Rating: 
Summary: The Lucas Menace
Review: Oh, man, this movie has no substance. It's a fest of special effects spread amongst a group of actors that has no material to work upon (including the poor Jake Lloyd...).
Ok, we have something similar to a plot, but it's so derivative and inocuous when compared with the classic trilogy, that you just can't stand it.The atmosphere of the movie has no suspense, no lurking danger, no sense of imminent disaster like the others. IT's all about trying hard to create a new phenomenal franchise in the style of Star Trek. But all the Star Trek movies at least had a soul of their own.
The PHANTOM MENACE simply has no soul, no matter how hard Lucas and the army of special effects guys must have worked.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing at best....
Review: Well, what a disappointment... Of course the movie, technically speaking, is marvellous. But there's no substance. Lucas transformed the "series" into a show for all the family, totally inofensive, almost "Disney-like". The boy-actor that plays Anakin was a bad, real bad choice. The poor boy simply can't act. Jar-Jar binks was a bad comic relief. And now we learn that Lucas even intended to put NSYNC in the sequence (ATTACK OF THE CLONES), due to a request from his daughter!!!! The series is now nothing more than just a merchandising enterprise, and Lucas really lost his touch for direction. I hope the new sequence is better than this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Acomplishes its objective, and then some.
Review: I first saw Phantom Menace about two weeks after it hit the box office. I had already heard all of the negative criticism. Time Magazine defamed the film as a "Big Disappointment": Targeting, especially, the young, untalented Anakin Skywalker for his poor delivery, and (I quote) "Plain old bad acting". It is a film that finnatics desperately wanted to take seriously. It was possibly the most anticipated feature of our time. I ask you, "What film could measure up to that kind of hype?" I admit, the movie wasn't perfect, but after walking out of that theatre, I remember wondering what the hell those critics had been talking about. Phantom Menace engages viewrs head on, from the opening scene, right up until the ominous, forbrooding, ending. It maintains a delicate equipoise of fantastical, thought provolking Political interactions, and over the top high speed action. Liam Niesson, and Ewan McGregor play convincing off eachother, in their respective roles, as Jedi master and apprentice. As a devout fan of the original trilogy, I was not disappointed at all. Ok, that said, I will agree that this movie went overboard with some irratating instances of comic relief. Jar-Jar Binks deserves every negative bit of criticism he got. But even more annoying, was the unessecary incorpoartion of old characters into the story. What was the point of having C3PO, and R2D2 in the film? They had no consequence to the plot. They fell exasperingly short of funny, and the film was already annoying enough with Jar-Jar. The actor who played young Anakin really was cheesey, and totally ruined certain, potentially powerful scenes. Natalie Portman's coherced monotone also gets pretty darn annoying after 2 hours. But, I am a fair critic. The faults were not overwhelming enough to warrant all the negative criticism, generated by obsessed fans. I didn't want the film to end. Maybe its because I entered Phantom Menace with some very low expectations, but I left being very pleasantly surprised. It acoplished its obejective: To set the stage.
Rating: 
Summary: Every Story Has A Beginning... Some Are Better Than Others
Review: The first time I saw a preview for this movie, I was extremely psyched. The pod race, the double-bladed lightsaber, and the subtitles, which stirred up many emotions in me. I couldn't wait to see this movie. Then I did. I must say this: I liked it. I definitely do not have the same respect for this one as I do for the original trilogy, but I liked it. Although I did think that Jake Lloyd could have acted better, and that Jar Jar was a little exuberant. Anyway, years before the time of the Empire, there was the Old Republic. Each intelligent species would have a Senator on Coruscant, the capitol planet, later featured as Leia and Han's home when they become leaders of the New Republic. The Trade Federation have decided to blockade a small peaceful planet, but their intentions are unknown. We soon learn that they are not behind it, but a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. The Sith were a group of Jedis who used their power for evil, but they eventually killed themselves. Now, there are only two left: Darth Sidious and his apprentice, Darth Maul. The Supreme Chancellor of the Senate dispatches two Jedi to help the planet Naboo in this ordeal, but when they rescue the Queen, they are forced to land on Tatooine, a desert planet. They are stranded, and their only hope is a young boy named Anakin Skywalker. He wins money for them in a race, and they are able to leave, but Qui-Gon Ginn decides to take Anakin with them because he believes that he has great potential to become a Jedi. When they get to Coruscant, the Senator from Naboo, Palpatine (the future Emporor), informs them that the Chancellor will be unable to help them, and suggests that the Queen rally that the election for Chancellor be moved up. When everyone gets back to Naboo, they all learn how to stop the Trade Federation, and each person has a different role. The two Jedi get sidetracked, and must duel with Darth Maul. For the most part, this movie was good, but it was more of a kid's movie than the others. Rest assured, Episode II will return to the old format. Also, as I said, Jar Jar and Jake Lloyd were the two biggest faults, and also, there is a scene where the Queen reveals a secret about her identity, and she could have waited for a more intense moment to tell everyone. But I still liked it, and I plan on seeing the next two, which will be more like the originals.
