MTV Movies Blog › star wars

If one movie a night is never enough for you and you're looking for a flick to get you in the mood for this week's new release, Double Feature Friday is here to help. This new weekly column takes a look at the week's releases and pairs them with a complimentary film to watch before, after or as a substitution.

"Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in 3D" & "Serenity"
The connection between these two goes deeper than their deep space setting. Joss Whedon filled the big-screen continuation of his television space opera, "Firefly," with the fun and swagger of their original "Star Wars" trilogy, while creating a vision that was entirely his own. Sure, Mal burrows from Han, but that doesn't make Nathan Fillion an ounce less likable or cool. You could easily argue that "Firefly" and "Serenity" were more earnest continuations of the space opera/western combo-genre that Lucas established with "Star Wars" back in 1977. "Serenity" can stand on its own, but watching "Firefly" beforehand will increase your enjoyment exponentially. Also, 2D.

Read more...

Tags Double Feature Friday, green zone, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Memento, Rampart, Safe House, star wars, Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D, the shield, the vow

I enjoy "The Phantom Menace." I know I'm in a small club of people who don't think the first entry in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy is wholesale trash. And I know it's an unpopular group to be a part of, but I stand by my membership. Sure, the first two hours are pretty much garbage, but then you get duel of the fates! Darth Maul with a double-edged lightsaber! It's so wonderful!

But Simon Pegg disagrees. He thinks there's nothing whatsoever to enjoy about "Phantom Menace." In the latest episode of After Hours, he does his best Red Letter Media impression and tears the 1999 "Star Wars" movie to shreds in a quick two-minute assault. It's hard to disagree with him on any of his points, really. But no amount of sense or logic will ever convince me that duel of the fates isn't awesome.

Hear all about Pegg's "Phantom Menace" vendetta in this week's After Hours.

Tags Phantom Menace, simon pegg, star wars

"Star Wars: Episode I" returns to theaters today, in 3D. But let’s flash back for a few moments to May 19th, 1999 – the day “The Phantom Menace” was originally released. If you were a die-hard “Star Wars” fan, like I was, you were going to see this movie regardless of what the critics wrote about it. You ached to hear, once again, that familiar yet exciting 20th Century Fox fanfare before reading the opening crawl. You may have camped out on a dirty sidewalk for hours, days, weeks even, just so you could be one of the first to experience it.

But if you weren’t one of “those” fans, you might have waited and checked out the reviews before making the decision to see “The Phantom Menace.” The following is a sampling of what you’d have read.

Read more...

Tags Phantom Menace, star wars, The Comlink

by Ryan Rigley

There are a ton of reasons to see "Star Wars: Episode I" in 3D this weekend. First and foremost being the wide array of memorable characters that the movie introduces. Sure, Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul are cool. But what of the film's unsung heroes?

I'm talking about characters that have maybe 10 or 15 minutes of screen time at the absolute most. "Phantom Menace" does a great job of acquainting us with several really interesting characters that we rarely if ever see or hear from again in any of the subsequent prequel movies. Here are some of the more memorable ones.

Read more...

Tags Phantom Menace, star wars

To commemorate the return of Star Wars to your local megaplex (you probably already know that "Episode I: The Phantom Menace" in 3D hits theaters next Friday) we at MTV Movies have decided to give you a very special gift—a weekly blog devoted to all things "Star Wars."

In this very space I will be reporting, ruminating and ranting about a variety of topics relating to the film franchise that has always been near and dear to my heart. I’ll call this column The Comlink until I come up with something cooler – suggestions are most definitely welcome.

Today’s topic is a character who—although not my personal favorite—has become so big in the Expanded Universe that if he decided to enter the upcoming presidential election he’d probably win. He’s the guy who survived the belly of the Sarlacc and who legions of fans are hoping to see starring in the long-awaited live action Star Wars TV show. I’m talking about The Man-of-Few-Words, The Disintegrator, The Killer from Kamino himself… Boba Fett.

Read more...

Tags boba fett, comlink, kevin smith, star wars

As the "Star Wars" saga joins the 3D revolution with the coming theatrical release of "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" on February 10th, our good friends at Star Wars Insider magazine are marking the occasion with a special celebratory issue. And we're marking that occasion with our very own preview of that upcoming issue, right here on MTV Movies Blog!

We have an exclusive preview from the upcoming "Phantom Menace" themed issue, featuring an interview with Industrial Light & Magic’s John Knoll. The interview gives the lowdown on the creative process behind the new 3D format that "Star Wars" fans are about to enjoy. Take a look beyond the break.

Read more...

Tags star wars, The Phantom Menace

What’s the closest thing to a real-life Jedi Master? That would probably be Sword Master, the role Bob Anderson had on pretty much every big film that featured sword fighting during the past several decades.

Anderson, a former Olympic fencer who died on New Year's Day at age 89, was the one who made the lightsaber duels in the original "Star Wars" trilogy look so cool. Everyone knows that James Earl Jones was the voice of Darth Vader and David Prowse was the man behind the mask, but it was Bob Anderson handling the red lightsaber in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.”

Read more...

Tags Bob Anderson, lord of the rings, star wars

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there were no sexy vampires whose skin sparkled in the sunlight--and that's exactly how some fans prefer it. A new, unexpected rivalry seems to be heating up between two science fiction franchises against the "Twilight" series, and the person leading the charge is an equally unexpected party.

Get details on that new feud and more as we look around the blogosphere today!

Read more...

Tags george takei, rise of the planet of the apes, star trek, star wars, The Walking Dead, Twilight

I feel a great disturbance in the Force… late last week Matthew Morrison of "Glee" told Jimmy Kimmel that next Tuesday’s episode will include “a throwback and a tribute to the Star Wars Holiday Special and the Judy Garland Christmas Special.”

And -- wait for it -- Chewbacca will be in it.

Read more...

Tags Chewbacca, Glee, star wars

"Star Wars" mashups aren't exactly a rarity, but excellent parodies are a bit harder to come by. Today brings one such more-than-worthy entry, and just in time for the holidays!

The folks at OneMinuteGalactica (via Blastr) discovered a video called "The Sith who Stole Christmas," combining two of pop culture's all-time greatest villains—Darth Vader and The Grinch—into one wonderful mashup.

You can check it out here, and keep reading for our very own "Star Wars" meets Dr. Seuss mashup, courtesy of MTV News' very own Tami Katzoff.

Read more...

Tags Doctor Seuss, star wars