Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace effort after a 22-year hiatus following "Star Wars" in 1977. "The Phantom Menace" was released in theaters on May 19, 1999, almost 16 years after the premiere of the previous "Star Wars" film, "Return of the Jedi". The film's premiere was extensively covered by media and was greatly anticipated because of the large cultural following the "Star Wars" saga had cultivated. It received mixed reviews; critics praised the visuals, action sequences, John Williams' musical score and some of the performances, but criticized the screenplay, characterization, and Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd's performances (as Jar Jar Binks and Anakin Skywalker respectively).
The Art of Star Wars in 1981, the film series adopted an episodic naming convention in the opening crawl. From 1994, reprinted editions of the first three books also adopted episode titles — "The Art of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope", and so on. Revised editions of the first three books were published in 1997, with changes and new material added to reflect the additional special effects used in the Special Edition theatrical releases. The Art of Star Wars The Art of Star Wars is a series of books by various editors featuring concept art from the "Star Wars" motion picture saga. The