Rating: 
Summary: Words for George
Review: I watched the The Phantom Menace with the full effect of the video trailers coursing through my veins. I had seen it before on the big screen and despite my earlier misgivings, it IS Star Wars, after all, and I HAD to own the video. I was pleased with the visuals and had no real problems with the so-called complicated story line involving taxes and trade treaties. My only conerns stem from basic story-telling faux-pas by Mr. Lucas. The movie is huge, it is a grand sweeping space opera, but why, then, do I feel nothing for the poor opressed Naboo. We are repeatedly told that, " People are dying" , but the suffering alluded to is off screen and there is nothing to anchor it to me, as a viewer. In the first (4rth) Star Wars, Carrie Fisher does a great job conveying the horror of watching her home planet being blown up. Seconds later Alec Guinness does the same, while training Luke on the Millenium Falcon. This is all done without any real violent images that would have made the movie non-PG, but do convey the sense of evil that is the empire. In Phantom, I don't fear the trade federation. They have an army of odd looking robots and tend to care little for the environment, but they rarely hurt people. Perhaps the scariest villan in all of the Star Wars movies is the torture droid in the Death Star. It has no lines, is on screen for a few seconds and does nothing overtly evil. The threat of what happens or happened made the death star worth blowing up. Frankly, I couldn't care if the Senate got bogged down for a few months debating the Naboo blockade. This is all trivial, I know, but if the plot had been at all involving on a human level, the film would have easily bested Titanic. I had no problem with Jar-Jar Binks either, other than some of his dialogue seem to have come from the Olsen twins on old Full House episodes, he at least had personality and character depth. I trust, in the tradition of the original Triology, character development will come as the stories progress, but George my friend, we could have used a bit more. Really, the first words of Anakin's mouth after the only father figure he has ever known burns on a funeral brier are, " So, what's gonna happen to me now?" . George, we know he is going to be Darth Vader, but that is cold. I read the screenplay and the novel, and for people wanting more than eye candy, give either a read. You will discover a father and son relationship between Obi-wan and Qui-gon that was missing on screen as well as a jealousy born out of Qui-gon's adoption of Anakin. Jar-Jar is a bit more understated, which makes him more paletable and Sidious/Palpatines real plans (ie the phantom menace, if you will) seem to lurk sinisterly below everything that goes on. George, you had a tough task to live up to, most would have run and hid, but you managed to create a new world for all us adults(?) to run and play in for a couple of hours...oh yeah, and all the kids too, for whom the movie was really intended. Forgive my Dawson's-Creek-armchair-deconstructionist take on it all, I know it is really a kids movie. I look forward to the rest of the series and see Phantom as a solid foundation for future stories to be told. I am sure it will stand better as a Triology, the original three certainly did.
Rating: 
Summary: great start to great trilogy
Review: I watched this movie when it came out in the theater and it was awsome a great begining to a great trilogy it really fits in with Star Wars universe I was a bit dissapionted that Darth Maul was killed so soon, they should have kept him in all 3 movies. the story was good acting good and FX great all in all a great movie and one worth buying. I'm looking for pen pals to e-mail who share the same interests(espesially one reviewer Emily Young who shares my interests in reading fantasy and movies and D@D RPG. if you see my review contact me at pperalta@feaster.edisonproject.com) Anyone else contact me at the same e-mail adress. As for the movie I highly recomened you check it out and watch it, if you enjoy a good movie.
Rating: 
Summary: What a dissapointment...
Review: I went expecting a continuation of the gritty, flawed, "deep" star wars we all grew up on. Instead we got a wise cracking, THING that did nothing but distract from the other characters. An empty storyline that relied on flash and dazzle more than on real character development or a well thought out plot. Very dissapointing. Only good thing I have to say is maybe now Lucas will release the original 3 episodes on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Biggest Disappointments of the 90's
Review: I went into this movie with very low expectations and it could not even fulfill those. The acting was wooden and amateurish; particularly Jake Lloyd as Anakin who was insufferable to look at on screen (sorry kid!). The rest of the cast obviously found it very difficult to rise above a mediocre script with childish dialogue. The directing and pacing were uneven and showed Lucas' long time away from the chair. The vaunted computer special effects looked as if they were computer special effects, which did nothing to suspend my disbelief. Lucas' hackneyed use of cliches have become extremely tiring, as well as his elitism. And, yes, Jar Jar was especially annoying. The only cool thing was the three-way fight scene but even that cannot pick the movie up from one star. I guess Jedi Knights do not bleed after being hit in the gut with a light saber... how convenient indeed! Finally, the lack of a DVD release until 2005 just shows Lucas' contempt for his audience and his worship of money. This is one video to avoid.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very menacing
Review: I went to see this film with some trepedation. On the one hand I was looking forward to the new Star Wars movie, which is enough to get excited about, plus the fact that with new technology the graphics should be stunning. On the other I was wondering about the rumours I had heard that the film was a bit watery and lacking in depth. I came out of the cinema hovering between the two. The Phantom Menace - I have to ask: why is it called this anyway? - has some exceptionally good points and some downright awful ones. (Jar Jar Binks is one of the latter; not only can you hardly understand what he's saying much of the time, he IS as annoying as everyone makes out.)The acting is superb, no question about that - Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor are extremely good, as is Natalie Portman. However the script is enough to make you wince. The first Star Wars movie sounded unedited, and so does this. Ray Park is another bone of contention with me. He's a superb actor, brilliant in the fight sequence, and turns his lines into something truly sinister. So why wasn't more made of his character? Darth Maul was fantastic but he only appears once or twice, and dies without even a last word. He hardly even has a first word, come to that. Overall, the story is debatable, the visual aspects stunning, the characters held up by good acting, the script appalling but rescued again by the actors. Buy it if you love Star Wars enough to gloss over some of its shortcomings.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest thing to hit the shelves since SPECIAL EDITION
Review: I went to see this movie 5 times, each time i saw it I found myself thinking that I couldn't wait until it came out on video. I don't know about anyone else but I really think george lucas had the right idea.
