May the force be with you

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, a young film-maker created his own universe and peopled it with his own civilisations. George Lucas' three Star Wars films have been enthralling audiences since 1977.

Lucas took a break after three movies but returned last year with the first episode in the story, Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. Some of the biggest names in movies joined the fun - Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Samuel L. Jackson, Terence Stamp.

Lucas' films, critics agree, have an abundance of exhilaration. He doesn't share the prevailing view that the future is a dark and lonely place.

There is a sense of discovery in scene after scene of The Phantom Menace as he tries out new effects and ideas, and seamlessly integrates real characters and digital ones, real landscapes and imaginary places.

"We are standing at the threshold of a new age of epic cinema," wrote one critic, "in which digital techniques mean that budgets will no longer limit the scope of scenes; film-makers will be able to show us just about anything they can imagine.

"As surely as Anakin Skywalker points the way into the future of Star Wars, so does The Phantom Menace raise the curtain on this new freedom for film-makers. And it's a lot of fun."