Rating: 
Summary: Selling Merchandise or Making Movies
Review: On the whole, this was very disappointing.First, I will say that watching the two Jedi's fight with light-sabers made me grin from ear-to-me. The memories it brought back of pretending to be a Jedi knight, fighting trees with my broomstick, were joyful. But then it ended. This one continued the downward slide into silly, childish, merchandising begun with Episode Six. I thought the failure of Return of the Jedi were the Ewoks. Neither the original nor Empire Strikes Back had characters whose only purpose was to bring in little kids. They were annoying and belonged on a Saturday morning caroon. In fact, we can only assume that the merchandising wizard Lucas created them for that purpose. Now we have Jar-Jar Binks. Ripped from the Disney formula of having a stupid side-kick in every movie, this character is an unfortunate metaphor for the movie. Where the original had villans and action, this has stooges and games. Even the "king" of the underwater people was more of a clown than a leader. But I'm sure the action figures moved a lot of McDonald's Happy Meals. And the pod race was an unecessary repeat of the forest race in Return of the Jedi which was itself a rip-off of Ben Hur and just about every James Bond movie. And was Darth Maul the biggest let-down in movie history. For weeks we hear of this villan and see his ridiculous face everwhere -- do they ever explain what happened to his head -- and he does nothing for the plot. Lots of bragging, one big fight, he kills Liam Neesan and dies. What's up with that? Well, maybe he sold enough action figures that Lucas will bring him back in the nest installment.
Rating: 
Summary: Lucas' new toy
Review: One doesn't get far into the maze of extras on "Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace" before figuring out that George Lucas and his co-workers made this DVD as much for themselves as their audience. Lucas' glee is evident as he introduces a handful of deleted scenes, all completed at significant expense for the DVD edition. The missing footage is, of course, every bit as good as what remained. But the real treasure here is the insiders documentary "The Beginning: Making Episode I." Director Jon Shenk had all-areas access to the production process, including casting, rehearsals, set and model building, filming and post-production. On disc, "The Phantom Menace's" CGI effects seem more focused and believable, with fewer blue-screen disconnects. The small-screen treatment somehow seems to amplify the movie's appeal to children. The thrilling Jedi knights martial arts scenes, however, lose much of their impact compared with the theatrical presentation. Colors are vibrant and stable, with deep-space blacks, dazzling whites and nary a speck or a sign of wear. The Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix keeps all speakers jumping, especially the subwoofer. Rear sound effects are active and more playful than on most discs, but still tend toward the predictable. The lack of DTS option will disappoint many audiophiles. (Other downbeat note: There is no option to mute Jar Jar Blinks.) Lucas and some of his key collaborators provide a commentary track that's heavy on effects and light on humans. Easter eggs yield a blooper reel, deleted scenes from the deleted scenes docu (!) and a few outtakes. All in all, an essential for "Star Wars" fans.
Rating:
Summary: A feast for the eyes
Review: One must exercise caution when one approaches The Phantom Menace. Why? Well, the Star Wars saga has, in the past 23 years, grown to such phenomenal proportions that many consider it a shared quasi-religious experience. Many die-hard fans have felt betrayed by this movie. But I say to you, "You must unlearn... unlearn!" In no way is this movie a betrayal. Every complaint that has been levelled against it (lousy comedics, plot holes, annoying dialogue, formulaic ending) can easily be drilled into Episodes IV, V, and VI as well. Which is why it seems silly to revere the originals with such vaunted praise. Yes, they were all phenomenal movies. But why? Not because of the acting! Not because of the plot! No, it was because Star Wars is, at heart, a gorgeous feast for the senses. Sabres flash, podracers soar, blasters blast, aliens quip and entrance, and when the pseudo-philosophical meanderings get a bit too thick, blasters blast some more. People - this is an adventure movie! Think pulp. Think space opera. But don't think, "This is not the spiritual experience that was Return of the Jedi!" (BWAHAH! *Ahem* Excuse me.) If you enter it with the only expecation of being amazed and entertained, you will be delighted. If you're on a religious hajj, point your bare feet back in the direction of Mecca. This is a good flick!
Rating: 
Summary: Let's not be too critical...
Review: One of the biggest complaints against this movie has been its "terrible script" and predictable plot. Because the other three Star Wars movies have been accepted into the canon of classic pictures, we have a tendency to judge this movie a little more harshly than we should. The first three movies produced, in my opinion, were, at times, corny and predictable as well, but I still liked them a lot. The music in this movie was amazing (I don't know where John Williams continues to get ideas from after all these years), the casting was excellent, and the story was somewhat intriguing. I'm eagerly awaiting the releases of the next two, just to see how everything worked out between Episode I and Episode IV. There was, however, one huge mistake in this movie: Jar Jar Binks.
