Rating: 
Summary: I HATE LUCAS ALMOST AS MUCH AS JAR-JAR!
Review: First off I loved the Sw trilogy. But Episode 1 was like a combination Jedi and Barney. Jar-Jar had no place in the film. A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR FAAAAAR AWAY! This animated suicide reason was spouting off the worst of what ultra modern(MODERN) society thinks is cool! Now off of Jar-Jar onto young Anakin. Well George ya did it...you found a worse child actor than the Home Alone kid. Where was the Sixth Sense kid? Now the only reason Lucas made this film must be because Star Wars posters and figures stopped selling, because he sure as heck didn't make it for the fans. Instead he went the big money way of making a children's movie. True the kids love it but in 10 yrs they'll hate themselves for it like teenagers with Sesame Street. And the latest sin of Lucases is not releasing this or any other Star Wars film on DVD. The vhs release has a minimal amount of features and is horribly over-priced! ... DOWN WITH LUCAS!
Rating: 
Summary: Good movie
Review: First off i thought this movie was good as the other ones.Alot of people are like "this movie wasn't good because luke skywalker,han sola,princess leia,and other characters weren't in it".You have to understand this is the first one and all the old characters are about in their 40's or 50's.And you cant bring luke or princess leia in the first one when Aanakin is just a little kid.I liked the effects in this movie alot.And i did really enjoy the fight scene duel with darth maul,quin jon something like that and obi one.Anyways i thought this movie was good.And you cant be a real star wars fan if you say this movie is bad because the old characters aren't in it because then you dont really know star wars at all
Rating: 
Summary: It's pretty darn good movie!
Review: First off I would just like to say I'm sick and tired of every single person ripping on this movie!! It's not that bad taking various things into consideration:
1. This is George Lucas's First directorial job since A New Hope That's a 20 some year difference of course he's going to be a little rusty
2.The dialouge isn't that great but it's not fantastic in any of the Star Wars films
3.It's a get to know the charecters film. Plus Lucas is trying to draw in a whole new generation.
4. Yes Jar-Jar does get annoying but for those of you that have seen Episode II you now know why he was created.
That's it. I'll get off my soap box, but please stop maligning Star Wars
Rating:
Summary: Getting to the root of a bigger story
Review: First off some simple facts. Number one: Star Wars is a science fantasy, not a science fiction. The difference? Science Fiction is the projection of possible future worlds and technologies. (Some one give me a buzz when a super world power creates a death star as a deterrent to war as the atom bomb was in the beginning, or when some one has full mastery of the force.) Number two: Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace is not a fully stand alone movie, rather it is a chapter in much bigger story. A story which, until now, was told with no real history or origins. The Phantom Menace is the first of three chapters that will explore the rise of Anakin Skywalker (played by Jake Lloyd) to greatness as a jedi to his eventual downfall and metamorphosis to legendary villian, Darth Vader. This movie is only the first of three, but it has already begun to establish certain key elements of the original trilogy. Such as Senator Palpatine's (Emperor Palpatine) manipulation of galactic politics concerning the invasion of Theed, and the emotional issues surrounding the young Anakin as he seeks to become a jedi. Idealy, the story is simple in execution and follows the same saturday matinee formula that made the original movies a success(i.e. a winning formula), boasting outstanding visual effects, that when put in it's proper place along side the original three, it becomes all the more understandable and all the more enjoyable. A great addition. Now all we need is Episodes two and three.
Rating:
Summary: The movie is still poor, but the DVD is good.
Review: First off to those out there who are surprised or disappointed that there is no DTS version. Three little letters can answer that THX. THX is Lucas own sound, why would he produce a DTS version when what he wants is more people using THX. It doesn't matter whether DTS is better or not.
The Phantom menace is still plauged by a poor script, poor directing and at times poor acting. The special FX are of an extremely high standard, as well as some new innovations.
The DVD etras are very cool and worth it. The movie isn't trash. It just is not as good as it should have been. The DVD is well worth the money. And a good edition to your DVD libary.
Rating:
Summary: Star Wars Episode 1, The Worst?
Review: First off, i just want to tell you why i gave this movie 4 stars. i didn't compare it with other star wars. but with other movies. it got 5 stars against other movies and only 3 against other star wars hence the 4. I highly recomend you buy this on dvd! i have it on vhs it is good but the sound could be better. and if you are like me you want it really bad in widscreen for the podrace and space battle as well as the entire movie. I personally thought it was the second best movie in the star wars series. but for 22 some dollars it is deffinatly worth the buy. Now for the good and bad. The good is the podrace and the end battles. The bad is the story. the story lacked what other star wars movies have. Another thing is jar jar binks, i wish they had had a human in a suit on makeup instead of cgi. I am not saying it isn't bad it just has that rubbery feeling to it. Bottam line. BUY IT AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT BECAUSE IT IS DEFFINATLY ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME!
