Rating: 
Summary: Lucas makes yet another fatal mistake
Review: As if the travesty of the special editions in 1997- the Jabba scene, Greedo firing first, the crappy new song and dance number in Jedi and changing the Ewok song at the end- wasn't enough, Lucas(who supposedly spent over 4 years working on the Episode I script) gives us this basically bland update of the original Star Wars film and in the process completely and irrevocably turns the Star Wars Universe on its proverbial ear. Originally these characters were all supposed to be older- Anakin as a teenager, Obi-Wan already a Jedi Knight- but Lucas decided to make them younger and thereby created a dilemma. Obi-Wan was too young to be a Jedi Master so he had to be a disciple. Instead of having Yoda as his master(Anyone remember in the original films where Obi-Wan EXPLICITLY says that Yoda was his master?) we are introduced to a character- Qui-Gon Jinn- whom we've never heard of before. Did Lucas even go back and watch the original trilogy for reference? It doesn't look like it. Especially when you throw in the mitichlorian nonsense. Yoda must indeed have been too old when he was training Luke in Empire Strikes Back because he never mentions these little "creatures" when he tells Luke all about the Force and how it works. You would think that this little "detail" would be important enough for Luke to know. It may come as a shock to some of you, but not only did Lucas not direct Empire but he did not even write the screenplay. That was courtesy of Lawrence Kasdan and Leigh Brackett. After seeing The Phantom Menace, I am convinced that Lucas never even saw Empire. The Force cannot be two different things. It is either some mystical energy field that binds all living things(and exists in the space between everything) together and can be tapped into through faith and belief OR it is a power that can only be tapped into by communicating with little creatures living inside a person. It can't be both. And since Yoda's teachings in Empire came first then I consider the mitichlorian explanation an abomination. That said, Lucas also tries too hard to connect this new film to the old ones. Anakin happened to live on Tatooine,(The planet furthest from the bright center of the universe) too? How coincidental is that? Anakin made C-3PO? How is it that Vader doesn't remember him in Empire or that 3PO doesn't make some kind of connection between Luke and Anakin? They have the same last name and Luke was on Tatooine- same as Anakin.(Here's something that's always bothered me. Why didn't they change Luke's last name if they were trying to hid him from Vader. They did it with Leia. Yet Luke keeps the last name AND lives on the planet his father grew up on. Not too bright.) Also, why doesn't Obi-Wan remember R2D2 in Star Wars. He may be older, but he still had a healthy memory. Too many little nagging questions like this ruined my first viewing of the film. What it boils down to is that Lucas never had any idea what Episode I was going to be about until he actually sat down and started writing it. This means that he just made up the mitichlorians and all the convenient connections to the original trilogy. It's really a shame because with a really good writer, this film could have been awesome- instead of being a travesty. I will admit, there were some nice moments in this film. However, most of them revolved around the throwaway character, Darth Maul. The underwater Gungan city was awe-inspiring and I loved the the grand architecture of Theed, but looks and visuals do not make a film great(to paraphrase Yoda) This movie had no soul and Jar Jar Binks only made matters worse. Mesa thinkin this film bombad. You are better off watching the original films- especially Empire. However- and this is Lucas' final great insult to all the fans of the original films- you may not be able to buy them anymore. In November 2000, Lucas rereleased the Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition as The Star Wars Trilogy. This means that he now considers the special editions as the originals and will no longer release the original films on any home video format. So don't be too eager to get these films on DVD because you will only get Lucas' horribly revised abominations from 1997. Hold on to your Original Trilogy VHS sets and Laserdisc sets and take very good care of them 'cause you won't be able to replace them. As for the Phantom Menace, don't expect too much when you see it and you won't be disappointed. It may be better if you have never seen the originals or if you are still a young kid. I know my nephew loved the film and he was only 8 when he saw it.(The same age I was when Star Wars came out in 1977)
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent DVD as a DVD
Review: As others have pointed out, the DVD itself is spectacular. The menus are animated with movie sequences, it's loaded with extras that are actually interesting (though a lot of them were taken from the starwars.com website). The transfer is beautiful, the sound is the kind that makes you want to run out to your local stereo store with someone else's credit card.
