The Phantom Menace marked a fresh take on Star Wars, and can essentially be seen as the defining Episode of our generation. The production of the film spanned the 1990s, with the film being released in 1999, and to a youthful audience Episode I was as mesmerising and engaging as A New Hope was in 1977. George Lucas' producing partner Rick McCallum joined the production team in 1994, and put his experience from making The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles towards the project which began filming in 1997. Location scouting and set design were among the first stages in producing Episode I, with Tunisia being used as Mos Espa on Tatooine, and the Italian Caserta Palace portraying Theed Palace on Naboo. Elaborate costumes were also created for the characters, including Jedi robes for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, and an array of heavily stylised and ornate outfits for Queen Amidala. The familiar Stormtroopers of the original trilogy were replaced by a new foe in the form of Droids, whilst the central antagonist of the film, Darth Maul, was given a complex make-up and iconic double-ended lightsaber. The result of the production process was a film which had a new updated style, one which would appeal to a young audience and fresh generation of fans. Jake Lloyd portrayed a youthful character in Anakin Skywalker, at a time when the highest grossing films featured young cast members and were generally family orientated. The 1993 Jurassic Park featured two children among its characters, whilst the 1995 Toy Story was aimed at a young audience. Other franchises in the late 1990s were redefined as family films; the 1997 Batman & Robin was markedly different to the darker Batman Returns of 1992, whilst the 1995 Goldeneye featured a more upbeat and less intense James Bond than the 1989 Licence To Kill. Making The Phantom Menace a light-hearted, at times comedic, family film was only a natural transition in the context of the 90s as a whole. Foolhardy characters like Jar Jar Binks find their place within family films as comic-relief, and ultimately don't detract from the overall story. For our generation, The Phantom Menace is representative of a more innocent time in relation to our childhood, but also the film industry of the 90s, and is all the more appealing for being so. There is a lot to be said about Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, so feel free to leave your point of view where we can see it. Like this article? Also let us know in the comments section below.
