Rating: 
Summary: A REAL TERRIBLE LETDOWN
Review: I am a huge Star Wars fan, but found TPM totally, unbeliveably disgusting. I hate it. The plot is weak, and there is too much of technology without a 'human' element which so beautifully adored all the three films of the trilogy. The movie feels completely mechanical. The appearance of the Queen is repelling, and Darth Maul, far from looking dangerous, appears more like a painted clown (oh - can any one match the personality of Darth Vader?) Jar Jar Binks is absolutely out of place, and Lucas screwed this movie for Jar Jar, if not for anything else. He does not even look real (compare with Chewbacca from the trilogy who looked remarkably real) - all a curse of too much technology and little heart or substance. And his comedy is all irritating. I am really surprised how Lucas could have made such a disgusting movie. Probably it's no surprise; everyone goes the same way - after you reach a plateau there's a straight fall down to an abyss. Spielberg and his The Lost World are a good example. There is absolutely no comparison of the beauty, the message, the story, the human element, in the Trilogy, with this one. A HUGE LETDOWN, AND A TOTAL DISGRACE.
Rating: 
Summary: Just the beginning
Review: The Phantom Menace can't be judged as a film unto itself. It is the beginning of a 12 hour mega epic. It seems people forget this when they're looking for story and character development. The beginning of a movie does'nt have character development. All it is supposed to do is introduce the characters and set up the story. The Phantom Menace succeeds in doing this. Return of the Jedi didn't have much of a story or character development either. It's not supposed to. It's the conclusion of the story. What happens in episodes II-V is what really matters. Anyone who understands story telling knows this, which are'nt the people who were dissapointed by The Phantom Menace.
Rating: 
Summary: Ugh.
Review: Sigh. I really wanted to love this movie, but I couldn't find anything spectacular with it. The dialogue, to say the least, is massively cliched. "Our fate is in your hands." And "What does your heart tell you?" are just some of the examples of the movie's boring dialogue. I think George Lucas needs serious brushing-up work on his screenwriting skills. Jar-Jar Binks, in my opinion, is a shining example of how screwed-up mankind is. It feels like Lucas put Jar Jar in only to appease the "cute" and "hip" lover crowd and because of market research, not according to art or his vision. The plot is very mediocre, and the flow of the movie really does damage to the Star Wars franchise. There are no complicated moral issues and feelings of desperation like there were in the original trilogy, which just so happen to be the best movies ever made. However, for Episode II, I hear that Lucas brought someone in to help him work on the script and produced high quality material. Hopefully, George will once again be able to create some magic on the silver screen.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Good Enough
Review: Thanks, George, for finally giving us this film, or more accurately, the first in the coming trilogy. Lucas claims that he was waiting for the FX technology to get good enough before embarking on the next stories. Though this may be true, the claim does not bear close examination. I think 75% percent of this film's effects could have been adequately done 5 years ago. But don't you see? The effects are no longer even half the appeal of Star Wars anymore, if they ever actually were to anyone but the shallow-minded. Science fiction fans and Star Wars fans in particular hunger for THE STORY. And that is going to be what people will hang out for from now on. THAT is probably as it should be. George Lucas has the chance to expand his already big kudos and pallete of achievement with this movie and it's follow-ups. I think he'll do it if he goes for the real operatic possibilities and plays down the cute stuff. Do I mean Jar Jar Binks? Er... Let's SO not go there now, okay! I found the Trade Federation official's 'Charlie Chan' psuedo-Asian accents embarrassing. The Asian family sitting next to me in the theater seemed rather bemused. Darkness must fall to satisfy the dramatic cravings of Star Wars fans. George, don't be afraid, you CAN do it! What's this film like? It's a good start, but at the risk of insulting Lucas, there is a homogenised feel to the performances and direction, a lack of dramatic bite in those areas. Effects? Yeah, they're there but they are so good you hardly worry about them, only the story. Jake Lloyd is okay as Anakin Skywalker but I think he was a little too young for the role. Someone closer to Natalie Portman's age might have made more sense but I'm sure George had his reasons for casting him. The Lightsaber duels are superb and it's only during those sequences and the pod race does the films' action sequences come alive. And it was pretty cunning for Lucas to use droid warriors for the heroes to shoot and hack up. Much less violent than using real flesh-and-blood people, eh? And what about the 'Midi-Chlorians' (or whatever) explanation for The Force? That seemed to be a needless, psuedo-scientific contrivance for something that should remain mysterious and hard to explain. The Force should remain a fantasy, mystical thing otherwise you undermine its mythical strength. Is 'THE PHANTOM MENACE' any good? Its' good enough.