Rating:
Summary: what a waste....
Review: I went to see this the first day, waited in line for an hour (like a good fan), and what did I get? Disappoinment. The kid who plays anakin is horrible, The Bad guys were 1 dimensional ( Does any one notice that darth maul doesn't even speak! ) The only part I enjoyed was the final fight scene. Lucus went a little too far with the power of the force. I hope the second one is MUCH better (sequels in trilogys are always the best...)
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!!!! Clean FUN entertainment for all ages!
Review: I will begin by saying if you think you could do better then knock yourself out! The first Star Wars was written as a stand alone movie with expectations of earning only about $35 million. Instead, and to everyone's surprise, Star Wars has grossed nearly One Billion Dollars world wide. The Phantom Menace also grossed close to one billion world wide...(Gee! It appears someone liked this film!) The Phantom Menace is written as 1/3 of a complete story arc and Star Wars was made to stand alone in case it bombed. Personall I am amazed at how many fans out there are quick to judge this film. I proves that Americans are fickled and just plain spoiled when it comes to entertainment. Many fans fail to realize that all of the movies cronicle the rise, fall, and REDEMPTION of not only Darth Vader but humanity in general. We see the apathy of people and the corruption of goverment and how both are blinded to the cunning and ravenous forces of darkess eager to consume them both. The Star Wars Saga has Biblical similarities with regards to the rise and fall of an anti-christ like figure ( Palpatine ) and the tyranical, Beast like, govenment (the Empire) he imposes using anger, fear, and agression. ( sound familiar? Look at recent headlines ... Global Union anyone?!) At any rate no movie is perfect yet this film has something good for everyone, including the younger members of a family. It is clean, devoid of profanity, gratuitous sex, and graphic violence. A true rarity for Hollywood ( perhaps that is why most critics didn't like it?! not enough raunch for them) Of those I know, who said they hated this film none could give me a tangible reason why! Nor could they tell me what they would have done differently! We all had such high expectations! Addionally, everyone I know who was disappointed with the film as both the wide and standard version on video tape and can't seem to wait for it to be released on DVD!(?) My Mother, who is not a big sci fi fan, loved the movie and cant wait until 19 May 2002! Warning!!!!! Possible Spoiler ahead !!!!!! The mystery of the Force has not been diminished by the inclusion of the Midiclorients explained by Qui Gon in SWTPM. It is the guess of this fan that Lucas mentioned this issue and its connection to the Force force since the next movie deals with clones. It is a logical deduction that if you clone a Jedi or Sith you will have a Jedi or Sith clone complete and with powers intact. I forsee in the third installment, after Anakin turns to the Dark Side and becomes a Sith, that the now self proclaimed Emporer (Palpatine) will have Vader Cloned... Hence the true problem in the clone wars! ...In episode 2 you find out that there are numerous Jedi...too numerous for one person to eliminate. So the cloned Vaders scour the galaxy for Jedi and eliminate them thus confirming Obi-Wans statement " Vader hunted down and killed the Jedi" from a certain point of view of course. I said all of that to say this. It is not over! Most of the ill perceptions an reviews of this movie are premature since it is less than half complete. I would wager against my new racing pod that everyone who said they hated this movie more than likely has it in there library and are equally or more likely, chomping at the Bit for episode two's release in less than a year! Thank you BKB
Rating:
Summary: Great film, but waiting for DVD version.
Review: I will make my review baised on the theater version cause quite frankly, VHS has NO way of comparing to the original realese! I really enjoyed the films didgital effects and the story was great as it focused on the original story plot that was written in the 50's that started the whole thing. We see Obi Won and his mentor, and we found out who Anikin was while he was young. The story builds on the relation of the characters well and sets up for what they will become later in the prequals, but I'm thinking that if George were to release this film on DVD, the response will be overwhelming! Great addition to the saga and waiting for more!
Rating:
Summary: This entry is for diehards only.
Review: I will not be explaining how tortuous it was to watch a movie that took my childhood dreams and destroyed them in 180+ minutes of eye-gouging atrocities. But I will go out on a limb and say that George Lucas should be killed by his own creation, i.e. a life sized granite statue of Jar Jar crushing him to death. I will not sleep until the rating of this movie is reduced to one star, since "no stars" is not available. Brothers of the True Force unite in my crusade! I will be rating this movie with one star every chance I get. On a more serious note, I wasn't kidding, George Lucas should be killed for this abomination. My only regret is that it took so long for me to vent my anger to the world. George, wherever you are, I hope you are reading this.
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