The UK opening
May the farce be with you
The most hyped film ever limped into London last night for a premiere which could only muster a gathering of C-list celebrities.Over hyped and over here
The latest news as the Phantom Menace is met with a mixed critical reaction, and a distinctly muted public response Star Wars opening leaves Londoners distinctly unimpressed
A meandering crowd of 30 or so, several of whom were journalists, many others just curious passers-by, were in London's Leicester Square for the public performance of The Phantom Menace Film Unlimited exclusives
The Phantom Menace film page
Go to our film page for the lowdown on the movie, including links to the latest American reviews and the most exciting Star Wars sites on the net.Reader reviews
See what Film Unlimited readers have to say about the latest Star Wars movie, or have your say. Whatever your opinion, we want to know Stars in their eyes
The day before the opening of the most hyped movie of all time, Hush Hush meets its young star, Jake Lloyd, and talks political correctness with producer Rick McCallum Scene-by-scene guide to Episode 1
Film Unlimited has pieced together a scene-by-scene synopsis of the new movie for those of you who can't wait any longer to find out what all the fuss is about Enter the dragon
Darth Maul, aka Glasgow-born actor Ray Park, reveals all to Film Unlimited's Brian Logan The reaction
And the crowd... applauded politely
The first, muted reactions to The Phantom Menace on its American openingLucas strikes back
George Lucas tells an American press junket The Phantom Menace is supposed to be for children. Child's play
You've heard the hype about the new Star Wars film. But what's it really like? Michael Ellison joins the audience at New York's 86th East. The phenomenon
The Empire is back
Late review presenter and Guardian columnist Mark Lawson explores the myth and the magic of George Lucas's Star Wars series.The fandom menace
Not long from now, in a cinema far, far away... Brian Logan on the 3,000 Brits heading to the US for Star Wars. Star struck
John Patterson joins the faithful outside Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The trailers
Go to StarWars.com
You can download last November's teaser trailer and March's official Episode 1 trailer at Lucasfilm's official Star Wars site.Guardian review
Vera Rule reports on the release of the Phantom Menace teaser trailer. Observer review
The critic strikes back: Philip French views the teaser trailer. The merchandise
The encore strikes back
It's a bit like Prokofiev... A classical critic gets to grips with John Williams's soundtrack for The Phantom Menace.Billion-dollar market force will be with us
Star Wars merchandise will bring in a fortune before The Phantom Menace even opens in America. Buyer beware
The significance of merchandising is well known, but whose pockets are we lining when we fall for the brightly coloured cash-in? Phantom Menace merchandise puts toy shops on alert
If you go down to the toy shop today, you are likely to witness carnage in the aisles, as grown men wrestle three-year-olds for the last Obi Wan-Kenobi model.
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