Rating: 
Summary: Great special effects, but poor acting
Review: I recently received my copy of the Phantom Menace DVD and am quite pleased with it. I must say that the sound quality of the DVD is really quite amazing. The sound and picture quality and special effects alone are worth the price of the DVD.Despite the strengths of the special effects, I must say that the script and the acting are extremely weak at times during the movie. For example, little 5-year-old Anakin Skywalker hits on the Princess at many times during the movie. Those scenes are extremely unrealistic. I just find it really hard to believe that little brat would flirt that much with the adult princess. Also, Anakin Skywalker simply cannot act. That boy basically reads his lines without much emotion. I think that the little kid from the 6th Sense would have played a much better Anakin Skywalker. What genius decided that it would be a good idea to have JarJar Binks in almost every scene? I do understand that JarJar is supposed to provide comic relief. However, JarJar is not funny at all - he's just really annoying. And what's the deal with the Jedi blood test? Why could they do this at the time of the first episode, but not at any time during episodes 4-6? Was the technology simply lost? It doesn't make any sense to me. However, despite the script and acting weaknesses, the film is still much better than most of the movies churned out by Hollywood today.
Rating: 
Summary: Deleted scenes worth the wait
Review: The deleted scenes were great. I think the fact that the sound is THX more than makes up for the fact that the disc is not DTS. I think Lucas will not do a DTS version. As for the commentary by the director. This is worth it's weight in gold to see the true ideas behind the Menace. The making of the movie featurette was awesome. I think if you bought this movie soley on the merits of just the movie, you should just keep the VHS version. DVD is a spectacular way to deliver not just the movie, but also the thought process behind it. I was extremely pleased with this. I think anyone who really takes the time to rip it apart because it was not the movie you wanted to see when it was first released in theatres, will be more than pleased when ATOC is released next spring.
Rating:
Summary: My New Reference
Review: I have been reading reviews since this movie came out in theaters and it seems to me that most people who did not like the movie simply did not understand it. The whole movie really was about Palpatine and his rise to power. It is pretty much a political movie wrapped up in allot of eye candy. It is about Palpatines manipulations to rise to power and the re-emergence of the Sith. All the other stuff is allot of window dressing and just plain fun. Remember Star Wars is about sites and sounds new places exciting visuals. Enough of my rambling though and on to the DVD this has got to be my new reference title for DVD. I have heard actually quite a few complaints about how there is no DTS version of this movie, nor will there ever be. George Lucas decided that Dolby Digital when done correctly could be every bit as good as DTS. So he settled on Dolby Digital and decided not to take up valuable space on the disc with a second surround format. The sould is absolutely incredible it is crystal clear and I've compared it to some of my best DTS discs and it is in every way as good if not better. The whole mix is immersive and seems to just pull you into another world if only for a little while, and the video is absolutely crystal clear without a hint of graininess or distortion this is the way the movie was meant to sound I think it actually sounds even better than it did in the theater. And of course the extras are worth the price of the disc alone with all the optimization features and such would cost you 20.00 alone just for those features. I have found my new reference disc and it is going to take a long time for anyone to top this disc I think that we have seen the new standard for DVD releases.
Rating:
Summary: Why DVD Was Invented
Review: Say what you want about "The Phantom Menace," but one cannot deny that the new DVD version is absolutely the best DVD package produced so far in the relatively short history of the medium. Lucas kept telling us he wanted to wait to do this on DVD until he could get it right, and he did. What's so great about this DVD -- aside from the very good picture transfer and the perfect soundtrack -- is that it truly shows what it takes to make a movie of this magnitude from every stage and facet of production. There are 20 documentaries here -- yes, 20 -- capped off by an hour-long, narration-free video diary of the production that tells everything you need to know about why "TPM" turned out the way it did. So why did "TPM" turn out the way it did? Well, it's simple: George Lucas expected too much from too many people in too short of a time. Luckily for him, many of those people delivered -- John Knoll and ILM, Ben Burtt on the sound design, and John Williams in particular. But George overlooked one thing, and that was simply the performances. The shoot was done in 13 weeks, and, as the docs show, he often only took 2 takes. This is with actors on stages covered floor-to-ceiling with blue screens, acting against sticks with ping pong balls on them for animator reference. George simply rushed the shooting of this film so that the techies could have more time to make it look and sound as jaw-dropping as it does. And maybe that's okay. At heart, "TPM" is, after all, just a space opera, a movie that's supposed to make you ooh and ahh. And it does that. The visual effects are the best anyone's ever seen, sometimes purely because of how many of them there are. Damn near every shot in the film contains an effect of some kind, and the result is a picture so rich with visual detail that it really is quite impossible to take it all in. Of course, the picture does have more than its share of flaws. Jake Lloyd. Jar Jar Binks (in performance only; the visual creation of Jar Jar amounts to a near-miracle). Natalie Portman's very lop-sided performance. So much going on that we get confused. Some directing mishaps. But none of that really matters. What matters is that George Lucas simply proved with "TPM" that there are no more barriers in the visual effects world, nothing that cannot be done. As a technical achievement, "TPM" must rate among the greatest in the history of film; as drama, it must rate very low. Thanks to this DVD, I understand why this is the case. And I thank them for putting it together. This is the definitive DVD, a veritable film school in a box.
