Rating: 
Summary: Nose dive
Review: This being about the 1000th review on SW-I, I guess everything's been said before. You either like the movie or you don't.I enjoyed the SW universe from the moment I saw the first movie on screen as a 14 year old. Crazy about the music, bought the videos, saw the new editions when they were released three years ago. So yes - I am a fan, but I didn't expect to have the reaction of excitement and awe I had as a kid. I mainly hoped for a sentimental journey, which is exactly what I got. Still, despite the pod race, in the end this movie didn't do anything for me. I always felt that SW-VI was the weakest of the first trilogy, and more or less expected another let-down because many fans are crazy about SW-VI. (But come on, an evil empire that terrorizes an entire galaxy gets defeated by a bunch of teddy-bears? It is fantasy, but this really was a bit too much). So why didn't I like SW-I? It was not Binks, and forget about character development and the early death of Darth Maul for a moment. It was the complete absence of reality. Watching SW-I, I became painfully aware of how boring a movie becomes when 75% of what you see on screen is computer animated. It was like watching a cartoon. Impressively made, but still. So before die-hard fans fall all over me and start saying that I just don't get it, a word of advice. Sit down one evening and watch Alien. No computer animations, but giant sets with real people. It looks real because it is. Watch The Abyss, shot entirely underwater. Now that's impressive. I wonder if the next two episodes, which must include the clone wars and near extinction of Jedi knights, will feel like "Disney visits world war II". And I'm not holding my breath for a second. Frank By the way, my 2 star rating is for the movie, not the VHS tape. I simply refuse to buy it - but will think about adding the film to my DVD collection when Lucas has cashed in on video tape sales and finally decides on granting us a DVD release.
Rating: 
Summary: I would give it 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars if I could.
Review: This collection rocks, if you like Star Wars this is what you should get. Not to mention all the stuff it comes with like the video strip and the booklet. The movie is great to except for Jar Jar. He may be funny at first but then he starts to get a little annoying.
Rating: 
Summary: Average movie; Great DVD
Review: This DVD has an avalanche of extras that will keep you amused for a long time. Now, about the movie itself. As you would expect from a Star Wars movie, the visual and sound effects are outstanding, and there are some great action scenes. However, the overall plot was dull and the script wooden. This in turn made the main characters a little dull, especially Liam Neeson. Jake Lloyd (Anakin) and Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks) are liabilities in the film. Those old enough to remember seeing Star Wars back in 1977 will probably be slightly disappointed with Phantom Menace because it seems to be oriented towards children 12 and under. Don't lose hope, though. From what I have read, Star Wars: Episode 2 should be a more mature, serious venture than Episode 1.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!!!
Review: This dvd has it all. Not only does the movie look and sound excellent, (why wouldn't it with George Lucas running the show?), but the extreme amount of extras is just plain overwhelming. There are many hours of documentaries. There are deleted scenes. There's even a great audio commentary by the films producers, directors, etc. Since I'm a big Star Wars fan, of course I'm gonna rate this one high. But for those of you who don't like the Star Wars universe at all, I'd like to say that this has to be one of the best content filled DVD's out there. It's really worth taking a look at.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for any DVD Collection
Review: This DVD is a necessity for any true DVD collection. If you thought the special effects and picture was amazing in the theatre, you should see the job Lucas Arts has done on this DVD. The special bonus cd is another huge amazing compulation of deleted material and bonus schematics. If this is just the beginning abilities of DVD creations by Lucas Arts, then waiting for Episodes IV, V, and VI has just officially become unbarable. Trust me when I say that this DVD is probably the best DVD ever to be released.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre Moviemaking - Star Wars deserves better
