‘The Phantom Menace’ Gets Exhibitors’ Seal of Approval

One exhibitor describes it as a “Disney-like ride” from beginning to end.

Another exhibitor calls it a “people’s movie, not a critic’s movie.”

And another says he can’t wait for the next episode to arrive in 2002.

In short, theater owners were bursting with optimism after getting their first look at George Lucas’ “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.”

For weeks, Lucas and 20th Century Fox have been dribbling out portions of their new “Star Wars” saga to whet the seemingly unsatiable public appetite for its May 19 opening, but Tuesday night exhibitors in major cities across the country finally were presented with the finished product.

In Los Angeles, about 1,100 exhibitors attended a special advanced screening at Mann’s National in Westwood, while Fox also held screenings in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

In Westwood, the reaction was overwhelmingly favorable, from the dazzling digital effects Lucas has created to the nonstop action and colorful characters--old and new--that dot the film.

“I thought the battle scenes were terrific,” said Dwight Morgan of Edwards Theaters, who ranks the movie “number two” behind the original “Star Wars” on his list of favorites.

Ricardo Medina, owner of the Gila Theater in Silver City, N.M., said it was the best “Star Wars” movie he had seen.

“There is so much going on,” Medina said, “I got dizzy.”

Tom Sherak, chairman of Fox’s Domestic Film Group, was pleased by the reaction. “It’s like being with an old friend,” he said Wednesday. “That is the feeling you get from seeing the movie.”

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One exhibitor said the movie won’t disappoint fans of the “Star Wars” films, but noted that critics may not be as kind. “I heard some people say they thought the kid was kind of wooden,” the exhibitor said. “But everybody else is good. The new characters are as embraceable as the old ones.”

Was he surprised by anything in the new film?

“Yes,” he replied, “the underwater stuff. There’s a scene where they are supposed to go down through the core of this planet and these giant reptilian creatures try to get to them. It’s just different. I don’t think any of the other films had underwater stuff going on.”