Rating: 
Summary: Takes repeated viewings to really appreciate.
Review: The first time I watched this, I was not overly impressed. There was no way this could ever have lived up to my expectations after all these years. I have sinced watched it about 3 more times and find that I can really appreciate it now for what it is. Is it as good as any movie in the first trilogy? Not really. Is it the piece of garbage everybody seems to think they're cool by saying it is? Not by a long shot, folks. There are definitely some great moments here and some fine acting. High points? The light sabre battles here make the ones from the first trilogy seem like they're in slow motion - and Darth Maul is one tough customer indeed. The pod race was awesome (this scene is the best argument ever for widescreen over pan and scan), and one of the coolest parts in the movie for me were the tusken radiers shooting at the pods - great touch! Also, there are a lot of hidden things you might not notice the first few times. A perfect example is when Watto is talking to Qui Jon after the pod race and you can see (and hear) one of Darth Maul's probe droids whiz by behind them. Brilliant. Now, the low points: JarJar drives me insane. He must be considered a noble failure and I can only hope that Lucas sends him on some inter-stellar turd hunt in the next film. He's really not that bad, but he has more screen time than just about anybody. Also, the announcers for the pod race still make me cringe every time. Overall, I thought this was a fine movie, and I would encourage those of you trying to be cool by bashing it to at least watch the thing again and give it a chance. Bring on Episode II!
Rating:
Summary: This Movie was Good
Review: I thought that this movie was just as good or better better than Star Wars: A New Hope. I don't get all you people who say that the story was dumb and it was all special effects, this story was better written than A New Hope. I am not saying that it is a better story than "A New Hope" because it is the same story; Young hero from Tatooine meets up with a Jedi, leaves his home planet and family, meets royalty whom he falls in love with, Jedi is killed by evil villian, he saves the day by blowing up big starship. You can't expect the first movie to be the best because they have to put alot of backround in it to introduce the rest of the movies and they have to get you to love about ten characters in a hour and a half. I was a little disapionted when Liam Neeson's character died, I hope he comes back as a ghost in the next movie, like Ben Kenobi did in "The Emipire Strikes Back". And I have to admit that Jar Jar did get a bit annoying at times. But I think that all you people that completely obsessed with Sar Wars should get life, they are just movies.
Rating:
Summary: It there was a better script we would have a MASTERPIECE!
Review: The acting is great Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson, Ian McDiarmid do a great job and Jar Jar the Gungan with repeated viewings is not that annoying. The visuals are of course great as in all the Star Wars movies. Jake Lloyd is no Haley Joel Osment but does a good job. The soundtrack by John Williams should have been nominated and should have won the Oscar. In my opinion I think that George is a little rusty directing and writing I hope now that he has warmed up with this episode he can do what he did with the first trilogy. My favorite new not human character was Watto I liked how detailed he was with his short beard. Just like in many reviews I'm waiting for the DVD which George already announced but I read that It won't be released this year but then they didn't said when, I hope early in 2001.
Rating: 
Summary: Every Saga has a beginning
Review: I think that this was a great video that explained who Anakin Skywalker was and how he met Obi-Wan Kenobi. Also you learn a lot more about the force and what the Old Rebublic was like with the Jedi council and the Senate. I think this movie had excellent computer graphics and is a much needed movie to explain the original trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the original trilogy, but enjoyable.
Review: Episode I was not as good as the original Star Wars trilogy. However, with the exception of Jar Jar Binks and his clumsiness, it was a highly enjoyable movie. My favorite scences were the pod race and the final lightsaber battle (and the space battles were pretty cool, too). Anyway, I reccomend this video. Unlike others, I didn't think the VHS quality was poor at all. But I am still looking forward to the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Widescreen, 35mm cells, Art book - all nice
Review: This is the widescreen edition and it is very nice. I was only watching it on a 19" screen, so the image was kind of small but it was still very nice.I won't talk about the Star Wars movie itself, because most people have either seen it or don't want to. If you haven't seen it, but enjoy other Star Wars movies, are a Sci-Fi person, or like action and special effects, you'll like The Phantom Menace. I only had a cheap stereo system and a 2-head mono VCR to watch it on, but it was nice. I imagine that sound on a good Dolby Surround Sound system would be good. It comes in a nice collector's box. However, the packaging is thin cardboard and I'm sure I'll step on it soon enough and it will be ruined. The film cells are a nice bonus. (I got pictures of the underwater city). They come in a small paper frame and you can hold it up to the light to see what you have. It comes with an excerpt from the Art of Star Wars book. Once again, a nice bonus. It has a lot of pictures and interesting facts. It's too bad it's not on DVD because then you'd have the Six-Channel Dolby Digital Sound and an even crisper picture. The tape is good quality, and even when pausing, the picture is sharp. If you're waiting for DVD, don't wait. It won't be until 2003 or later when it'll come out on DVD. Overall, if you've seen it on the big screen, you'll enjoy it on the small screen.
Rating:
Summary: Not the groundbreaker the orginal was....but not bad...
