Showing posts with label Natalie Portman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natalie Portman. Show all posts

29 May 2025

Natalie Portman

Israeli-American actress, director and film producer Natalie Portman (1981) got her first role in the action thriller Léon / The Professional (1994) as Jean Reno's co-star. The big success came when she got the role of Padmé Amidala in Star Wars Episode I, II and III (1999, 2002 and 2005). She was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Closer (2005), which won her a Golden Globe. In 2011, she won the Oscar for Best Female Lead for Black Swan.

Natalie Portman in Star Wars - Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Chinese postcard by Oriental City Publishing Group. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (George Lucas, 2002).

Natalie Portman
British postcard by Pyramid, Leicester, no. PC 2104. Photo: Mitchell Gerber / Corbis. Caption: Natalie Portman, Portrait.

An orphan girl befriends a middle-aged hitman


Natalie Portman was born Natalie Hershlag (Hebrew: נטע-לי הרשלג) in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1981. She is the only child of Israeli doctor Avner Hershlag and his Jewish-American wife, born Shelley Stevens. ‘Portman’ is a stage name, after her grandmother's original surname. The family moved to Maryland due to her father's job, then Connecticut, before settling on Long Island.

Portman was discovered in a pizzeria when she was 11 years old by an agent of Revlon, who wanted her as a model. She turned his offer down with a view to an acting career. Her mother became her agent.

At 12, she made her film debut as Matilda in the action drama Léon / The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994). Her role as an orphan girl who befriends a middle-aged hitman (Jean Reno) was the beginning of a pattern of portraying characters who are usually particularly intelligent and mature for their age.

Michael Mann offered her the small part of the suicidal stepdaughter of Al Pacino's character in the action film Heat (1995). Ted Demme cast her as a precocious teenager who flirts with her much-older neighbour (Timothy Hutton) in the ensemble comedy-drama Beautiful Girls (1996). Portman received good reviews for her part.

She next appeared in Tim Burton's comic Science Fiction film Mars Attacks! (1996) and Woody Allen's musical Everyone Says I Love You (1996). In 1997, she briefly withdrew from film to take part in the Broadway revival of ‘The Diary of Anne Frank'. This stage role was followed by the coming-of-age film Anywhere but Here (Wayne Wang, 1999) in which Susan Sarandon played her mother. Portman was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1999 for her role as Ann August in the film.

Jean Reno and Natalie Portman in Léon (1994)
French postcard, no. PP 104. Jean Reno and Natalie Portman in Léon/Léon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994).

Ahmed Best, Liam Neeson and Natalie Portman in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-005. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks, Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn and Natalie Portman as Padmé in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

A young woman looking for her place in life


Star Wars fans know Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala in George Lucas’s prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), her first big-budget productions. She worked closely with the director, George Lucas, on her character's accent and mannerisms.

She did not attend the first episode's premiere so she could study for her high school finals. In 1999, Portman graduated from Syosset High School in Syosset, Long Island. In 2003, she graduated from Harvard University with a degree in psychology. The following year, Portman returned to Israel and participated in various courses at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In the Summer of 2001, Portman acted in a stage production of ‘The Seagull’, based on a play by Anton Chekhov. The production, directed by Mike Nichols and also starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, was a hit with audiences at the Delacorte Theatre in New York's Central Park. In the film Closer (Mike Nichols, 2004), she played Alice, a young woman looking for her place in life alongside Julia Roberts, Jude Law and Clive Owen. She won the Golden Globe Award for this film and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2005 Academy Awards. Closer grossed over $115 million worldwide against a $27 million budget.

Also in 2004, she portrayed the upbeat and disorderly Sam in the independent romantic comedy Garden State (Zach Braff, 2004). She then played Evey Hammond in V for Vendetta (James McTeigue, 2005), based on the comics of the same name, about an alternative future where a neo-fascist regime has subjugated the United Kingdom. For this role, she had her head shaved. In 2007, Portman was featured in the music video for Paul McCartney's single 'Dance Tonight'. In 2012, she collaborated again with McCartney in the song 'My Valentine'.

Scarlett Johansson and Portman portrayed rival sisters Mary and Anne Boleyn in the period drama The Other Boleyn Girl (Justin Chadwick, 2008). She served as a jury member of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and also launched her own production company, named Handsomecharlie Films, after her late dog. Portman's directorial debut, the short film Eve, opened the short-film screenings at the 65th Venice International Film Festival. Portman is known for her social engagement. In Venice, she won the ‘Movie for Humanity’ award, an award for the actor or actress who has done the most for good causes that year. In 2009, she appeared in a faux perfume commercial called Greed, directed by Roman Polanski.

