The Experience Of ""Star Wars:Episode I ñ The Phantom Menace""

Lucasfilm Ltd. And Twentieth Century Fox invited ""Widescreen Review"" for a sneak peek at a special advanced showing of ""Star Wars: Episode I ñ The Phantom Menace"" at the state-of-the-art Mann National Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles last Monday evening. Numerous celebrities were in the audience. Although anticipation is half the fun, getting in early was twice the thrill. In truth, reviewers came away from the preview with mixed feelings. At least as far as the story line, but how important does a story have to be when practically everyone on the planet (Earth) knows the name of every human, robot and creature in the ""Star Wars"" universe? Our experience began in Westwood, home to many Hollywood premieres, where we were first greeted by the MIB, not from the movie, but actual ""Men In Black,"" who walked the line looking for people sneaking in cameras or cell phones. One of these ""guardians of the force"" told a story of an earlier preview showing and a special guest, Shaquille OíNeal, who was so broad and so tall that he blocked the view of a dozen critics. They had to bring in a chair and sit him in the handicapped section. While waiting in line the first showing let out and we were brushed by Staff Sgt. Andy Ramirez and his family who had been special guests for the preview. At the moment we were unaware of the irony that the movie too was about a war run by bureaucrats far from the action.After a short wait we were headed inside the huge theatre, running actually, to get to the sweet spot, the seats best suited to experience the full effects of the new ""6.1"" DolbyÆ Digital Surround EX soundtrack (something weíve begun to call more accurately 5.1 + 1m - see upcoming Widescreen Review Issue 32 for a 24-page article) with speakers in all the expected places plus across the back of the theatre. We lucked out because with a thousand people in the theatre somehow the two seats in front of us remained empty giving us an unobstructed view of the screen. We were blown away by the sound and digital visual effects. Weíd been told by sound editors that the sound and music would be 50 percent of the film experience. They were right and then some. The scenes of battle Ö, well we wonít give away the story, but the added effects brought amazing realism to an already amazing movie. Things came from behind or crossed from corner to corner and when they did, you believed it! As to the film, there were more than the usual amount of people and creatures in hoods, robot warriors as far as the eye could see, old friends and terrific new characters, great light saber action and more. The more being exceptional costumes, digital sets and creatures the likes youíve never seen and --- almost all of it digitally created in computers. The humans and the puppet (Yoda) were real, the rest, unbelievably even more real, were created out of thin air. It is a grand sweeping adventure filled with treats for the eyes and ears. See it soon because who knows how long before itís out on DVD for home viewing. In closing, Jay Leno, who was sitting right behind us, let out this loud war whoop during a spectacular race scene, ""Go Anikan! Go!"" Or was that me? ñ Nick Polcino, ""Widescreen Review.""