Rating: 
Summary: DON'T SET STANDARDS!
Review: OUT OF ALL MOVIES OF ALL TIME ONLY A HANDFULL CATCH THE ATTENTION OF VIEWERS FOR GENERATIONS AND STAR WARS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE ELITE. A MOVIE SHOULDN'T BE BASED ON THE EFFECTS ALONE OR THE KILL TOTALS COMPARED TO ANOTHER MOVIE, BUT WHETHER OR NOT IT TAKES YOU TO THAT SPECIAL PLACE IN YOUR MIND CALLED THE IMAGINATION. TO ME THIS MOVIE IS EASY TO DREAM ALONG WITH FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS ALIKE. 20 YEARS AGO ME AND MY FRIENDS RAN AROUND THE SCHOOL YARD TO THE ORIGINAL AND MY KIDS WILL WAGE WAR ACCROSS THE GALAXY TO THE LATEST . MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS THE BEST STAR WARS MOVIE!
Review: Out of the four movies out so far, this is my favorite. I'm surprised the average review isn't five stars. I like how they have made everything a little less technical, ex. the droids break easily. We have an exellent cast of characters here, starring people like Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natile Portman, they are all well suited for their act. The special effects are awesome, and if you thought the effects couldn't get any better than the trilogy, this proves you wrong. Though Georgie made this as a "kids movie" there is some violence that parents may not want their very little kids to see, some being the gunfight, the painful death of Qui-Gon, a few other things, but still, I think it's a better influence on kids than the trilogy because of the way some of the characters were just "nice" for no good reason, rather than, tratiors, mercenaries, smugglers, things like that. You just have to buy this movie, it's the best yet!
Rating: 
Summary: The saga continues. . .
Review: Overall a good movie, especially if you are a Lucas fan. It is best viewed with surround sound or the pod race seams flat. Since this is setting the stage for the rest of the series, it is not as exciting as the original three, but a must for the collector.
Rating:
Summary: Cool Movie!!!
Review: Overall this movie was awsome. It sets the beginning of the Star Wars saga. It may not be like the original but remember that the original was made 16 years before. However the special effects are way better like the underwater city in the beginning, the podrace sequence, and the final battle between the Gungans and the droid army at the end. The acting isn't the best as it was in the original. The queen's costumes where beautiful and you can see by watching this film that Lucas put a lot of time and effort into making it. This is the first movie in which a character is completly digitalized. I do agree that Jar Jar was very annoying at times but the newer ones like Attack of the Clones will not have him as much and for me it was kind of entertaining to watch him on screen. I also would have liked to see some more of Darth Maul as he only appeared in several scenes. Natalie Portman is fantastic and is even better in Episode 2 as she is able to play and show two sides to the queen and portray her as a negotiator and a fighter. If you don't like this one the other ones will be much better as the plot will enhance eventualy causing Anakin to become the evil Darth Vader and give birth to Luke and Leia.
Rating:
Summary: A Mediocre Return of Star Wars
Review: Overall, the Phantom Menace was a fairly good movie. It had great special effects, but everything else was just... ok. The thing that made the first Star Wars films great is that they are extremely well rounded and balanced, and succeed in all of the areas. This movie attempted to recreate that previous success, but didn't quite make it.In this space-age tale, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jin (two jedis from the Jedi council, one of which is already well known) try to end a trade dispute which has resulted in a blockade going up around the planet known as "Naboo". However, after an assassination attempt, they are forced to flee to Naboo, where they meet some interesting people, including Princess Amidala (played by Natalie Portman). From there they make a desperate attempt to visit a political council on the faraway planet of Coruscant. On the way they stop off on Tatooine and end up picking up Anakin Skywalker, a.k.a. Darth Vader. He's much younger, though, and not at all menacing. After the entire party reaches Coruscant, they do some things (sorry, I'm low on big words right now), and eventually decide to head back to save the planet (Naboo). The movie has some good scenes towards the end, and the lightsaber duel is awesome- it's like acrobatics with a little bloodthirst. The reason this movie doesn't quite make it is that the storyline is only marginally good, the characters aren't developed enough, and frankly, Jar Jar Binks ends up as one of those characters you just wish would be put out of their misery with a sledge hammer... However, the movie does have great special effects, and offers a look into Star Wars history. No, this movie is not as good an achievment as the earlier movies in the series, but it is worth seeing. And, though it's not a true epic, you probably will enjoy it. (Also, die-hard Star Wars fans will have to buy it for the collection)
Rating: 
Summary: "11 things I hate about you!" or "but I still love you!"
