Rating: 
Summary: I want my childhood back.
Review: Thanks a lot, Lucas.Waited half my life for this. Meesa wanna puke.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Good Enough
Review: Thanks, George, for finally giving us this film, or more accurately, the first in the coming trilogy. Lucas claims that he was waiting for the FX technology to get good enough before embarking on the next stories. Though this may be true, the claim does not bear close examination. I think 75% percent of this film's effects could have been adequately done 5 years ago. But don't you see? The effects are no longer even half the appeal of Star Wars anymore, if they ever actually were to anyone but the shallow-minded. Science fiction fans and Star Wars fans in particular hunger for THE STORY. And that is going to be what people will hang out for from now on. THAT is probably as it should be. George Lucas has the chance to expand his already big kudos and pallete of achievement with this movie and it's follow-ups. I think he'll do it if he goes for the real operatic possibilities and plays down the cute stuff. Do I mean Jar Jar Binks? Er... Let's SO not go there now, okay! I found the Trade Federation official's 'Charlie Chan' psuedo-Asian accents embarrassing. The Asian family sitting next to me in the theater seemed rather bemused. Darkness must fall to satisfy the dramatic cravings of Star Wars fans. George, don't be afraid, you CAN do it! What's this film like? It's a good start, but at the risk of insulting Lucas, there is a homogenised feel to the performances and direction, a lack of dramatic bite in those areas. Effects? Yeah, they're there but they are so good you hardly worry about them, only the story. Jake Lloyd is okay as Anakin Skywalker but I think he was a little too young for the role. Someone closer to Natalie Portman's age might have made more sense but I'm sure George had his reasons for casting him. The Lightsaber duels are superb and it's only during those sequences and the pod race does the films' action sequences come alive. And it was pretty cunning for Lucas to use droid warriors for the heroes to shoot and hack up. Much less violent than using real flesh-and-blood people, eh? And what about the 'Midi-Chlorians' (or whatever) explanation for The Force? That seemed to be a needless, psuedo-scientific contrivance for something that should remain mysterious and hard to explain. The Force should remain a fantasy, mystical thing otherwise you undermine its mythical strength. Is 'THE PHANTOM MENACE' any good? Its' good enough.
Rating:
Summary: Once revered, now Star Wars is a foil for Simpsons parody
Review: That 'The Phantom Menace' was a bit of a letdown isn't exactly news to anyone. What I think is surprising, however, is the lasting impact this half-baked prequel has had on the collective psyche of fans and followers alike. It was all renewed for me while watching the new Simpsons episode last night which, out of left field, spent about 15 minutes making fun of 'Cosmic Wars,' 'Jim Jam Bongs' and their midget-like creator, a faux Lucas. Bart and Lisa even go so far as to break in to the fake Lucas' workplace to convey their criticism of his lackluster work. Obviously some sort of catharsis for some Simpsons writers, the episode simply showed that what many of us suspected from the onset is now likely to prove true: The Phantom Menace will always be the ugly stepchild in the Star Wars family. One had hoped that over time, with reflection and further perspective, this film could have aged somewhat gracefully and it, warts and all, could have been accepted. Doesn't seem likely now, since it just serves to embody all the frantic CGI ugliness and consumerism that severely damaged Return of the Jedi, Attack of the Clones, and the horrid revisionist 'Special Edition' originals. The cure for this malady is the word 'no', which should be applied liberally in Lucas' brainstorming sessions. Here are some of the many Phantom Menace errors that could have been corrected with such a simple phrase: Anakin is Jesus.
The Force is not mystical so much as derived from tiny little parasites.
Physical comedy works best when telegraphed several minutes in advance.
Amphibian sidekicks work best when used on desert planets.
Ships and technology from a previous decade are far more advanced than in later years, and all somehow magically vanish.
Queens/princesses are elected.
Assassins are always confused when a Queen and handmaiden switch places (this happens AGAIN in Attack of the Clones)
Goofy droid soldiers are more compelling than armored stormtroopers.
It is important to indoctrinate 6 year olds to the films rather than appease their decrepit 25 year old forebears. This means more shiny things; less plot, dialogue, and acting. To all of these things, history appears to be serving up a resounding 'No.'
Rating: 
Summary: The Best STAR WARS movie yet!
Review: That is all I have to say. If you have a bad review for this movie just put your copy on Ebay and let someone else enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: boom boom boom
Review: That's about all you'll get out of this movie. No story, stupid dialogue, just special effects. Nothing else happens. Not enough to sustain this movie for more than a minute.
Rating:
Summary: Oh my Star Wars fans, Where did you go wrong?
Review: That's exactly what George Lucas would say about all the bad reviews that this movie has received over the past few months. Jar Jar Binks, Kwi-Gon Jin, Obi-wan Kenoby, Senator Palpetine, Anakin Skywalker, and Watto are the reasons I give it five stars. If you people who gave it bad reviews! here is what it's about. Two jedi! Kwi-gon Jin, and Obi-wan are sent to investigate and solve the problem that has occured on Naboo. They must pursuade the senate to help, or the results could be catastrophic. Are you convinced yet? Well, I doubt my oppinion will sway you. I'm not going to reveal the rest of the plot to you. I like this film because it's a very good film. I also like Darth Cidious, and Darth Maul. I also like how Darth Maul's light saber is double bladed. I also like the pod race scene. I also like how George Lucas directed this Star Wars film...P>I highly recommend this to future fans.
Rating:
Summary: My kids liked it...
Review: That's why it gets three stars. Kids will enjoy it. Is it up to the standard of the orginals? Not even close. If Disney were to buy the rights to Star Wars, I'd expect them to make this. Nothing against Disney. My kids enjoy their movies too. I just pray that they don't bring Jar Jar Binks back for Episode II.
Rating:
Summary: Too Much CGI?
Review: The "Star Wars" saga begins 30 years prior to the first "Star Wars" where we are introduced to much younger versions of characters which we will be forced to hate at the saga's conclusion. Unfortunately, Episode One doesn't have the same dymanics as the others in the series. Perhaps it is the artificial look of the CGI footage, or the faltering storyline. The only reason to watch the film is to complete the saga started back in 1977, and to enjoy the talents of Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid, and Pernilla August.
Rating:
Summary: phantom mess
Review: The 'Star Wars' series is quickly evolving into 'Muppets In Space.' Jar Jar Binks - need I say more? 'Star Wars' and 'Empire' were both aimed at general audiences, while 'Return' and 'Menace' were clearly aimed at 5-year-olds. We can only hope that George Lucas remembers his post-elementary-school demographic and restores some adulthood to the next two prequels. Otherwise, he might as well just make more Ewok Adventures for TV and forget about finishing the 'Star Wars' cycle.
Rating:
Summary: Kids' Review
Review: The 3 of us are kids, and have seen the movie twice. We all 3 loved it, and instead of worrying about plots, actors and all that, we went out and bought as many of the action figures as we could and reenact the movie to this day. It is one of our fave movies. We first got into the Star Wars craze when our dad forced(excuse the pun) us to watch the original movies. JarJar was one of our favorite characters, for you people who are criticizing him. All in all, we loved Episode 1. It is a great movie, and we recommend it to everyone. PS Our dad liked it too.
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