Rating:
Summary: OK for kids, disappointing for older viewers
Review: Let me preface my comments by saying if you're 16 and younger, The Phantom Menace is a nice little movie. However, if you're old enough to remember seeing the original trilogy back in the 70's, then read on...1) The Phantom Menace story and script are dull. I can only watch this movie now for about 15 minutes at a time before I get totally bored and switch it off. 2) The main characters are stiff and colorless. 3) Jar Jar Binks gets too much screen time. 4) Jake Lloyd, as Anakin, is too young to accomplish all the feats presented in this film. I mean, having a little boy create a super sophisticated android like C-3PO, blowing up huge space stations inside fighter planes and winning a pod race at 500 mph is a bit far-fetched, even for a fantasy movie. Lucas should have cast an older child for this part and toned down his achievements. 5) The special effects are Phantom Menace's only redeeming quality. Yet strangely enough they are also a liability. This movie has TOO MUCH computer generated graphics; it's like watching a video game. I think Lucas and his team at ILM were so excited with the CGI technology they were creating that they forget to concentrate on the human characters. To me, the heart of Star Wars is not the special effects, monsters or robots, it's the drama surrounding the human relationships with characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo. Phantom Menace totally lacks this quality. There is no substance there.
Rating:
Summary: Phantom Menace: Buy it now!
Review: You will probably see a lot of 1 star ratings saying, "it sucked" or "Jar jar is dum" by a lot of people desperate for attention. Bottom line: Unless you are worried about looking not cool for liking Star Wars, over-obsessed with ANH and ESB to the point where you hate every new SW movie since ROJ and the concepts that come with it, YOU WILL LOVE THIS MOVIE. It has everything to offer: fun, excitment, humor, great characters, lots of emotions, and deeper levels, like SW's mythic ties, all the great themes, metaphors and symbolisms that come with it. The midichlorians are sheer brilliance, and are very important to the movie. The battle scenes are great, as are the character scenes. Portman rules as Padme Amidala, the best character in the film, and the best character in all of SW. JW's score is great again. So basically, see the movie, and enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: What a let down
Review: I'm not worried about hurting George Lucas's feelings because he's got a lot of money, and he'll be fine no matter what I say. But, to all of the Star Wars fans out there (of which I am one), I apologize for what follows. This movie is awful - Why not just do the whole thing with computer animation? After watching this I coulden't help wondering if maybe George Lucas himself hadn't turned to the dark side. I am not happy at all with the "kiddy" aspect of this film. Jar Jar Binks??? Jar Jar Binks??? Star Wars was fun for everyone, The Pahntom Manace however, has turned a legitimate trilogy of entertaining movies into a Saturday morning cartoon. Good job.
Rating:
Summary: Too Much CGI?
Review: The "Star Wars" saga begins 30 years prior to the first "Star Wars" where we are introduced to much younger versions of characters which we will be forced to hate at the saga's conclusion. Unfortunately, Episode One doesn't have the same dymanics as the others in the series. Perhaps it is the artificial look of the CGI footage, or the faltering storyline. The only reason to watch the film is to complete the saga started back in 1977, and to enjoy the talents of Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid, and Pernilla August.
Rating:
Summary: Very Bad
Review: Very bad Sci-Fi. Take away the special effects (which were done in the 70's) and this would have been a B-rated movie playing at 1:00 am on cable. In the first Star Wars Lucas introduced a universe with great potential. Since the Ewoks it has been nothing but a marketing plot.(Do I need to bring up Jar Jar Binks?) In the next film perhaps Lucas will start making good Sci-Fi again.