Rating: 
Summary: "POStar Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Meaningless"
Review: One of the worst movies I have ever seen is "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace." Forget the story of politics, nobody cares about that. Nobody even cares about it in real life. Jedi Knights train a little boy named Anakin Skywalker (played by an annoying child). He build pod racers and even races himself. How wonderful. Darth Maul (not scary) wants to eliminate the child for he is the chosen one. What a bunch of bull. Jar Jar Binks is the absolute worst thing ever created. Natalie Portman needs to stick to making movies like "The Professional" which is a way better movie than this. This movie is meaningless and has no heart as in the other three. Shame on anybody who likes this.
Rating:
Summary: what the hell is the matter with you people?
Review: one question. have you seen this film? by no means a disappointment,all the reviewers who panned it, obviously did'nt see it. it's a classic,classic characters,classic scenes, A CLASSIC! it has THE greatest entrance in to a finale EVER! To end with, the average review on this FANTASTIC website (AMAZON) is nearly four stars, as i said 'what the hell is the matter with you people' lets make it a five BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT You will not regret it. it will be the best $$ you'll ever spend!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting for fans
Review: One thing you have to understand is that George Lucas when interviewed years ago about the prequels said that they would be very different from the original episodes IV-VI. He said the plots would be far less action oriented and have more political intrigue. He thought a lot of fans would not like them expecting something similar to the original trilogy. From the reviews so far he has been correct. He recently described the prequels like this. Episode I introduce characters. Episode II Anakin falls in love and marries. Episode III Anakin is seduced to the dark side of the force. If Episode I was supposed to introduce the characters then it accomplished its goal. The trade dispute plot doesn't engage you like the galactic civil war in the original trilogy but the menace of the Sith does have a sense of foreboding to it. In some ways this might have been a better movie with less special effects and more intrigue but I guess Lucas felt he couldn't do that to the fans. A better sense of the political conflict might have helped. You do have to view this as a section of a much larger whole which will be completed about 6 years from now. Standing alone it comes up a bit short.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie
Review: Only pseudo-intellectuals hated this movie. Those fat, ugly, virgin, pizza eating computer geeks who feel for some reason as if Lucas owes them something. For some reason they all think the original trilogy was dark and morose and horrid and wrecthed. Those were meant for the family and so is this one. I loved this movie the second i saw it. So did everybody else. They just wanted to fit in and be cool and all simultaneously said they hated it in order to look cool and fit in with the crowd. The movie is great beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Rating:
Summary: Wish the movie were the uncut version
Review: Only wish the movie were a bit longer with all the uncut section incorporated into the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: The Star Wars that was not to be.
Review: Ooh, look, there plummets my helpfulness rating. Anyway, this film is pitiful. Several reviewers below remarked that this is the best Star Wars film because it had the action the other three did not. If half ofthe nation takes Star Wars (the originals) as a very slow action film, I will shoot myself. SW:PM would be a smash action hit were it released under the title of "Super Galaxy Battle Delux". The plot is near non-existent. Here is the plot: taxes are killing planet Naboo. The queen of the planet takes off to the Galactic Senate to lobby for tax drops. She travels back and destroys the invading armies. Happy ending sequence. Visuals in this film are the best yet. They are dimensional, atmospheric, and they perfectly portray whatever you are currently watching. To be exact, they perfectly underline the fact that there is no substance to this film. Instead of good acting, mysticism, numerous planets, romance, adventure in otherworldly environs, and some sort of inspiring lesson, we get: a) Jar Jar - I believe that he plays the role of Yoda in this film. He has a similar accent and his role is played for gags and slapstick jokes. I'm not saying that Yoda was all-humor, but, agree, how many of us DIDN'T smile at Yoda's incessant backwards talk? b) storyline - a brave queen battles taxes! A worse story could have spewed from the PowerBook of Hollywood's stupidest hack! c) insight into the Star Wars universe - we get lots of names for their stupid devices. No legends, no tales, just useless factoids. Oh, yes, we learn that the Force is the collective action of microbes. [cough, cough] I am a Jedi! [ cough, cough] Bow down before me! d) action - well, this is the touchy area where the Star Wars pseudo-fans went nuts. How about this - the action was horrid! The Scarab Droids looked menacing, but I have seen the exactly same creatures - guess where - the Dark Crystal! They look exactly the same, only here they represent no threat whatsoever! The Great Final Battle? That was so off-the-wall! I believe that some other characters were more proficient in the use of the Force than Obi Wan, but even they did not perform such ludicrous feats! The super-merchandised pod race? The part when Sebulba crashes is the only fun part, and even that because of the spectacularity with which the thing explodes! This is not Star Wars. This is bad action coupled with no substance. Were George Lucas dead, he would be turning over in his grave.
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