Rating:
Summary: Sorry - I loved it and you can't change that
Review: First off, I remember when my wife and I went to see this movie in the theatre. When the music started and the classic yellow scrolling text began, chills went down my spine. From that point onward, I was once again drawn into the world of Star Wars and when the movie ended, I was excited, exhilirated and disappointed (that it ended). Yes, I loved this movie as much as the second installment. For all those who despised this movie and complained about the lack of character development, maybe you need to go back and watch Episode IV. There wasn't that much character development there either. It was a swashbuckling, space adventure period. Not much of a human element to it at that time, and that's what is was meant to be. The characters during the Empire regime did NOT develop themselves in The New Hope. The actual development of the characters didn't come through until Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back and it wasn't completed until the end of Episode VI. Episode I sets the ground for Anakin's fall from Jedi to Darth Vader. The next episode builds on Anakin's training as well as introducing us to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, so we'll hopefully gain some more insight as to how they are really related to Luke because in Episode I, Anakin was an only child (as far as we know). So whose "Uncle" and "Aunt" are they really? Or, is that how Luke was raised to believe? The only other thing I don't know at this time is, will we find out who Luke's mother really is? IS it the Queen? If so, what happens to her after Anakin becomes Darth Vader? These questions should hopefully be answered by the end of Episode III, since that will show Anakin's downfall to Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine. The characters will be fully defined at that point. But then, who needs to know? We KNOW what Senator Palpatine is like. We KNOW who Anakin will become. We already know about Obi Wan in some respects. As for Jar Jar, call me crazy, but I liked him. I didn't think he was annoying. Maybe it's still the kid in me (and my 5 year daughter loves him). Maybe I still have that quality I had when I was 11 years old and saw Star Wars for the first time in the theatres. Overall, it was a way to get a new generation of children introduced to Star Wars. Heck, go back and watch the antics between C3PO and R2D2. They were there for comic relief as well. Look at what happens to C3PO and all the things he says. He can be just as clumsy as Jar Jar. But, noone complains about him. In fact, I remember C3PO and R2D2 being compared to Laurel and Hardy when Star Wars first came out. They added some comic relief with the banter that went on between them. Episode I has me excited for the next two installments to see how Anakin falls to the Emperor and how the Empire eventually comes into power. We already know how it started with Palpatine becoming Chancelor. Plus, C3PO won't have to join a nudist colony since he'll finally get some coverings. On a different note, did anyone notice during the scenes in the Senate where ET makes an appearance? I didn't notice that in the theatres, but I did in the movie. My 5-year-old daughter loves it since she loves ET. If you're a TRUE Star Wars fan, this movie is a must-see and is very enjoyable, even with some loopholes in the story, such as Obi Wan stating he was trained by Yoda in Empire Strikes Back and it ends up being Qui Gon. Of course, once Qui Gon was killed, Yoda could still be a "mentor" to Obi Wan. Who's to say a Jedi's training is done once he's given the title of Jedi? There's always more to learn, even in real life. My hats off to George Lucas. I was NOT disappointed in the least bit from this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Whatever happened to cinematic story-telling?
Review: First off, let me say that one star isn't low enough. I would have preffered to give this movie a negative score, but I can't find a way to make this stupid thing do that!
In the original Star Wars, there is suspence and drama because we are given a chance to know and care about the characters. Special effects are tools of the trade, used to aid in the telling of the story. It seems that the new trend is to come up with some really "cool" special effects, then string them together with bad dialogue and call it a movie. Maybe we (the movie-going public) should petition George Lucas (and the Wachowski brothers too, while we're at it) to just stop. Star Wars: Episodes I and II both SUCK. I don't intend to even watch Episode III.
Rating:
Summary: May the DVD Be with You!
Review: First off, let's get a few things about the movie out of the way:
1. The Force. I don't think that they used it enough. If you really watch it, the force is only used a few times in the movie.
2. Medichlorians. The explanation for the way the force works is totally bogus! There should not have been ANY explanation. Nobody WANTED an explanation!
3. Anakin. First of all, Jake Lloyd is a horrible actor. His high, whiny voice was annoying. There was also no evidence that he was going to become this person who is practically evil incarnate. Getting back to Jake's acting though, he didn't really use any real inflection in his voice. He'd say something like "Uh oh, R2, I think we're in trouble" like he was ordering an ice cream cone or something. Also, the part at the end where he accidentally destroys that ship is corny and stupid.
