Rating: 
Summary: Phantom Menace [stinks] big time!
Review: This piece of high-tech CGI [junk] was shown on TV just recently and as a big Star Wars fan I said: "Let's give it another try, maybe I hyped it too much the first time. Maybe my expectations were too high..."Nope. I was right. This [stinks] even more on second viewing. There won't be a third... As a screenwriter wannabe, I read that you have to make villains smart and heroes smarter. Also, villains get all the lucky breaks in the final conflict. Heroes don't get any and that's what make them heroes - winning without luck or referee's help. This makes you feel satisfied in the end. Having said that, in Phantom Menace the hero (Anakin) destroys the evil mothership by pure chance. Oh, wait! Maybe he got the lucky break in advance because he becomes evil Darth Vader later... Yeah, right! Look George, I know this is a movie for kids, a 2-hour toy commercial, a moneymaking machine for you so that ILM can develop complete virtual reality CGI movie that will need no actors, but still... There is no way you can atone for this lack of respect for the fans of your work. If you wanted to make money you just had to publish Episodes IV, V and VI on DVD. So there. And since hope springs eternal, I hope Episode II will be better (which won't be that hard, looking at this mess)...
Rating: 
Summary: Nowhere near the Original or the Sequels
Review: This prequel has more effects, a louder score, and the advantage of pre-release hype. That is all that it has going for it. The only character worth developing was Darth Maul whose limited screen time made me pine for more. The young and future Darth Vader was totally bland, not helped by the limited skills of the actor portraying him. Also, I can't get worked up over battle scenes wherein everything on the screen was computer-generated. Give me a guy in a rubber suit anyday.
Rating: 
Summary: A welcome addition to a legendary series
Review: This prequel to the Star Wars series is a welcome addition to the hexology. The story is entertaining and fills us in on the early times of characters we know such as Obi-Wan Kanobi and Anakin Skywalker as well as R2D2 and C3PO. This derivative work is crafted like a jigsaw puzzle where we already know what the picture looks like in the later episodes, but we don't have the details on how the pieces all came together. Even if you are the only cave dweller on the planet who hasn't seen any of the Star Wars episodes previously, you won't be disappointed by this film. It stands on its own as a solid sci-fi action adventure entry. Critical to the success of any Star Wars film are the special effects, and in this regard 16 years of technology has moved the art form to new heights. The animation of Jar Jar Binks, the droid army and the panoramic city scenes with the hustle bustle of the futuristic cities was mind boggling. The pod race was a dizzying rocket ride. In every regard, the effects were an improvement over previous generations. Liam Neeson was a bit too stoic in the role of Qui-Gon Jinn, but his performance in the action sequences involving the light saber were excellent. Neeson has the intensity to play the character more expressively, so I have to wonder if he was being directed to be more phlegmatic by George Lucas. Ewan McGregor was excellent as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi, but I found Natalie Portman to be wimpy and flaccid as Queen Amidala. Carrie Fisher she ain't. Jake Lloyd was a treat as the young Anakin. He has a lot of spunk and it will be interesting to see if he can convert that potential from child phenom to solid actor. I'm sure I could pick out little things I wish were different, but this is fantasy entertainment at its finest, so other than a few weak acting performances I have to give this film a 9/10 just for sheer enjoyment and marvelous special effects.
Rating:
Summary: Insomnia Cure
Review: This ranks alongside "Not of this Earth" and "Hercules" starring Ferrigno as one of the WORST wastes of celluloid on the planet.No character development,STUPID comic relief,and 99% CGI.Basically-it's a Star Wars screensaver for your tv.I've tried 15 times to watch this disaster-and with a gallon of coffee and 5 liters of Mountain Dew-can't stay awake.
Keep in mind,I saw the original trilogy over 100 times and adore it-this...was a toy commercial.
Quoting Randall from animated 'Clerks'-"Get Lucas out of my sight!"
Rating:
Summary: People use some commone sense, Please!