Review: This DVD is absolutely phenomenal. It is loaded with extras and is great fun. I wouldn't give it the "best DVD ever" title - it's got serious competition from Snow White, released the week before - but it is certainly one of the five best DVDs released to date, but only on the technical aspects side. The film, as it is, is quite subpar for George Lucas - at least George Lucas of old. I was very uncomfortable with this film on my very first viewing back in '99. As I watched it a few more times I did finally become more comfortable with it. However comfort with a film does not make the film great and Phantom Menace is nowhere near a great film. It has all the eye candy but very little heart or spirit. Two of the main characters are not too terribly well-acted (Portman as Padme/Amidala and Lloyd as Anakin) and some of the supporting roles are not convincing either (Capt. Pinaca is a good example of this. The plot is a bit overly simplistic but adequate. It's just that the film moves very slowly until we reach the final battles at the end of the film. I always have felt that I never would have missed much if I slept through the Tattooine and Coruscant sequences (okay, the POD race is exciting, but the rest of the Tattooine sequence is longer than it needs to be - and the POD race actually runs a little long). It's really a shame, what has happened to the Star Wars saga. A New Hope (Ep. IV) and Empire Strikes Back were both excellent films that evoked real emotion and made you feel for the characters. Return of the Jedi was good but a bit dumbed down from the previous two films. This was my favorite as a child but as I've grown I've come to realize what a trite and naive film it can be. The unfortunate thing is that Phantom Menace is merely adequate. It tells the opening chapter of the first part of the Star Wars saga but doesn't tell it very well. Sadder still is that the newest trailers for Attack of the Clones (Ep. II) don't give me much hope. It looks to be steeped in melodrama and, once again, acted poorly. Portman and the new Anakin seem like two 2x4's interacting and the dialogue looks to be the cheesiest ever in a Star Wars film. Say it ain't so George!
As for the Phantom Menace, it is a fun film just not a very engaging one. I've only watched it once since I bought the DVD. I can't say I'm looking to watch it again in the near future - my heart's just not in it. And that's a sad thing, when you can't get yourself into a Star Wars film. I think I'll go watch Empire and pray for better days ahead.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have!
Review: This DVD is amazing. It's a must have for anyone!
Rating: 
Summary: Great special features
Review: This DVD is great. It softens the blow of an otherwise challenged film with a great deal of behind-the-scenes style documentary. For the most part you get a sense of what Lucas and his team were thinking the difficulty of making a film like this. The DVD authorship itself is top-notch; the sub-menus duck and dip around pod-racer tracks, Gungan battles, ships holds, etc. It's well crafted and well-thought out. The commentary track may seem overbearing at first, with 7 people talking. But this is a film made by comittee, and it works, anyway. The comments are insightful and point out much of the craftsmanship that went into the film in a way that a pure documentary simply can't. Plus it's nice to hear Ben Burrt explain the origins of many of the sound effects - Star Wars has always had the best sounds and it's nice to hear about their creation. We all agree that Jake Lloyd is a stumbling block and Jar-Jar makes you want to jump out of one of those really tall Coruscant buildings. But all in all it's a good film, expertly made, and a hallmark for technology-driven filmmaking from here on out.
Rating:
Summary: a fun movie...untill jar jar shows up.
Review: This dvd is packed with good extras and stuff like that, the usual making of the movie aswell as some special DVD ROM content.
The movie is not as good though. Its definetely aimed at younger audience and it takes some steps out of the usual star wars style (why does Anakin call his mother "mom"? And why do they call him Ani?! Thats just not Star Wars!). The "comic relief" was a bit too much. Jar Jar was annoying as hell and probably did nothing but drag this movie right to the level of that ET atari game (you know the one that sold absolutely no copys and even bums wouldnt accept free cartriges? And then after they tried doing that they had to put every copy in some landfill in Mexico?) Uh, well anyway, at least hes not going to make a huge appearance in Episode II!
If Phantom menace stays true to something of the star wars legend its the figthing. The lightsaber battles were awesome, as always and I'm looking forward to seeing Episode II (even more so after seeing the new "Clone Wars" trailer). For star wars fans this DVD is a must buy. For general movie watchers you might want to think a little bit before purchasing the dvd. I still recommend it, because Star Wars no matter what, is a classic.
Rating:
Summary: The best DVD I own
Review: This DVD is the best I own.
The second disc is filled with exciting content, the movie's image and sound quality are excellent, and the movie's content is really good. Being a StarWars fan, I can talk for hours about the movie, but it is not the issue here.
I understand why it took so long to be available on DVD. I'll wait for the other episodes' DVDs, and hope they are as good as this one.
If you are a StarWars fan then this one is a must-have
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