Review: Overhyped, yes. The movie is an epic, with some amazing special effects, and some great salutes to the Star Wars world we all know and love. I actually enjoyed the movie and will buy it when it gets on DVD - it is entertaining, but the below faults are what keeps this movie from being the best ever - which, unfortunately, it could have been with a little more forethought and direction (sorry George - the rust is way too apparant). 1) Underdeveloped characters - made 2 dimmensional for kids, little development for adults, cookie-cutter and expected, creates little to identify with and care about. This immediately makes the movie "worse" than the other 3. Characters of Liam Neeson, Samuel L, Jake Llloyd, Natalie Portman as the slave girl. Caring or loving them is very, very tough! 2) The Force as chemicals and science - totally takes the fantasy out of Star Wars, which was always a blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. No more is it magical Jedi knights, but Hi-tech blood enhanced combatants. 3) Jesus Skywalker - he can be chosen, just don't make him immaculately conceived, that is just stupid and lame, and I think it has been done before. 4) Calling him Ani - everytime it was done it made me cringe...the kid is way too happy go lucky for being a slave on Tatooine, and does nothing to further his destiny - a slave who can build his own droids, has his own place with his Mom, and he can build pod racers? I never got the sense that this life was oh so hard! Just as much lack of acting talent as movie direction. Also, what is the deal with all of "Ani's" little friends - since when do Slaves get to hang out and play ball and build pod racers and act so happy? The Greedo kid played by Willow man also really looked bad and out of proportion. 5) Making light of war with the Gungans and Droids - no real drama. The droids were dramatic when they came in, then the battle turned into some sort of animated joke - even the Ewok battle almost brought tears to your eyes when you realized they were dying and little babies would be motherless or fatherless - it made the war real and you actually cared for a bit. 6) The horrible "World War II Japanese" English accents on the Trade Federation leaders. Especially being the first real dialogue in the film it made me cringe from the get-go. I was half expecting them to be planning another Pearl Harbor bombing - as someone mentioned, give them their own language and use sub-titles like Greedo. But alas, that would cut down on George's audience of kids who can't read, and wouldn't George hate to let those kids down instead of every person over 12. 7) Jake Lloyd - too stiff, bad actor, no intensity or drama in him. It was like he liked being a slave and he seemed really fake - horrible choice, especially, as people said, the "I see dead people" boy was available. Don't see how he turns into Darth Vader - Lucas does very little to further that to the audience in Lloyd. 8) Appealing to kids directly and not even to adults. Bad mistake. Star Wars has always been a young persons movie -but the genuis was that it truly did appeal to adults, in rich drama, fantasy, and loveable characters. I hate that this movie or the others is not out on DVD - that just shows how much of a money grubber and teaser Lucas is. For all the 11 faults, I still liked the movie, found it very entertaining and an epic. If at least some of the above things were changed or improved I know everyone would have liked it more (even those who give it 5 stars) and if all of them were done, I know it would have went down as the best movie ever.
Rating:
Summary: Could you please review this movie?