Review: The latest entry in the Star Wars list is certainly worthy of being part of the series. The first film was so "everthing" a movie should be, that the others films and this one have suffered by comparison plus Phantom Menace had the additonal handicap of having to live up to both the expectations of fans,plus the hype, both of which were impossible. Character development is not as strong here as in previous films, and no clear-cut, all-powerful (almost) villian ala' Darth Vader hurts badly, but the special effects, especially the pod race,are all any Star War fan could hope for. The Jar-Jar Binks character is annoying, yes, but degrading? I disagree there. "The Force" assumes more religous/supernatural overtones than in previous movies. It does seem to me that Lucas has a lot of ground to cover to connect Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader in only two more movies, but that is not my problem thankfully. Since I am not a hard-core Star War fan, I can and did enjoy this movie, and I would recommend it to anyone......
Rating: 
Summary: Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Review: I wanted this to be a good movie just like anybody else, but there were just too many inconsistencies for me to enjoy it. 1. What happend to Uncle Owen? In the original Star Wars (Episode IV), Luke is staying with his Uncle Owen. From what we have seen in Episode I, neither Queen Amidala nor Anakin have any siblings; therefore, where does Uncle Owen come from. (Granted this may be solved in the next episode...we shall see.) 2. In the original trilogy, Obi Wan speaks often of how Yoda was his master and trained him in the Jedi ways...now we find out that it was Qui Gon Jinn and not Yoda. Why the sudden change? 3. In the entire trilogy, midi chlorians were never mentioned once. If they exist inside everyone and make up a Jedi, don't you think Yoda would have used this to explain the force to Luke? It would have helped Luke understand the force...but no, they suddenly appear from nowhere. (My brother informs me that they are mentioned in the books, but the books were also written after the trilogy. Why do these things change?) 4. We learn from Episode I that Emperor Palpatine is a Sith...why was this never mentioned in the trilogy? It seems important to mention as to why he can shoot electricity from his finger tips...and yet it was never stated in the original trilogy. These are a few of the inconsistencies I have noticed. In addition to this, there are many problems that I have with the movie itself. There wasn't much chemistry between the actors. In the trilogy, we fall in love with Han, Luke, Leia, and Chewey. It is obvious that they care about each other and they fight for each other. In Episode I, we don't have this. The comedy was also very weak. In the trilogy, there were times when we laughed at all four of the main characters. In Episode I, Jar Jar Binks seems to be the only comic relief and to me his jokes seem to be a little childish and immature. Also, what lessons do we learn from Episode I? "There's always a bigger fish." In the trilogy, we heard all of Yoda's words of wisdom and learned to look to ourself and not just wish for things to happen. This was completely lacking from Episode I. This amazingly is only a shortened list of the many things I have found to be lacking from Episode I. Hopefully, Episodes II and III will bring everything back up to par...but i'm doubtful at this time. The special effects were amazing, but they can't make up for the lack of plot. I thought Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, and Natalie Portman did a wonderful job...and they are the only thing that is saving this movie. If you haven't seen it, it's worth watching once, but don't get caught on all the hype...be objective...it's not that good.
Rating:
Summary: Great background but little content
Review: Lucas was definately thinking more of the special effects than the content of the story. I'm surprised he has content for a book! The only thing that made me buy it was the background and my seven year old nephew. I am a fan of the older Star Wars, from the time when special effects didn't take away from the story. I just hope Lucas' next endeavor takes us into the story and not just into the scenery. Just one more thing - If its not going to have content at least make the action sequences seem more believable and have more of them!
Rating:
Summary: Its Star Wars... but not as we know it
Review: Well I'm no great fan of sci-fi but there is a magic about Star Wars I don't doubt so curiosity and childhood memories dragged me to the cinema to check out the new face of Star Wars. The beauty of the original Star Wars films was their ability to make the glittering effects a part of the story, not just a distraction. In a time now of special effects but stale films it is near impossible to make a Star Wars film to live up to the expectations of the fans. Given what they were up against I think the makers of The Phantom Menace were on the right lines. Dodgy characters and tacky acting aside it has that Star Wars touch to it. So what was wrong with the acting? Liam Neeson does a fantastic job with Obi-Wan, his character almost single-handedly holding the atmosphere together. Ewan McGregor is a bit more stale but the rest of the cast pretty much stink. It wasn't till R2D2 popped up and started warbling that a smile returned to my face and I remembered I was still watching Star Wars. Unfortunately the problem with Star Wars is that it is such a commercial prospect for toy companies and suchlike that we inevitably get the 'kiddy' aspect which comes in the form the Jar Jar character. I wanted to cry with embaressment. What this lacked was the mystery and the suspense that existed in The Empire Strikes Back, instead the makers have gone for the more commercial childs version that was Return of the Jedi. Its all a matter of what audience to please and all the Star Wars films have the same atmosphere but approached at different angles. We'll probably find the next one is a lot darker as we are led up to the Star Wars so many know and love. Theres plenty of moments in here that shine but its a case of glueing them all together. The moments which oozed Star Wars magic for me were the fantastic fight sequence with Darth Maul towards the end, the enemy soldier robot things and the general atmosphere of the Emperor himself. More of this and less of the Jar-Jar guy please, lets have a Star Wars film more for the adults than for the kids next time so we all get a taste of the pie. ps : wanted to give it 3 and a half stars.
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