Rating: 
Summary: It's a whole lot of fun
Review: For those of us who remember to just have fun and enjoy a good old fashioned swashbuckler this movie has it all. Ewan Mcgregor does a fantastic job bringing us a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and Natalie Poortman is wonderful as the young queen forced into a confrontation out of her control. Hey! I even loved Jar Jar Binks! For those who think he's annoying, try watching a Chris O'donnell flick. These movies were never meant to save the world. They're meant to remind us all to be kids and have fun. You want reality? Watch the news. Enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: The Start Of Something Great
Review: For those of you looking for a fast-paced action movie,move on to another title. If,however,what you are looking for is a movie with style,decent actors in decent roles,a few awesome and awe inspiring fight scenes,look no further,this is definately the movie for you. Don't go into this movie thinking every question you have will be solved in a neat little package,because a surprise will be in store,it doesn't happen. However,by no means let that stop you from seeing this well above average,almost great,film. The cast is terrific,and little Jake Loyd is not as bad as some would have you think. The special effects will leave you stunned. What would a movie be without a great soundtrack? No need to wonder here because this one is great. I did have one problem with this movie,JarJar. From time to time I did find him a little annoying,but given the worthiness of the rest of this film,it was easy to get over my annoyance with JarJar. All in all,I think this movie did a fine job of setting up the rest of this continuing saga. In the end it leaves one wanting to know more and anxious for the next installment. If you've seen the first three,as I did over 20yrs.ago starting at the tender age of 4 and continuing on through the years,by no means miss this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: EPISODE I- Star Wars for the new generation.
Review: For those of you out there who are not so hypocritical of a movie with a difference, The Phantom Menace is for you. I found that the performances by all actors were excellent, especially Natalie Portman who plays Queen Amidala/ Padme`. Imagine having to play two different characters in the same movie! As for those who thought that Epsiode I was a load of rubbish, I think that perhaps you should stick to romantic comedies, not science fiction movies like this one. Once again, I thought that this movie (and the book) was absolutely well done in every way. I find that every time I watch it, I see something new!! An excellent movie for the young at heart or for the oringinal Star Wars fans. May The Force Be With You!!!
Rating:
Summary: Better than expected
Review: For those of you that though that this movie was "A failure... Not as good as the first three... or was just plain a bad movie with a lousy plot" I just have a few words for you, YOU HAVE NO IMAGINATION this was in fact what it was a PREQUEL not the a similar movie or a remake to the Orignal. George made an excellent movie setting up what is sure to be the best installment of the franchise. This film is justing setup the ground work for the rest (and this is what most people that don't like it don't understand, it even sets up the orginal trilogy). Remember Star Wars was a story that stated in the middle. And we are FINALY experiancing the begining...
Rating:
Summary: The Phantom Movie?
Review: For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Star Wars saga I'd like to welcome you to the planet Earth and ask if your stay on Mars was enjoyable. Now with that aside, I'm sure this is a statment that will anger alot of fans out there; This movie is not that bad. It is rather enjoyable if you take it in the context of the series. It essentially lays the foundation for the entire Star Wars saga. Now with that said, I will freely admit that there are some problems with this film. First being that the Star Wars mythology is so vast and so expansive that the story does tend to get bogged down in detail (Unknown to the casual fan there is even a back story BEFORE the Phantom Menace detailing an era in the Star Wars timeline called the "Sith War". The Sith War could have easily been scripted for another trilogy. That's is how enormous the scope of the Star Wars universe).
There are some scenes that seem very extraneous that make me wonder what deleted scenes that will be included in the DVD version that actually did end up on the cutting room floor. All the basic elements of a Star Wars movie are here ( i.e. the lightsaber duels, epic scale battles, daring escape, etc.) but the pace of the movie tends to lag in the middle. One can't help but think if this is the result from the fact that George Lucas hasn't made a movie in over 16 years. Where a movie like X-Men seems to grab you and keep you riveted to your seat, Phantom Menace offers plenty of time for bathroom breaks without missing any relevant action. Hopefully in Episode II "Attack of the Clones" ( can you believe that name?) the story will be tightened up considerably.
Even with all that said the fact remains that this is still a Star Wars movie. Though it is probably the weakest film in the series it still is head and shoulders above anything else in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Being an anime fan it is not a stretch that the Star Wars universe could easily co-exist within the anime universe. It does after all borrow alot of story elements from many of todays popular anime series ( such themes as redemption and self discovery are popular in the anime genre). It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the Star Wars saga is in fact a live action anime story. And the Phantom Menace, though flawed as it may be, is still an excellent starting point to that story. It is well worth owning and well worth even purchasing a DVD player for.
Rating: 
Summary: CGI-laden live cartoon.
Review: For those of you who aren't aware of the Star Wars saga (if such people exist), this is a prequel to the other three films, taking place some years before 'A New Hope', and telling the story of the beginnings of Anakin Skywalker. Some people might have thought "it hasn't got Han Solo, Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker in it so it won't be as good". These people can now give themselves a modest pat on the back. Certainly this film is entertaining and has countless, amazingly detailed, CGI effects. It's just a pity the characters aren't quite so sensational. The two jedi knights sleepwalk through the whole thing, the briefly-seen famous actors are never given a chance to act and the aliens are idiotic video-game characters. There are a few good characters. Palpatine is wonderfully scheming and Darth Maul is well-designed, despite being underused. But the endless merchandise we're currently awash with only goes to prove that this film is about money. If you're a dedicated Star Wars fan it might be worth a look, but if I were you I'd be content with the first three films.
Rating: 
Summary: Reason for no DVD
Review: For those who are curious why it is VHS only, the reason is that Lucas won't release ANY Star Wars movies on DVD until all six are done and complete. I assume because they will then have a six DVD set with extra goodies etc. So you DVD fans will have to wait till probably 2005. :-( Lucas sold out for this movie. The other movies were made for teenagers and adults. This movie was made for children. There is waaay to much comedy in it. Portman did a terrible job acting and the main bad guy's costumes (trade federation) looked terrible. And they couldn't scare a mouse. Episode II will be better. Lucas learned his lesson on this one.
Rating:
Summary: A glimpse of the great things in store for us in Episode 2
Review: For those who did not like Episode 1, they simply do not understand the Lucas style of filmmaking. Episode 1 is just the beginning. Lucas didn't show all his best stuff in this film. If you remember the Star Wars Classic Trilogy, each successive film kept getting more and more exciting. The same will be true for the films in the Prequel Trilogy. Episode 1 is an exciting film, but it will be boring compared to Episode 2. The bad guys will be meaner, the action scenes will be more intense and the battles will be more epic. Once you see Episode 2 and 3, you will appreciate the genius of Episode 1.
Rating:
Summary: A Lot of Fun
Review: For those who have never seen the film - I really don't understand where the naysayers are coming from. I went to see the move in the theaters one hung over Sunday morning at 10:30, and George Lucas made me feel like a kid all over again. The last time I got excited like that was after standing line with my father for an ETERNITY to get tickets to see Return of the Jedi. Not the re-releases, mind you. I'm talking 1983. For those who already own the VHS and wonder if the DVD is worth picking up - ABSOLUTELY. The visuals this DVD produces are just astounding. It is the cleanest, prettiest transfer I have seen. Sound? I don't have DTS, so I don't know what I'm missing with that. What I do know is that it is the best Dolby Digital 5.1 sound I have ever heard. The Podrace and my sub get along great, and yours will too... The disc of extras is great, with "the making of" being my favorite extra. To see what they were shooting with an actual camera, and how it ended up in the end is remarkable. The deleted scenes are also interesting, and they refer to something I wish had been on this release. They say the Podrace was originally 25 minutes long! I wish they would have put that together and had it to view in all its glory on the Special Features disc. Oh well, like Lucas is only going to release this once...and this is going to be the only version...right? Anyway, I wholly recommend this set. It's a showpiece for your home theater system, it's loaded with extra features, and (most importantly) the movie is a lot of fun. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: See Through You I Can...
Review: For those who thought this will be the worst episode of Star Wars, don't be so cynical. Although there is hardly any fighting and the characters are a little plain...ITS ONLY THE FIRST EPISODE! Why didn't Qui Gon Jin disappear? What will happen between the senators of Malistar(?), Alderan and Naboo? What happens to Anakins mum? Why is Yoda so important and wise? What happened to the orginal Sith Lords? Remember, THINGS ARE ONLY GOING TO GET BETTER!
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