Star Wars Episode 1 : The Phantom Menace Movie Storybook

Shortly before the premiere of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, I was stunned when I saw The Illustrated Screenplay and Terry Brooks' novelization at my usual bookstore. Lucas had clamped down on the release of the Return of the Jedi novelization 16 years before (to prevent certain plot revelations from getting out too soon), and I had expected him to do the same with The Phantom Menace. Being the dedicated Star Wars fan that I am, I bought both and read them as the soundtrack album played in the background.

The Illustrated Screenplay's version of The Phantom Menace differs somewhat from the finished movie. It is essentially the same, of course, following the Naboo Crisis from the arrival of Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi aboard the Trade Federation flagship to the parade at Theed. However, in an attempt to cut the film's running time to just over two hours, several heavily political scenes set in the Galactic Senate were nixed, which in a way helped the film. Sadly, a few lines which I really liked, including one involving Obi-Wan and a shorted out lightsaber, didn't make it to the finished film. (Other scenes, which were filmed but later deleted, can be read in their entirety and in context; it's up to the reader to decide whether or not deletion was necessary.)

To me, reading the screenplay ahead of the May 19, 1999 premiere enhanced rather than detracted from the enjoyment of the picture. In fact, even while I was watching the much maligned Episode I (I think I am one of only the few non-Lucasfilm-connected persons on Earth who really likes The Phantom Menace) I not only understood what Palpatine was up to, but I could also see parallels between Anakin Skywalker's experiences and his son Luke's in Episode IV (which is set 32 years later).

The storyboards presented in this book are only a fraction of the thousands used during the pre-production stages, yet they give the reader a hint of the film's visual rhythm and energy. They are almost as good as the ones by legendary visual artist Joe Johnston, who worked on the more popular "classic" Star Wars trilogy more than 20 years ago.

For anyone interested in the finer points of screenplay writing and/or the strengths and weaknesses of the prequel saga, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace: The Illustrated Screenplay is a good reference.

Alex Diaz-Granados


very cool for the more hardcore fans.........   May 2, 2002
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

First off, I thought the flick was pretty good, though a little too slow in the middle. It needed more action, more depth, less clumsy dialogue, and less kiddie stuff. We all know that now. Okay. With that in mind, the screenplay is great in some parts, and groan out loud bad in others. If you're one of the more forgiving (and less bandwagon-jumping obsessed) hardcore fans, it's a treasure. Even with all it's faults, it's cool to sit down and read how the pieces begin to fall into place. Also, this is an uncut script, so a lot of the deleted stuff you see on the DVD is in here, as is some cut dialogue. Again, I wouldn't advise this for the passive Star Wars fan, but it is a must-have for the REAL (being a relative term, of course) Star Wars fan.


A best bet   May 14, 2000
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

If you are willing to buy the TPM screenplay(you can get it for free on the Internet), this is your best bet. It has a selection of the orginal storyboards, cut scenes(this is the uncut screenplay), a introduction by producer Rick Mccalum, and the underwater and battle storyboards in order, kinda like a movie effect. If you like Star Wars, buy this!


Like watching the film... almost   May 9, 2000
I say this is WAY BETTER THAN THE NOVEL, you gotta read this if you want to know Lucas's TRUE vision of Episode I; but still the book has some low points however: they could at least improve the paperback quality, and I would had fill it with real screenshots among the storyboards. Besides you can use it to learn more about Lucas's storytelling style: this was written entirely by George Lucas that's why the whimp hollywood critics say that the film has a very chessy dialogue, I partially agree with them, but I still say Lucas is a wonderful storyteller and he deserves more credit, however there are some problems on these writtings that even a man with a big imagination has to deal with: I know that when you write a whole story and you make the dialogue yourself you tend to repeat the same lines again later (ex.: "you assume to much") the Star Wars IV's script has the same problem, good thing Lucas has hired another guy to help him finish the Ep.II script. I definitely liked the way this book is written, and I'm sure the film's dialogue would have been better if some lines of this book were not deleted.