Star Wars Episode I Ii The Phantom Edit

Star Wars Episode I II The Phantom Edit: A Fan's Attempt to Improve the Prequels

Star Wars is one of the most beloved and influential franchises in the history of cinema, but not all of its films are equally praised. The prequel trilogy, which consists of Star Wars: Episode I â The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II â Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Episode III â Revenge of the Sith, has been widely criticized by fans and critics alike for its poor writing, acting, and direction. Some fans, however, have taken matters into their own hands and created their own versions of the films, using editing software to cut, rearrange, and modify the original footage. One of the most famous and controversial examples of this is The Phantom Edit, a fan edit of the first two prequel films that aims to make them more consistent with the original trilogy.

What is The Phantom Edit?

The Phantom Edit is a fan edit of the film Star Wars: Episode I â The Phantom Menace, removing many elements of the original film. The purpose of the edit, according to creator Mike J. Nichols, was to make a much stronger version of The Phantom Menace based on the previous execution and philosophies of film storytelling and editing of George Lucas. The Phantom Edit was the first unauthorized re-edit of The Phantom Menace to receive major publicity and acclaim and is also considered the first fan-edit of a feature film ever to be shared by an online audience .

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The Phantom Edit was originally circulated in Hollywood studios in 2000 and 2001, and was followed by media attention. Salon.com, NPR, PBS, and the BBC all covered the edit to various degrees. Rumor initially attributed The Phantom Edit to Kevin Smith, who admitted to having seen the re-edit but denied that he was the editor. The editor was revealed to be Mike J. Nichols of Santa Clarita, California in the September 7, 2001 edition of The Washington Post. Available on VHS, DVD and later via BitTorrent, the DVD contains two deleted scenes and a commentary track by the editor as well as a few Easter eggs. The DVD version has also been relabeled as Episode I.II, has a slightly different podrace from the VHS version, and contains more extensive editing to individual images and sounds that have not been entirely cut. Lucasfilm, the production company of series creator George Lucas, condoned the edit and did not pursue legal action against its distributors.

Changes made from the original film in The Phantom Edit

Opening crawl replaced with a new one explaining why the edit was made

Re-editing of nearly all scenes featuring Jar Jar Binks and removing some of what Nichols dubs 'Jar Jar Antics'

Removal or re-editing of most of the battle droid dialogue

Limiting of exposition throughout the film

Trimming scenes involving politics

Re-arrangement of shots and scenes to match the original Star Wars trilogy's presentation style

Removal of "yippee" and "oops" from Anakin's dialogue

Removal of dialogue that specifies the nature of midi-chlorians as a biological basis for Force sensitivity

Reinstatement of deleted scenes in order to fill in plot holes

There were a total of 18 minutes cut from the original film, reducing the run time from 136 minutes to 119 minutes.

What is Attack of the Phantom?

Attack of the Phantom is a fan edit by Mike J. Nichols, meant to improve Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. This is a sequel to The Phantom Edit and follows its editing style and philosophy. Called Star Wars Episode II.I: Attack of the Phantom, the DVD contains a re-edited version (38 minutes cut, new runtime of 104 minutes) of Episode II in surround sound, with a commentary track. At points during the commentary, the viewer has the option to pause the film to view in more detail some of the things that the editor is discussing.

Changes made from the original film in Attack of the Phantom

Removal of most of the romance scenes between Anakin and PadmÃ

Removal of Anakin's whiny and childish dialogue

Removal of Jar Jar Binks' role in granting emergency powers to Palpatine

Removal of C-3PO's comic relief scenes during the battle of Geonosis

Removal of Yoda's lightsaber duel with Count Dooku

Re-editing of the opening chase scene to make it more exciting and coherent

Re-editing of the Jedi arena battle to make it more realistic and less chaotic

Re-editing of the sound effects and music to enhance the mood and atmosphere

Reviews and Reception

Critics and filmmakers have commented on the original Phantom Edit, in most cases providing the approval and recognition which furthered the fan edit movement.

"Smart editing to say the least" â Kevin Smith, film director

"...Materialized from out of nowhere was a good film that had been hidden inside the disappointing original one." â Daniel Kraus, Salon

"[Done by]; someone with a gift (and equipment) for editing" â Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune film critic

The 2010 documentary film The People vs. George Lucas cites The Phantom Edit as a key example of the remix culture created by the Star Wars franchise.

Conclusion

The Phantom Edit and Attack of the Phantom are fan edits that attempt to improve the Star Wars prequel films by removing or altering elements that are considered to be inconsistent, unnecessary, or annoying. They are widely regarded as the first and most influential fan edits of feature films, and have sparked a debate on the role and rights of fans in relation to the original creators. They have also inspired many other fan edits of Star Wars and other films, some of which can be found online or on DVD. Whether one prefers the original versions or the fan edits, it is undeniable that Star Wars has a passionate and creative fan base that continues to shape and expand its universe.

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