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).
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (soundtrack) Entrance of the Monsters, for example, is almost completely tracked out and instead, is replaced with "source" crowd sounds such as drums. Once the Battle of Geonosis begins, the editing becomes extensive, pulling from both "" and "", utilizing all forms of editing and supplementing transitions with timpani rolls. This was originally planned by John Williams and George Lucas. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (soundtrack) The soundtrack to was released by Sony Classical on April 23, 2002. The music was composed and conducted by John Williams, and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices.