Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money. The VHS version is LOW quality.
Review: George Lucas -You won't release Episode 1 on DVD. Why not? You are dictating to millions of people your preference of them watching Star Wars: The Phantom Menace on VHS. The VHS quality is very poor, compared to DVD. I purchased the widescreen version, expecting a much higher quality of recording on the videocassette. It is of such low quality (and the sound is severely limited by VHS - no 5.1 on a videocassette. The best you'll hope for is Pro Logic) that I am ashamed to play it for people. My home theater system is of the quality that it makes this low quality piece of trash show how low quality it is. Don't waste your time.
Rating: 
Summary: Lucas spoils his own broth
Review: George Lucas appears to be too many cooks in his own kitchen -- and none of them cordon bleu. Case in point: Natalie Portman has known how to act since her first appearance in The Professional, but in these inane action comics her talents are suffocated, nearly snuffed out, by Lucas' bizarre directing. Lucas seriously needs to get in touch with his roots -- the first Star Wars, a comic but nothing like inane -- and stop tracking muddy concepts through his own legend. Like Terry Gilliam, he can't be trusted with a director's cut.
Rating: 
Summary: Depending on your age, you'll either love it or hate it!
Review: George Lucas definitely tried to appeal to younger audiences with this film, and I feel that people under 20 will enjoy this one more than those over 20, due mainly to characters like Jar Jar Binks, scaled back violence (as compared to the original trilogy), and superb special effects. Older audiences may not only find that the special effects take away from the story line, but they also find characters like Jar Jar to be especially annoying. Overall, I think that George Lucas tried to do a lot of character building in Episode I, and although I didn't particularly hate the movie, I did find it to be the LEAST ENJOYABLE so far out of the four Star Wars movies. Note: I would actually give this 2 1/2 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: What a great movie!
Review: George Lucas did it again. Star Wars Phantom Menace is excellent. This movie is nothing like Episode 4, but it certainly lives up to its hype. There are many characters that have ties to the first series of movies that most of us are familiar with.....young Anikin Skywalker, the future Darth Vader, C3PO, R2D2, Obi Wan Kenobi, and Yoda. This story is one big adventure that is fast paced with more special effects than you can shake a stick at. Lucas definately put a lot of time into this as his attention to detail is nothing short of incredible. I have watched this 3 times now, and have noticed something new each time I watch it. This movie certainly lives up to the Star Wars name and is great for the kids as well as Adults. This is by far the best Science Fiction movie in the last decade! I highly recommend this movie!
Rating:
Summary: A Tragedy For Star Wars Fans
Review: George Lucas does not believe for one single second that he did anything wrong with The Phantom Menace. He's living in a fog. Episode I of the Star Wars saga is a shockingly bad film, filled with atrocious writing, directing, and acting. Even the editing on the film stinks---too many damn wipes. No film director with a good head on his or her shoulders would've let Jake Lloyd & Natalie Portman's wooden performances stand as they are. But Lucas doesn't have a clue about directing his actors, or what a good film performance truly is. As long as his actors say their lines and don't bump into furniture, that's good enough for him. Sure, there's great special effects, but so what? There's too much talking, too much sitting around (or standing around), and not enough action. Too much emphasis on the special effects and not enough on the script or story. Too much Jar Jar Binks and not enough Obi-Wan. And don't get me started on that "medaclorian" nonsense or Anakin's virgin birth. Lucas already tarnished the Star Wars saga back in 1983 with those cuddly wuddly Ewoks from Return Of The Jedi, but now, he has destroyed the saga completely with The Phantom Menace. Attack Of The Clones was a little bit better, but that isn't really much of a compliment. And the upcoming Episode III? I couldn't care less. Furthermore, Lucas has been officially blown out of the water by Peter Jackson, who is now the new king of the sci-fi/fantasy genre with his brilliant Lord Of The Rings films. George Lucas WAS a great filmmaker way back when. But, as evidenced by these lame prequel movies, he has totally lost it. For Star Wars fans everywhere, this is a terrible, terrible tragedy.
Rating: 
Summary: What is old is new again.
