Rating: 
Summary: Not another cent from me Georgie boy!
Review: A Lousy film designed as the Ultimate toy and merchandising Commercial hence the bad Acting and woeful Script.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't question, enjoy...
Review: Was Episode One worth all the hype? Did it live up to expectations? Clearly my answer is YES, since you've noticed the above 4 stars. Much has, of course, been made about the lack of characterisation, bad acting, lack of plot, etc. But come on! This is Star Wars! And with the exeption of Jar Jar and Jake Loyd the main characters are fine (particularly Liam Neeson), if not exeptional. Why wonder about the logic of the Jedi residing on an environmentally tragic "city planet" (Coruscant) or bother yourself with pointing out the inept nature of the Republic when you can sit back and enjoy the fun? Because that's what Star Wars is - a combination of fantasy and sci-fi - meant for the kid in all of us that loves a good epic story. I will, however, consceed that a few things did seem a little off. The Trade Federation. The commentary during the pod race. The "Star Trekian" explanation of the nature of the force. And, of course, the affore mentioned Jar Jar Binks (ex-squeeze me? please.) But on the whole give George a break and admire his sterling effort in bringing back a 20 year old idea and making it feel authetic. The sounds, the effects, the music and the mood. Besides, the next one will be filmed "down under" so it's sure to be great.
Rating:
Summary: I need to vent.
Review: Hmmm. What to say about 'The Phantom Menace'? I waited how many years to see this "grand vision" of George Lucas?I will make this as short, sweet and painless as possible. Let's start out just by saying this has got to be THE biggest disappointment in film history. Mr. Lucas, claimed on 'Episode IV' that there was more to the story to bring us up to the 1978 masterpiece 'Star Wars' (and I'm not talking about the tainted Special Edition version either.). With the coming of 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace', this film has proved to me that there was no story of the sort. I feel that what was once a grandiose, intricately visioned perception of an outer-worldly saga is now all worth nothing. 'Phantom Menace' starts out with the traditional mammoth text run. The almost-holy yellow letters that grace the screen and flow upward into space accompanied by the magic theme that millions of people have grown to love. What could go wrong...right? This unfortunately proves to be the best part of the whole film. The damage could be seen within a few short moments. Before we know it, Ewan McGregor appears on screen as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and utters the now famous line, "I've got a bad feeling about this." Well let me tell you, as I sat in the theater in anticipation, $10 ticket-stub in hand, third row from the front, opening night, a tiny voice in my head whispered, "So do I, Obi-Wan...So do I." With acting bad enough to make you cry, a COMPLETE lack of plot and absolutely tasteless "looky-what-we-can-do" effects this piece of trash carries on and on getting worse by the minute forming a self-satire, if you will, a cartoon of the modern myth Lucas has created thus far. Goofy, English speaking aliens with ethnic accents and an immaculate-conception 'shocker!' idea for the birth of Anakin Skywalker are just two things that make this movie flat-out absurd. 'Episode I' quickly develops into a silly, mocking rendition of what the original three were. 'Phantom Menace' is like a 'Diet Star Wars'. A mini-version of the real 'Star Wars' dipped in undiluted liquid brainlessness, hung out to dry for an hour and sold in a shrink-wrapped container with a cardboard backing. A 'Star Wars' that I wish would just admit, "Just kidding! This isn't REALLY a full installment of the best science fiction series ever." The Players: Jake Lloyd trots his dry, barely television commercial-caliber talent as the young Anakin Skywalker. A new standard of awful is achieved with his two-dimensional portrayal of the young boy who eventually becomes the silver screens' most notorious villain. Sad. Liam Neeson is notably repulsive as Qui-Gon Jin, the Jedi mentor whose force mind-control attempts never quite work on anyone. (? ) It makes you wonder, "Ha, ha, ha! This isn't really part of the script, ...is it?" Ewan McGregor solely puts a worthy performance into his character, the young Obi-Wan Kenobi. Part of me feels sorry for McGregor though in this case, because from viewing his effort in this film shows that he has had hope for 'Phantom Menace' throughout production. But now seeing the first nightmarish results of this movie, he may understand now what the next two episodes will bring. Natalie Portman plays the poorly written part of Queen Amidala (or is it Padme now! I'm not quite sure!), Anakin's future love-interest, and future mother of twins Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. Um... yeah. R2D2 and the skinless C3PO make their inevitable appearance and we observe how they meet. Seeing the familiar duo again made