Rating: 
Summary: Coming Back To My Favorite Galaxy!
Review: The movie was much better then the title. Again most of the acting was not the best, but the plot was great. Little Jake Lloyd played the future Darth Vader Anakin Skywalker. Natalie Portman plays Queen Amidala of Naboo and future mother of the Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. You will see Obiwan Kenobi played by Ewan McGregor and his master Qui-Gon Jinn played by Liam Nelson. Some old characters you see are Jabba, Greedo, Palatine, and much more. George Lucas takes you once again to a galaxy far, far away.
Rating: 
Summary: Lightsabers, and Jedi, and Jar Jar. OH MY!
Review: First of all, as Star Wars movies go, this one ranks as better than "Return of the Jedi," but not as good as either "Star Wars" or "The Empire Strikes Back." That being said, it's still a blast of a movie. It throws you into a space conflict just like the previous three, and it doesn't let up for the entire film. It is fun, action-packed, funny, kid-friendly, and wholely entertaining. YOU DO YOURSELF A DISSERVICE NOT TO PURCHASE THIS FILM RIGHT NOW. To dismiss this film would be a drastic entertainment mistake on your part, and I think we both know how bad that would be for your rep with your family and friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Star Wars, or a John Birch propaganda film?
Review: I've just watched TPM again, and felt compelled to re-write my original review of it.You see, when I saw "Star Wars" in 1977 as a kid, I was hooked. I bought the soundtrack, posters, action figures, and models. When "Empire" was released, I was a teen, but was still enthralled by the characters and universe that Lucas had created. With "Jedi", I felt that the tale had begun to really take on it's epic mantle, even though I was now beginning to get a bit more mature in my criticism of the plot holes, poor dialogue and one-dimensional characters. With the release of "Phantom Menace", I can no longer even watch the original "Star Wars" on video. And that is sad. There have always been irritants in the "Star Wars" series as annoying as a gnat at a picnic: "cute" Jawas who capture R2 and C-3P0, comical and "cute" robots, the hatefully demonically smurfoid "cute" Ewoks, questionable acting, poor writing, and (except for Billy-Dee's turn as Landau) a lily-white view of humanity in the future. Any of these is bad enough, but the irritants and annoyances of the first three movies have come to a head with PM. First off is Jar-Jar (or Uncle Jar, or Steppin Jar-Jar, or Tom-Tom). This poorly designed rastafarian alien with the pseudo-patois accent and the barely hidden African American phenotype is annoying at best, and downright offensive at worst. And for anyone who is naïve or blind enough to not see the obvious sambo characterization let me enlighten you: dark skin, raggedy clothing, big lips, a watermelon-eating grin, pale color on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, immediate subservience to the obvious masters, comic relief and childlike behavior, and a shuffling gait. It does not matter if the parallel was intentional or not, IT IS THERE. And when the final battle is over what happens? The entire Jar-Jar species begins to savagely chant, beat on drums, and dance like some "mau-mau" tribe in a bad parody of a 1930's anthropological film strip about the "dark continent" while the humans (who coincidentally happen to be white) look on in paternalistic indulgence. You can almost hear the strains of "Mississippi Mud" in the background. And that is sad. Next, comes the full-frontal assault on Asian culture. The traders who open the film are little more than a throwback to old Hollywood portrayals of the Chinese. The syrupy speech patterns with the drawn-out syllables, the satiny gowns and headdresses, the expressionless "inscrutable" faces, and the effeminate manner. These are all characteristic of the propaganda and stereotyping of Asians that has long been disseminated, and which is as offensive as portraying African Americans as shiftless buffoons (aka Jar-Jar) or Latinos as theiving bandits who "don't need no steenkeeng badyez". Yet here it is, right in our faces! Not only that, but after actual Asians are mocked in this way, Lucas goes on to appropriate Japanese and Chinese culture, art, and philosophy, while conveniently omitting actual Asians. You don't believe the Asian influence is there? Compare the costumes for Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul with the attire seen in samurai films. Speaking of Maul, isn't it odd how his face remarkably resembles a Kabuki-actor in devil make-up? And what about the names Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan? If you are still not convinced, just check out the Queen Amidala outfit again. Finally, all you need is a brief introduction to the philosophy of Shinto, Buddhism and Zen to see exactly where Lucas stole the idea of the force from. Now, old George has gone on record as naming Akira Kurosawa as a major influence, but the overabundance of Asian costumes, names and accents are beginning to border on a psychopathic obsession. Integrating elements of other cultures can be a very effective tool, but using such ham-handed and "orientalized" Asiana in what is an ALIEN world can be seen as a dangerous and ethnically tainted parallelism. Not only that, but to have so much overt Asian influence without including any Asian actors begins to just feel funny -- especially since it IS a portrayal of an ALIEN world. This unintentionally results in the only subtlety of the movie: That while we (read: white people) may appreciate the culture of Asia, the total absence of any Asian humans from the landscape suggests that they are fundamentally alien to us. And that is sad. As if all that wasn't enough, the writing in this movie is, if possible, even more offensive than all the crude racial characterizations. Overly clichéd dialogue infests the flick like a bacterial infection, and the blatant "borrowing" from other successful films is not only laughable, but indicative of a weak story. Lucas should have just named this The BEN-HUR Menace and have been up front about the whole thing! Not only that, but the whole Anakin/Jesus parallel is ridiculous and delivered with the subtlety of a 10 pound sledgehammer to the back of the head. The only positive aspects of this movie were the masterful special effects and the final battle between Darth Maul and Qui-Gon. Unfortunately, these two elements were buried under an avalanche of horrid writing, insipid acting, and ethnic caricatures bordering on racist, leaving a movie only slightly better than "Show Girls". The worst part is that so many people will refuse to acknowledge the obvious shortcomings because of their blind allegiance to "Star Wars", and that there will be yet another movie coming soon. And that is sad.
Rating:
Summary: Um... yeah...
Review: I saw this movie when it first came out in theaters last year (thankfully a matinee, so I didn't pay full price). I thought it was terrible, but I was also in a bad mood that day, so last weekend I gave it another chance. It was worse. George Lucas, in the compulsory pre-Star Wars home video interview, jokingly said that before the theatrical release, he felt like he'd skimped on a few aspects. My reaction was "Like the Plot?" There is absolutely no story here. As soon as the narrative lags, Lucas throws in another special effect to distract us. Sorry, but all the best CGI in the world still looks fake compared to the original. Too perfect. The acting is wooden, not surprising as the actors presumably spent 99 percent of their time in front of a blue screen with nothing to act against except a sock puppet later to be replaced with CGI. The characters are boring, and the combination of Jar Jar and the kid made my teeth hurt. I loved the original and, sorry to say, will probably take in a matinee of the next installment (just to see if he can redeem himself), but this movie was a colossal bust, deservedly ignored in favor of The Matrix. George, note to self, stick with ILM, let someone else write and direct, and spend more money on the script next time.
Rating:
Summary: No DVD, No Stars!
Review: If I could give 0 stars, I would. That being said, I enjoyed the theatrical presentation of this film. While the story line had some slow/superficial spots, the sound, imaging, and cutting edge effects more than compensated. UNFORTUNATELY, Lucasfilms, in all their brilliant arrogance and stupidity, opted against DVD release. Bad move Georgy boy! Why should us common folk be made to suffer just because you're still miffed at the fact that you would not support a technology that proved successful even without your support? Come on, put your pride on the shelf, along with some DVD star wars triolgies/ prequels/ Indiana Jones flicks/ etc....
Rating: 
Summary: Mitichloreans?
Review: Well well well. George Lucas destroyed the magic of the Force in this Star Wars movie by mentioning mitechloreans. However, he made the movie a high-special effects hype that was pretty popular. Here's another problem. With all the canon information, we know that all Jedi disappear after they die! Why not Qui-Gon? I also find it a crime that there is no DVD version of this out yet. However, if you want good stories, go out to your bookstore and at least buy the Star Wars Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn.
Rating: 
Summary: Nose dive
Review: This being about the 1000th review on SW-I, I guess everything's been said before. You either like the movie or you don't. I enjoyed the SW universe from the moment I saw the first movie on screen as a 14 year old. Crazy about the music, bought the videos, saw the new editions when they were released three years ago. So yes - I am a fan, but I didn't expect to have the reaction of excitement and awe I had as a kid. I mainly hoped for a sentimental journey, which is exactly what I got. Still, despite the pod race, in the end this movie didn't do anything for me. I always felt that SW-VI was the weakest of the first trilogy, and more or less expected another let-down because many fans are crazy about SW-VI. (But come on, an evil empire that terrorizes an entire galaxy gets defeated by a bunch of teddy-bears? It is fantasy, but this really was a bit too much). So why didn't I like SW-I? It was not Binks, and forget about character development and the early death of Darth Maul for a moment. It was the complete absence of reality. Watching SW-I, I became painfully aware of how boring a movie becomes when 75% of what you see on screen is computer animated. It was like watching a cartoon. Impressively made, but still. So before die-hard fans fall all over me and start saying that I just don't get it, a word of advice. Sit down one evening and watch Alien. No computer animations, but giant sets with real people. It looks real because it is. Watch The Abyss, shot entirely underwater. Now that's impressive. I wonder if the next two episodes, which must include the clone wars and near extinction of Jedi knights, will feel like "Disney visits world war II". And I'm not holding my breath for a second. Frank By the way, my 2 star rating is for the movie, not the VHS tape. I simply refuse to buy it - but will think about adding the film to my DVD collection when Lucas has cashed in on video tape sales and finally decides on granting us a DVD release.