Rating:
Summary: Why this film deserves 5 stars:
Review: I have to say that The Phantom Menace does not deserve the wave of complaint it has received lately. Now, when I read some movie reviews, I see lines like, "This film, unlike Episode One, meets all the hype." TPM has become a symbol of the disappointing movie! But I'm here to say that it was not disappointing at all. The Phantom Menace is an experience to behold, a marvel in storytelling, and worthy of the name Star Wars. It's a completely enthralling continuation of one of film's greatest tales. It must be seen. It has some of the best, most intense action you will ever see in a film. It is a rich, detailed epic of the rise of evil, with the themes, symbolism, and roots in mythology that keep the story going while the thrills keep it exciting. This film should be commended for the visual richness it has. It is a masterwork of effects and images. So much detail is crammed into almost every scene; settings are populated with aliens, robots, and other things going on. George Lucas takes care to make the movie's sceneries, characters, aliens, and ships very detailed and turns it into an art. Thanks to the development of the effects and the attention to the aliens' bodies' own physics, the life-forms interact (and, to an extent, act) with the real human actors as if they were humans themselves. Wondrous settings like Gungan City and Coruscant each have their own characteristic traits. The costumes of Amidala, Maul, and others are likewise very detailed and impressive. All this makes the galaxy seem so real and convincing. The action and thrill-factor are the most important elements of this film. Make no mistake about it. The excitement one gets from watching this film, through the action, is unbelievable. It is the type of action standard to Star Wars, but by no means standard. It's one of the fastest and most unrelenting action films ever, and it's ages beyond the previous films in terms of its intensity. The pod-racing scene is extremely fast and there's always a sense of constant motion one feels during this scene; not just from the velocity of the racers, but via details like the screeching engines and the hulls buckling under pressure from wind sheer. There are classic shootouts within palace halls, and even war-scale battles on the surface of Naboo. But the best example to illustrate the amazing thrills in this movie is the final lightsaber duel sequence. Not only is it better than all the previous duels, it is the perfect action scene overall. The duel itself is a complicated (a two-on-one) and incredibly fast masterpiece. The choreography is amazing, as we see the fighters compete with complex movements with swiftness and grace. John Williams composes the score for this film, and it shines. It's a brilliant score, with many nuances and memorable anthems and themes, one of them being the powerful and classic choral track Duel of the Fates, which plays during this scene. It is amazing how well all these elements converge in this scene, as in all the other action scenes in the film, to create awe-inspiring thrills. The music, the great action, and the dramatic camera movements combine to create a fight that seems symbolic in importance. The Phantom Menace stands on its own as also having a grand, epic, and multi-layered story. Many aspects of the story can be overlooked or missed, probably because there's so much action and FX used on the surface that it may be hard to go down beneath the surface and realize that there is a good plot going on. But in reality the film actually contains many themes. There are the ideas of unity (episode one, the origin) and duality (the dual identities of Palpatine and Amidala, the twin forces within Anakin). The film is full of mythology: Darth Maul is as terrifying as any classic mythological figure; Anakin has the elements of the Chosen One in him; the final duel scene is a "Duel of the Fates", and it's no coincidence that the title of that part of the score has that name. (The Fates were three Greek gods in charge of human life; three gods, and three fighters in this duel, with Anakin's life in the balance.) Also, the prequels are eventually going to be about the triumph of evil, and how that happens. We know that because in this episode we see our first look at it, through Palpatine and the introduction of Anakin. The foreshadowing at the end, when it comes, is brilliant. The heroes don't even know that they've just been defeated. All of the above is why Episode One is superb. With the originality to chronicle the three-part Fall From Grace of one of the most fascinating characters in cinema history, the creativity that's represented in details like Darth Maul's face-of-evil makeup design, some of the greatest action scenes of all time, and the visual brilliance which takes us back to that galaxy far away, this film actually deserved to make as much money at the box office as it did; and this film does NOT deserve the recent trend of public backlash it's been getting. No film should be allowed to make money based solely on a name. But Star Wars: Episode One is indeed a genuinely excellent film, and does live up to that name. We are so extremely fortunate that we're here right when Lucas has begun the next SW trilogy. It's quite fascinating when one thinks about it. I am giddy over the fact that there are still two more movies to come. And if they are as great as this one was (although I expect Episodes II and III to focus more on story and a little less on action), they'll become instant classics.
|
