Rating: 
Summary: Returning to a Galaxy Far Far Away.
Review: After 16 years(JEDI 1983), There was finally a new chapter to the Star Wars saga, and again, John Williams was on hand to provide the movie's voice.
Now Personally, I happened to like, no love, this movie and the movie's great soundtrack. I was especially anxious to obtain this complete version, as the Qui-Gon theme, the duel in the desert, and some other various cues were not on the original 70plus minute release.
I was not dissapointed. This is, in my opinion, the best Star Wars CD just behind EMPIRE. Granted there are some slow moments on both of the discs in the set, mainly the bulk of the Tattooine sequence and the Coruscant sequence, but the bulk of the CD is exciting, original, and epic in scope and feel.
My only complaint is the annoying "Mos Espa Street Singer" track, and it would have been nice to have the non-dialogue version of "Duel of the Fates" on the end.
If the music for Episode III is just as ambitious as this, I will be elated.
Rating:
Summary: A score worth getting at all costs
Review: After much anticipation, the full score to The Phantom Menace is finally here. With a colored multipage booklet and 2 CDs totaling to well over 2 hours of music, this is every single note that John Williams composed for the film and more. Any Star Wars or John Williams fan must get this and spend the extra money because it is definitely worth it. One bad thing is that there are entirely too many cues present instead of putting them together into one. All of the cues basically run into each other without any space in between, so why not make them one cue? This is the opposite of what I say about Hans Zimmer scores being too few cues or Basil Poledouris' Les Miserables. As for the music, it is everything a Star Wars score should be with big bold sounds and lots of adventure. The London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus delivers one of the best performances I have ever heard come from them, playing very difficult and demanding music with ease. The Star Wars theme is present, as well as some new ones. One is "Duel of the Fates", a dynamic piece built around a 5 note motif with repeated 9 note rhythms and an enormous choir chanting in Sanskrit. The theme for Anakin is good with plenty of strings, woodwinds, and a harp giving it a child like sound. The final 4 notes of the theme are the final 4 notes of the Imperial March, showing what character he is destined to become. Jar-Jar Binks' theme is a playful woodwind melody for the annoying character in the film. The action sequences are some of the best I have ever heard, with tons and tons of brass and driving percussion with the themes weaving in and out. The pod race sequence music is awesome and reminds me of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The underwater swim scene music is magical with other worldly sounds to it. I could go on all day about how good this score is. The original release is good as well, but to experience the full force of the music, by all means get this one. It is definitely worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Williams' Score For Phantom Menace Is Grand!
Review: Although the 1999 single disc CD recording of music from The Phantom Menace was fairly adequate, for listeners spoiled by the Special Edition soundtracks it was a disappointment. Yes, the music is good, but there is a certain wrongness to the album's arrangements...like its 1977 predecesor, the 1999 edition takes cues from different scenes and "cuts-and-pastes" them to make nice yet inaccurate arrangements. For instance, Track 1 on the single CD version is called Star Wars (Main Theme) AND The Arrival at Tatooine. The so-called "Arrival at Tatooine" is really heard when the Queen's starship lands on the Coruscant landing platform. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your level of cynicism regarding Star Wars and merchandising practices), Sony Classical released Star Wars Episode I: The Ultimate Edition. Beautifully presented in two CDs, this recording is the definitive Phantom Menace. From the Alfred Newman 20th Century Fox Fanfare to the End Credits, every note John Williams composed for the first prequel film is there. The two discs present the music in sequence, with each cue in its proper place in the movie. As always, the London Symphony Orchestra (joined by the London Voices and The New London Children's Choir) plays Williams' score with its usual top-notch level of performance. And Williams once again manages to prove the malleability of the Star Wars scores. For here there are none of the familiar themes for Princess Leia or Han Solo, and Darth Vader's Theme (which made the scores for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi so memorable) is only hinted at. Williams, however, still has the themes for the Force, Darth Sidious/Palpatine, and Yoda to play with; these he melds with new themes for Qui-Gon, Jar Jar Binks, and Anakin Skywalker. Of the new themes, two are significant. The first, of course, is Anakin's Theme. It reflects the innocence and goodness of the slave-turned-into-hero, but it has hints of the Imperial March, too, particularly at the coda of the End Credits (where this theme is heard in its entirety). The other new theme worth noting is the now-famous Duel of the Fates, Episode I's equivalent of the Imperial March. Because this 2-CD set has a total playing time of two hours, some casual listeners may want to stick to the 1999 version instead. Serious Williams collectors will probably enjoy this album more. I do have one quibble: the packaging is nice and the booklet with stills from Episode I is okay....but no liner notes?