Review: P>Yes, I am a big Star Wars fan, and I highly anticipated the arrival of this film, in spite of the year or so beforehand of commercial marketing fodder (which gave me a really bad feeling). But contrary to popular misconception, my reason for not liking the movie isn't because my expectations were too high. It's because, as forgiving as I would like to be, there is a certain threshold beneath which my expectations refuse to go for any movie. And this one dropped below radar on many fronts. But I'll start with the positive. As many have mentioned, and I will agree wholeheartedly, the special effects are groundbreaking. I tip my hat to Mr. Lucas on this front. It's something for which he has a real knack. If you're into the movie for that, I imagine the DVD will be everything you could ask for! It looks like a fairly complete package for the effects and technical details-inclined. And it's DVD. Could you have hoped for a better medium for Star Wars 20 years ago? The cinematography is also excellent, and definitely met my expectations. Really, from a technical, engineering standpoint, this movie is pretty darned good. Unfortunately, this seems to be the only focus of the movie. The plotline? It's not that it's slow. It's far too uninvolved, superficial, basic, lacking in any intricacy or sophistication. Maybe there is a plethora of inside information that I am missing due to not researching the movie premise beforehand. I'm sorry, but that's still inexcusable, and I would say the same even if I did have that information, because it's simply not a fair assumption to make in a movie. The characters? Again, poorly developed, one dimensional, and uninteresting. I think that Darth Maul had amazing potential to be interesting, if they hadn't sat him behind the Emperor the whole time, grunting and looking mean. And what can be said about Jar Jar Binks? That character is obviously thrown in as the "kiddie" element, to attract the younger audience, or as some absent-minded throw-in for humor. Whatever the case, the character is just that: thrown in. And yet he survives for the entire length of the movie? This really highlights the "manufactured" sense of the movie to me. The dialog? This is perhaps the single biggest failure of the movie. This is why I can't blame the actors and actresses completely for the character failure. They aren't really given much to work with. It's too bad, because it's really a fantastic cast. What more can be said on this front? I feel like I spent more time thinking about this review than the writers did in thinking about the script. In summary, this movie was great technically, but a complete failure artistically. If there were half stars, I would give this movie 2 1/2 on those merits: (5 + 0) / 2. As it is, I rounded down, since I think the intangibles of coming up with an emotionally moving screenplay and dialog are harder to come by than even the most amazing of special effects. I wish I could say that it's enough for the movie to be technically proficient, but that's only half of a movie for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Padme Needs a new Hairdresser!
Review: Padme really needs a new hairdresser. In certain scenes, her hair looks like a paint brush. Obi-Wan has problems, and a really heavy Scottish accent... "Blast us into oblivion", if anyone who has seen the movie remembers that scene, they'll know what I'm talking about. The boy who plays Anakin can't act at all. He is a really annoying brat! They should have used Hayley Joel Osmond from 'The Sixth Sense'. There is no blood in this movie like in the original trilogy...and almost no concept to the story. It is not developed fully. ~White Bird P.S. What did they do to Obi-Wan in Episode II? He looks 45 years old!
Rating:
Summary: NOT the sci-fi classic any of the other movies were
Review: Part of what makes the Star Wars trilogy so timeless and enjoyable to watch today is that it was written and produced for adults, which we all gorw up to be. Sure, we may have missed some of the jokes and misunderstood the characters when we were younger but understanding it now makes the movies worth watching over and over again. Episode 1 on the other hand is a feel good kids movie with about as much depth and intellegence as a McDonalds kiddie soda. McD's should come up with their own marketable character rather than making Star Wars enthusiasts suffer through the idiotic ramblings of JarJar Binks. This movie is a short sighted sell out. I hope the chocolate shakes and stuffed animals George Lucas sold on this one made him a fat profit because this movie has no place in an adult's movie collection. Hold onto your money, rent this one if you must see it at all.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointment
Review: People claim that it would have been impossible for this Star Wars to live up to the expectations from the previous movies. I believe that they are just looking for excuses for why this movie is as bad as it is. Lucas' main flaw was trying to target the movie towards eight year olds (ie "humor" used, Jar Jar, etc.) Another disappointment was the acting. Liam Neeson is about the only actor pulling his weight in this movie, and that simply isn't enough to cut it. The performances of Anakin and his mother feel totally unbelievable and Queen Amidala continually has a "pained to take the effort to say these lines" expression. This DVD is barely worth renting, simply for the extras and the fact that this is an episode in the Star Wars series. Other than that, don't buy it.
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