The Podrace

The Phantom Menace

It’s taken 26 days, but it’s finally time for the first entry to the list from The Phantom Menace – a movie where the high notes make for some of the most memorable and distinctive Star Wars moments.

And it doesn’t get much more distinctive than the Boonta Eve Classic Podrace.

As a lifelong motorsport enthusiast, much like George Lucas, the possibility of bringing motor racing to the Star Wars galaxy is tantalising and the entire crew left nothing on the table when it came to delivering one of the most exciting and technically complex sequences in the entire saga.

Nine minutes in length, the race sees young Anakin Skywalker competing not only for the parts required by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Padme to repair their ship, but also for his own emancipation from slavery.

The Phantom Menace often receives criticism for the level of CGI used by Lucas and his team. And, without doubt, some of the Coruscant scenes are jarring. But the blend of computer imagery and practical effects used in the Podrace sequence and Mon Espa in general is truly immersive.

Beautiful cinematography includes huge landscape shots, low camera angles to showcase the speed of the machines and thrilling POV angles. It feels like watching a motorsport broadcast. That tangibility is also evident in the crashes.

The production team observed Formula 1 crashes when crafting the movie. It would have been easy to follow the Sci-Fi spaceship handbook and have podracers explode into balls of flame and dust when disaster strikes. Instead, the pods hit the ground and gradually shed pieces, giving an impression of the huge kinetic forces in play.

But the real scene stealer – present throughout all the twists and turns of the race – is the incredible sound of the pods. Each is distinctive and grounded in reality once again, as Ben Burtt used car engines, razors and electric toothbrushes as inspiration for the sounds across the range of pods. From the heavy tones of Sebulba’s hulking pod, to the high pitched V6-esque squeal of Anakin’s smaller and more nimble machine.

I love John Williams’ scores – who doesn’t – but this is a scene where the sound design takes centre stage. Burtt, along with the entire Phantom Menace team; from Lucas’ vision to Director of Photography David Tattersall to the staff that worked to rebuild the Mon Espa set, everyone delivered to build one of the most immersive and technically impressive scenes in the entire saga.