Rating: 
Summary: Great music, few complaints
Review: As with all of the "Star Wars" soundtracks, this score is excellent. And in the case of "The Phantom Menace", at least for me, more enjoyable to listen to than watching the actual movie it's from. In any case, I would've liked to see the version of "Duel of the Fates" from the other soundtrack on this album as well. Since this is one of the best pieces, it'd be nice to have it on here in a form which isn't broken up the way it is in the movie. Also, I can't quite figure out why it was decided to differ the way the music was put onto this compilation from the deluxe soundtracks for the first 3 movies. Not that I particularly mind it being arranged exactly as it was in the movie, however I found the organization on the previous deluxe soundtracks somewhat more efficient. Other than that, the only other thing I'd really want on it is the THX sound effect. It has the 20th Century Fox fanfare, why not the THX as well?
Rating:
Summary: Great music, few complaints
Review: As with all of the "Star Wars" soundtracks, this score is excellent. And in the case of "The Phantom Menace", at least for me, more enjoyable to listen to than watching the actual movie it's from. In any case, I would've liked to see the version of "Duel of the Fates" from the other soundtrack on this album as well. Since this is one of the best pieces, it'd be nice to have it on here in a form which isn't broken up the way it is in the movie. Also, I can't quite figure out why it was decided to differ the way the music was put onto this compilation from the deluxe soundtracks for the first 3 movies. Not that I particularly mind it being arranged exactly as it was in the movie, however I found the organization on the previous deluxe soundtracks somewhat more efficient. Other than that, the only other thing I'd really want on it is the THX sound effect. It has the 20th Century Fox fanfare, why not the THX as well?
Rating:
Summary: May The Fates Be With You...
Review: Composer John Williams and the Star Wars films go hand in hand. I can't imagine the saga going on without him. Therefore, I like so many others, was thrilled when Sony announced it would reissue the score to The Phantom Menace as a 2 CD set. The first release of TPM score, while very good, seemed to be just a mish-mash of poorly sequenced music, thanks to poor editorial decisions. I guess I had gotten spoiled after the '97 special edition CDs of the music from the first trilogy and wanted Phantom Menace to follow the same path. The score itself, is one of the few things about the film, that worked. Williams used a few themes from the first trilogy and by doing so, he made the audience accept the fact that, though we wouldn't see Luke, Leia or Solo in the prequels--this was still Star Wars. Aside from "The Main Title March" and the "Force Theme", one of my favorite themes from Jedi returns, this time as the motif for Lord Sidious, who will of course become Emporor Palpatine in the future. "Yoda's Theme" also makes a return, as do several other hints at stuff we have heard before, particularly during the scenes that take place on the planet Tatooine. But by far the best music from the film, is "Anakin's Theme", which is basically a kinder, gentler version of what will become the "Imperial March" At first you don't realize it, but then it all comes together. And of course "Duel Of The Fates", which embodies both good and evil with a powerfull choral chant that blew me away. As for the set, I think, while the music shines, I can't say that this edition is a five star effort...The most glaring omission as far as I'm concerned, is the concert version of "Duel Of The Fates". The dialogue version is cool and all, but it doesn't quite have the staying power of the other version of the track, available on the initial CD soundtrack. I don't see why both versions could not find their way on to this release. After all, this is the ultimate edition, right? I also agree with many others who have complained about the packaging. It's all style over substance. I was expecting in depth liner notes about the score and comments by Williams and or Lucas, instead all we are given are photos a second track listing spread over too many pages. John Williams may still rule over "...A Galaxy Far, Far Away" but the folks at Sony sure don't The first CD has 35 tracks and runs for 57 minutes, 27 seconds, while the second CD has 33 tracks and a 67 minutes, 4 seconds. Aside from the bonus track of Duel Of The Fates, the music is presented in chronological film order
Rating:
Summary: This is a masterpiece!!!