Rating: 
Summary: The DVD is better
Review: The movie is great, but on the DVD one of the scenes they took out of the movie was re incorperated into the movie and plus all of the other stuff. so get the DVD version its better
Rating:
Summary: Eye Surgery
Review: You people give out high ratings too easily. This was not a good movie by any standards other than special effects. I can't even bring myself to like those, because they created Jar-Jar Binks. I own this DVD, and it gets worse every time I watch it. The main problem with this movie is Anikin. Not only was he a bad actor, but his lines were a hideous attempt at trying to simulate a kid talking. Thus, for several scenes he stays in his really serious "I want to be a Jedi and free all the slaves" additude, and then the lucasarts people realize "Hey! he's supposed to be a child!" And then he suddenly starts bouncing around saying "yipeee!" Anikin is what finally ruined the pod-race scene. Bad movie aside, the DVD is poorly designed. All the menus are separated by unskippable 30-second long transitions that turn an already unpleasant movie experience into something not worth the excuse to eat popcorn. Don't waste your time here.
Rating:
Summary: Star Bores
Review: The many special features on the DVD, like the thousands of special effects in the movie, aren't enough to obscure the fact that The Phantom Menace is, at the root of it all, a mediocre film, from the horror of Jar Jar Binks to the uncharacteristically lackluster John Williams score. While TPM does indeed push the limits of CGI technology, the frank truth is that this technology has not yet been developed to the point where it can carry an entire film, and the bulk of the TPM characters and sets are very obviously computer-animated, which would be fine if it weren't so painfully clear that George Lucas had intended them to blend seamlessly with the real. Speaking of real, Liam Neeson and Ewan MacGregor did what little they could with a plodding, humorless, self-conscious script (Lawrence Kasdan, your presence is sorely missed) and a busy, incoherent snoozer of a plot that was something to do with trade tariffs. At least they tried, which is more than can be said for Natalie Portman, whose Queen Amidala was little more than a mannequin in a variety of fantastic costumes. A better director might have been able to get a better performance out of her, but one gets the feeling that Lucas didn't particularly care what his human cast got up to, as they were playing collective second banana to the CGI anyway. Anakin Skywalker was a crashing bore; Jake Lloyd seems to have been lifted straight out of a Grosse Pointe Little League carpool and deposited on Tatooine without so much as a briefing, and he's beyond forgettable. There's a lot of work to be done in Episodes 2 and 3 if we're ever supposed to care about Anakin, or indeed any of these characters, all of whom were curiously remote and unsympathetic. The bottom line is that the original trilogy was driven just as much by character and content as it was by technology, but TPM has sacrificed the first two in order to focus on the third, and the result is a severe disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Star Wars-Episode I, The Phantom Menace
Review: I love all the Star Wars movies, but this one has a lot everything a good movie needs. Action, visual candy, good characters and a good viable PLOT!!! Enjoy!!
Rating:
Summary: uh...well.....i wanna like it
Review: with Episode II just about out, i decided to finally write a quickie about Episode I. i've wanted to like this film, faithfully going to see it four times at theatres, buying the widescreen VHS edition when it came out--sold it since--and getting the really good DVD--also sold it since---but i just cant like this film. the story is just boring. it doesnt draw you in. i had just written a review of Mulholland Drive--which was superb---and what i wrote in that review is that i like movies that keep me riveted until the end. I just didn't feel drawn in into the conflicts in phantom menace and was bored, though the lightsaber scene near the end was pretty good. i give this DVD 3 stars only because the DVD is excellent. the hour-long documentary on the filming process is superb and may be worth getting this DVD....but not for the movie itself. I just hope and pray that lucas has done better with Episode II.
Rating:
Summary: No Force
Review: In 1977, the original Star Wars (call it Episode IV if you prefer) changed the face of the movies. In an era of talky grown-up flicks and overwrought disaster pictures, the fun was finally back. Good guys were good, bad guys were bad, nobody really cared about why. There may have been cool gizmos and weird aliens, but this was an old-fashioned western crossed with a World War II movie, with a little bit of medieval chivalry and mysticism thrown in for fun. In short, the film was exciting from the first frame. In 1999, the "new and improved" Star Wars (or Episode I for those who buy into such nonsense) had no discernible plot, incomprehensible dialogue, and uncharismatic characters who are neither good nor bad -- or maybe both at the same time, I don't know. Inexplicable action sequences are intercut with inexplicable dialogue sequences. Everybody on the screen looks so serious, as if they are doing something Very Important. Liam Neeson somehow manages to make being a Jedi knight look dull. This is not a western, nor is it a war movie, nor does it contain anything even the least bit chivalrous or mystical. It's greatest sin: This movie is boring from the first frame. Frankly, if I wanted to watch people negotiate trade routes and treaties, I'd turn on C-SPAN. Relentless special effects were not possible, nor were they necessary in 1977. All it took was a simple plot, characters who were just one step above types -- but charismatic -- and enough details to make us believe we were somewhere else for a couple of hours. Limitations can force movie-makers to become better story-tellers. Lucas was limited by time and money back in the 70s, and that first film is a model of efficiency. Now there's nobody to say 'no' to him. The result, as probably could have been predicted, is a self-indulgent mess slathered with CGI. Yes, the effects in this movie are way cool. No, they did not make it any more palatable. No amount of effects or DVD extras can make up for a boring story. I know that Lucas is trying to create a modern hero myth -- he has openly admitted as much. But he's clearly trying too hard. Time to get back to having fun, George. +
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