Chapter 99: Will It Break Box Office Records?

The last forty minutes of the movie had me on the edge of my seat! Dunn split the film into four epic parts: the Jedi showdown, the space battle, the massive clash outside the city, and Queen Amidala’s daring escape.

Natalie’s portrayal of Queen Amidala? Absolutely crucial. She’s the glue holding all these storylines together. Dunn nailed the pacing—each scene clocks in at about three minutes, keeping things tight and exciting.

After a heart-pounding, three-minute battle between the native Gungans and the Trade Federation’s robot army outside the city, the screen cuts back to the Jedi fight. Darth Maul, the dark warrior, wields dual lightsabers with a fierce red face and cold eyes. His slick moves and sharp editing make him look unstoppable—total badass vibes!

The sound of lightsabers clashing—“bang bang!”—hits like an orchestra, thrilling your ears while the stunning action keeps your eyes glued to the screen. Among the two Jedi, Qui-Gon is Obi-Wan’s master. Even together, they’re no match for Darth Maul. Qui-Gon makes a snap decision: “Obi-Wan, watch out!”

His gaze sharpens—not at the enemy, but at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan freezes, then it clicks. His face pales as he yells, “Master!”

“Remember, we’re Jedi! Faith outweighs death!” Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon finally flexes his acting chops with a heroic oath that gives you this sinking feeling—like something bad’s coming.

Qui-Gon doesn’t give Obi-Wan a chance to respond. He grips his lightsaber with both hands and charges Darth Maul full-on. Two Jedi couldn’t beat him together—how’s Qui-Gon alone supposed to stand a chance?

Maul’s dual lightsabers flash like lightning. After a few clashes, his left saber blocks Qui-Gon’s strike while the right one seizes the moment, stabbing straight into Qui-Gon’s gut.

“Watch out!” Obi-Wan shouts, horrified!

Those three minutes of epic fighting leave you wanting more, but the screen switches to the smoky chaos of the battle outside the city. Queen Amidala’s been rescued by the Gungans, but the robot army keeps growing. And now… they’ve rolled out dozens of giant cannon tanks, rumbling toward the bow-and-arrow-wielding natives.

The tide turns fast. The Gungans lose their early momentum, clueless against a lifeless, painless robot army. Death creeps closer with every second.

“Your Highness…”

In this do-or-die moment, Queen Amidala becomes everyone’s rock. She stares toward the castle, tears streaming down her face. She wipes them away stubbornly and says in a cool, determined tone, “Go back to the grasslands. The swamps will protect you—the robots can’t get through.”

“But what about you?”

“I’m the Queen of Naboo. I’ll stand or fall with this planet!”

“No way! We’re not leaving either! Live together, die together! The Gungans may have nowhere else, but keeping promises and honoring alliances? That’s been our tradition for thousands of years!”

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

The cannons roar, chilling you to the bone as they fire. The stench of death spreads everywhere.

Then the screen shifts again, and here comes the “balance” of prophecy—Anakin Skywalker! To lighten the mood after those heavy scenes, Dunn throws in some laughs. Young Anakin, desperate to pee, stumbles into the robot control ship by accident.

Outside, Naboo’s Royal Air Force is hammering the heavily guarded control ship. Inside… Anakin’s got an emergency. He parks his fighter, unzips, and relieves himself—right onto the ship’s power generator!

A burnt, short-circuit smell freaks him out. Realizing he’s in trouble, he hops back in his fighter and bolts. Moments later, the control ship explodes in a blinding flash, lighting up the dark universe like daytime.

With the blast, the robot fighters battling Naboo’s air force lose power and crash. Back outside the city, Queen Amidala and the Gungans, ready to die for Naboo, suddenly see hope.

The Trade Federation’s robot army freezes, turning into lifeless junk. Some even fall apart into scrap metal.

“We did it! Anakin did it!” Queen Amidala beams with joy.

The Gungans raise their spears, cheering wildly.

Then it’s back to the Jedi showdown—the one everyone’s been dreading. Darth Maul’s lightsaber plunges into Qui-Gon’s stomach, but Qui-Gon’s face stays resolute. He grabs Maul’s wrist and yells, “Obi-Wan, now!”

He’s going down fighting, taking Maul with him!

…

Obi-Wan returns to the Council alone. He reports Naboo’s situation to Master Yoda, explaining how Qui-Gon was killed by Darth Maul. Then he makes his case: “I want to honor his legacy. I’ll take Anakin as my apprentice. He’s the ‘balance’ of the prophecy—he’ll be an amazing Jedi!”

…

Kenneth Turan, a critic from the Los Angeles Times, stares at the credits rolling on the big screen, stunned. Humanity, freedom, good vs. evil, faith, life, slavery, equality—even racism—Dunn’s ambition is wild. He’s packed all these themes into a sci-fi flick!

Those last forty minutes? Dazzling effects with deep thoughts on humanity and philosophy woven in. Kenneth rubs his eyes, almost in disbelief. A 21-year-old director made this? No way.

This is hands-down the most vivid, thrilling Star Wars yet! Plenty of critics and film pros agree—they can already see the box office numbers piling up.

Post-Titanic, could this be the next big miracle? It’s Star Wars—anything’s possible!

As the theater lights come on, Dunn and the crew turn to bow. The fans and critics are already on their feet, clapping like crazy.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Dunn Walker deserve every bit of this!

James Cameron leans over and whispers, “Think it’ll beat Titanic’s record?”

“Beat the record?” Dunn smirks. “That might take our second collab.”

“Haha!” Cameron cracks up.

That’s the highest praise Dunn could give him. When it comes to box office, even George Lucas and his groundbreaking Star Wars legacy can’t touch Cameron!