Rating: 
Summary: this stinks
Review: Lets face it, if this film had not been a StarWArs movie. It would not have filled up the seats more than once. And no one in their right mind would have bought it!!!
All the elements composing a movie are missing.
This was made so that the bank account of mr.Lucas would become larger. Lets just hope that the last two are not of the same hopeless quality.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic
Review: With 3 previous, it is hard to be fresh and this is fresh stuff. You have to put on your Star Wars brain to appreciate the Lucas genius in this flick. This film is a cult type favorite and if you are a true blue on the first three, you should be pleased with this film, unless you are some sort of pompous [...], thinking your opinion really matters. The proof is in the bucks and the Lucas concept continues to sell. [...]
Rating:
Summary: How can you possibly be dissapointed with this film.
Review: George Lucas has finally brought us back to how to whole Star Wars saga begins, and he lets us see it first-hand. A young Obi Wan Kenobi and his master Qui Gon Jin uncover the plot by the evil Darth Sidious to break down the Republic by manipulating the new Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, played by the same actor who played his evil Emperor Palpatine character in the first trilogy, Ian McDiarmid. They also discover a boy, young Anakin Skywalker, strong with the Force, and promising as the prophecized "one who will bring balance to the Force." It is very exciting for any Star Wars fan to see how it all began. The movie answers so many questions that begin to make the original saga make more sense. Where did Anakin begin, and what weaknesses brought him to the Dark Side? How did the Sith return? The movie is outstanding. I haven't even mentioned the special effects yet, but I have just one word for them: So-realistic-it-is-mind-boggling. Never has a Star Wars Episode seen such amazing special effects. And virtually every camera shot has some digital effect applied. One must applaud all of the cast for their oustanding work in interacting with their digital co-stars. Just a couple minutes into the film, and you don't even consider that the Battle Droids aren't real. ILM has done such a fantastic job that you completely accept them as real. The DVD is definately the best DVD I have ever seen. An hour-long behind-the-scenes documentary, feature length commentary, deleted scenes with commentary, trailers, photos, making-of featurettes, and more. There is enough entertainment and information about Star Wars to keep any movie fan occupied for hours. This is a MUST BUY!
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: Great DVD
Review: All the stuff a life long Star Wars Fan would want.
Rating:
Summary: Tha saga returns, with mixed results
Review: "Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace" is one of those films where I was, in a strange way, more satisfied by the trailer than by the actual film. A "prequel" to the original "Star Wars" trilogy of films, "Phantom Menace" takes us several decades back in time in relation to the action of those films. As with the earlier films, "Phantom Menace" transports us to a world of science-fiction adventure involving robots, exotic aliens, and epic space battles. The plot of "Menace" involves a young boy named Anakin (who will grow up to be the Darth Vader of the original trilogy) and young Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. They become involved in a starship blockade of the planet Naboo, whose heroic queen seeks to save her people from invasion. "Menace" has many admirable elements. The cast is very good. I was impressed by young Jake Lloyd in the challenging role of Anakin. There are some truly spectacular action sequences. Although the pod race (a sort of high-tech chariot race) is a prominent episode, my favorite action sequence is a thrilling scene of robotic heroics outside the skin of a starship during battle. The set designs, costumes, and special effects make the film a stunning visual feast. And the musical score superbly combines classic "Star Wars" motifs with some newer elements. But despite all this, I found the film to be strangely underwhelming. I was also disturbed by creator George Lucas' use of violence in the film. As in the original "Star Wars," Lucas seems to cheat by presenting us with a sanitized version of war violence. Whereas in the first film faceless masked enemy soldiers were shot in large numbers, in "Phantom" our heroes dismember and "kill" huge hordes of robot soldiers. Lucas seems to be making mass slaughter bloodless and "fun." This robot carnage is particularly disturbing in connection with the film's rather trivial treatment of the issue of slavery. Although robot troops are killed by the heroes, our two friendly robots (R2-D2 and C-3PO, also seen in the original trilogy) are treated as virtual slaves, even though they seem to be self-aware beings. Although the freeing of human slaves is presented as a relevant (although underdeveloped) issue in the film, no concern seems to be given to the situation of these intelligent artificial life forms. I wonder -- what would Mr. Data from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" have to say about all this? I noticed one big difference between "Phantom" and the original "Star Wars" trilogy. The originals always struck me, whatever their flaws, as films for the whole family. "Phantom," on the other hand, often feels like a film made specifically for kids; it seems like Lucas is taking his adult audience for granted. Too many silly elements mar the film for me. Consider the much-despised "Phantom" character Jar-Jar Binks; although I didn't hate this character as much as some fans, by the end of the film his idiotic antics were really getting on my nerves. Yes, "The Phantom Menace" is an exciting and visually impressive film, but its flaws leave a bad aftertaste.
Rating:
Summary: The purists protest, but come on its still a blast
Review: The Phantom Menace disappointed many of the Star Wars fanatics. But what film could have recaptured the enthusiasm we felt toward the original trilogy? The technical achievement alone in further realizing Lucas' vision is worth the price of this DVD. Unlike the fantasy stories of Tolkien and Rowling, Star Wars has always been told through film. As a result, we constantly thirst for the complete vision of the Universe created by George Lucas. The Phantom Menace delivers. The Star Wars enthusiast can poke holes in Lucas' choices in both plot and character. That is a luxury that the Star Wars trilogy gives us. After all, half the fun is critiquing this beloved fantasy world. The DVD is outstanding and encourages multiple viewings. The deleted scenes included are not all that interesting, but the documentary on the creation of Episode One is worth watching. Any Star Wars fan should be ashamed if they do not own this DVD, even if they don't like Jar Jar Binks.
