Rating: 
Summary: VHS quality....'nuff said
Review: I bought a copy today and just finished watching it. It was not the wide-screen version, no way was I going to pay $30 for a VHS copy of anything. I never thought I'd buy a VHS movie ever again since buying a DVD player last year, but I had to make an exception this one time. The picture quality was definitely washed out on my copy. The sound was not good by any means (i.e., compared to a DVD with a good Dolby 5.1 encoding), and if you saw it in the theater, you know what kind of awesome sound it had. As for the movie itself, basically it gets 3 stars from me. While it wasn't terrible, it had some bad acting and Lucas introduced the most idiotic and annoying character to probably ever grace the silver screen, Jar-Jar Binks. Also, for those of you out there who expected "more," realize this is basically laying the foundation for the whole Star Wars saga. They aren't going to reveal and show everything in this Episode 1, but rather introduce the viewer to characters and situations that with the other two upcoming Episodes, will be expounded on further. Those of you waiting for this along with the other Star Wars movies to be released on DVD, I hope you're not holding your breath. I have read that Lucas is NEVER going to release them on DVD, as he is supposedly waiting for a better format to showcase them on. I am not aware of any such format even being talked about at this time to be the successor to the already wildly popular and excellent current DVD format. Now, who knows, the guy might catch a clue and release it on DVD, but my attitude regarding this is I'm expecting the worst, hoping for the best. Has anyone noticed that Spielberg hasn't released his Indiana Jones Trilogy and also Jaws on DVD? He supposedly wants to wait for the "right time" or something stupid like that. Why? They just released a remastered Digital VHS version of the Indy trilogy, if that's not heresy, I don't know what is! Well, to sum it up, in my opinion the Phantom Menace VHS transfer is pretty poor, and the film itself is o.k., not great, not terrible either.
Rating: 
Summary: If only this Phantom Menace were invisible
Review: I bought this DVD mostly because I love the first 3 movies and remembered thinking this one was okay when I saw it in the theater. Watching it again, I could not believe how painfully slow this movie feels or how bad most of the dialog is. The movie opens pretty strongly with the Jedi knights on a diplomatic mission that quickly turns ugly. It was a pleasure to watch Jedi knights on screen at the peak of their powers after watching Luke struggle to learn the art through the earlier films.Unfortunately, the movie starts to go downhill quickly once they land on Naboo. The introduction of the infamous Jar Jar Binks is only one irritant as the story bogs down in an incredibly lengthy attempt to escort the queen of the Naboo back to the homeworld of the Republic (ironically, they scarcely get there before deciding to return to Naboo, making the whole thing an even bigger waste of time). Virtually the entire time spent on the desert world of Tattooine crawls by as improbable event after improbable event is inflicted on us. Young Annakin is impossibly wise and mature to the point that it seems almost bizarre when he is around other children quite some time after we first meet him. His character is an adult part acted out by a young boy. The battle with Obi Wan and Qui-Gon attempting to handle Darth Maul is entertaining to a point but badly tarnished by the two of them constantly (and uselessly) twirling around in circles between blows. This is done strictly for drama to prolong the fight. All the twirling allows Darth Maul to block both of their light sabers and battle them to a standstill for some time. If the fight were filmed realistically with 2 Jedi attacking from opposite sides at full speed he would be dead in 10 seconds. Without belaboring every flaw of this film (there are far more), suffice to say that this is for hardcore Star Wars fans only. Anyone who is simply looking for an entertaining film can find far better elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Gotta get it on DVD!
Review: I bought this movie when it was only available on VHS about a year ago. I went ahead and bought it on DVD when it was released and I am so glad that I did. I noticed my VHS version lost a lot of quality over the past year. This DVD version comes out with crystal clear video as well as audio. Not only that, it comes with a second disc that has a lot of features like the making of the movie, deleted scenes (which will probably be added to the movie in twenty years as a "Special Edition"), and others, which are really fun to watch. I imagine the movie has been reviewed over 10,000 times so I won't even bother. All I have to say is that Star Wars Episode One is a great, entertaining movie. So, those who had this movie on VHS, buy it on DVD to re-experience the quality in audio and video.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best dvd's ever, one of the bigest let downs ever
Review: i can almost count the years when the movie was first anounce and put in development i had high hopes with the advancements in cgi and technology i was expecting a grand specticle, it was but the acting killed the movie. and the writing didnt help either. what made the original trilogy great was the characters. you had an intergalatic war, yes but it was revolving around these characters you actually care what happens to them and without that it just another movie. the kid in the movie cannot act to save his life, and jar jar should not have even been in the movie, if george lucas was trying to get a sidekick like chewie was, he should have tried harder. great special effects but time and money should have gone into the writing and better actors.
Rating: 
Summary: Big, long and uncut.
Review: I can honestly say that SW episodes IV and V are good movies. I can honestly say that episode I is not. I'm not a fan, I just like good movies. Past glamour is not all, but a fine movie will live forever. You feel it in your heart when you watch one. Do you feel it when watching episode I? My God, there's nothing there; nothing to relate to, nothing to touch you, nothing deeply amusing. Don't buy this.
Rating:
Summary: Get it!
Review: I can only say: go get it!! This movie is simply awesome! the audio and video are very good. a very good set of extras that spread over 2 discs. it also has a nice menu and interface. this is what a dvd should have! the movie itself is fantastic! good special effects, good flow of story and good acting make this dvd a must buy! u will not regret it.
Rating:
Summary: What a GREAT movie!!
Review: I can't believe all the people in these reviews were disappointed. I think it's the best SW movie to come out so far. (can't wait for ep. 3) All the political stuff in it makes it really realistic. If you want sappy romance in it, go watch ep. 2. And Yoda was wise, he didn't want train Anakin but the rest of the Council did. Give Yoda a break! What are you doing goggling at the reviews? Go ahead and buy the movie! It's your destiny!
Rating:
Summary: WHAT?!?!
Review: I can't believe everybody! I know this movie's weak, but Jar-Jar wasn't put in for comic relief, he was a sub-plot in himself. And the part with Darth Maul, there's no character development because George Lucas wanted to keep him mysterious. I think this DVD's gonna be great. This movie is much better than Return of the Jedi. I'm gonna buy my copy now!
Rating:
Summary: steaming pile of feces
Review: I can't believe how Lucas has ruined what started out as a great series of movies. What a waste of time this one was. Instead of this I'd recommend Lord of the Rings (books or dvds), Frank Herbert's Dune (book or dvd) or Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress (dvd) since all of these were the major inspiration for Star Wars and much better than Episode I. Hold out for the original trilogy on dvd, at the very least.
Rating:
Summary: The Phantom Garbage
Review: I can't believe I actually paid money to see this in the theaters. Horrible acting, terribly annoying characters and a super digital feel. Nothing about this movie is worth the money you'll spend. Save your money for something more worthy like a bad haircut.
|
