With the first of the Star Wars prequels set to make its 3D debut next February, it isn’t exactly jumping the gun to get started hyping up the event with a shiny new poster. There are a few noticeable differences between the original Phantom Menace poster and this new one.
Whether or not you loved Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, you have admit, the film is probably going to look really nice in 3D and it could be worth revisiting on the big screen for that reason alone. The new poster sticks with the traditional collage of images and characters used for the previous Star Wars movie posters, with a focus on Darth Maul and his cool double-bladed lightsaber, which will likely look even cooler in 3D. R2D2, Yoda, Obi-wan, and a shadowed Palpatine are also present. Darth Maul, who was in the background of the original poster, is now in the forefront with his lightsaber set over the inside frame of the image, offering as much of a 3D effect as a poster can.
Who’s missing? Little Anakin! The littlest version of Darth Vader, who was front and center in the original poster isn’t featured on the poster above, nor is Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, C-3PO, Jar Jar or Natalie Portman as Padme/Queen Amidala, all of whom were featured on the original. Cutting down on the characters featured on the poster not only eliminates clutter, but it also pushes the attention toward some of the stronger aspects of the film (and away from Jar Jar). They also eliminated the random lens flare effect, which is an upgrade as it gives the poster a clean, crisp look and makes the most of the color.
Here’s the original Phantom Menace poster so you can see the differences.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D will be in theaters on February 10, 2012.
