[Screen It]

 

"STAR WARS: EPISODE I -- THE PHANTOM MENACE"
(1999) (Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor) (PG))


Alcohol/Drugs None
Blood/Gross Stuff Minor
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude Extreme
Frightening/Tense Scenes Moderate
Gun/Weapons Extreme
Imitative Behavior Minor
Jump Scenes None
Music (Scary/Tense) Moderate
Music (Inappropriate) None
Profanity None
Sex/Nudity None
Smoking None
Tense Family Scenes Minor
Topics to Talk About Mild
Violence Extreme


QUICK TAKE:
Sci-fi: Two Jedi knights attempt to help a desperate Queen from an evil Trade Federation that wishes to take over her planet.
PLOT:
A galactic trade dispute sends Jedi knights Qui-Gon Jinn (LIAM NEESON) and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi (EWAN MCGREGOR) as ambassadors on a diplomatic mission, but they discover that they've been set up by Darth Sidious (IAN McDIARMID), who's plotting to take control of the republic. Barely escaping with their lives, they arrive at the planet of Naboo and find its young ruler, Queen Amidala (NATALIE PORTMAN), upset about the Trade Federation's strong- arm tactics -- now embodied as a planetary blockade and an android invasion -- to force her to sign an unfair treaty with them.

As they set out to rescue the Queen, the Jedi also meet and save the life of a Gungan, Jar Jar Binks (voice of AHMED BEST), an odd amphibian-like creature who's an outcast from his subterranean world. Upon their successful recovery of the Queen, their small party sets out for the Imperial city of Coruscant. Their ship, however, is damaged during a brief battle, and despite being partially fixed by a little 'droid, R2D2 (KENNY BAKER), they're forced to land on the desert planet of Tatooine (the future home of Luke Skywalker as fans of the series are long aware).

There they try to get spare parts for their ship, but are forced to enter into a racing wager with their hopes and future riding on the success of a young boy, Anakin Skywalker (JAKE LLOYD), who, along with his mother, Shmi (PERNILLA AUGUST), is a slave to a local barterer.

Qui-Gon senses a powerful force in Anakin, who's been building a partially completed 'droid he's named C3PO (ANTHONY DANIELS), and once their ship is repaired, they set off again for Coruscant, but not before an encounter with Darth Maul (RAY PARK, voice of PETER SERAFINOWICZ), who's been sent by the ever-hooded Darth Sidious to stop them.

Finally arriving in the Imperial City, Queen Amidala pleads her case before the Senate while Qui- Gon does the same before the Jedi council about him teaching Anakin to become a Jedi. Other knights, however, including Yoda (voice of FRANK OZ) and Mace Windu (SAMUEL L. JACKSON), however, aren't so sure of Qui-Gon's confidence and sense something unsettling about Anakin's future.

From that point on, the two Jedi, Queen Amidala and their companions return to Naboo where they plan to battle the Trade Federation and their army of 'droid warriors.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Most definitely.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG
For sci-fi action/violence.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • LIAM NEESON plays a seasoned Jedi knight, the voice of...


    I have subscribed to ScreenIt for more than a decade. I check in every week to take advantage of their amazing services. Not only does their site provide a glimpse of exactly what content a movie offers, I've found the “Our Take” reviews and ratings for each movie to be right on the money every single time. I've referred dozens of friends to this service because my #1 resource for deciding whether or not to show a movie to my kids, or to see one myself, is ScreenIt.com!

    Josh Nisbet
    Director, State of CA Public Sector

    I signed up to get Screen It weekly reviews a long time ago, when my kids were young and I wanted to know more about movies before we went to a theater or rented. Now one child is in law school, other in undergraduate, and I still read the weekly Screen Its! It helps me know what my husband and I want to see or rent, and what to have waiting at home that we all will enjoy when my "kids" come home. I depend on Screen It reviews. They usually just present the facts and let me decide if the movie is appropriate or of interest for my family and me. Thank you for providing that service, Screen It!

    Patti Petree
    Winston Salem, NC

    I have 4 children who are now in college. I signed up for Screen It when my children were pre-teenagers. Often my children would ask to see a movie with a friend and I wished I could preview the movie prior to giving permission. A friend told me about ScreenIt.com and I found it to be the next best thing to previewing a movie. The amount of violence, sexual content, or language were always concerns for me and my husband as we raised innocent kids with morals. We constantly fought the peer pressure our kids received to see films that in our opinion were questionable. With the evidence we received at Screen It, our kids couldn't even fight us when we felt a film may have been inappropriate for them to watch. Thank you, Screen It. Continue to make this helpful service available to everyone, but especially the young parents.

    Christine Doherty
    Machesney Park, IL

    Screenit.com is an amazing resource for parents, educators, church groups or anyone who wants to make an informed decision whether a movie is suitable for their viewing. The reviews and content descriptions are so detailed I am mystified how the reviewers can put them together.

    Scott Heathe
    Vancouver, BC

    I love screen It! I don't know what I would do without it. It is well worth the membership. Before we take our son to the movies we check it out on screen it first. Thank you SO much for making it. Keep up the good work & keep 'em coming!!!

    Patrina Streety
    Moreno Valley California

    Other new and recent reviews include:

    [Around the World in 80 Days] [Family Camp] [Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]

    Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
    By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

    All Rights Reserved,
    ©1996-2022 Screen It, Inc.