4. Jar Jar.
Those are the major problems I had with this. Everything else, and I really do mean EVERYTHING else was perfect. Except for the lightsaber battles, which were absolutely phenomenal.
So, enough about the movie, everyone's seen it anyway. On to the DVD. Forget T2, forget Die Hard, forget EVERYTHING! Because this is simply the best DVD ever to grace the marketplace. Yes, you may have seen a hundred other reviews for a hundred other movies that flippantly say the same thing, but I'm serious. This is THE BEST DVD ever:
1. Sound and video quality: Come on, this DVD comes from the guy who invented the companies THX and ILM. Is there any doubt that this is going to have the best possible sound and video? Of course not.
2. The Beginning: Making Episode I. This is the best and the truest documentary ever. I say the truest because it isn't the filmmakers being interviewed about the film or anything like that, it is the ACTUAL making of the film. You see all kinds of things that went into the making of the film. Storyboarding, budget meetings, the shooting of scenes, the casting of the role of Anakin, a test screening of the movie with Lucas, McCallum, and a few other people involved in making the film, all the way up to the opening night of the movie. The best part is this documentary isn't biased or promotional, as most other purported DVD "documentaries" are. The documentary is honest and therefore, much more interesting and insightful than we would even have had a right to expect. Anyway, just let me say this: no matter how good you may think this documentary is going to be, it will be better. Oh yeah, and it ends with Lucas beginning the script to Episode II in his "home office", which is cool.
3. Deleted Scenes: These are some of the best and most significant deleted scenes ever to be released on DVD since the Godfather Collection. And yet they even go beyond THAT, and add an entire half hour documentary that is specifically about the deleted scenes. Amazon has already listed what the scenes are if you look above, so I won't list them again. But, they are relevant to the movie, not just thrown in to make the DVD look good. And the accompanying documentary (telling you why directors cut scenes, and how the editing process works) is interesting also.
4. Web Documentaries: If you are a big Star Wars fan, then you would have seen these already, but even so, I'm sure you'll be glad that they are included. For those who haven't seen them, they are 12 mini-documentaries that each focus on a different aspect of the movie making process. They are each just about 5 minutes long or something like that (it may be longer, I don't remember exactly), so they add over an hour more of how Episode I got made. Any fan will find these interesting.
5. Featurettes: These are five little features which discuss even more about the making of this film. They cover the costumes, the fight scenes, the story, design, and special effects. These I'm pretty sure are all just under 10 minutes, so they add a little over half an hour of behind the scenes info. There is also about a 4 minute featurette about the making of the Star Wars: Starfighter video game, which is really more of a commercial, but still worth viewing.
6. Animatics: If you are like me, you looked at the extras on this DVD, and said to yourself "What the hell are animatics?" Well, I'll tell you. Basically, it shows you how two scenes were created; from storyboard to final cut. The two scenes are the Pod Race and the Submarine sequences. Also included is a 10 minute introduction to these scenes in which the whole production process is explained. In this section of the DVD, you will also find the print advertisements for the movie, including posters and other things. Not the best part of the DVD, but interesting to go through once or twice.
7. Trailers: The trailers, teasers, and TV spots are really cool in my opinion. I know that they are on every DVD, and really aren't anything that special, but I love to watch these things. In this section of the DVD you will also find the "music video" of the Duel of the Fates. This is an extremely cool extra. Trust me, you'll love it.
8. Commentary: Again, I know that you have read this in many other reviews for other movies, but this is the best DVD commentary ever. It stays focused on the scenes in the movie, and doesn't go wandering about into other things that no one is even interested in hearing about. Trust me, this is one of the few commentaries that is not only worth listening to, but worth listening to MULTIPLE times.
Rating:
Summary: One par with the originals
Review: First off, Star Wars is the best movie saga ever made. Nothing captures the adventure and excitement like these movies. With that said, on to my review. Now to all those people saying, "oh its too digital and computerized" well i have something to say: Movies start to look better as time progresses. Cameras get better picture, effects become more realistic, etc. You can't blame George Lucas for making the movie try to look good. I mean, he has enough money and the old way of effects are over, so why would he go back to making it like they did in the 70's and 80's? So onto the movie it self. its awesome. The sense of adventure is great. The podracing scenes and the light saber fights are amazing. And it sets up the story for the next ones perfectly. The only problem in the movie is jar-jar. IF YOU ARE READING THIS GEORGE, MAKE IT A TOP PRIORITY TO TAKE HIM OUT OF THE NEXT 2! other than that....its great.
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