Review: I have watched STAR WARS: EPISODE I -- THE PHANTOM MENACE many a time over the last few years, and if there's one thing that's struck me, it's that its music -- composed by the already-legendary John Williams -- keeps getting better each time. I'm not a big listener of classical music, but the STAR WARS music is in a league of its own. I think half the success of the movie (and the entire saga, for that matter) can be attributed to the score; the music speaks its own language, it has a life and heart of its own . . . yes, it's a character of its own, almost, without which the movie would simply perish (no offense to Mr. Lucas). I cannot imagine a more powerful, haunting, and suspenseful music than what John Williams has written for this picture. I give Mr. Williams 5 stars, but he deserves a universe full of them for his incomparable achievement. (To anyone who's lucky to already own this beautiful edition: Sit back, close your eyes, and let the music guide you to another, more fantastical world!!!)
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Soundtracks You'll Ever See!
Review: I own all the other Star Wars soundtracks, and this is one of my favorites! When I listen to a soundtrack I want to find the songs from the movie (that made me by the soundtrack in the first place) and listen to them, without other sounds in the way. This is just what I wanted! It has every track from the movie, exactly as it was played, in order! The soundtrack starts out with the "Fox Fanfare" followed by the "Star Wars Main Title". You can also see Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon fighting there way through the droid control ship during the next few tracks. The song "Queen Amidala Warns the Federation" is an intresting track, because the second part of it, can barely be heard in the film. It is one of many of the amazing background songs that comes to life on these cd's. Other's of this nature include "Inside the Bubble City", "Street Band of Mos Espa", "Street Singer" and "The Senate". The second cd starts when the characters are leaving Tatooine. And continues through Coruscant and back to Naboo for the finale. It include's every track from the epic end battle, including many tracks featuring "Duel of the Fates". Plus tracks such as the "Droid Invasion" theme, "Anakin's Theme" and the Star Wars main theme play through both cds. All of the music makes you feel like your in the movie. The music is on two cd's and offer you over two hours of music! It is a must have for Star Wars fans.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Soundtrack With Some Bad Ideas
Review: I remember when I got the OSV of The Phantom Menace a year ago. It was great and proved that John Williams can still capture the same momentum as the score for the original Star Wars Trilogy (though comparing it to Empire Strikes Back is a little unfair). Of course, it was missing a huge portion of score and the track's material was arranged to make it sound like a concert suite but I still loved it. Now we have a new release of it with even more music than before. Before I start, I have to say I'm not a big soundtrack fanatic that wants every single original note John Williams composed. The music for the release wasn't seperated into individual tracks, a little bit of a disappointment because you have to listen to all the tracks in a group for it to make sense and it sounds like an isolated-score but nothing major. The first CD is great and full of new material and definately sounds like A New Hope and Return Of The Jedi. It isn't dark enough to sound like Empire Strikes Back, though. The second CD contains the huge Battle Of Naboo but there's one thing that messes it up: editing, horrible editing. I can tell sometimes when the music was edited throughout the CD which was ok, but the edits for the battle were very sudden and out-of-place, changing keys and repeating parts of the same track over and over. There were a few edits at the beginning of the battle that disturb me but the rest of the battle isn't as bad. If any of you have listened to the OSV of this, stick to listening to the battle portion of the OSV: the Ultimate Edition's version of this won't sound right after llstening to the OSV. The last part where Anakin destroys the command station, though, is great and shouldn't be skipped on the 2-CD. Another disappointment is that the parade music at the end isn't the same as the one in the film and is the same as the one in the OSV. The dialogue version of Duel Of The Fates is complete trash and should've been replaced with concert versions of some of the characters themes(like in the Special Edition CDs) or with missing music. The linear notes are just pictures from the movie without any information on the score. All-in-all, I recommend this score but only if you have the not-so-useless OSV.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome, but what about the same treatment for AOTC?
Review: If you have a soft spot in your heart for the music from the overly-maligned Episode I, this is the CD set you want. I've owned both CDs, but this terrific set blows the other out of the water. It makes me wish more record companies put out these kinds of sets. That said, we've got the definitive soundtracks for Episodes I, IV, V and VI. So where's Episode II? Come on, Sony!
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