Star Wars Returns to the Screens

星球大战重返银幕

[1]IN THIS ARTICLE: One of the biggest blockbuster movie series, the Star Wars cycle created by George Lucas, has returned to the screen, with the "prequel" titled Star Wars: Episode 1--The Phantom¹ Menace.

[1]Once, when a movie was successful there used to be a "sequel", a follow-up film destined² to build on the popularity of its predecessor³ and extend the life of the story at the box office.

[2] Now there is the "prequel". After the success of the great Star Wars trilogy--Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983)--producer George Lucas has come up with the movie which preceded the famous story of good and evil forces battling it out across the galaxy⁴.

[3] This preceding movie, or prequel, Star Wars: Episode 1----The Phantom Menace (1999) sets the scene for the Star Wars trilogy, with the introduction of characters such as the all-seeing old man of wisdom, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the evil Darth Vader.

[4] When Star Wars was introduced in 1977, it set new standards. Writes film critic Colin Hogg: "'A long, long time ago in a galaxy far away,' begins 'Star Wars', the 'Gone With the Wind' of science fiction movies, the epic⁵ that made the stars in the sky the stars of the movie screen and did more than any other film to bring that 'other world' out there in the darkness into the hearts and minds of a generation.

本文简介：由乔治·卢卡斯创造的、耗巨资拍摄的最宏大的电影系列之一《星球大战》故事又回到了银幕上。这部“前传”名叫《星球大战：第一集----幽灵的威胁》。----编者

一旦一部影片成功了，往往就会有一部“续集”出现，这部紧随其后的电影注定是建立在前一部影片的名气之上并在票房收入方面延续该故事生命的。

现在则有了“前传”。在了不起的《星球大战》三部曲----《星球大战》（1977），《帝国反击战》（1980）和《杰迪的归来》（又译：《武士的归来》（1983）----成功之后，制作人乔治·卢卡斯又推出了一部新片，讲述的是银河系善恶力量决一胜负的这个著名故事之前的故事。

这个之前的故事，或称前传，《星球大战：第一集----幽灵的威胁》（1999）以介绍诸如洞悉一切的智慧老人、奥比温·肯诺比和恶魔达思·威德等人物为《星球大战》三部曲作了铺垫与衔接。

当《星球大战》在1977年初次面世的时候，它树立了一些新标准。电影评论家科林·霍格写道：“‘很久很久以前，在遥远的银河系上开始的‘星球大战’，是科幻电影中的‘飘’，是使太空中的群星成为银幕上明星的史诗，没有任何一部电影像它这样将那个在黑暗中的‘另一个世界’带进一代人的心里和意识中。”

[5] The extensive special effects, especially of the space vehicles and the amazing fight scenes with laser swords, the range of strange characters from the hairyfaced Chewbacca to the robots R2D2 and CP3O, and above the all the gripping story of the fight between opposing forces, gave the first Star Wars films a compelling look and a huge following among audiences worldwide.

[6] In the US alone, the first three films of the trilogy are in Top Ten box office earners of all time, Star Wars with $ 461 million at No 2, Return of the Jedi at No 8 with $ 309 million and The Empire Strikes Back at No 10 with 290 million.

[7] In total box office earnings⁶ worldwide, while unable to top the first billion-dollar earning film Titanic⁷ at No 1, the George Lucas science fiction films come in at a respectable No 4 (Star Wars, $ 780 million), No 12 (The Empire Strikes Back, $533 million) and No 2t (Return of the Jedi, $470 million).

[8] When the opening weekend of the prequel movie Star Wars: Episode 1--The Phantom Menace was planned in the US, crazy fans queued up to buy tickets simply to see the preview trailer. Before the opening night, fans camped outside the theatres in sleeping bags, afraid to miss an early screening.

[9] This prequel is set in a time when the Galactic Republic is on the wane⁸ and its leaders are being forced to kneel to the brutal⁹ market forces of the Trade Federation¹⁰ which has blocked shipping¹¹ lines to the planet Naboo. The Jedi Knight¹², Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson cast as a Samurai) and his apprentice¹³, Obi-Wan (new wave star Ewan McGregor with a vocal¹⁴ hint of Alec Guinness), are sent in to sort out the mess.

