Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, but boycott the VHS
Review: I am an average SW fan. Not a fanatic. But I did love the originals. I think people remember the original trilogy when they were like 12 and so nobody minded all the unrealistic and childish elements then. As kids, Star Wars was flawless. The scene in "Empire Strikes Back" still irks me, where they land inside a giant worm's stomach and of course, there is air pressure and gravity just like on Earth, even though they are in an asteroid! Nobody even checks to see if its safe to leave the ship. Episode I was superior in many aspects. NOTHING in the old trilogy is anywhere near as visually stunning as Naboo and Corusant. Those two things alone make the movie worth watching. The costumes, and the ships are much sleeker and more believable than the originals ever were. The light saber duel was ten times more exciting than anything in the first trio. Even John Williams' score "Duel of the Fates" is unforgettable and far beyond any of the original music. As for Jar Jar being annoying, yes, he was annoying, but that didn't bother me a bit! Because he was PLAYING an annoying character! He was SUPPOSED to be annoying. He annoyed Obi and Qui-Gon too. That was part of the necessary comic relief to play as a foil to the stoic Jedi. As for the Jedi acting stiff, well of course they were, THEY ARE JEDI! Jedi aren't supposed to be emotional. And still I really felt for Qui-Gon in the end. Anakin I must admit didn't act all too well. But what really irks me about TPM are the small things. The robot going; "Roger Roger" made me want to scream; "IS THIS SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS?" And what I hated most, the way most people felt about Jar Jar, is how I felt about that dumb two headed announcer. I mean he looked so cartoonish, and he sounded just like Howard Cosell! That was simply too much of a stretch of the imagination. But the plot, in my mind, was superb. Those who didn't like it didn't understand it maybe. It was rather deeper than the others. Basically it involved a corrupt Galactic Senator trying to get himself elected to a higher position by creating a Trade Dispute with a foreign planet, putting himself as the person who would "save the day" when in actuality he is the cause of the dispute. You could even argue that after Episode 1 the bad guys actually won. As for buying this VHS, I really think we should all unite as Star Wars fans and send a clear message to Lucas that; "We are not going to fall for these stupid business tactics! We know the only reason you won't release TPM on DVD is because you KNOW we will buy the VHS and the DVD." Let's not allow him to manipulate us this way, his faithful consumers. Nick
Rating: 
Summary: Good Movie, Great DVD
Review: I am an avid "Star Wars" fan! I have been since I was a young kid. Now even I will admit that "Phatom Menace" was not up to par with its three predecesors! But it was still a good movie, I don't know where people get off saying that it "sucks" It is a good movie! But the best thing about this DVD is the bonus disc of features! The extras on this DVD are the best that I have ever seen! The "making of" documentary is the most interesting one I have ever seen. If you love "Star Wars" you will love this DVD, it is well worth it!
Rating:
Summary: Not Really Disappointing At All
Review: I am an avid Star Wars fan. I grew up on Star Wars. I still have the original Kenner action figures and I'm not even thinking of selling them on auction websites. When I heard that George Lucas was going to reprise his role as a director and work on the prequels, I was extremely excited to see how everyone got there, how Anakin Skywalker transformed into the evil Sith lord Darth Vader. In "The Phantom Menace", we are introduced first to the young Obi Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), and his master Jedi, Qui Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson). Then we are introduced to (we all know this by now) the mother of Luke and Leia Skywalker, Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) at 16 years of age. Finally, we get to meet Anakin Skywalker at 10 years of age (Jake Lloyd...could they have cast a better child actor?). A lot of people blasted "The Phantom Menace". I have to disagree. This is an inside look into how everyone started. And if you are a big fan of the original trilogy, you should be able to appreciate how George Lucas tells the tale of how an innocent child is transformed into pure evil. There are no real outstanding acting performances in this film, except for Natalie Portman and the outstanding fine Ewan McGregor. It is so exciting to see how the Jedis were at this time frame because in the original trilogy, they were always discussed and during that time, I would always wonder what the Jedi were like in their prime. Of course, we only see two of them here, but we just see how strong they are in using the force, and the treat in this film is seeing the Jedi Temple and the Jedi Council. I can't wait for the third prequel to come out. One day, when that DVD comes out, I will play all DVDs in sequence! This DVD is also excellent if we're talking about special features. And don't forget to look for the easter egg.