Nathalie Portman in Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-128. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Hayden Christensen and Nathalie Portman in Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-136. Photo: Lucasfilm. Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker and Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

An ambitious ballerina overwhelmed with the prospect of performing Swan Lake


After producing and co-starring alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the black comedy Hesher (Spencer Susser, 2010), Natalie Portman played the title role of Nina Sayers, a ballet dancer, in the psychological thriller Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2010). The ambitious ballerina is overwhelmed with the prospect of performing Swan Lake. Portman was trained by the professional ballerina Mary Helen Bowers, and in preparation, she trained for five to eight hours daily for six months and lost 20 pounds (9 kg). Her acclaimed performance earned her her second Golden Globe Award and an Oscar. Black Swan emerged as a sleeper hit, grossing over $329 million worldwide against a $13 million budget.

Her film adaptation of Amos Oz's autobiographical novel, A Tale of Love and Darkness (Natalie Portman, 2015) premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival. In 2016, she took on the role of presidential wife Jacqueline Kennedy in the biopic Jackie (Pablo Larraín, 2016), about Kennedy's life immediately after the 1963 assassination of her husband. It earned Portman a third Oscar nomination.

She has also been part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since her role as Jane Foster in the comic adaptation Thor (Kenneth Branagh, 2011), followed by Thor - The Dark Kingdom (Alan Taylor, 2013) and Thor: Love and Thunder (Taika Waititi, 2022) with Chris Hemsworth as the title character. This established her as one of the world's highest-paid actresses.

As a producer, she was involved in the films Hesher (Spencer Susser, 2010), Jane Got a Gun (Gavin O'Connor, 2016) and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Burr Steers, 2016). Portman has also directed the short film Eve (2008) and the biographical drama A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015), in which she also starred. In 2021, Portman and her producing partner, Sophie Mas, founded the production company MountainA, under which she produced and starred in the film May December (Todd Haynes, 2023) with Julianne Moore and the miniseries Lady in the Lake (Alma Har'el, 2024).

While filming Black Swan (2010), Portman got into a relationship with choreographer Benjamin Millepied. In 2010, their spokesperson announced that they were engaged and that Portman was pregnant. She gave birth to a son, Aleph (2011) and a daughter, Amalia (2017). Portman and Millepied married in 2012. Portman separated from Millepied after allegedly having an affair with a 25-year-old climate activist in the summer of 2023. The divorce was finalised in early 2024. Natalie Portman will next star in Fountain of Youth, an adventure film directed by Guy Ritchie.

Natalie Portman in Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-021. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Natalie Portman in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-004. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Natalie Portman in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-032. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Sources: Wikipedia (Dutch, German and English) and IMDb.

28 December 2022

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The American film Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005) is the third part of the Star Wars saga. George Lucas who directed the film from his own screenplay comes full circle with the sixth - and allegedly but not necessarily the last - of the Star Wars films. It is a return to the classic space opera style that launched the series. In Episode III we learn how and why the brave and handsome Anakin was transformed into a dark, cloaked figure with a fearsome black metal face.

Hayden Christensen and Nathalie Portman in Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-136. Photo: Lucasfilm. Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker and Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Hayden Christensen in Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-115. Photo: Lucasfilm. Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Ewan McGregor in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-117. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Going the way of the dark side


The universe has changed after three years of devastating Clone Wars. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) have become legendary heroes in their fight against the Separatists' Battle Droid. When the Separatists kidnap Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), Obi-Wan and Anakin go to free him in the spaceship Invisible Hand, which also involves a fierce space battle in space.

After Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) tosses Obi-Wan aside unconscious, he plays with Anakin, who chops off Dooku's hands and then grabs his light sabre. Chancellor Palpatine tells him to kill Dooku. When Anakin says that's not the Jedi way, Palpatine tells him to do it. Skywalker beheads the Sith Lord, taking another step towards the Dark Side.

Anakin and Obi-Wan rescue the Chancellor. However, the spaceship Invisible Hand crashes on the planet Coruscant. Anakin and Padmé Amidala, secretly married, have been separated by the war for months. When Anakin goes to the Jedi Temple, he is reunited with his wife Padmé (Natalie Portman). She is pregnant with Anakin. From then on, he is plagued by nightmares about Padmé's death during the birth of their child. He is determined to prevent this, as he has already lost his mother too.