this movie worth not walking out on. But their cameos made it clear that Lucas really had no clue where he wanted this movie to go and thought he would throw them in somewhere to give the audience some kind of closure with the story. The 30-some year younger Yoda is seen in all his high glory. Yoda seems awkwardly misdirected in his few scenes. What, I guess, develops into a highly intelligent and focused being...well...seems to start out here as a confused and bewildered (not to mention badly constructed) puppet. I dunno, you figure it out. The cheaply horned and "lets just throw some paint on his face" foe Darth Maul, played by a professional martial artist I-forget-his-name fights a lot. The fight scenes are cool... Yep... that's about it. And ahhhhhh who could forget 'Star Wars's' worst addition since the Jabba the Hutt/Han Solo scene in 'Star Wars: Special Edition', Jar-Jar Binks. What needs to be said about Jar-Jar that hasn't been said already? All I can say is I would rather have my fingernails ripped out one by one with pliers than experience Jar-Jar Binks again. What was George Lucas thinking! (Um... Did he just say ex-squeeze me?) --'Episode I' ultimately collapses into a pile of mindless drivel, insulting the 'Star Wars' name and losing at least my personal faith in hoping for a redemption in future episodes. With its expensive Saturday morning cartoon-like effects, the movie fails to be crutched by anything to aid it from self-destruction. From the yawnable pod race scene to the paper-mache robot army, this movie has got TERRIBLE written all over it. George Lucas, the man who brought us 'THX-1138', 'American Graffiti' and the flawless 'Star Wars' Trilogy has plopped one of the worst movies ever made into our laps after 16 years in the waiting. I would say that 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' is just like any other Hollywood piece of junk being cranked out nowadays, but I can't, simply because of the huge runway of potential it had to run on. What had the best possibility of being the greatest and most loved science fiction film, resulted in the worst possible execution. For big fans, the dawning of 'Episode I' is truly that of mourning. I don't think I will be buying anymore action figures.
Rating: 
Summary: STAR WARS IS BACK!
Review: Star Wars Episode I-The Phantom Menace is an incredible expericence. It nearly lives up to its overwhelming hype although many, many so called Star Wars fans like to carp on this entry (I call them naysayers, not Star Wars fans) for its underwhelming character development, overemphasis on the FX and of course Jar Jar Binks, but these people don't realize that this film, much like the orginal trilogy upon its intital release, also recieved harsh criticism and much lambastation. Wake up, this IS Star Wars people, and its got all the magic, action and humor to prove it!Episode I was savagely attacked by the 'hip' crowd of film goers and critics whom love to regard the original trilogy as classics, but now prefer to flock to The Matrix simply because its the new 'in' movie to like. Some parts of Episode I do feel like formula, but it's because that Star Wars does have a formula, it's been ripped off countless times in the past sixteen years so of course, by this time things may seem a little stale. Everything from Battlestar Galactica, later Star Trek films and Independence Day have stolen from Star Wars. Director Lucas knows how to keep things moving, and from an excellent opening action scene, to a hair raising pod race, to a climactic lightsaber duel that puts EVERYTHING in the Matrix to shame, this film is a wonderfully crafted, masterpiece and a surefire future classic!Liam Neeson heads a great cast as the noble Qui-Gon Jinn, a jedi master, very calm and focused, Qui-Gon doesn't let an emotion get the better of him in battle, and Neeson pulls this off wonderfully, idiots confuse the stern and quiet character of Qui-Gon with bad acting on Neeson's part, this is absurd. Neeson plays the part perfectly, as does Ewan McGregor as a young Obi-Wan. Although having little to do in this film, McGregor's Kenobi is a brash and mindful teacher under Qui-Gon and we sense that he will follow his master's footsteps when it comes time to defy the jedi council. Natalie Portman's Queen Amidala is also a fully fleshed out character, although she does not break down and weep, the Queen is a very strong, albeit easily manipulated character. Her concern for her people superceed all else as she risks everything to save her kingdom. Jake Lloyd's Anakin is the perfect start for Lucas' three part opera concerning his fall from grace. As we meet him here, a little slave child, he is generous and kind, longng for adventure and excitement, he is as ambitious as young Luke was the first time we met him. Knowing him from childhood will make his fall even more dramatic.Episode I was a great film, one of emotion and adventure, one that has and will continue to delight fans and general movie goers for a long time to come, and with repeated viewings, is revelaed to be another great addition to the screen's greatest epic series.
