As the film opens, her planet is invaded by the Trade Federation in retaliation for the Galactic Senate's taxation of trade routes. Padmé Amdidala is the young, elected Queen of Naboo. " I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee!" ―Padmé Amidala, to the Galactic Senate Reaction amongst Star Wars fans has also been divided The Phantom Menace appealed to a new generation of Star Wars fans, but older fans who grew up with the original trilogy were often less receptive to the film. The film currently has a score of 57%, "rotten," on Rotten Tomatoes. Though it was a major box office success, with an adjusted gross of over $1 billion between its initial release, 2001 VHS and DVD releases and 2012 re-release, it received mix critical reaction.
The Phantom Menace was originally released in 1999. In the backdrop, the Dark Lords of the Sith return after having been believed extinct for a thousand years. The plot also deals with the discovery of the Chosen One and future Darth Vader, nine year old Anakin Skywalker, on the desert planet of Tatooine.
The film is set 32 years before the original Star Wars and centers around a war on the backwater planet of Naboo, which was invaded by the Trade Federation after a dispute in the Galactic Republic Senate. It was the first Star Wars film that Lucas had directed since Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The film was the first of the prequel trilogy and is followed by Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and it was written and directed by Star Wars creator George Lucas. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is, chronologically, the first chapter of the Star Wars film saga, and the fourth released into the theaters.