范围的特技效果，特别是太空飞行器和激光利剑惊人的战斗场面，从毛脸的楚巴卡到机器人R2D2和CP30等各种各样神奇的人物，见其是正反力量之间扣人弦的战半故事，使最初的《甲球大战》系列电影引人注目并在全世界拥有众多追随者。

仅在美同，三部曲的前三部电影的票房收入一直名列前10名，《星球大战》以四亿六千一百万美元的收入位居第2，《杰迪的归来》以三亿九百万美元名列第8，《帝国反击战》位于第10，票房二亿九千万美元。

虽然在全世界的票房收人抵不过位居榜首的影片《泰坦尼克号》率先突破10亿美元的收入，乔治·卢卡斯的科幻电影也令人称道地名列第4（《星球大战》，7亿8千万美元），第12（《帝国反击战》，5亿3千3百万美元）和第21《杰迪的归来》，4亿7千万美元）。

当前传影片《星球大战：第一集－－幽灵的威胁》在美国首映的那个周末被列入计划时，疯狂的影迷排起长队买票就是为了看一眼电影的宣传预告片。首映前夜，影迷们露宿在电影院外，在睡袋里过夜，生怕错过了先睹为快的机会。

这部前传所描述的故事发生在“银河共和国”趋于衰落的时候，它的首脑被胁迫向“贸易联盟”残酷无情的市场军队屈服，这个联盟阻断了所有到达“奈布”星球的航线。杰迪武士奎刚（莱昂·尼森扮演的一个武士）和他的徒弟奥比温（新浪潮运动影里伊万·麦克戈里格饰演，他的声音让人想起艾力克·吉尼斯）被派往“奈布”星球解决这个麻烦。

[10] Central to the movie is an exciting race using the super-fast "pod racers", in a sequence reminiscent of the great chariot race in the classic movie Ben Hur.

[11] George Lucas spent a large chunk¹⁵ of his $ 200 million budget on nearly 2,000 computerised digital special effects shots-- by far the most seen in any film, and four times the number used to sink the "Titanic". The spectacular effects also include three totally different worlds generated by the wizardry of computers; 145 new and assorted¹⁶ creatures of various hideous¹⁷ and humorous aspects; 1, 200 new costumes and 654 standing¹⁸ sets.

[12] There are enough battles, races, high-speed chases, noise (John Williams is the composer along for the ride with the music, as he was for the Star Wars trilogy) to please the hardiest¹⁹ fan of space drama. Yet, despite all the computer trickery, that old "Star Wars" magic centres on the trilogy's familiar struggle between the forces of good and evil.

[13] But mostly George Lucas intends his movie Star Wars: Episode 1---- The Phantom Menace to appeal, as Star Wars did, to a "generation growing up without fairytales". Little did he guess when he began his original trilogy in 1977, that 22 years later, the story would still be unfolding.

乔治·卢卡斯耗费了他2亿美元预算中的一大部分用于将近2000个电脑数字特效镜头——这是到目前为止所有电影中用得最多的，为“泰坦尼克号”沉没所用特效镜头的四倍之多。引人注目的特技效果还包括：由电脑的魔力控制的三个截然不同的世界；145个全新的和组合的、有着各种丑陋可怕和滑稽幽默的容貌的生物；1200套新服装和654个固定布景。

影片中有足够的战斗、竞赛、高速追逐和噪音（约翰·威廉姆斯加盟进来为影片谱曲，《星球大战》三部曲的音乐也是他写的）采取悦最苛刻的太空故事迷。当然，除了所有的电脑技巧之外，更不用说还有围绕着三部曲中人们熟悉的善恶势力斗争展开的古老的“星球大战”魔法。

但是，乔治·卢卡斯的主要意图是希望他的《星球大战；第一集－－幽灵的威胁》像《星球大战》一样吸引“缺少神话故事而成长起来的一代”。当他于1977年开始三部曲的初创时，他一定没有想到，在22年之后，这个故事还可以铺展开来