Rating: 
Summary: ZERO STARS IS MORE APPROPRIATE
Review: I am ashamed that this is asscoaited with the original trilogy of Star Wars films. SWEP1 was the worst movie I had seen since "Plan 9 from Outer Space" George Lucas shoud pull this title from the shelves and make a public apology to all the adult star wars fans for putting out this G rated nonsense. Since when is jedi power controlled by microscopic organizms--well, I guess that is more PC than it being a eastern-like religion. I have to say, the computer animation was great, but you have to use it in moderation! The whole damn movie was cgi, as well as the most annoying character ever created, Jar Jar Binks. I pray to god that he dies early in episode 2. And what was with all the hype over Darth Maul? He was in the movie for all of five minutes, with just as many lines. How is it that a retarded cgi character gets second billing where a sith lord only gets five lines. I'm ranting, and I cant take anymore of this...
Rating:
Summary: slightly less painful than a trip to the dentist
Review: I am astounded that anyone liked this film. Even 10 year olds should know better. Jar Jar Binks should be killed off soon, but not before Lucas himself. Answer me honestly, does anyone really like this film? I know, I know, we were all excited to have another chapter come out in our life times, and it could never have lived up to the hype, but this is more than a disappointmet. It is utter worthless garbage. A waste of money and time.
Rating: 
Summary: It's a Poor Movie, but a Great Special Effects Show!
Review: I am being rather generous when I give this 2 Stars. I keep on hearing all this stuff about how it being impossible to beat the original trilogy and how true Star Wars fans will like episode 1. Yeah right. The true Star Wars fans will be the ones who like a good story and great acting (original trilogy) rather than watching all the neat stuff George Lucas can do with the technology making weird looking aliens and neat looking ships (episode 1). It boggles my mind to see how true fans would like episode 1 the most. Maybe I have different tastes. Sure, there were great fighting sequences, great ships, neat planets, neat costumes, weird aliens and much more! But does a great movie rely on just that kind of stuff. I have taken polls on the people's most favorite star wars movie, and almost all the time The Empire Strikes Back was the most liked. I am not saying this should be everyone's favorite. I am just trying to get this point across. The Empire Strikes Back DID have the least amount of weird creatures, it also used the least amount of big technology, the people were real, and it also had a great story. So do the next two movies that are coming out really need to rely on all the digital stuff or can't George Lucas remodel off of the trilogy. People's expectations might have been a little high on episode 1, and it might have been impossible to mount to the original trilogy. BUT to me George Lucas seemed like impressing the audiences with the high flying, loud, technology cities, which is all a special effects show. I have noticed that I can feel I have a special bond with the characters of the trilogy, because they are GREAT actors and have good, interesting personalities. It's hard to get aquainted with stupid characters like Jar Jar. Also to me the main cast seemd quite weak and boring. I just couldn't get in with the movie. Lastly, the story was really weak. Anakin was esp. weak. I mean him having no idea what he is doing in that ship and somehow managing to blue up that space droid control station is weird to me. To wrap it up, the TRUE star wars fans will be watching it for a GOOD STORY and a GOOD CAST, NOT A SPECIAL EFFECTS SHOW WITH A FEW HUMANS MIXED WITH TONS OF WEIRD CREATURES. That's all!
Rating: 
Summary: Hard to understand,hard to say
Review: I am completely confused after watching the film.I don't know what the director wants to show us.I feel the producers have some commercial purpose.They were telling us a middle-age story but had a modern appearance.
Rating:
Summary: The Force of the New Generation
Review: I am crazy about all things Star Wars, and even back in third grade when I din't like it there were rumors flying around about Episode One. When I went to see the movie I was the only one in my family who new what was going on. I was extremely impressed by the graphics and artistic value of this movie. I liked how it focused on the Jedi a lot more than the original trilogy. Not to say this movie is better than the originals! I watch'em all and read all the books and manga comics I can get my hands on. Episode One is special to me because someday, when I'm like, 40 or something, I'll be able to say "I grew up when the Phantom Menace came out." I'll admit that the commercialization of this movie was a bit much, but I still think this is the greatest movie of the Twenty First century!
Rating:
Summary: Short on audio Quality
Review: I am dismayed that the DVD release does not offer the DTS encoding. As what usually happens, they release the Dolby 5.1 and then later the DTS trying to sell you the same product twice. I have waited this long for the DVD. I guess I can wait a little longer for the DTS version. Bummer...
Rating:
Summary: Awesome......
Review: I am fed up with all of these cumudgeon reviews about the Phantom Menace. Although it has its share of flaws. No Real Comedy, and Cheesy Dialogue. It does not sink the spectacular scope and vision of the movie itself. The characters were underdeveloped with the intention of making an action movie...It is not supposed to have Academy Award Winning Acting. There is an overabundance of Special Effects of Everything else is perfect. And the Actors Do Convince. Maybe with more moroseness and less Jar-Jar, Lucas's Vision of his Series will come into full fruition. I do agree that Lucas needs to hold his shots though. He needs to let the audience care about the actors. Still a great movie though
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