Rating: 
Summary: Starwars Universe in a DVD!!
Review: I've been patient and calm about the release of the Star Wars DVD and when I finally got it, the tension building up to it finally busted through and I now know why Lucas waited so long for this gem to come out.
First off, the actual movie has some extended scenes which fit perfectly with the book detail. Secondly, the deleted scenes, while few, are some of the best deleted scenes I've ever seen on a DVD. If your a fan of the book, you'll find that most of the added stuff is right out of the book. Such as an extended "Pod Racer" scene and little bits and pieces elsewhere in the movie. But it just blows me away to see all this new stuff added to an already huge movie. It was worth the wait as they say.
I've yet to see everything this DVD has to offer but the mere fact that I can state that makes me wish more DVD's could add up to this awesome release. But in the end all I can say is that this could be the best DVD release yet. Star Wars fans (such as myself) bring a towl to the TV, you'll need it to wipe the drool from your watering mouth after you see this movie.
Rating:
Summary: UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT
Review: I have heard a lot of comments about the succes or failure of this film adn all i want to say is that you people have to understand the context in which this movie is concieved. The central caracter it's an eight year old boy, and it's in deed a movie made for children of another generation, that woul be the star wars fans of tomorrow. It's very clear to me that Lucas want's to hook a new generation between five and ten years old tha probably don't know anythig about the previous movies. The ponit is. When yo have a little boy as the central caracter of a movie, you have to translate the film in orther to inspire kids, at least that you were expecting some boy like Damian Thorn in the Omen to performe the future Darth Vader.
Rating:
Summary: DVD #1
Review: Possible one of the greatest movies to come out in the past five years. This DVD does it all, it takes DVD's to new limits and you definetly get what you pay for and more. Buy it, buy it now. If you don't like JAR JAR just speed through, but get this.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great DVD but what about the picture?
Review: I've read other reviews, and people are saying they're impressed with these discs, which makes me wonder if it's just me...I've looked at the movie and the special feaures disc, and I'm convinced my movie disc doesn't play as well as the same shots on the demo disc. The colours are weaker and the whole image is often fuzzy or lacking in contrast. Obviously the problems are of a minor order, but I've got a good quality player and TV and this is not normally a problem. (This is a Region 2 disc I'm talking about - but they're usually even a bit better than R1 discs.) Has anyone else noticed a less-than-perfect transfer? I expected something in the order of "Gladiator" or "Charlie's Angels", both of which look much better on my system (please somebody tell me it's not just me). The fancy menus were nice to look at but tedious in operation, with too much waiting for your very ordinary request, and why shouldn't you be able to directly select audio channels? The commentary was obviously going to be very "corporation" with this such a new, important product. Not so much of the insider information, and lots of G. Lucas' monotonous voice, most of the time making you understand just how hard it was to make the plot work. He seems pathologically unable to say that he has ever changed his mind about the plot since 1977. Perhaps he does this unconsciously to keep intact a feeling of myth about the story. However I agree with another reviewer in finding the introduction of the "midi-chlorian" theory for gauging who was "strong with the force" to be very anti-mystical. I quite expect commentaries, like reviews, to be monotonous, so no surprise here. One should be grateful that these guys bother at all I suppose. The others on the team do fill in some technical details which are of interest. As far as the extra scenes are concerned, they all seemed good and the pod race now plays better than ever. One final niggle. Don't wait till the end of the movie credits or you'll have to switch off your player to stop the copyright notices playing. Do they really think this serves any purpose other than to perpetually annoy people? Zero out of each ten million consumers has read a single word of them, ever.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome DVD!
Review: Although the movie didn't quite live up to my expectations dialogue wise, the action and graphics were incredible. Jar-Jar was a bad idea, but George Lucas (the writer/director) wanted a...character to appeal to the children.
The DVD's extras are awesome! It has behind the scenes, deleted scenes, and extras galore.
I rate the movie 4 stars, and the DVD itself 5 stars which in essence rates it as 4.5 stars.
It's an awesome DVD. BUY IT NOW!
Rating: 
Summary: Short on audio Quality
Review: I am dismayed that the DVD release does not offer the DTS encoding. As what usually happens, they release the Dolby 5.1 and then later the DTS trying to sell you the same product twice. I have waited this long for the DVD. I guess I can wait a little longer for the DTS version. Bummer...
Rating:
Summary: Hahahaha
Review: I have figured out why all these people have been reviewing this movie bad. They didnt get it, i have read plenty of reviews now where they dont understand Senator Palpatons(sp?) role in the movie. Did you even watch Return of the Jedi? This movie was alot more of a politcal movie than it was spiritual and I am pretty sure that was done on purpose considering the material and the remaing story to be told. Cannot wait for AOTC!
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Summary: STOP!!!
Review: Okay guys, it's time to STOP bashing TPM!!! Needless to say (check the name), I'm a huge Star Wars fan. I watch, read, write and collect it. Out of all SW movies, TPM is the worst, hands down. But if you compare it to other movies that have come out in the past few years, come ON. Would you rather watch TPM or Charlie's Angels? I didn't LOVE TPM, but I don't hate it either. The acting ranges from sucky to great, the sfx are the best, the script could use some work and the fights can't be beat.
