Rating: 
Summary: I am blown away...
Review: ...not by this movie, but by the number of Star Wars apologists on Amazon.Com! There are people rating this four and five stars, but their review contains nothing but digs at every aspect of the film, excluding the visual effects. People spending hundreds of words to say why the movie is bad, then turning around and saying they loved it, and proclaiming it "100% Star Wars." This was NOT Star Wars. Seeing this in the theater was like being in a bad dream. I'd wanted to see the prequels for so long, and was utterly let down in every way. The idiotic introduction of "midi-chlorians" stomped all over the spiritual aspect of the originals...that mastery of the force was all about spiritual and mental focus, and belief. Now it's just about how many of the right cells you've got. Ridiculous. I could go on ad infinitum about Jar Jar Binks, the worst character ever introduced in film, but that's been done to death. Jake Lloyd has already taken his lumps for his awful performance, as have others...so I won't belabor that point, either.
The fact is, the characters of the original trilogy are icons for a reason - you CARED about them. We don't care about any of the characters in the prequel trilogy - they are all completely disposable. We know what becomes of everyone of significance in the story, the rest of the characters are one-dimensional and unimportant. The Jedi Council is a rogues gallery of makeup artists at work, but not a single one will be remembered...let alone acheive iconic status. Shouldn't they have made more of an impact on us than the characters in Jabba's palace, who we only saw for a few minutes? In fact, who still cares about Darth Maul? Nobody. He was a microcosm of these prequels - all flash, no substance. I was bitterly disappointed by both the two prequel movies and I'm praying for a small amount of redemption in the third, but I feel Lucas has lost his way and is now only good at putting effects on-screen...which is more a testament to the talented staff of ILM than anything. But the long line of digital characters rolled out by his effects company do nothing to match the simple, rubber-mask charm of Greedo or the denizens of Mos Eisley Cantina...just as none of his main characters can hold a candle to the charisma and charm of Han Solo.
In twenty years, nobody will be talking about the prequel films. No future filmmakers will hold them up as the movies that inspired their career choice. They are disposable entertainment for an audience that has apparently become so easily amused that ANYTHING is passable, as long as their eyeballs are entertained by "great graphics." Final Fantasy: The Movie was panned by critics and viewers, but I'd argue that it had every bit as much depth and made just as much sense as the Star Wars prequels have.
So that's my rant, just had to get it out of my system.
Rating: 
Summary: ahhh, can't hate lucas
Review: ...rely on the extensive documentaries/featurettes (disc 2) to help convince yourself that this film has 'some' redeeming value... the excessive quantity of dvd extras (actually more entertaining/intriguing than the movie itself) tries to dazzle/numb you into forgeting/rationalizing your profound disappointment in the movie... so maybe it's a rough start, but bringing star wars up to speed with 'contemporary action/sci-fi movie standards' and 'expectation pressures' (especially from the SW over-intellectualizers) is a pretty formidable task. be wary tho and try to ignore the sickeningly profuse lucas kow-tow-ing by his legion of payroll sycophants/workhorse zombies. tho Quantity over quality is the essence of this dvd, how can i turn my back completely on someone responsible for so much of my childhood joy? all starwars fans are forever indebted to lucas for the cherished memories... it's his story, after all.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 1/2 Stars. Finally, On DVD...
Review: ...so you can fast-forward through to the good parts. I enjoyed watching this film in the theatres, but most people have the right idea about this film: That it was a big money-making operation. There is a lot to like about this film: The light sabre fight scenes were great, the Pod Racing scene was great, the scenes in Coruscant were amazing and there were three or four other parts that I loved. But the Jar-Jar stuff, in fact all the Gungan characters were silly and annoying. That one character, coupled with the depiction of droids WE would'nt use to fight wars, took alot away from the film.
Rating: 
Summary: You will notice...
Review: ...that the officer in charge (or whatever) of the enemy droid army sounds exactly like Sergeant Friday on Dragnet. I was waiting for him to meet Queen Amidala in person and say "Just the facts, ma'am". Seriously, note the number of stars I gave this movie above. It means it's worth watching, period. You have to hate sci-fi to disagree with that. It was overhyped. So what. Every naysayer this side of the Galaxy Far Away thinks it's an abomination. So freakin' what. Myself, I had this wierd solution to both dilemmas. I watched it and made my own decision.
Rating: 
Summary: Most of us were kids...
Review: ...when we saw the first trilogy. As we got older, our tastes became more sophisticated. No wonder so many people were disappointed with The Phantom Menace! They expected Lucas would provide another mind-blowing experience -- even though we knew what to expect. But Phantom follows the same basic path that all hero stories follow -- the hero discovered, the hero defined, and then, one of two results: the hero triumphant or the hero destroyed. Luke was triumphant, whereas Anakin will be destroyed. There won't be much variation on the theme itself. The main complaint I've heard, though, is that the movie is "goofy," being oriented toward kids! Hilarious, because this presumes that the first trilogy was not -- despite the goofy robots, the spirit of good versus evil, the mass marketing of toys, etc., that followed. Growing up with a movie makes all the difference, I suppose. In the end, Phantom is pure Star Wars. The heroic struggle against insidious forces, the beautiful arrangement of effects that blows your mind away, the pure escapism from EVERYTHING to do with everyday life -- it's wonderful. I recommend that, before you watch the flick, you try to recapture a sense of wonder that we all had as children, leave behind the sophistication that kids never possess, and immerse yourself in the story. You'll be surprised.