Review: George Lucas had a tough row to hoe: He had already created the most successful movie series of all time, but after a nearly 20 year gap was expected to take up where he left off and meet everyone's anticipations and expectations. Well, he met mine! I was very pleased with this movie! I especially liked the way the design of the movie implied that the republic was at one time the pinnacle of galactic achievement; the architecture, spacecraft, fashion, etc. The later years (witnessed in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) show decay and the breakdown of the organized consumer base. This was reminiscient of the "Foundation" trilogy by Isaac Asimov to me. I give it a thumbs up! WAY up!
Rating:
Summary: For those with eyes to see and ears to hear...
Review: George Lucas had unprecedented control over this film. Never before has one man had such technical expertise, financial resource, guaranteed audience, and absolute unquestioned authority to bring his singular artistic vision to the screen, therefore all praise or criticism justifiably lays squarely at his feet alone. The conclusion... The Emperor wears no clothes.
Rating:
Summary: The Force is not strong with this one
Review: George Lucas had years and years to make Episode I of the Star Wars saga, and this is what we get? One thing is for sure, it's obvious he hasn't directed a movie in 22 years. In this dry-toast re-working of the Arthurian legend, the Republic is in a Newt Gingrich type deadlock as the film opens with a 'trade-war' that is instigated by the Trade Federation: The IRS in outer space. The Federation is about to attack the planet Naboo which is ruled by a child i.e. Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman). Two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) are sent by the Republic in an attempt to prevent the Federation from attacking the planet. Needless to say, things don't go as planned and the Jedi escape to Naboo where they run into Jar Jar Binks, an amphibious and obnoxious Naboo 'local' who is almost indecipherable. Together they 'rescue' the Queen from the Federation's CGI battle droids and flee the planet. They then go to Tatooine, the soul of the Star Wars saga, and things start to get theosophical. They discover Shmi Skywalker (Pernilla August) and her young son Anakin (Jake Loyd). And what do you know, Anakin was born without a father. Qui-Gon is soon convinced this young boy is 'the chosen one' (think the Matrix, Dune, the Bible) as he finds out young Anakin is 'genetically' endowed with the Force to a very high degree. The film then gets to its high point: The Pod Race. A Turbocharged rip-off of Ben Hur. After the Pod Race, they leave Tatooine and head on over to the capital planet of the Republic. Here the film gets tied down in political talk so dull and uninteresting, you think you're watching C-SPAN. We also find out that the Jedi council is a boring bureaucratic committee (even Yoda is boring). Problems abound with this movie. The CGI characters and backgrounds are so overwhelming, there is almost a sence of dislocation. It makes you miss the cheap, but organic, backdrops of the old sci-fi classics. And the characters, who are they? Who is Qui-Gon? What's his past? What do Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan talk about when they aren't narrating the films over-wrought plot? Because there is no connection to any of the characters, it really doesn't matter if they get killed or not. Everyone is a wooden prop. R2-D2 and C-3PO have nothing to do. Darth Maul is only a standard issue villian. The fact that The Phantom Menace is only a 'table setter' for the next two episodes is no excuse for the lifeless approach Lucas took with this movie. I just hope he learns from his mistakes.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, considering...
Review: George Lucas hadn't made a Star Wars film in over 15 years as he was busy running his empire (and being a single dad.) While the film felt uneven in a number of places, The Phanton Menace reminds you of why the Star Wars fims were so popular in the first place: loveable, memorable characters, unprecedented special effects and storylines that left you with a sense of wonder that appealed to the inner-child and philosopher in all of us. And you've got to admit--who else but George Lucas could have the world salivating and panting for more like a depraved drug addict while awaiting the arrival of a movie?!
Rating:
Summary: Looking forward to release
Review: George Lucas has done such a great job with all 4 Star Wars movies so far, I can't wait for the DVD. I own Episode 1 on DVD and I watch it along with Episodes 4, 5, and 6. Over and over. The DVD is said to have easter eggs (hidden jokes or funny items in the back ground) along with out takes, and deleted scenes.
I'm ordering my copy today!
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