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Summary: Confusing but captivating
Review: For some reason, I received this DVD several days before the issue date, so when the weekend TV promotions for it claimed that it would set "the new standard for DVDs," I was qualified to nod my head in total agreement. In fact, nothing in my DVD collection matches the quality of this superb product. It is a great transfer in every respect, and the extras are mind boggling. Unlike most people who will buy this DVD, my viewing of it was also my first viewing of "Star Wars I - The Phantom Menace," because I never caught it when it was in the theaters. I had read and heard all the negative reports, though, countered by some enthusiasm from diehard Star Wars fans, so my expectations weren't very high as to the story. My expectations as regards the visuals were very high, though, because of trailers that I had downloaded from the Net, and this DVD did not disappoint me. I'm sure that seeing this movie on the big screen would be much better. It always is. But even on my 17" Sony computer monitor (set for anamorphic, full resolution) the visuals are lavish and astonishing. The pod race and the climactic battleground scene look so real ... well, they look real! Incredibly real! Even when paused and advanced a frame at a time, the pod race action looks like the real thing. In the real world, objects racing past a camera lens produce a blurred image that is more blurred the closer to the camera, less so as the distance increases. In order to be convincing, animation must do the same thing. The sorcerers at ILM have done this to perfection, combining real images and computer generated ones, matching surround sound to the action, and giving us so many simultaneous tracking movements our heads begin to spin, as though we are riding one of those wild, carreening "pods" through the jagged stone walls and screeching over the desert race course. But enough about "special effects" (I hate that phrase). What everyone seems to carp about most is the story...and the actors, especially the young actor chosen to play Anakin Skywalker. More about the story in a minute. Let's talk about the boy first. I admit to long being mystified as to why this particular youngster (Jake Lloyd) was chosen. In the previews I had seen, he seemed dull, uninspired, almost disinterested. Viewing the actual film, I was of much the same opinion at first, but he did start to grow on me. It was only later, on viewing the multitudinous "making of" documentaries on disk 2 (see especially "3000 Anakins"!), where his auditions can be compared to those of two other boys, that I began to realize that he had actually been an excellent choice. What, then, is the reason that his on-screen performance seems at times so lackluster? After viewing this film, I firmly believe that the true culprit was sloppy and careless directing, not this inexperienced nine year old boy. In many of the peeks we get into the actual filming sessions, there seems to be an attitude of "let the kid be himself," with apparently the first take often being accepted as good enough because he's satisfyingly "unpredictable." This not only seems to have been the case in the direction (or lack of it) of young Lloyd, but in many of the scenes that did not include him. Having seen the kid's audition, I believe he was probably capable of delivering a great Anakin, but he was rarely if ever challenged, coached, or directed to do so. Result -- mediocrity that is by no means the kid's fault. He was only nine, so the fault must lie with the adults, and it plainly does. Jake's performances are by no means the only wooden ones in this movie. Now to the story: I didn't fathom it, but this incredible flick is so entertaining in all its many other aspects, I really didn't care. In truth, I'm not a Star Wars fan. Never have been. So when that mob of oddly dressed wooden characters began babbling about Senators and treaties and Federations and other such mish-mosh, I gave up, relaxed, and just enjoyed the music and the backgrounds. A second and third viewing of SW-I will probably begin to clear things up for me -- but really, the action itself is so appealing, an actual story would seem almost an impediment to the enjoyment of this visual and sonic tour de force. If you're a Star Wars fan and know the basic story and all the characters, then you will pick up on that aspect of things a lot quicker than I did, and will enjoy this movie again and again, I'm sure. But, from my point of view, it is a tribute to George Lucas and all the immensely talented people who gave us this treasure, that a detailed story isn't really all that necessary. For the casual viewer, just having a rough idea of what's going on is enough. The pure visceral experience of SW-I is worth four stars alone, and that's what I give "The Phantom Menace." Technically, though, the DVD transfer is a solid 5 stars. In terms of bang for the bucks, it's off the scale!
Rating:
Summary: Lucas bashers need not apply
Review: I find it funny how many people bash this movie because it didn't live up to their childhood fantasies. As if Mr. Lucas had driven over to your house and run over your dog to spite you on purpose. Have any of you considered for a second that YOU have changed over the years and NOT the idea of what makes the Star Wars series such fun entertainment? Probably not. I also find it funny that all the Episode I and Lucas bashers are also the ones first in line to buy this DVD. Gee, you must not hate it THAT much then! It leads me to believe that these people need to bash on something, anything, to make themselves feel secure and important. And to bash on a simple piece of entertainment to feel this way is even more pathetic than normal. Face it, whether you hated it or not, deep down you enjoyed the movie, you are all Jar Jar lovers at heart...that's why this DVD is going to sell a bazzillion copies. BTW, the DVD is one of the best ever produced...if you've got the hardware to take advantage of it.
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