Rating: 
Summary: A CLASSIC!
Review: Ever since George Lucas rereleased the old Star Wars movies back in 1997 and drubbed the competition at the box office ( in spite of the fact that the trilogy was available on VHS and TV ), there has been a coterie of hacks (and a horde of people who go through life repeating whatever the hacks say) who have done everything in their power to bash him. They have had some success, because among those who chew the cud, it is now fashionable to proves one's hipness by slamming Lucas.Case in point: The hysterical negative reaction to The Phantom Menace. While the overwhelming majority of moviegoers voted with their feet and their dollars (There is only one movie released in the last twenty years that has done better at the box office: Titanic.), a vocal minority wants viewers to believe that Episode 1 belongs in the Movie Hall of Shame with Plan 9 From Outer Space and Battlefield Earth. The people who attack Episode 1 have an agenda that has nothing to do with the quality of the film. The movie starts in a postcard-pretty planet, Naboo. Naboo looks like a space age Tuscan villa, and is being blockaded by the Trade Federation in an intergalactic demonstration of 19th Century mercantilism as inflicted by the East India Company against parts of India. The names "Padme" and "Naboo" are sure signs Lucas has been reading a lot of Adam Smith. Two Jedi Knights are sent to end the stalemate. What they don't know is that the Trade Federation are just patsies for the Sith, an evil supernatural order believed to be extinct. The Jedi escape and pick up a rather weird amphibian sidekick named Jar Jar Binks. Together with the Queen of Naboo's entourage, they flee the planet to get help. They end up stranded of Tattooine, a planet patterned after Monument Valley. They meet Anakin, a nine-year-old slave who has superhuman reflexes. The senior Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn believes the boy is strong with The Force and he is right. After winning his freedom, Anakin joins the fugitives and they go to the Capital of the Rpublic to get help for Naboo. Anakin wants to be a Jedi Knight, too. The Republic has little power or will to intervene on Naboo. The Queen decides to take matters into her own hands and fight back. Thus begins the last forty minutes of The Phantom Menace. As with the other Star Wars movies, during the last forty minutes, the action, tension, drama and excitement are turned up several notches. Episode 1 is no exception. The lightsabre battle between the Sith Lord (Darth Maul) and the two Jedi (Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi) is the best melee combat ever put on film. Imagine an old-style Errol Flynn/ Basil Rathbone duel, but with the fluid grace and precise movement of Fred Astaire. There is none of the ridiculous, gimmicky "bullet time" or Jackie Chan fast-forward stuff that looks like the Three Stooges. Unfortunately, the fight doesn't last very long and is intercut with the other, less exciting battles going on elsewhere. The film is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! The colors are almost fluorescent like the old Technicolor movies of the 1930s. There are a few problems: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul don't get nearly enough screen time and Jar Jar Binks gets too much. Natalie Portman is way too young and is miscast, in my opinion. Too much of the dialogue is simply to explain things that should be obvious to anyone watching the movie. For example, when the heroes fly toward a planet that is a planet-wide city, the pilot says; "The whole planet is one big city." I didn't need to be told that, I can see it! But that's nitpicking. The Phantom Menace is incredibly fun and exciting. Visually, it's a masterpiece and ranks right up there with Blade Runner, The Wizard of Oz and Metropolis. Years from now, it will be regarded as a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Episode 1 vs. Episode 2
Review: I wouls have say, I enjoyed Episode 1 better than Epsiode 2. In the first one, it was basically all action. Episode 2 is more of a love story, less action. Plus, the new Anakin Skywalker looks too evil. Heh. Anyway, this DVD was awesome. Its totally my favorite movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Star Wars 1: The CG Menace
Review: This is a review of Star Wars 1: The Computer Animated Menace. The computer graphics used in this film looked really phony, and I think the special effects from the old Star Wars films are far better. Not only that the acting and script writing was a lot better back then. The big pod race scene looked like an effort to plug his pod race video game. Not only that what about Jar Jar Binx? Lucas stop trying to be cute and use the force for Petes sake!