Rating: 
Summary: STAR WARS-THE PHANTOM MENACE
Review: As a long time STARWARS fan I expected more than what George Lucas came up with. The acting and dialoge was bad, but all of the millions that were spent on the special effects were great. I think we all could have done without JAR JAR BINKS; simply annoying. The truth, George left alot of holes in the story. For example, does R2D2 remember Anikan as one of his masters when he meets Luke? Over all, it's a STARWARS movie with not enough space action.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Star Wars Material
Review: This movie is good but it does not live up to the Star Wars standard. I believe Lucas has become too interested in money instead of quality. It is an entertaining movie, but should have the Star Wars title on it
Rating:
Summary: Wow! That's all I can say.
Review: I think this is one of the best Star Wars movies; much better than the first (ANH) and the third (ROJ) ones. It is debatable if it is better than the Empire Strike Back (ESB). I think that ESB has the best beginning while the Phantom Menace (TPM) has the best ending. What an incredible lightsable battle at the end! Darth Maul rocks! It is worth buying this movie just for the ending and pod racing. I read some bad reviews written by some people who didn't seem to understand the movie. If you like the first three Star Wars movies, you will like this movie no matter what. The movie has a great story (unlike others have suggested); everything will make sense if you see the classic trilogy first. Then, you will notice that every dialogue and action has deeper meanings than it appears to have. Enjoy the movie; you will like it. If you have a little more money, get the collector's edition. Although it doesn't have much extra, except 15-minute behind-the-scene footage, you may want to see the movie in the widescreen format. The movie looks whole lot better in that way. May the force be with you.
Rating:
Summary: THE PLOT IS THE PHANTOM-THE MOVIE IS THE MENACE
Review: LEAVE IT TO A NEW YORKER TO TELL IT LIKE IT IS. TOMDAN34 WAS DEAD ON. EPISODE ONE IS THE STORY OF MONEY AND THE ART TO MAKE IT ANYWAY YOU CAN. "LET'S MAKE SURE WE CHARGE THOSE PEOPLE WHO WANT THE WIDESCREEN VERSION TWICE AS MUCH. WHY? BECAUSE WE GOT IT THAT WAY!" IT'S CALLED THE LUCAS LIMBO-HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? HE HAD SIXTEEN YEARS TO INCUBATE THIS TRILOGY. HE FAILED! IN RETROSPECT THE ONLY REDEEMABLE FILM IN THIS WHOLE THING IS THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. EVEN THE LUCAS DIRECTED ORIGINAL IS ALMOST TO SHALLOW TO WATCH. THE MAN SHOULD PASS THE TORCH TO SOMONE LIKE DAVID FINCHER FOR THE NEXT ONE, BUT IT'S PROBABLY TOO LATE AND SOMEONE AS TALENTED AS FINCHER PROBABLY DOESN'T WANT TO GET ANY OF THAT ON HIM. THIS DVD EXCUSE IS THE CAKE TAKER. THEY SAY THEY'RE "TOO BUSY" TOO PUT ALL THOSE MOVIES ON DVD. THAT TRANSLATES TO "HOW CAN WE MAXIMIZE OUR PROFITS. I'M JUST GLAD ALL THOSE OSCARS WENT TO THE MATRIX. NOT EVEN SPECIAL EFFECTS CAN'T SAVE LUCAS'S CONTRIVED STORIES ANYMORE.
