Rating: 
Summary: A worthy Prequel!
Review: As with all Star Wars (or science fiction) movies, the critics were way too harsh in casting judgement on the Phantom Menace. Before you can really make an accurate apprasial of how effective this movie was, you have to distance yourself from the expectations generated by the brilliant original Star Wars Trilogy. In making the Phantom Menace, Lucas had the difficult problem of being true to the original while still statisfying the expectations of a more modern audience. On top of that, there were certain things that had to be said, set-up, and introduced in the Phantom Menace to provide groundwork for later sequels. Considering how many objects Lucas was juggling, he did a tremendous job. The Phantom Menace looks as technologicly beautiful as any movie ever made. The special effects are amazing and, at least in this category, the Phantom Menace far outpaces the original series. Every scene is spectacular on a scope the original trilogy could only dream of. There are a myriad of bizzare and interesting characters floating, not just in the center of the frame, but around the corners in flashes and only for split seconds. Just that aspect alone warrants multiple viewings. The performances are rock solid, Liam Neeson is perfect in the role of a jedi master, and takes his cues with an appreciative nod to the great Alec Guiness whose performance as the original Obi-Wan Kenobi is the backbone of the whole star wars series. Ewan McGreggor is marvelous too and it will be very entertaining to see him in an expanded role in the further sequels. The criticisms of this film have been that the characters are too two dimensional, that the plot is too similar to the origninals, and that too much of the action takes place in a political forum. My answer is that the characters are developed, it is just done extremely subtly and with minor gestures and choice of words rather than in-your-face gestures, certain plotlines are similar but in an attempt to make the movie true to the originals some overlap is inevitable, and the political aspect is, and has always been, a major component in this fantasy series and so was unavoidable. In short, the Phantom Menace is a spectacular movie. Although it doesn't quite capture the nostalgia of the original Star Wars, it suceeds admirably in continuing the story without disturbing the pedistal the first movies established. As with all Star Wars movies, there is a lot more subtly going on than any critic is likely to recognize. Furthermore, it is unfair to judge the Phanom Menace after only one or two viewings when most people have seen the original trilogy numerous times and have picked up every little nuance and detail. The original series seems rich on the strength of those multiple viewings and multiple discoveries, it is unfair to consider the Phantom Menace less until it has been given an equal examination.
Rating:
Summary: Jar Jar is still in it
Review: The only fault is that this DVD doesn't include the more popular version: "Star Wars: The Phantom Edit" that gets rid of most scenes with Jar-Jar "why didn't they have mercy on us and let your species get killed" Binks. I'll wait for the box set, maybe they'll include the edited version at that point.Kill-kill Binks
Rating: 
Summary: Did not meet the hype
Review: If I had 1 question it would be, why did they not use Darth Maul more. The first real scene he is in he gets killed. I have heard all the rumblings and rumors of the return of the Syth in the next movie but it still doesn't explain why the only compelling character in this movie was killed off. Another thing, what is up with Jar Jar Binks? I can just see the brain storming sesion that came up with the idea of killing the Syth and letting Jar Jar live...I certainly hope that the next release is better. Because if it is not, the third one may just bomb.
Rating: 
Summary: Could you please review this movie?
Review: P>Yes, I am a big Star Wars fan, and I highly anticipated the arrival of this film, in spite of the year or so beforehand of commercial marketing fodder (which gave me a really bad feeling). But contrary to popular misconception, my reason for not liking the movie isn't because my expectations were too high. It's because, as forgiving as I would like to be, there is a certain threshold beneath which my expectations refuse to go for any movie. And this one dropped below radar on many fronts. But I'll start with the positive. As many have mentioned, and I will agree wholeheartedly, the special effects are groundbreaking. I tip my hat to Mr. Lucas on this front. It's something for which he has a real knack. If you're into the movie for that, I imagine the DVD will be everything you could ask for! It looks like a fairly complete package for the effects and technical details-inclined. And it's DVD. Could you have hoped for a better medium for Star Wars 20 years ago? The cinematography is also excellent, and definitely met my expectations. Really, from a technical, engineering standpoint, this movie is pretty darned good. Unfortunately, this seems to be the only focus of the movie. The plotline? It's not that it's slow. It's far too uninvolved, superficial, basic, lacking in any intricacy or sophistication. Maybe there is a plethora of inside information that I am missing due to not researching the movie premise beforehand. I'm sorry, but that's still inexcusable, and I would say the same even if I did have that information, because it's simply not a fair assumption to make in a movie. The characters? Again, poorly developed, one dimensional, and uninteresting. I think that Darth Maul had amazing potential to be interesting, if they hadn't sat him behind the Emperor the whole time, grunting and looking mean. And what can be said about Jar Jar Binks? That character is obviously thrown in as the "kiddie" element, to attract the younger audience, or as some absent-minded throw-in for humor. Whatever the case, the character is just that: thrown in. And yet he survives for the entire length of the movie? This really highlights the "manufactured" sense of the movie to me. The dialog? This is perhaps the single biggest failure of the movie. This is why I can't blame the actors and actresses completely for the character failure. They aren't really given much to work with. It's too bad, because it's really a fantastic cast. What more can be said on this front? I feel like I spent more time thinking about this review than the writers did in thinking about the script. In summary, this movie was great technically, but a complete failure artistically. If there were half stars, I would give this movie 2 1/2 on those merits: (5 + 0) / 2. As it is, I rounded down, since I think the intangibles of coming up with an emotionally moving screenplay and dialog are harder to come by than even the most amazing of special effects. I wish I could say that it's enough for the movie to be technically proficient, but that's only half of a movie for me.
Rating:
Summary: It's just not the same.
Review: It's been said before but I'll say it again. If Lucas had spent nearly as much time on story and character development as he did on computer generated whimsy, this may have been more up to par with the "original" trilogy. Hence, when I was working at my video store and they gave us the exciting news that "Episode I" was finally to make it's long-awaited arrival to DVD, my response was an overwhelming "So?" Extra-features, commentaries, making-of's, all that jazz doesn't make up for the fact that this movie is a sure sign that somewhere between Jedi and Phantom, Lucas got a little too caught up in the business of keeping track of his royalties than keeping track of his imagination. Sure, standing alone, it's a decent picture (I still say Galaxy Quest was that year's best sci-fi release), but when held up next to it's three big brothers...well it's kinda like holding a Pokemon Pikachu wristwatch won from a crane game next to Big Ben.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad...
Review: Well, I don't want to spoil everyone's fun, but this movie is basiclly for the kids. For anyone who's ver seen and liked the original, I reccomend this as a renter to see if you like it. Jar Jar Binks, the "comic relief," isn't funny (unless you're laughing at how incredibly stupid he is), he's just plain annoying! Hardly faithful to the Star Wars series, I reccomend A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
Rating: 
Summary: Jar-Jar Binks leads the dissapointment
Review: I love Star Wars, saw the Phantom Menace at Universal Studious Cinemas, California, when it was release on the first day. The supposedly great computer generated special effects made the film look like a cheesy computer game. Worst of all, Jar-Jar Binks was so annoying and I certainly feel that Darth Mau would have immediately increase the rating on the film if he would have cut Jar-Jar into pieces in the first scene. They no longer do things like they used to, in terms of quality. The first 3 Starwars film will always be great, however, Episod 1 is certainly a Menace for the Star Wars collection. Hopefully Episod 2 is a lot better, I am certainly not looking forward to seeing Jar-Jar, unless of course it involves the new Darth Mau doing us a favour, sending him back to where he came from, below ground level.
Rating:
Summary: Leave It Alone!
Review: Sure, "The Phantom Menace" isn't as good as the other movies, but it has its moments. The pod race, the three-way lightsaber duel, etc. I do believe that this is a great film, yet the weakest of the Star Wars films (don't get me wrong, there all great). Although it lacks Han Solo's sarcasim and cockiness, "TPM" is a diamond in the rough. For those of you that keep bashing this good film, get a life!!!
Rating:
Summary: If you know Star Wars, you'll love this!
Review: Ok, I know this is not the greatest film ever. I couldn't decide whether to give it 3.5 or 4 stars, but because I am a big fan of the series, I'll be generous. Jar Jar Binks? Yes, we could do without him. And yes, some of the acting is a bit dry. But come on, for any fans of Star Wars that know the characters, know the story, and just know the Star Wars galaxy, this is a great film to watch. The podrace is just incredible, and if that is not enough for you, you will LOVE the lightsaber duel between the Jedi and the sith at the end. The characters are well introduced into the Star Wars world with maybe the exception of Anakin Skywalker (Jake Loyd is not all that good in this film). But Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman are all very good. The DVD is loaded with extras that I'm sure will enhance this spectacle. I plan on getting it when it comes out and I'm really looking forward to seeing the cut scenes and documentaries. Bottom line- It's not as good as the original Star Wars, but it works.
Rating:
Summary: Not the Star Wars I remember. Why do others think different?
Review: It's just not the same. I mean how many people want to sit at a 2 hour movie just to see special effects?? Did George Lucas get side-tracked having all this technology now to work with and not focusing as much on the actual story? The story was there, but the way he fit it into the movie. I kept on waiting for a powerful or exciting part to happen, but it never happened. The person you can always count on though is John Williams. He did a fantastic job with the music yet again. Anyways, Jar Jar took the place of C-3PO, by being the annoying character. HOWEVER, C-3PO played a much more interesting part. Jar jar was just plain annoying. Plus the movie at some points looks like a little kids movie. Jar Jar making stupid jokes and Anakin having no idea what he is doing and out of the blue blowing up the space ship is a little weird. There was not that relationship you can feel you have with the characters. There were the romantic (han and leia), the emotional, and powerful scenes in ANH, ESB, and ROJ. I can pick my favorite character out of the original trilogy, which would probably be either han or leia. I can only pick the most annoying in episode 1. I have seen mixed reviews about this movie. I can only say that the people who liked it weren't so much interested in the story but in the neat ships and great technology they had. I would like a great story and a powerful ending, such as in A new hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The casting needs to be worked on also in the phantom menace. Plus, how many weird looking creatures could George Lucas fit into episode 1??? My favorite is the Empire STrikes Back because it had the least amount of weird aliens in it. It actually had mostly real people! I just hope the George Lucas realizes that he didn't please as many people with his JUST special effects show as he might think. I would suggest going back and do it how you did the TRILOGY!
|