Rating:
Summary: The second coming? No. A great film? Absolutely.
Review: When word came out that George Lucas would be making the three prequels to his STAR WARS trilogy, word-of-mouth was roused, and so was the hype and advertising. The year 1999 saw the release of the first of the prequels, STAR WARS: EPISODE I -- THE PHANTOM MENACE. But even though it was the biggest moneymaker of its year, the film has split STAR WARS fans and critics of every kind alike. While some critics and fans jumped out in favor, a majority of others attacked it savagely and condemned it as a disgrace to the franchise. Even to this day, THE PHANTOM MENACE is mentioned with growls of disgust and/or disappointment. Almost everywhere I go there are many who take turns slamdunking this movie and badmouthing George Lucas. This may be hard to believe, but I am among the few who believes that the negative atmosphere surrounding THE PHANTOM MENACE is undeserved. Sure, it's not the Second Coming like many expected it to be, less lively than the other three films (in other words, more slowgoing), and heavily reliant upon state-of-the-art CG effects for much of its shots. And the characters are not as appealing as their predecessors, and, yes, I COULD have done without the digital flatulence gag. But do I think STAR WARS: EPISODE I -- THE PHANTOM MENACE is everything the disgruntled folks say it is? Do I think George Lucas has gone greedy and decided to squeeze every last ounce of cash from the franchise? No on both counts. The truth of the matter is that STAR WARS: EPISODE I -- THE PHANTOM MENACE is a visually amazing movie. Every time I watch it, I am just in awe at the computer-generated setbacks, designs, and bizarre alien characters -- something that the previous STAR WARS movies could accomplish by miniatures, animatronics, and/or pyrotechnics. This was exactly the kind of technology Lucas would have wanted to use in order to make STAR WARS more than 25 years ago, but of course that was not possible. (This is why he made those "SPECIAL EDITIONS" of the films incorporating new footage and/or special effects shots.) Seeing this movie is almost like watching Lucas letting his imagination run wild, and a lot of the sequences are both spectacular and invigorating, particularly the underwater journey through Naboo's core and the Pod Race on Tatooine. Moving onto the plot analysis, yeah, I can understand why some would think the characters (including a younger Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Queen Amidala) may not be what viewers best remember them as, but I don't think Lucas was going for snappy dialogue with the prequels (although there ARE some great one-liners, though spoken in a somewhat campy manner). Especially since the first three movies (I'm told) involve Anakin's descent into Darth Vader. This first movie features him as a young kid, played by Jack Lloyd. This may have irritated fans, but I didn't have a problem with him. He does display appropriate gloominess and has a somewhat distant look in his eyes, something that is ominous enough to remind us about what will happen later on. Plus, it's not like there's NO characters who are likable here. I loved Liam Neeson's performance as Qui-Gon Jinn, and Ewan McGregor is a great younger Obi-Wan. The rest of the characters are, shall we say, somewhat underdeveloped. However, this is best to be expected, since this is supposed to be the beginning of it all. This also could explain why there are some plot points left unresolved by the film's end (Who's Darth Sidious? Where did Darth Maul come from? What's the deal with those Trade Federation guys?). However, I think Lucas had the story in mind all along, and as such, I think he'll wrap up the story just fine. Probably one of the biggest reasons why a lot of people hate this movie is the inclusion of the CG-created comic-relief Jar Jar Binks, played by Ahmed Best. Yeah, sometimes his speech is a little annoying and at times he seems unnecessary, but the same could have been said about Chewbacca in the other STAR WARS films. Even Ahmed Best didn't think the criticisms were fair. Honestly, I found him funny, and I really don't see what it was about him that infuriated so many critics and fans alike. I think most of these criticisms come from jealousy over Lucas and purist views. Also, given that the STAR WARS films were never critic's favorites (although some Movie Guides rate them very highly), it can probably be best to assume that such naysayers were prepared to tackle the movie for whatever reason. I, on the other hand, view the movie as a remarkable achievement. If the story does leave one with more questions than answers and some elements about it are not as appealing, the visuals are worth the price of admission. True, other sci-fi blockbuster series featured some even more amazing special effects (like HARRY POTTER and, of course, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, both of which are great movies, too), but THE PHANTOM MENACE was one of the first movies to demonstrate this kind of visceral experience through CG effects. Plus, I have faith Lucas will wrap it up decently. And for that, EPISODE I is a much underrated movie which, I'm hoping, should get a better light in years to come. THE PHANTOM MENACE, incidentally, was the first STAR WARS movie to be released to DVD, and as far as I'm concerned, they did an absolutely fantastic job. The 2.35:1 video presentation is pristine and gorgeous, the audio rocks through the speakers, and there is a whole slew of extras (from deleted scenes to behind-the-scenes featurettes) to please film buffs and collectors alike. I look forward to seeing future Lucasfilm productions receive a similarly fabulous treatment.