Rating:
Summary: Good enough
Review: This movie ain't as good as the ESB or ROTJ, but in my blasphemous opinion, its better than A new hope. Simply because the original star wars special effects were so horrible that it was funny. In my book, special effects come before story in star wars movies, and the special effects in A new hope look like they cost 1.50 plus some stolen cardboard. At least by ESB and ROTJ, the special effects were believable.
Back to phantom menace, the story was average and all the other usual complaints, but the most important thing was that I was entertained. Even if you hate it, you will still buy this DVD, because George Lucas owns us all.
Rating: 
Summary: No attempt at creating a believable world
Review: The first three Star Wars movies created a believable fictional universe, then filled it with complex, likable characters and a strong plot.
This movie, supposedly based in the same fictional world, has fat CGI creatures that fly around on tiny wings, floppy, stretchy creatures with undersized joints and oversized appendages, and spacecraft that look as if you'd break a piece off if you bumped into them in a docking bay. It's also got a little kid who can fly a space fighter better than the adult masters of the original movies. AND he's got a magical luck surrounding him which deflects all harm and makes his enemies clumsy. Don't forget the battle fought with ridiculous blue globs of goo.
The special effects, with the exception of the blue globs, were on par with other modern sci-fi movies. The plot was dismal. Characters often did not make believable choices, and events bounced between confusing and illogical.
Of course, Jar Jar topped it all off. He projected no screen presence, and couldn't "act" worth a damn. CGI is no excuse -- I've seen plenty of "real" animated characters. And, of course, he is SO irritating I find myself grinding my teeth. Unfortunately, he got a lot of screen time, often upstaging the far more enjoyable actors. I give it two stars because although the movie was awful, the DVD did contain plenty of features.
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: The Bottom Line
Review: The bottom line here is that you should buy this DVD. First, the 2nd DVD is filled with excellent special features that exceed almost every DVD I own. It is clear much care was given to put high quality featurettes in, not just to cram space-filling junk. More importantly, however, is the movie itself (of course). We don't buy DVDs just to watch special features. The acting in this movie is generally good, especially Nathalie Portman as the Queen. Liam Neeson and the Macgregor guy are believable. We don't seem to get quite as close to the characters as we did in the other 3 movies, however. Jake Lloyd is actually quite annoying, and I found the relationship between he and the Queen to be a little sickening (coming WAY too close to being budding love- geez, it's like a 21 yo with a 5 yo!!!!). They probably had to set the stage for Anakin to produce Luke and Leia with someone, but they COULD have made the age difference a little better. Jar Jar wasn't exactly a success, but I also don't think he was the miserable failure Star Wars fans think he was.
Samuel Jackson gave what I thought was a laughingly poor performance as a wise Jedi. Most of his movements and words seemed manufactured. E.T. makes a cameo in the Senate. The plot does tend to be abrupt in places, and we're never told exactly why Naboo is so important to trade in the Republic. Palpatine's ascension to Supreme Chancellor was completely unbelievable, and we're also never told why the former Chancellor, although a strong supporter of Naboo and apparently an independent thinker, was under such tight control of the bureaucrats. The Jedi battles were much better than the originals, but I'll never understand why they have to use swords in the first place. At several points in the battles, the Jedi simply wave their hand at the droids and kill them. Why would you choose to fight when you can wave your hand? Why did Obi-Wan have to stare through the red shields at the end? He could have cut his way through the SIDES, cutting AWAY the little rotating shield generators. He also could have used the Force through the room, ripping up the floor underneath Darth Maul or throwing objects his way. Oh well.
Rating:
Summary: full of sound and fury signifying nothing
Review: Well, let's face it...you go to see Star Wars movies for visual effects, right...Well this movie, and the DVD deliver those in spades, and like no one but Mr. Lucas, and the ILM wizards can. However...If you're like me and grew up on the original trilogy as a kid, you are in for a lesson that you missed due to the first three films being so ingrained into our culture. As movies...well...they're not that good...It took me about five minutes into this film to to realize that the script dialogue was terrible. Plus, In an attempt to please all of the people, he brings in idiotic characters like Jar-Jar. Enough has been said elsewhere about him, and I will give no further opinions lest I be though a racist. however, I bought the DVD, though I will seldom, if ever watch it. Mr. Lucas knows that there are many who will do the same. And the money goes in his pocket regardless. maybe he could have come up with a different story fo this new generation of kids, and let us keep ours.
Rating:
Summary: The Adventure Begins
Review: Many people are critical of this film, and for the non-Star Wars freak that maybe true. However, for those who are fans of the books and the movies, this film is terrific. Yes, I will admit that Jar Jar is annoying, but so was C3-PO when the original trilogy came out. The true charm to this film is the explaination it depicts of many unanswered questions that the films and books have created. From the actual incarnation of creatures and aliens that our minds eye has not been able to create to the explaination of how Jabba the Hutt gained his power. (and what a female Hutt looked like) This is what this trilogy is intended to do.
On top of that, Mr. Lucas and company did a fantastic job casting this film. Everyone from Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman did a fantastic job playing the noble characters of an age in which the chivalrous order of the Jedi were the elite of the galaxy. Young Anakin was portrayed fantastically...he was portrayed as a kid...exactly what he should be, and exactly what Luke was in Episode IV. Overall, this is a film about introducing characters and explaining an unknown universe to a populace that already knows the ending and Mr. Lucas and company did a fantastic job!
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