Rating: 
Summary: BIG Letdown! ......you know.
Review: So many years passed since the last Star Wars, and a lot was expected. I wasn't like these geeks who expected the greatest thing since slice bread, but I did expect a good piece of work. The movie was a letdown in almost all aspects. The story resembeled Christianity a little too much. Young Darth, the "chosen one", and his angelic Mary-ish mother, just too much! Anakin(I know spelled wrong!), was a little too talented. I know he is supposed to be this great warrior, but it's never cool to see a smart-ass little kid. And Jar-Jar was, well you know. The effects were good but not great, the droid fight was too fake looking. I guess the only true bright spot were the fighting scenes. I especially love the Jedi vs. Darth Maul battle, very very good.
Rating: 
Summary: "Don't give in to hate!"
Review: So says Obi-Wan Kenobi to a young Luke Skywalker in what is considered by most to be the best movie of the Star Wars saga, The Empire Strikes Back. Yet so many have disregarded the Jedi Master's advice when forming an opinion about this movie. The fact of the matter is, 80% of the people polled after having seen The Phantom Menace said they loved the movie and more people listed Jar Jar as their favorite character than any other character. So why did a movie that went on to gross an unprecedented 430 million dollars get such negative press? Who knows? This is a great movie and a very welcomed addition to one of the greatest sagas to ever hit the big screen and the DVD is every bit as impressive as the movie itself. You'd literally have to set aside an entire day just to get through all of the special features that are packed into this two-disc set. If you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for? And if you haven't seen it in awhile, what are you waiting for? You'd amazed at how good a movie this is when you watch it with an open mind.
Rating: 
Summary: Star Bores
Review: So this was it? The great cinematic event of the 20th century I waited over a decade for this? What a dissapointment... As the film slowly wound its way to the final unoriginal, predictable ending, all I could think was "when will this movie end...when will this movie end" The most frustrating aspect of the movie was that the dialogue between Darth Maul and Sidious refered to an unexplained event between themselves and the Jedi forces; at one point Sidious states "...and then we'll have our revenge.." Revenge? Revenge for what? Boring, unintelligent, a huge let down from the "original three" George better clean up his act before Star Bores Episode II: The Return of Jar Jar
Rating: 
Summary: Just enjoy movie
Review: So what if it's written for children. Who cares that the story line is an exact replica of previous Star War's installments. It does not matter that the acting, the jokes, the script, and the characters are sub par. This video is all about letting "everything go" and immersing yourself in an eye catching thrill ride. Looking for holes in this moving is like looking for holes in a screen door. This is a movie you watch for pure pleasure. Just revel in the fantasy, enjoy this classic story, and forget about trying to find imperfection.
Rating:
Summary: So the movie wasn't perfect to the aged Star Wars fans...
Review: So what? This movie was made for the new generation of StarWars fans! Jar Jar Binks was created to bring in little children tothe saga. (Good Job Mr. Lucas, Hook 'em while they are young!) The plot was pretty good I thought. Times change and people need to realize this.
Rating: 
Summary: Get a New Storyline, George!
Review: So where have we seen this before? A journey to another planet, a desperate battle on the planet surface that can only be won when a good guy does the impossible in a fighter high above the planet. Good guys win. The end.Three out of four Star Wars movie have had this same basic plot - only Empire was different. Excellent visual effects. Flat acting from all but Liam Neeson. Hey, George! Get a new storyline! The old one is worn out and special effects can't save it anymore.
Rating:
Summary: A highly criticized good movie
Review: So you've heard that this film was aimed at children and childish, as if the original three didn't appeal to the child, as if it were a movie for adults. And you've heard Jar-Jar is annoying and stupid, as if the original Star Wars didn't paint C-3PO as annoying and Chewbacca as a hairy imbecile. (Chewbacca wasn't developed as a character with character until the second two films.) And you've heard that The Phantom Menace has bad acting and cliches, as if the original three didn't have bad acting or cliches. If you ask the average watcher of the film, rather than the comic book crowd (with their typical "Worst Episode Ever" elitist chant), you'll find that it was highly successful film filled with fun and adventure and suspense. The slow and thoughtful dialogue is the same caliber as the original film, and much better in consistent style and moralistic formalism than most of the films of the same genre released today. In sum, The Phantom Menace is an above-average enjoyable movie. The cultural tone of analysis has changed to negativism and "grown up" intellectualism, but the film remains a valuable and worthwhile video for any collection.