Rating:
Summary: Is it the best "Star Wars"? Not by a longshot.
Review: George Lucas' attempt at a comeback for directing is a rough one. The movie has its bad points, but it has some redeeming qualities that save it from being terrible. The script is pretty slow and lunky, with lots of dialouge about things the audience didn't really care about. Whether Anakin was concieved by the midi-chlorians isn't important to us. We want the things Star Wars was famous for. Naturally, the FX are great...for 1999. After seeing "The Matrix," it doesn't look as good. Huh. The actors are basically reduced to playing action figures. Liam Neeson brings in a good performance, as does Ewan McGregor, but Natalie Portman and Jake Lloyd seemed a bit stiff. Pernilla August somehow gave the best showing of them all. She was truly wonderful. Now for the good stuff. First of all, John Williams proves once again why he is a genius. His score for Episode I was the best work he has ever done. (When I first heard 'Duel of the Fates' I was in shock for 15 minutes.) Buy the soundtrack. The music may have been the best part of the movie. Also, Lucas brings us back to the good old good-vs-evil battle we're accustomed to in the first trilogy. The ending battle sequence is spectacular. Forget all this Jedi and Sith stuff; the battle is spectacular. The lightsaber battle between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul is great. The other two battles, I felt, just got in the way. While watching the space battle or land battle, I felt myself yearning for the sword combat. With the aforementioned musical score in the background, this is the scene that is truly worthy of the name "Star Wars." So is it a good movie? Yes. A masterpiece? No. Is it the best movie of all time? Not by a longshot. Is it the best of the four movies? No. But should you buy it? I know all you Star Wars freaks will buy it anyway, but be warned: this is not a movie for everyone. If you want classic Star Wars, go with "Return of the Jedi." If you want a movie that will surely be a collector's item in the future, buy it. But if you're just looking for a good time on a lonely Saturday, consider renting it first. Then see what you think. Oh, and watch out for Jar-Jar.
Rating:
Summary: Come on...admit it...you thought it was pretty cool.
Review: So I guess it's the "cool" thing to trash this movie. Yeah, we know that "The Matrix" had better effects...it was also a completely different type of film. Yeah, we know that the acting and dialogue to Episode I was subpar...have you ever seen the original Star Wars movies? They're not exactly the best acted and written movies on the planet. Here's what I want to see in a Star Wars movie... 1) Cool visual effects...Ep I has them 2) Cool spaceships...Ep I has them 3) Strange worlds with weird new creatures...Ep I has them 4) Awesome light saber duels...Ep I has them 5) Big explosions...Ep I has them 6) Good guys vs bad guys...Ep I has them 7) Awesome sound fx...Ep I has them 8) John Williams' exciting score...Ep I has it Am I looking for "Citizen Kane"? Nope. Am I looking for a film that explains the mysteries of the universe? Nope. Am I looking for Academy-Award winning acting? Nope. I'm looking to be taken away to a place I've never been before. I'm looking to be shown where this amazing world I fell in love with back in 1977, 1980, and 1983 came from...where it started. I'm looking to have some fun and have my jaw drop at what I'm seeing and hearing. I got my money's worth. I think there are way too many people who feel they have to bash this movie in order to get revenge on all the hype, which I admit was way out of hand. They call it a flop. Yeah, $500 million in box office receipts. What a disaster. What a disappointment. Please! It's OK, ya know, you can admit that you liked it. You won't go to hell. You won't be struck down by lightning. If you call yourself a Star Wars fan, and you *didn't* think to yourself how cool the ending light saber duels were, or how awesome the pod race was, then you really aren't as big of a fan as you think. It's Star Wars. It's good. And you know you'll be standing in line when Episode II comes out in a few years. Shut up!
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