As for the movie itself... what needs to be said? It has some serious flaws, but I have to say that the first few minutes had me feeling like a seven year old again, watching with awe. Then Jar-Jar showed up and the awe vanished.
Rating: 
Summary: Bullseye! Wait a second. . .
Review: As the familiar strains of the Star Wars theme begin, the excitement in the movie theater is so thick you can reach out and touch it. Has George Lucas done the unimaginable and created yet another epic for the new generation? The answer would be. . . just about. Yes that's right. The effects are stunning and the movie is better than most I've seen, but it falls just short of that Lucas Magic we all have come to expect. Despite this fact, though, it is a great movie, and had it been made by any other person, it would be hailed as the greatest of their career. I definitly recommend this movie, but don't expect it to stack up to the original Star Wars films.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: As the famous orange-yellow words flew up the screen, I knew this was going to be good. In this movie, Amazing Special-Effects plus Amazing Sound and a nice plot combine to recreate the experience we all had in the 1970's. This movie is George Lucas's definitive vision of Star Wars.
Rating:
Summary: Okay movie, awesome lightsaber fight.
Review: As the first chapter in the saga, Episode I introduces us to young Anakin Skywalker (played by Jake Loyd), who takes the first step in becoming a Jedi while remaining unaware that he will soon become the evil Darth Vader. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), the beloved, wise master, is introduced as a hard-working apprentice, who is under the teachings of Qui-Jon Ginn (Liam Neeson). And before there was Princess Leia, there was a young Queen (Natalie Portman). Twenty years after the first "Star Wars" movie, George Lucas has returned to directing a movie, but he probably doesn't remember how to direct. With Episode I, Lucas takes us to the golden age of free people, when the Jedi Knight are the supreme protectors of peace a justice, while they are unaware of the spying ways of the Sith, Darth Sidious and his apprentice Darth Maul, who performs an awesome fight. Many have complained about the foolishness of Jar Jar Binks, and many fans have feared that this is the end, but to me, Jar Jar was okay. I was even amused by some of his jokes. Though the movie is okay, the pod race was heart pounding, and Darth Maul was so awesome! I just wish they showed more of 'em. I also wish that they had not used to much CGI. So, c'mon people! Let's not get too harsh over this film, just give it a chance! Because of the many angry reveiwers, I do not recommend this to the drama fans.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best, but not a total bomb.
Review: As to the film, I think it speaks for itself. Lucas has always been a groundbreaker in special effects. "Star Wars IV: A New Hope" set the tone for a decade, and "Episode I" will do a similar thing. Just look at all the mirror movies, such as A.I., or even "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" which was entirely computerized. We know the story, and we know the flaws in the story. I admit there is too much Jar-jar, but he is not the only character, or the only flaw in the film. Overall, it is a good film that harkens back to the majestic epics of the 1950's that dazzled one young boy from modest Modesto California. By the way, I have a lot of family in Stanislaus County, so I quite familiar with this town. "American Graffiti" is quite accurate-all they could do there have car or pod races. In my humble opinion two films, aside from Episodes IV-VI, are "Ben-Hur" and "American Graffiti." "Ben-Hur" is the epics of epics that have influenced so many parodies on The Simpsons. But it captures the majesty and magic that Hollywood once was. Lucas, along with Spielberg, has brought back the glory days of the Golden Age of Hollywood. "The Phantom Menace" is an attempt to bring the epic sweep to the sci-fi genre. Asimov in "Foundation," and Herbert in "Dune" captured the essence of epic in print, but Lucas was the first to bring this majesty (I apologize for repeating this word, but it is the only one that fits) to science fiction films. Before him, we just had "2001," although "Planet of the Apes" tried. The second film was the aforementioned "American Graffiti," which was Lucas's second film, and which paid for "Star Wars." In my opinion, it is one of the funniest movies ever made. There is not a lot of humor in Star Wars, but Lucas's working with Spielberg on the Indian Jones movies brought his forgotten talent to the surface. That is why Jar-jar seems so out of place: the Star Wars films have been 98% serious, and when we have a comic relief Caliban (see "The Tempest" by Shakespeare), we don't know what to do. "The Phantom Edit" took care of this problem. I saw two problems with the film, both script problems. The first is that Qui-Gon Jinn was not a consistent character. During the first part of the movie, he is concerned about being patient, and then on a dime, he gets concerned about time and getting off of Tatooine. The second problem is that Darth Maul didn't get the screen time he deserved. We have a thoroughly hideous character, and intense fighter to boot, but we only see him in action twice. If Lucas had him pick off Jedi Knights or members of the council along the lines of a mass murderer, he would have been far more sinister. Something along the lines of "The Pelican Brief" or "Hannibal," but with the elegance of swordplay would have been better. The DVD is perfection. These discs show what DVD's were meant to be! Disc Two is great. It has seven deleted scenes that can be seen alone, in a group, or with a surrounding commentary to explain why they were removed. There is an hour-long documentary on making the film, the commercials and theater trailers, plus the music video to "Dual of the Fates." There are several featurettes and clips that explain the different aspects of the making of the film. Apparently Lucas had a camera filming him as he was working from Day One on November 1, 1994 when he began writing the script. You even see the binder in which he wrote "American Graffiti," and the "Star Wars" movies. There disc also works on your computer's DVD player where you can accesses more goodies on starwars.com. The easter-eggs include a blooper reel: got to the THX logo on disc one, and type in "1138," and the other one is on the delete scenes menu. The film is not one of Lucas's best, but it is not as bad as people made it out to be. Hopefully the rough edges will be filed down in Episode II.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy Prequel!
Review: As with all Star Wars (or science fiction) movies, the critics were way too harsh in casting judgement on the Phantom Menace. Before you can really make an accurate apprasial of how effective this movie was, you have to distance yourself from the expectations generated by the brilliant original Star Wars Trilogy. In making the Phantom Menace, Lucas had the difficult problem of being true to the original while still statisfying the expectations of a more modern audience. On top of that, there were certain things that had to be said, set-up, and introduced in the Phantom Menace to provide groundwork for later sequels. Considering how many objects Lucas was juggling, he did a tremendous job. The Phantom Menace looks as technologicly beautiful as any movie ever made. The special effects are amazing and, at least in this category, the Phantom Menace far outpaces the original series. Every scene is spectacular on a scope the original trilogy could only dream of. There are a myriad of bizzare and interesting characters floating, not just in the center of the frame, but around the corners in flashes and only for split seconds. Just that aspect alone warrants multiple viewings. The performances are rock solid, Liam Neeson is perfect in the role of a jedi master, and takes his cues with an appreciative nod to the great Alec Guiness whose performance as the original Obi-Wan Kenobi is the backbone of the whole star wars series. Ewan McGreggor is marvelous too and it will be very entertaining to see him in an expanded role in the further sequels. The criticisms of this film have been that the characters are too two dimensional, that the plot is too similar to the origninals, and that too much of the action takes place in a political forum. My answer is that the characters are developed, it is just done extremely subtly and with minor gestures and choice of words rather than in-your-face gestures, certain plotlines are similar but in an attempt to make the movie true to the originals some overlap is inevitable, and the political aspect is, and has always been, a major component in this fantasy series and so was unavoidable. In short, the Phantom Menace is a spectacular movie. Although it doesn't quite capture the nostalgia of the original Star Wars, it suceeds admirably in continuing the story without disturbing the pedistal the first movies established. As with all Star Wars movies, there is a lot more subtly going on than any critic is likely to recognize. Furthermore, it is unfair to judge the Phanom Menace after only one or two viewings when most people have seen the original trilogy numerous times and have picked up every little nuance and detail. The original series seems rich on the strength of those multiple viewings and multiple discoveries, it is unfair to consider the Phantom Menace less until it has been given an equal examination.