Rating:
Summary: Loved the movie but....
Review: ...why, oh why, doesn't Lucas release it in widescreen without all that extra junk?
Rating:
Summary: All Style and No Substance...
Review: ...would be the easiest way to characterize this film. Admittedly, my 10-year-old daughter was enthralled. I was merely interested. I must admit I am somewhat biased, as I am more into the common-man themed universe of Star Trek than the darkly Imperial reality of Lucas' creation, wherein the only important people are members of the royal houses and a few Jedis with special powers. Everyone else are just rabble awaiting the pleasure of their betters. But enough philosophical differences. The thing is, I look at Lucas and his creation as I do Speilberg and Disney, giving lip service to wanting to bring fun and adventure into our lives, but at the same time trying to squeeze every last nickle out of us for the privilege of partaking of said fun and adventure. The fact is, I would have given the flick three stars, but for the obvious decision to hold off on the DVD release until such time as he feels as much money as possible has been made with the VHS format sales. I want a clean picture and the best possible sound. Lucas refuses to give it to me, at least not in a timely fashion, instead tempting me - unsuccessfully - with an inferior format. I'll wait. And if he doesn't release it in DVD, then I simply won't spend the money.
Rating:
Summary: It's shame George and company want to bilk us for even more.
Review: 1 Star? That's right. 1 Star. This movie can't be shown the way it needs to be shown on VHS format. Lucas is just trying pinch every last little dollar out his loyal audience. This movie should be on DVD. VHS can't do it justice. It's a shame Lucas isn't on the DVD bandwagon because a many of his fans watch the Star Wars movies because they want to enjoy the art of it. I'll not spoil a good movie with a VHS viewing just to turn around and buy it a year later on DVD. 1 - Star. for a poor choice. 1 - Star for trying to get one up on the fans.
Rating:
Summary: Here's how I rate the STAR WARS films from best to worst:
Review: 1. The Empire Strikes Back (5 STARS) 2. Return of the Jedi (4 STARS) 3. A New Hope (3.5 STARS) 4. The Phantom Menace (2 STARS)
Rating:
Summary: A non-bias review by a hardcore Star Wars fan
Review: 2 1/2 stars to be exact. This movie was not 100% horrible, it had it's moments, seeing it constantly fluctuated from o.k. to spectacular to pointless. When I first saw the three opening paragraphs, I instantly had a bad feeling about the movie, it seemed empty and shallow, and I wondered how George Lucas could possibly deliver an awesome story from that synopses, but I said to myself this is Star Wars and I trusted George Lucas that everything would be fine. However I realize that I have seen the originals innumerable times, and I have only seen the Phantom Menace three times, twice on the first day and once on the last. I even wonder if I saw it this much just to say that I'm a true Star Wars buff. This movie laid aside the original principles and when it tried to follow them, it over killed them or did it badly. And example of this would be Queen Amidala's hair styles compared to Princess Leia's, Queen Amidala's hair was a little too much, and she changed her clothes every ten minutes (this struck me as an attempt to pick up a Best Costume Nomination). Jar Jar was obviously inserted to replace Chewwy, and could have been a little more likable if he was more serious and not so much a joker, I suggest that he matures before Episode II. I think most people would also agree, computer generated characters don't cut it, they look too fake, the puppets in the originals were a lot more believable like Sy Snootles and the Bounty Hunters. Computer generated stuff only looks good for non-organic things like buildings. Star Wars also thrived on characters like Boba Fett, Lando and Yoda, and the only new respectable characters were those on the Jedi council and they were not explored at all, neither do they say much, actually the majority don't say anything. I am tempted to even say, George Lucas has in a way betrayed Star Wars fans by being too commercially minded, concentrating more on licensing and franchising, and then says "it was meant for kids", which is a cop out. Finally the Death Star battle in ROTJ and ANH was a very intense and serious moment for the rebellion making you sit to the edge of your seat, but on the other hand Anakin saves the day all by an accident and it's supposed to be funny. Well enough of the cons, to keep away from being bias, I have to admit it did not lack visually the scenery was stunning and well depicting, my favorite is the senate chamber, the worst is the Naboo grass landscape (it's computer generated by the way). The Jedi battles were very exciting and it was nice to see how they really should be (not to say the originals weren't). All the pros are action and visual elements, the things that make commercial movies commercial. Movies however need not these things to make them good, it's all about the story and it's characters, when you think about it, most movies that win Best Picture or get nominated don't make that much money at the box office but they are undeniably great movies. I understand that Star Wars has to have some commercial element, but films such as Aliens and all the other Star Wars managed to do both and didn't sacrifice story. Star Wars wasn't intended for kids, kids' (like me) loving it was just a by-product. The Empire Strikes Back was the darkest of the old trilogy and the best (it didn't even have a Death Star), if any of them, this would be the one not for kids, I hope George Lucas follows that template.
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