Rating: 
Summary: Not Human Enough!
Review: Even though I really enjoyed Episodes VI, V, and VI, I have to admit was disappointed with Episode I. I couldn't put my finger on it until I watched the original episodes again. What struck me the most was that Episode I had very few HUMAN actors in it. Most of the "extras" were digital computerized characters.I also thought that lack of any love interest, witty comments and comic relief (i.e., Hans Solo)really detracted from the film. Lastly, I thought the acting was SOOOOO DRY! There was so little emotion, that it was really hard to get involved in the plot. The special effects were awesome, but the plot and acting really lack the greatness of the original episodes. Lucas got away from his "Saturday Afternoon Cliffhanger" type movie. I hope he finds it again.
Rating: 
Summary: Thinking about the complete story.
Review: Even thought a lot of people says that this movie is not great, i have to disagree with them. To catch the greatness of this movie, you have to think of it as part of a whole. You have to remember that The Return of the Jedi means that ANAKIN comes back from the dark side of the force, so the whole movie it's about ANAKIN and his offspring, but mainly ANAKIN. I also think that Lucas took too long to release the DVD. I can't wait to have them both in my hands and enjoy the movie with full quality, great sound and new footage while I wait till Lucas wants to release the Original Trilogy on DVD and complete the episode II. I already have the VHS version, and I will enjoy the movie even more now on DVD. To all the people that haven't seen any episode of this movie, go ahead, and see how Anakin becomes a bad guy, and the circumstances that force him to rethink his behaviour and redeem with himself, his friends and family. This movie is a MUST for your family. The special effects, comic relief, and other stuff, are a plus, not the main reason to see the movie. The main reason is the Plot itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly dissatisfactory
Review: Even when some people try to save this insulting sequelae of SW, This film is an example of how easy is to fall in the temptation of using the past glory of a masterpiece as Star Wars to atempt to fool the educated espectator. This is not only not a fun movie, but a disgrace for the film industry itself. In spite of all those special effects, the overabuse of computer animation is worse that those seen in Jurassick Park (sequelae II and III), and the lack of inteligent and coherent plot is discouraging. It might be fun for people without filmic pretensions, but is so heartbreaking for us Star Wars lovers. Please Mr. Lucas, can you change the title of the next movies and separate them from the marterpieces we saw 20 years ago?, don't ruin our memories.
Thanks
Rating:
Summary: A CLASSIC!
Review: Ever since George Lucas rereleased the old Star Wars movies back in 1997 and drubbed the competition at the box office ( in spite of the fact that the trilogy was available on VHS and TV ), there has been a coterie of hacks (and a horde of people who go through life repeating whatever the hacks say) who have done everything in their power to bash him. They have had some success, because among those who chew the cud, it is now fashionable to proves one's hipness by slamming Lucas. Case in point: The hysterical negative reaction to The Phantom Menace. While the overwhelming majority of moviegoers voted with their feet and their dollars (There is only one movie released in the last twenty years that has done better at the box office: Titanic.), a vocal minority wants viewers to believe that Episode 1 belongs in the Movie Hall of Shame with Plan 9 From Outer Space and Battlefield Earth. The people who attack Episode 1 have an agenda that has nothing to do with the quality of the film. The movie starts in a postcard-pretty planet, Naboo. Naboo looks like a space age Tuscan villa, and is being blockaded by the Trade Federation in an intergalactic demonstration of 19th Century mercantilism as inflicted by the East India Company against parts of India. The names "Padme" and "Naboo" are sure signs Lucas has been reading a lot of Adam Smith. Two Jedi Knights are sent to end the stalemate. What they don't know is that the Trade Federation are just patsies for the Sith, an evil supernatural order believed to be extinct. The Jedi escape and pick up a rather weird amphibian sidekick named Jar Jar Binks. Together with the Queen of Naboo's entourage, they flee the planet to get help. They end up stranded of Tattooine, a planet patterned after Monument Valley. They meet Anakin, a nine-year-old slave who has superhuman reflexes. The senior Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn believes the boy is strong with The Force and he is right. After winning his freedom, Anakin joins the fugitives and they go to the Capital of the Rpublic to get help for Naboo. Anakin wants to be a Jedi Knight, too. The Republic has little power or will to intervene on Naboo. The Queen decides to take matters into her own hands and fight back. Thus begins the last forty minutes of The Phantom Menace. As with the other Star Wars movies, during the last forty minutes, the action, tension, drama and excitement are turned up several notches. Episode 1 is no exception. The lightsabre battle between the Sith Lord (Darth Maul) and the two Jedi (Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi) is the best melee combat ever put on film. Imagine an old-style Errol Flynn/ Basil Rathbone duel, but with the fluid grace and precise movement of Fred Astaire. There is none of the ridiculous, gimmicky "bullet time" or Jackie Chan fast-forward stuff that looks like the Three Stooges. Unfortunately, the fight doesn't last very long and is intercut with the other, less exciting battles going on elsewhere. The film is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! The colors are almost fluorescent like the old Technicolor movies of the 1930s. There are a few problems: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul don't get nearly enough screen time and Jar Jar Binks gets too much. Natalie Portman is way too young and is miscast, in my opinion. Too much of the dialogue is simply to explain things that should be obvious to anyone watching the movie. For example, when the heroes fly toward a planet that is a planet-wide city, the pilot says; "The whole planet is one big city." I didn't need to be told that, I can see it! But that's nitpicking. The Phantom Menace is incredibly fun and exciting. Visually, it's a masterpiece and ranks right up there with Blade Runner, The Wizard of Oz and Metropolis. Years from now, it will be regarded as a classic.