Chancellor Palpatine tells Anakin that he will allow him to sit on the Jedi Council and become a Jedi Master. Anakin is allowed by the Jedi Council to belong to them but is not allowed to become a Jedi Master. Still, Anakin does get nightmares about Padmé every time and decides to visit the Chancellor again in the Galactic Opera House. Chancellor Palpatine tells Anakin that only the Dark Force can save his wife Padmé, and mentions the example of Darth Plagueis, a Sith master who could create life using the so-called midi-chlorians.

Palpatine also tells Anakin that General Grievous is on the planet Utapau. This, in turn, Anakin later tells Obi-Wan. Palpatine reveals to Anakin that he is the Sith Lord the Jedi were looking for, namely Darth Sidious. Only through the Dark Side can life be created, therefore Anakin must then become his apprentice and go the way of the Dark Side...

Hayden Christensen in Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-118. Photo: Lucasfilm. Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Nathalie Portman in Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-128. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Ian McDiarmid in Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-129. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ian McDiarmid as Darth Sidious in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Natalie Portman in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-130. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005). Caption: Padmé Amidala in senate.

The Force is in a jollier mood this time


In 2003 and 2004, George Lucas began turning his original story, which he had already written in 1973, into a screenplay. Playwright Tom Stoppard also helped with the screenplay as a ghostwriter for Lucas. The title of the film was the subject of many rumours at the beginning such as 'Rise of the Empire', 'The Creeping Fear' and 'Birth of the Empire'.

Actors Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor practised together for months before their lightsaber duel. As in the previous film, the two actors did all their fighting themselves. Because of their training, the speed at which they are seen fighting in the film is actually the speed at which the scene was shot, and the action has not been sped up later. In fact, the final scene of the film had already been shot during the filming of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones in 2000.

The film itself was shot almost entirely at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney. Revenge of the Sith is the first Star Wars film to feature both Darth Vader in his full costume, and his alter-ego Anakin Skywalker both, and also both played by the same actor. Initially, the plan was to just have a random actor wear the Darth Vader costume, but according to his own account, Christensen begged Lucas to play the role himself. The film score was again composed by John Williams. He also conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices when they performed the soundtrack.

Reactions to the film, especially compared to the previous two films, were relatively positive. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, writing "If [Lucas] got bogged down in solemnity and theory in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, the Force is in a jollier mood this time, and Revenge of the Sith is a great entertainment". Some critics called the film the best of the prequels, and others called it the best Star Wars film since Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back.

One point that still drew criticism was the dialogue, especially in the romantic scenes with Anakin and Padmé. Roger Ebert: "The characters talk in what sounds like Basic English, without color, wit or verbal delight, as if they were channeling Berlitz." Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith grossed $850 million worldwide, making it the second-best-grossing film of 2005. Ebert concludes in his review: "George Lucas has achieved what few artists do; he has created and populated a world of his own. His "Star Wars" movies are among the most influential, both technically and commercially, ever made. And they are fun."

Hayden Christensen in Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-132. Photo: Lucasfilm. Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Ian McDiarmid in Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-134. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Ewan McGregor in Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-138. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Hayden Christensen in Star Wars - Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
French postcard by Sonis, no. C 1611. Photo: Lucasfilm. Hayden Christensen in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Sources: Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert.com), Wikipedia (Dutch and English) and IMDb.

26 December 2022

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

George Lucas's epic space opera Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) is the fourth film in the Star Wars film series and set 32 years before the original trilogy, during the era of the Galactic Republic. It is the first film of the prequel trilogy and the first chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". The film stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and the young Jake Lloyd.

Ewan MacGregor in Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
British double card by Danilo, London, no. SW032. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Liam Neeson in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
British double card by Danilo, London, no. SW039. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Jake Lloyd in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-048. Photo: Lucasfilm / 20th Century Fox. Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Ewan McGregor in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-015. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan-Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Liam Neeson in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-016. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

A young boy, known as Anakin Skywalker


The evil Trade Federation, led by Nute Gunray, creates turmoil in the Galactic Republic by blockading the planet Naboo in protest of recent legislation taxing major galactic trade routes.

Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are sent to confront the leaders. Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), a Sith Lord and the Trade Federation's secret benefactor, orders the Viceroy to kill the Jedi and begin an invasion with an army of battle droids, but the Jedi escape and flee to Naboo.