Rating:
Summary: Worst of the 5--and not too bad at that.
Review: Solid good fun from George Lucas' fertile imagination that precedes the events in his 1977 blockbuster Star Wars (the second-most successful film of all time after Titanic at press time). In this episode, the story suffers from being overburdened by a strong emphasis on computer graphic animation: where the first three entries in the film series (which has practically become a religion for some) succeed because of their excellent character development and very tangible emotional quality, The Phantom Menace has a rather hackneyed plot and no truly sympathetic characters. Resisting the strain of this size a project can't be easy, though, and the film's stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Liam Neeson do exceptionally well, as does Pernilla August (The Best Intentions) in a supporting role. The plot involves Queen Amidalah (Portman) doing her best to ease difficult trade relations between unfriendly planets, and Jedi Knights (McGregor, Neeson) who after discovering a force-blessed young man named Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader) are compelled to escort him safely back to the Jedi counsel for closer examination (watch for the scene where Anakin's mother talks about how she conceived him-it might remind you of something...) Jake Lloyd's performance as little Anakin is terribly weak (even for a child actor) and all the obvious racial stereotypes that Lucas indulges himself in (the shady vehicle salesman has an Italian mafia accent, and the duplicitous dignitaries from the outer reaches of the galaxy are distinctly Japanese) mar the clean enjoyment this film has potentially to offer. None of these myriad of criticisms, however, can compare to the sham of Jar-Jar Binks, a character who dresses like Lenny Kravitz and has an accent that can only make one think of Prissy from Gone With The Wind. Confirmation of his being featured in the next film of the series was met with dire disapproval. My favourite part of the film, at least for historical importance, is the part where C-3PO first introduces himself to R2D2: watching the start of my very favourite ... romance in all of film history almost leaves my eyes misty. This is the first film George Lucas has directed since the original Star Wars film in 1977.
Rating:
Summary: Too Much Hype
Review: Some fans had been waiting over twenty years to see the first installment of the Star Wars series. They wanted to see how these stories all started. They had seen episodes four, five and six; they were impressed. They queued for a chance to see the previews; they were impressed. They waited impatiently, some slept on the streets, so eager to get a ticket for the Phantom Menace, they saw Episode 1. They were unimpressed. How surprising! Nothing is worse for a film than a mountain of hype built up prior to it. It will never, ever reach those lofty expectations. Thankfully my expectations were low. I enjoyed the first three Star Wars movies but my enjoyment never matured into an obsession. They were fine, not great. Science Fiction was never my favourite genre. But still, I had to see Phantom Menace. It was the biggest grosser of the Summer, even if it came with unflattering reviews. Away from the hype, The Phantom Menace isn't bad, not bad at all. It's not a great film, but neither were the other three, or at least they never aspired to be great movies. Phantom Menace can surely hold its own when looked at against the other three installments, and as a science fiction film it is most definitely above average. Plaudits go to the casting directors. Liam Neeson is noble, Ewen McGregor embodies the iconic Obi-Won with a grace that was expected and Natalie Portman is adept at what is essentially a dual role. The weaknesses are Jake Lloyd, a child with a touch too much confidence for the role. Casting a child must be impossible. How do you balance the cutesy factor from the annoying factor? They failed. The other principle player was CGI created and popular opinion suggests Jar Jar was a mistake. I don't. He was fun. Director Lucas keeps the immortal opening title sequence and the equally recognisable wipe cuts. His direction is fine, it is his writing that fails. A tax dilemma? Why such a snoozeworthy plot? It seems Lucas has fallen in love with his world a little too much. To be fair though, the action scenes are exciting. The battle scene is powerful cinema, better than the acclaimed pod-chasing moment. The Phantom Menace does more than enough to satisfy normal cinemagoers. Unfortunately, Star Wars are anything but normal so satisfaction is not guaranteed.
Rating:
Summary: Classic "Star Wars" with better special effects
Review: Some may say that this is a step away from what we remember from the original "Star Wars," but this is an excellent installment in the series. George Lucas has re-captured what made the originals work and blended it with great special effects. Lucas' fantastic storytelling has taken on new shape and form without taking away from the majic of the original "Star Wars." Well done!
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