Review: This review is not so much a review of the movie, but more a review of the people who have pulled this movie apart. Let's start off with my favorite pet peeve, that young Anakin Skywalker does not permeate with the evil of the future Darth Vader. Do you think that at 6 or 8 years old that young Adolf Hitler gave any kind of signs as to what he would become? Anakin is just a boy, he is not evil just waiting to get bigger or older. True he turns evil, but as Obi-wan said in the original Star Wars that Vader was once a Jedi Knight who turned to the dark side. Pet peeve #2; Too many loose ends in the movie. What ends were loose? Don't they continue in the next two prequels? Didn't they have "loose ends" in Star Wars? and Empire? Pet Peeve #3; I couldn't follow the plot. Give me a break! Senator Palpatine used the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo in order to get Queen Amidala to suggest a "Vote of No Confidence" in Supreme Chancelor Velorum. Why? To gain that position himself in order to further his goals of total control over the universe. Naboo, Queen Amidala, Darth Maul, and the Trade Federation were all pawns in Senator Palpatine's overall plan. Pet Peeve #4; I hated Jar-Jar Binks. I liked him! He added a comical part to the movie and showed that everyone despite thier appearance or race can contribute greatly to society or in this case the galaxy. I will conceed that I would have like to have seen more of Darth Maul and less of Jar-Jar. Finally I think the coolest part of the whole movie is when Qui-Gon Jin punches through the blast doors with his lightsaber and starts cutting through it. WOW! Second coolest was the lightsaber duel at the end. Keep up the great work Mr. Lucas, however consider this. Make the three sequels to Star Wars now while all of the original cast is still alive. Those three films would be #1, #2 and #3 for a long, long time.
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.
Rating:
Summary: A DYNAMITE SHOW
Review: THIS SHOW HAS ALL THE EXCITEMENT, DRAMA, ADVENTURE, MAGICAL SETS, AND INTRIGUE THAT GEORGE LUCAS MEANT FOR IT TO BE. WILL BE A GREAT ADDITION TO ANYONES STAR WARS COLLECTION. IF THEY HAVE THE GOOD SENSE ANY WAYS TO BUY THIS MOVIE. IT IS ONE THAT YOU CAN WATCH AGAIN AND AGAIN. IT IS AMAZING TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE STILL GREAT CLASSIC MOVIES OUT THERE BESIDES THE DISNEY GENRE. KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT VISUAL QUALITY GEORGE LUCAS YOU LITTLE CREATIVE DEVIL YOU!
Rating:
Summary: BEST ONE YET
Review: This space fighting, saving Nabbo from the evil darkside of the force film is the best star wars yet. Dont get me wrong the other three where fantastic considering episode four was made in 1977 ten years before i was born. Lucas is one of the greatest directors of all time, to come up with the story of living and fighting in space is a fantastic thing to be able to do let alone making it into the best space film ever made along with the other two follow ups after that. And now to have come up again with another fantastic idea of going back to the days when the evil Darth Vader was a sweet little innocent slave boy Anakin Skywalker hoping to one day become a Jedi knight. There are apparently going to be two more follow ups to the story, where Anakin gets involved with the darkside of the force and ends up being Darth Vader. Episode one - The Phantom Menace is a great start to the classic Star Wars films, with Obi Wan Kanobi still training to become a Jedi master by his master Qui Gon Jinn (played by Liam Neeson). Again trying to save a planet (Naboo) from the evil darkside of the force and picking up little undiscovered Darth Vader who then is Anakin Skywalker wanting to become a Jedi.
Rating:
Summary: Naboo Palace Under Attack!
Review: This video was very skillfully done and very computer oriented. Even if you don't like sci-fi, this Star Wars movie blows away the world of animatronics as we know it. The senery is georgous and the battles thrilling. I loved this movie and I'm sure that everyone else will, too.
Rating:
Summary: It's just the beginning
Review: This was a fantastic prelude to the epic trilogy. Viewers must understand however, that with everything that happened and all the plot twists that occured in Episodes 4-6, it was probably very difficult for George Lucas to pack in all the plot development that was necessary for this prequel and still have some juice left over for character development (Many fans of the Holy Trilogy had high expectations of this film, too high. They expected everything that the previous films were and then some. The latter three episodes were jam-packed full of character development and the plot just followed the characters -- Lucas was able to do this easily because back then there were no expectations. Which is why they were such a hit, because people really LOVED the good guys (Rebel Alliance) and HATED the bad guys (Empire)). The result was that the only characters that had any sort of development were Queen Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, and this only to foreshadow their romance that is sure to come in Episode II. Yeah he's only 10, but I mean come on, it's Natalie Portman (great casting Mr. Lucas!). Besides, how do you think he fathers Luke? So to wrap things up, this is a fanastic movie. However, as I was told standing in line opening Wednesday, "You have to watch it with absolutely no expecations, take it for what it is, and wait for Episode II."
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