Rating: 
Summary: George Lucas...lucky (...)
Review: I knew we were in for something bad with "Phantom Menace" when you look at what he did to the original trilogy a short time earlier. Listen folks, all you need to know is this: George Lucas has NO CONCEPT of what makes a movie good. All he cares about is filling the screen with unneeded special effects, many of which are hard to look at because they stand out so much. I will not comment on "Jar-Jar" specifically because it's no more ridiculous than the hundreds of other things in this movie. Save you money. If you want to buy your kids a nice "kids movie" I'd suggest "Toy Story(1 or 2)" or "Shrek". Heck, I've seen Saturday morning cartoons that had tighter stories than "Phantom Menace". (...) I have to assume that "Star Wars" was a lucky accident for you. Here's a tip for you: look into making the next "Final Fantasy" instead. (...)
Rating: 
Summary: A very good movie despite what people say
Review: I know a lot of people say that this is the worst Star Wars movie yet, George Lucas should have spent more time on character development, blah blah blah. But I think that Episode I was a very good movie. Sure Jar-Jar was annoying and reaked of Roger Rabbit, but once you get past that, you will see that The Phantom Menace was a very good movie. As has been mentioned in other reviews, the lightsaber battles were excellent, the music superb, the special effects fantastic. If Episodes II and III are half as well made, we will all be in for a treat.
Rating: 
Summary: The Star Wars Super Edition Special Collectors Limited...
Review: I know every time I see another Star Wars product with "Limited Set," "Collect all three," or "Special Edition," today, I am going to heavily consider its actual contents. There is this rule of nature I have found - the more you tamper or perfect things which already are at a high calibur, the more disappointed the result. For example, it is like attempting to retake an Exam after you already recived an A+, twenty or so years after you first took it. Very dangerous ground.Watching THX-1138, I have seen Lucas altered his condemnation of "Buy, buy more now...and be happy" to a position where he is afraid to expose true art by worrying about numbers and percentages. Personally, I think he is too critcal of critics, too set on traditional movie structure, and heavily concerned over quantity over quanity, perfection over natualism, and plot over character development. The Phantom Menace, I find, proved not only the world, yet himself it is time to search for what is really attempting to be expressed. Thank goodness this movie was made. I am glad Phantom came out because it proved Star Wars to be simply a fictious story, not something which everything in your life should revolve around. It was a wake up call to let everyone see how foolish it was getting, which was getting to a point where everything dealing with Star Wars seemed to be sent from God alone and taken as a literal Bible. I like Lucas, and I believe him to be a very smart and wise person, very reserved and to himself, articulating only in the scripts of his movies. Yet because of this movie, we will definitly be allowed to see Star Wars as it was intentionly meant for, and what it was all about. For this reason, I do think Lucas will improve. All he can do now is go up and learn with this experience, just as all of us can, and I am also glad he recived the reaction he did, because every director needs it in order to mature. It will create better movies in the end. There needs to be though a distinction of Phantom in relation to the SW movies, and movies overall. If we were to agree with a rating, it probably would be two stars when compared to the saga, three stars compared to movies of today. And this is from observation and a lifetime of experience as being a SW fan myself.
Rating:
Summary: The Light side always defeats the Dark side
Review: I know everyone was partially scarred by the lack of acting produced by several of the characters in George Lucas's latest production. However, I suggest instead of focusing on the small details and ravashing a legendary saga and one of the only movies parents and kids can watch together, we should highlight the favorite and memorable things which make Star Wars one of the greatest movie legends of all time. We like to pick a rag on everything bad about the movie, yet we never stop to appreciate the work and visual mastery behind it. I for one look foward a great deal to seeing Episode 1 on DVD. As for the critics' reviews, the number of great films they trash and the number of down right inapropriate trash that they praise has caused me to totally disregard what horrible things they can say about this fun (and completely appropriate) film.
