film after he determined that film special effects had advanced to the level he wanted for the fourth film in the saga. Filming started on June 26, 1997, at locations including Leavesden Film Studios and the Tunisian desert. Its visual effects included extensive use of computer-generated imagery (CGI); many of its characters and settings were completely computerized. The film was Lucas's first directorial effort after a 22-year hiatus following Star Wars in 1977.


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