Rating:
Summary: Only John Woo could be worse
Review: Aside from movies directed by John Woo this is the worst film I've ever seen. It's not like it's any one thing, either. It just falls so completely short of everything that it could be. Jar-Jar, awful cue-card reading by Jake Lloyd, a terribly over-the-top Darth Maul... I don't harbor any ill-will to anyone over this movie, I just wonder what the hell happened since the first trilogy. Oh well, I've still got the original trilogy, pre-special edition, so that's what I'll keep watching. CGI effects just look too much like a cartoon for me to take anything but PIXAR movies seriously. I wish I liked this movie, I really do, but as it stands I'm not even going to bother watching Episode 2 now. Beside, will missing a "performance" by Christopher Lee really be that bad?
Rating:
Summary: The king is dead..
Review: Aside from the direction, writing, acting and yes, FX, 'The Phantom Menace' is a great film. But seriously, 'Menace' has got to be one of the most poorly executed films in history. Indeed, most people who hate 'Menace', are hardcore Star Wars fans; they just haven't sacrificed taste on the alter of obsession. In fact, I think that the 'lean and hungry' George Lucas from 1977 would even be horrifed at 'Menace'. This flick is one whopping bore of a movie, a collection of computer generated images devoid of feeling, emotion and above all the very reality of human existence. It would rival Tarkovsky's Solaris as the most sleep-inducing science fiction film of all time, if not for the deafening prowess of THX technicians and the constant onslaught of explosions. Even John Williams' music is his worst score since Amistad. It is a collection of excerpts from the previous three films and the new compositions introduced sound as if they've been reluctantly written. When I first saw it, I found myself playing the game of "Spot the ILM Effect." Sequences seen in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Waterworld, Starship Troopers, Robocop, the original Star Wars trilogy and Jurassic Park. "Only a movie," says the great bearded guru. Yes, well, 'The Phantom Menace' is shameless in its pilfering of scenes from blockbusters. Whatever your thoughts are on the Star Wars universe, the "charm" and "humor" of the original three films have been reduced by Lucas, the "great auteur," to cutesy moments aimed primarily at avid watchers of Teletubbies. Lucas apparently never met a cliché he didn't swoon over. His script is a muddled piece of idiocy, more hack job than Joseph Campbell. As a director, he treats his actors worse than ignoble props, sacrificing the vital human moments they need to express for the sake of his gratuitous digital effects and allowing them to speak their inane lines with bland monotony and all the emotional impact of a plate of Brussel sprouts. His direction is so flat that he makes Hitchcock, who once dismissed actors as mere cattle and insisted that the motivation behind a performance was a paycheck, look like the greatest Method director who ever lived. And do you really think Ep.II will be better?? Like he would 'change' his style....Why should he? He's surrounded himself with so much wealth and power, he could release a film worse than 'Menace' and still rake in millions. So when you pluck down your hard earned cash for the next one, don't say we didn't warn you. We'll be enjoying Lord Of The Rings and The Matrix.
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD packed full of extras
Review: Assuming that you already like this movie enough to consider buying the DVD, this is a GREAT set to own. There is a ton of extra material in this set, and it is all very interesting and informative for you if you are a Star Wars fan. It is not actually one DVD, but two. The first DVD is the movie, with the regular soundtrack, and then a very interesting commentary soundtrack with George Lucas and some of the other important players that helped bring the movie to life. I especially liked the commentary on the sound effects -- it's interesting to hear the tricks used to make the sounds for the pod racers and the ships. For example, they recorded a refrigerator motor and used it as the engine for one of the ships. The second DVD has a short, documentary-like feature about deleted scenes. There was an entire lap of the pod race cut out that you will get to see. Lots of commentary goes with each deleted scene, including how it was made, and why it was cut out. The second DVD also has a made-for-DVD documentary about the making of the movie. It shows basically everything from the Anakin Skywalker tryouts to the very first screening. It includes a lot of behind-the-scenes look at how the animation was done. It shows the lightsaber fight at the end being rehearsed and shot too. Great stuff. And of course, the DVD includes the obligatory trailers. Those are always fun to watch. If you are a big Star Wars fan, or if you just liked this movie, then this one is a can't miss.
|