Rating:
Summary: Want the truth? Read this review!
Review: I'll start with the movie itself, then the DVD. First off, this movie was of course, highly anticipated. More than any movie ever! Unfortunately, there was no way that people would love it as much as the originals. Why? No Han, Luke, or Leia, and Vader is still an innocent little boy. Most fans may not admit it, but these are the main reasons they didn't like the film. Oh, and one other reason, Jar Jar. But why do they hate Jar Jar so much? I believe it is because of the first few scenes that he has. First impressions are everything and he made a bad one! If you were to walk into this movie, having never seen it before, AFTER the characters have left the Gungan Sub, you would probably not understand why people hate Jar Jar, because after that point he was not really annoying at all. In fact, he was pretty likeable. But before that, back in the swamps, and under the water, he was like C3PO times 10! The whineyness that we liked about 3PO was amplified in Jar Jar, waaaaaay too much! Also, all those phrases he stole from Full House were probably his worst mistakes. I mean, those are what annoyed me the most. But seriously, the more you watch this movie, the less annoying he is, and if you are capable of watching a Star Wars movie without the original cast, there really isn't any reason not to like this film. But there are still some things people just can't get used to, like that fact that this film is just so visually overwhelming! Let's face it, the first 3 were not! Because of that, it just didn't look like Star Wars. The Enhancements made to the original trilogy weren't even enough to make them match with this new one. Still, the effects were spectacular and no one can say they didn't look amazing! A personal complaint though, even though I did love the movie, I thought the podrace had some characters that were a bit too cartoonish, and I thought the announcer guy was a terrible idea, but I seem to be the only Star Wars fan who didn't like that stuff. This film is by no means perfect, but then neither were the originals. Some of the acting in this movie may be overdone, but do you remember the original? There was some majorly bad acting in that first Star Wars! The plot moves fast in this new film too, and is not as simple as rescueing a damsel from a gaurded castle and sleighing the beast. It's more in depth, and I guess it was too complicated for many of the fans who went to see this movie. That's too bad because it's all very interesting when you know what means what. Many people complained about the plot, character development, etc...as if this movie was meant to be scene on its own. You must remember people, these movies are being made to be watched all six in a row, only getting up for bathroom breaks and drink refills! This movie probably doesn't stand on its own the way the first one did, but it was never meant too. Jedi wouldn't have made much sense to people if it weren't for A New Hope and Empire! Just think about that! People who saw Jedi before the other too would have been like, "What is this crap?! What are they talking about?!" And I bet that happened a lot with this film. The fact is, no one should review this film untill all six are out and shown together, but then it's too late for that. On the bright side though, I feel these films, once all together, will be an amazing story! I only worry about the originals "matching" with the prequels. And as for Episode 1, despite a few minor problems, it's really quite good, just misunderstood. Now for the DVD. Excellent, don't miss a moment of it! Watch ALL the extras! And wow, no one wears jeans like Natalie Portman! This is tied with Snow White for being the best DVD ever outside of those big boxed sets like the Toy Story Ultimate Toy Box. Incredible what you get for the money with Star Wars, Episode 1!
Rating:
Summary: Best DVD ever
Review: Great DVD and Great Movie. I personally don't see why people don't like this movie. Jar Jar to me represents the kid who's wierd or different like me. (...)So what about caribean and chinese accents. These aliens need some accent. Usually they're given british accents. This DVD has great features and the deleted scenes are to die for. If you love Star Wars you'll love this DVD
Rating: 
Summary: Worst In Series (So Far)
Review: This review won't sway anyone one way or another. Most people will buy this dvd regardless of their views of this one episode to keep their collection complete, but here's my two cents: I love the Star Wars series. I still enjoy rewatching the first three movies and can even put up with the Ewoks. But this entry in the series is a total letdown. Sure, it does fill in an important part of the Star Wars history, and could be used to build up to a great story, but by itself it is useless. We get to see some interesting political maneuverings, for example, but without the payoff (we have to wait until the next movie). The special effects ARE stunning (although the old animatronics and models still look better than some, not all, of the digitally produced characters and machines), but there is none of the storytelling magic of the first three. About Jar Jar Binks (WHAT WAS LUCAS THINKING!?!?!?): I did not understand how a character, especially a good guy, could be so utterly reviled by an audience until I saw this movie and was converted. To be fair, his scenes during the big battle are somewhat comic, but most of the time he is a complete and utter irritant, made worse by the fact that some of the weakest digital imaging is done for his character. Darth Maul (or however his name is spelled) is an overrated villian. Sure, he is visually interesting and a great fighter, but his character is never developed! For the approx. ten minutes he's on screen, he just fights and says nothing. (He'll probably be brought back somehow and hopefully given even a one-dimensional personality). For all we know, he's a nice guy who likes kittens who mistakenly thinks he's helping defend the good guys (although I seriously doubt it). Lastly, the pod race is somewhat exciting (less so on the small screen), but there are many racing movies that are much better. Overall, when viewed as part of the new trilogy, it'll likely be an important piece of an overall (I hope) great story, but for now, on its own, it fails to live up to Lucas' legacy.
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