Rating:
Summary: Could've Been Better....Could've Been Worse
Review: Star Wars is by far the greatest movie series of all time. It, in my thoughts, blows James Bond out of the water, and I'm a Bond fan. It's the classic story... Good v.s. Evil. It had great acting, special effects, and most importantly, outstanding directing by George Lucas. Who would've expected, although some of us were hoping, that a prequel would be made? I was shocked, but more than anything, excited. I immediately got a subscription to the magazine to keep up with all the new things that were going on during filming. After pre-ordering my tickets and seeing the movie the first day it came out, I thought it was the best movie I ever saw. The special effects blew you away, the acting was very good, but Jake Lloyd was a different story. It had everything to make a great story, but the classic Star Wars wasn't there. There wasn't just one enemy, and after seeing the movie, you're almost gurenteed a new adversary in the next move. In the original trilogy, there was Darth Vader, Darth Vader, and what was that name again in Return of the Jedi? Oh yeah, Darth Vader. I would've liked to see Darth Maul make more appearances considering how popular he was, almost as much as Vader. Ray Park did an excellent job playing the Sith apprentice. But with his death at the end, we, yet again, know that there's a new enemy in store for us in Episode II. Coming from a huge Star Wars fan, I would say that this was an overall good movie, worthy of staying close to my VCR for viewing at any time. I was considerably disappointed with the choice of Anakin. (I hear that Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense) also tried for the part but was rejected. He would've been much better.) But with the minor flaws that The Phantom Menace had, it still deserved to win the Special Effects award at the Oscars, along with sound effects, directing, and possibly best picture. George Lucas made a much better picture than American Beauty. His directing was better, and the movie was better as well. And although I enjoyed The Matrix, it shouldn't have won special effects. I mean, come on! Look at Episode One! Something must be rigged there. So for any fan of Star Wars, I highly suggest you to watch this movie. For those that don't like sci-fi, you might not like it. There are long, boring dialogue scenes, but remember, it's the first movie. They have to describe it.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie
Review: First off i thought this movie was good as the other ones.Alot of people are like "this movie wasn't good because luke skywalker,han sola,princess leia,and other characters weren't in it".You have to understand this is the first one and all the old characters are about in their 40's or 50's.And you cant bring luke or princess leia in the first one when Aanakin is just a little kid.I liked the effects in this movie alot.And i did really enjoy the fight scene duel with darth maul,quin jon something like that and obi one.Anyways i thought this movie was good.And you cant be a real star wars fan if you say this movie is bad because the old characters aren't in it because then you dont really know star wars at all
Rating:
Summary: George, my George, where have you gone?
Review: As I'm sure you know, this movie is so extremely average that it is a mountainous blemish on the face of the Star Wars saga. The standards George Lucas had to live up to for this project were immense, but this movie is a letdown all the same. The original three movie arc was a dark, dramatic saga that was perfectly paced, beautifully written, and featured strong, three dimensional characters. Episode I, conversely, lacks the dramatic edge that marked the previous efforts. Instead of Chewbacca we get Jar Jar Binks, an overgrown frog with an ugly pug of a face and a voice that's about as soothing as a drill through the head. Instead of a tightly knit plot propelling the movie forward, the entire film feels like action scenes with numbing drivel inbetween. The importance of Anakin is somewhat underscored. He has "special blood" and can compete in pod races, but that's the only look we get of his abilities. The core audience for these movies was established 23 years ago. With this movie Lucas is trying to appeal to the next generation, but he's supplying them with inferior product. Summation: kill Jar Jar Binks, up the Darth Maul factor times 10 to make it dark and edgey again, tighten up the plot *A LOT*, cut out the circus/kiddy feel, and focus more on the characters who will be in the forthcoming movies (not Subulba, not JJB, not those weird looking Jedi dudes). Appended to the holy name of Star Wars, this movie is nearly blasphemous.
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