Rating:
Summary: The Phantom Stinker
Review: There is no other way to say it, this movie sucks. The plot was dull and dealt mostly with politics, I thought I was watching C-Span for a minute. The acting and dailogue were horrible. I would rather watch paint dry than another "Star Wars" movie. George Lucas does not care about the quality of his movies, he cares only about the money. The only people who enjoyed this are the die hard Star Wars fans.
Rating: 
Summary: The story begins
Review: this is the long awaited prequel. Because of advances in movie making technology (I.E. Computer ANimation) the prequel appears more advance than the original series. The story begins with Gon Jinn rescuing Anakin Skywalker. He begins his training as a Jedi. In the nean time the trade giuld has established a blockade of the planet naboo. Gon Jin and Obi wan Kenobi go to the aid of planet naboo. There they face a dark Jedi called Darth Maul. He kills Gon Jin then Anakin is left in the care of Obi Won Kenobi. The story sets up the conflict between the republic and the enemy forces of the dark side. There is instability in the force and Gon Jinn believes Anakin can restore that stability but the Jedi counsel have doubts about the young Anakin. .
Rating:
Summary: Menace to Society
Review: I spent 30 minutes with my PS2 controller watching Phantom Menace... I thought it was a game! Just kidding. This movie is horrible. Nuff said.
Rating: 
Summary: Star wars used to be cool
Review: this movie is decent but the only reason it got 2 stars is because episode 2 is one of the worse movies ever just stick to the original star wars they rule but this movie is close to hoorible
Rating: 
Summary: A Couple Good Moments...But It Lacks
Review: This movie really lacks a lot of action and a lot of needed good acting. Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson played their roles well, but the rest did not even live up to their Star Wars predessesors. Natalie Portman plays Queen Amadala and does portray the Queen's love for her people well, but isn't exciting at all. The little boy playing Anakin Skywalker is suffering from the curse of Skywalker. It seems everyone that has been set to play a Skywalker has been a terrible actor. For both of the recent Anakins, the casting directors have taken in lifeless actors that only have one of many qualities needed for the role. Mark Hamill also was not a good actor. He played Luke Skywalker of the original trilogy. I have seen the second Star Wars prequal and it was a lot better. I feel even the acting had improved somewhat. I only hope that the third will be as dark, funny and exciting as the orginals. Bottom Line: All I can say is that it still needed a lot of work overall. (I give it a C)
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as parts 4-6, but not as bad as most are saying
Review: Most people were so hyped up for the release of STAR WARS, EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE that it was just a huge letdown for them. It's far from the best in the series, I will say that, but it's not bad, by any means. It's cool, because we finally get to see Darth as a little boy and we learn his backstory, along with the rising of the Republic and the onciming tension between them and the Empire. Also, we get to see Yoda a few hundred years younger! But, check it out if you haven't yet, because it's not really a bad movie. Just don't expect it to be the best in the series.
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