Along with their new Gungan friend, Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), they head to Naboo to warn Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo (Natalie Portman), but droids have already started to capture Naboo and the Queen is not safe there. Eventually, they land on Tatooine, where they become friends with a young boy known as Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd).

Qui-Gon is curious about the boy and sees a bright future for him. The group must now find a way of getting to Coruscant and finally solve this trade dispute, but there is someone else hiding in the shadows.

Are the Sith really extinct? Is the Queen really who she says she is? And what's so special about this young boy? May he bring balance to the Force?

Jake Lloyd in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-001. Photo: Lucasfilm. Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Liam Neeson and Ahmed Best in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-002. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn and Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Ewan McGregor, Ahmed Best and Liam Neeson in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-003. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks and Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Ahmed Best, Liam Neeson and Natalie Portman in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-005. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks, Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn and Natalie Portman as Padmé in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

The action is constantly exhilarating


Following the release of Episode 6 of the Star Wars saga, Return of the Jedi (Christian Marquand, 1980), talks of a follow-up were proposed, but George Lucas was unmotivated to return to the franchise. During the hiatus, the backstories he created for the characters, particularly Anakin's own backstory, sparked interest in him to develop a prequel trilogy during the 1990s.

After he determined that computer-generated imagery (CGI) had advanced to the level he wanted for the prequel trilogy's visual effects, Lucas began writing The Phantom Menace in 1993, and production began in 1994.

Filming started in 1997 — at locations including Leavesden Film Studios and the Tunisian desert. The film marked Lucas' first directorial effort after a 22-year hiatus following the original Star Wars (1977). The film's premiere in 1999 was extensively covered by the media and was widely anticipated because of the large cultural following the Star Wars saga had cultivated.

Upon its release, the film received mixed reviews. Star Wars: Episode 1- The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999) is worth a watch, but it is one of the weaker episodes of the Star Wars saga. On a visual and technical level, it looks terrific, with splendid special effects, stunning cinematography and fine scenery and costumes. The script is fairly decent, but lacks the sophistication of Star Wars - A New Hope (1977) or Return of the Jedi (1980), but does have some memorable lines.

The action is constantly exhilarating, and Darth Maul, well-played by Ray Park is a very good villain. Most of the performances are very good, especially Natalie Portman as Queen Padmé who looked stunning and Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker who shone with his confident charm. And the music score by John Williams was outstanding, definitely one of his best works.

Samuel Jackson in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-014. Photo: Lucasfilm. Samuel Jackson as Mace Windu in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-020. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Ewan McGregor and Ahmed Best in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-027. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Spanish postcard by Postalfree. Photo: Lucasfilm. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Their energy, their sense of fun, their colourful inventions and their state-of-the-art special effects


Bethany Cox at IMDb: "However, there were things about this film that did disappoint. One is despite the awesome visuals, strong music score and good characters, the story never quite distinguished itself. It did take a while to get going, and when it did try to get going and you could tell it wanted to, it was further disadvantaged by the uneven pacing."

Roger Ebert: "If it were the first "Star Wars" movie, "The Phantom Menace" would be hailed as a visionary breakthrough. But this is the fourth movie of the famous series, and we think we know the territory; many of the early reviews have been blase, paying lip service to the visuals and wondering why the characters aren't better developed. How quickly do we grow accustomed to wonders.

(...) the stories of the "Star Wars" movies have always been space operas, and that the importance of the movies comes from their energy, their sense of fun, their colorful inventions and their state-of-the-art special effects. I do not attend with the hope of gaining insights into human behavior. Unlike many movies, these are made to be looked at more than listened to, and George Lucas and his collaborators have filled "The Phantom Menace" with wonderful visuals."

Despite the mixed reception, The Phantom Menace was a box-office success and broke numerous box-office records during its debut. It grossed more than $924.3 million worldwide during its initial theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1999, the second-highest-grossing film worldwide and in North America (behind Titanic), and the highest-grossing Star Wars film at the time (inflation notwithstanding).

A 3D reissue, which earned an additional $102.7 million and brought the film's overall worldwide takings to over $1 billion, was released in 2012.

Ewan McGregor in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-002. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Natalie Portman in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-004. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman as Queen Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Liam Neeson in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-017. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Liam Neeson in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-039. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Jake Lloyd in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-029. Photo: Lucasfilm. Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Natalie Portman in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-032. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman as Queen Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Ewan MacGregor in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-035. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Liam Neeson in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-039. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Sources: Bethany Cox (IMDb), Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert.com), Wikipedia and IMDb.