Rating: 
Summary: Star Wars underwent a major metamorphesis
Review: Ever since I saw Star Wars for the first time, I was impressed and immediately was taken to a distinct and varied universe that spawned a new franchise in my life. Unfortunately, hype has repeated itself and Lucas gave anticipating audiences a dramatic decline in what anyone could call an epic. Maybe the most anticipated cinematic event in the history of filmmaking, but far from the great film. The pod race is worth the admission alone, but as for an unoriginal story and horrible use of the Star Wars license, this movie just doesn't cut it, and you'll find yourself surprisingly sleeping through half of it.
Rating:
Summary: Back in Timeline; Forward in Time
Review: Ever wonder why you can watch the first Star Wars trilogy over and over again and still feel the Force? Despite the lack of special effects that we now come to expect these days, you seriously can't tell they were filmed in the late 70s early 80s. And you never feel like you are watching an "old" movie. The trilogy has the same magic as Stanley Kubrick's "2001 - A Space Odyssey" in that it remains timeless and it hasn't been saturated by Hollywood culture. The coming of episode one brought with it a sense of the 90s that will probably make you uneasy the first time you watch it, especially since most of the creatures were 3D animated. I nolonger felt like I was meeting new civilizations as most everyone spoke English. And the use of Jar-Jar for comic relief made me cringe. I found it very hard to take a liking to any of the characters at the beginning, especially as they were put into danger soon after the opening title. I honestly didn't care if they made it to the next scene. All-in-all it's a good movie and will keep you interested. The whole film is completely bright and colorful, which makes it a perfect candidate as a good DVD. The more times you watch it, the more desensitized you'll become to it's underlying tone and you'll enjoy it a lot more as a whole. You might even believe that young Anakin is really a good child actor and isn't just repeating script. I am just wondering how they can make a smooth transition from this, to "A New Hope."
Rating: 
Summary: Real Entertainment
Review: Every saga has a beginning. Episode 1: The Phantom Menace is a good beginning for the saga of Star Wars. The story is quite interesting and entertains a lot. The visual and sound effects are really impressive, the costume and production designs are wonderful and, one more time, John Williams composed a spectacular soundtrack, which makes this movie perfect for a DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Who cares what others say!! It was great!!
Review: Every true Star Wars fan knows and loves this movie. If you knew what happened before "The New Hope", then following this movie is easy. But if you do not follow and were expecting action sequences like in "Empires Strikes Back" or "Return of the Jedi" then it is your loss. This was a time of peace in the universe and corruption in the Senate, and this movie lays the ground work perfectly. Buy it, rent it, do whatever it takes to see this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: Every year I come up with my top five movies of that year. I was going to stop doing this after 1998. But after I saw The Phantom Menace I just had to continue. I am not a SW fan, actually as far as I am concerned it is nothing but a western set in space. The only reason I ened up watching the Phatom Menace was due to bordom on a Sunday afternoon during 1999. And what an afternoon it was! This movie absolutely blew my mind! Instead of getting a cheesy movie riddled with sensless fighting, one dimensional characters and a transparent plot. I got a movie with fleshed out characters and a complex plot (it took me 3 viewings to figure out the reason for the trade war). Jar Jar Binks was annyoing but everyone compensates for that big time-especially Natalie Portman who I tip my hat to. If the acting had not been so strong in this film I would have been on the floor laughing at the diologue. Unfortunetly some of the criticism of this movie have been the fact that the movie was "too wordy", and that it may be cut in the subsequent films, which will be really sad. But in the meantime I tip my hat to George Lucas and Co. for giving me one of the most enjoyable movies I have seen in long time.
Rating:
Summary: The Year of Blockbusters
Review: Every year, and sometimes not, there is one movie that makes you go "WOW", fortunately this year there were two fantastic movies one being The Matrix, the other one being The Phamtom Menace. The special effects and the flawed 'superhero' type rescuer Qui-Gon gives us, the movie goers, a bundle of action and success that succed in making this flick completely amazing. The first time I saw this movie I walked out with a smile because I had enjoyed myself so much. If I was either reminiscing an old childhood folk tale or if I was just attached to the storyline, one thing is for certain I had not had so much fun since Empire Strikes Back: Special Edition(which is my favorite Episode). This movie was very well presented and I actually loved it more than the Matrix. My only complaint is why isn't it coming out on DVD? And I mean a reasonable explanation not that George Lucas wants to release an entire box set in 2050.
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