Rating:
Summary: Please read this, I am a die hard fan, but this is very sad
Review: I know George Lucas makes this movie for kids, but he has seem to forgotten that the same kids he inspired 25 years ago are still big fans of his. I think he has become a selfish, self-indugled man, his attitude during interviews definitely shows it. As for this movie, it is insulting to watch as a grown up. My cousins who were only 6 and 7 when Phantom Mencace came out even told me the movie made no sense. Lucas says he made this movie for kids, but yet it is too confusing for kids. The plot is bad, the script is poor and so is the dialouge, the acting is beyond terrible, Mcgregor does a good job, but the rest of the cast doesnt have it How can Anakin build C3P0? He builds the droid he is looking for in the later episodes? it makes no sense, what is going to happen in Episode III? Is a young Han Solo going to be father to a baby Chewbaccca? Why all the corny connections? Just tell the story Lucas reminds me of a kid Johnathan in my neighborhood when I was young. He had all the best toys and was always the first to get everything and you couldnt play with his action figures unless you followed his corny storyline which was always silly... Dont waste your money on this, buy the Lord of The Rings, by Peter Jackson, watching that movie gives you a feeling it has really happened, like the original Star Wars pictures. Geroge has lost it and he can hide and be selfish in his little ranch but he will never be able to tell a good story ever again because he is blinded by technology...
Rating:
Summary: "I have a bad feeling about this,"
Review: I know people do not thing negative reviews are helpful, but here goes. Some one has taken a decent space cowboy series and turned it into a second rate after school special. After watching this movie and I was the only one left in the room to finish watching I came to the conclusion that it has no redeeming social value. I went back and watched the commercials and found that it was my mistake. It never said that it was anything but a "family" movie. Family is a code word that Disney really does not want to claim it. George Lucas must have directed this under duress. Worst of all this is a thinly valid raciest movie. However, they say no matter how slow you are you can beat the bad guys with tenacity. Watch the original series but skip this cartoon.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie I loved it even jar jar was very cool
Review: I know that a lot of people hate jar jar but, I really liked him. This is the best movie of 1999 it is even better that "The Matrix". The lightsaber battles are the best. I think this is the best Star Wars movie yet.
Rating: 
Summary: OH NO! GEORGE-WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!
Review: I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I just don't understand how anybody, especially Star Wars fans, can watch this film and not feel disappointed and cheated. What a bad movie! Besides the exciting pod race scene, Liam Neeson as Qui-Gonn Jinn and the all-too-short jedi battle at the film's ending(isn't it very un-Jedi-like to tag up on an opponent?), 'Menace' is boring, hokey and extremely frustrating to watch. And I am praying to every single saint that I can think of that Lucas DOES NOT tackle the roles of screenwriter and director for the next two films. Maybe hand those chores over to the likes of Lawrence Kasden(screenwriter of 'Empire')to write it or Frank Darabont to direct. Maybe this way, we won't have to watch ANOTHER big space battle finale or ANOTHER villain falling down a bottomless chasm, and we'll get something done with a little bit more style and originality instead of self-repetition and uninspired storytelling.
Rating: 
Summary: great expectations
Review: I know that I have to be very careful when I say this, so here it goes. I have loved star wars all of my life and for me to say anything else would be a lie. That being said the original trillogy has had over 20 years to become popular and familliar with fans. EVERYBODY takes these movies completely for granted. Like I said I love star wars, but it's like fans all over the world have been brainwashed into believing that they are the most important movies ever. How can any movie live up to expectations that high? The answer is it won't. Episode 1 is a good movie that follows in the spirit of the original. I'd write a review, but would you care? REALLY THE PHANTOM MENACE IS GOOD.
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't live up to the hype
Review: I know that I'll probably end up catching {stuff} from various people that Star Wars is not in the Top Ten of 1999, but tough! I don't think that it deserves to belong there. Yeah, the special effects were great and yes, we've all been waiting years for it, but that doesn't earn it the right to jump to the top. There are several weak story points (I won't spoil it in case you haven't yet seen the film) that take away from the movie. Plus George seems to have been more in love with the CGI characters than he was in the story. For a true story, I think that it is lacking. But I will definitely concede the point that Phantom Menace gets you hyped up for the others. I've had hours of conversations on what can and should happen next, plus what is the best way to pull it off. And I expect to have many more hours. So from an energy point of view, I will have put more energy in to Phantom Menace this year than any other film in a long while.
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