Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: The nay-sayers are smoking dope to tell anyone that this movie stinks!
It rocks on every level. From the special-effects to the somewhat complex plot, Lucas aquitted himself nicely in delivering THE most anticipated movie-ever.
Here is my response to the non-believers who whined about "Lack of character development". They are just plane wrongo.
The character development was in the foreshadowing of things to come. Episode 1 isn't a stand alone movie but part of a three act/film whole.
Look at Star Wars. The only thing that really advanced was that Luke got his wish to get off the planet and do something. Solo kinda came around to help someone other then himself there at the end, which is about as far as a SW film as seen in the one chapter story arc department.
You also didn't get to know Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars either.
As I said above, what the cry-babies are failing to distinquish is that Episode 1 is not a stand alone movie. Wait until the next two chapters are out before you whine about a lack of character development.
Another popular complaint is: "Who was Qui-Gon and why was he used more instead of Obi-wan?" Who Qui-Gon was is illrelevant cause he isn't the main character of Episode 1. Anakin Skywalker is. Only the realities of the story forced Anakin's debut to happen at the 30 minute mark. But one could say that Anakin dreams of being a champion, someone who mattered, did begin to come true. And the seeds were planted between him and Padme, as well as the soon to fester clash between him and Obi-Wan. The characters to keep an eye on are Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan. Maybe Yoda to an lesser extent. Again, foreshadowing. - Anakin behaved as he did because Lucas was again setting up how much he will change over the next film leading to his downfall. Scenes were deleted showing his inner rage and hatred (as witnessed firsthand by a poor child aged Greedo). Lucas was simplifying the naiveness of youth. "Jake Lloyd and most of the acting was bad." Wrongo! It was no better or worse than in the original trilogy. I thought Neeson was excellent. He gave Jinn a quiet nobilty and grace.
Rules should not be apllied to TPM if they are not going to be applied to the original films. . Outside of two "Yippies," Jake Lloyd did just fine, especially in the final moments between him and his mother. And all eight year olds act like that.
Star Wars movies have never been about acting. Just look at the post SW careers of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. This is not Mamet or Shakespeare! "But why did it have to pander to the kiddie element so much?" First off, these films HAVE ALWAYS been aimed at the kids. They are kids movies and that is straight from Lucas's mouth.
Oh, like Star Wars and Return of the Jedi didn't pander to kid's humor with all the fart and burp jokes. Let alone all the times where Chewie started acting like a scared puppy or R2 was shocked or shot for comic relief. If those things are so annoying go watch (***) like "The Matrix."
Another yawn-inducer. "Jar Jar was pointless! Why was he in the movie?"
In every great quest story there is a friend, sidekick, etc who is there along for the adventure but has no emotional connection to the goal because he/she doesn't understand or believe in it. Usually, they end up being enlightened.
I gurantee all of those idiots who complained about Jar Jar will be crying in their seats, just like when Spock croaked, when he dies a heroes death in Episode 3. His goofiness just shows he has a character arc in store. Lastly, the most popular and annoying complaint.
"The Midi-chlorians de-mystified the Force." The whole Jedi myth thing was never looked into in Episode's 4, 5, and 6. Search your feelings, you know this to be true. The only place that it was explored in were the countless mass market tie-in books that you dumbasses bought en mass.
Besides, there are two more movies to go, be patient and see where he takes it. Anywho, forget the stupid critics, they always have a self-serving agenda to push anyway and wouldn't know a fun movie if it bit them on their bums! For all Star WArs fans out there this is a keeper! Go buy the DVD it is outstanding!
Rating:
Summary: Minor Irratations but Big on fun
Review: The new Star Wars is here. Many critics bashed it for it's poorly developed characters, use of to much special effects, among other complaints. Critics also bashed the first Star Wars when it came out in 1977 but now look at it and the movies have become among the most popular of movies. Anyways, the plot for this new installation in the Star Wars serious is much more thicker then the older films. I know, the characters are very shallow and Jar Jar Binks is downright annoying. I see no use for him except a ploy used by the movie makers to make the kiddies laugh. Little Jake Loydd did O.K. as Anakin, he still has a lot of maturing to do, but he did more then I expected. Besides, Star Wars doesn't need Oscar nominating Acting! It's all about fun. The special effects are simply astounding and takes your breath away. The vistas, the cities, the space stations, all of it is created with a new breath and never before attempted in other movies. I do admit that some of it looks very CG, but most of it is very well done. Seeing the special effects alone is worth the buying of a movie. The sound is amazing as well, not Matrix-caliver stuff, but better then most out there. The whole movie was a thrill ride and brought back (not as well though) the memories of seeing first Star Wars for the first time. Highly Recommended, I predict it will become a classic in a few years. It'll grow on people as time progresses
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, for a Star Wars fan. But not for movie goers.
Review: The newest installment in the Star Wars saga takes us back about 25-30 years before the original movie made in 1977. Instead of having the usual cast of characters (Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Chewbacca)there are new characters and characters from the original. The characters from the original are younger. Among them are Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, C-3PO and R2-D2. The new characters are Qui-Gon Jin, Jar Jar Binks, and Darth Maul. The movie is good. All the originals are better though. The new lacks the intellectual aspect of the originals. The comic releif in the originals are R2-D2 and C-3PO. Instead of just acting stupid, they were interpreters. They had a reason to be inthe movie. Jar Jar Binks is just a stupid little "Gungan" who just talks incoherently and makes no sense. The good thing about was the back story. This movie tells about the time before Luke and Leia are born. Even though it lacks the same feeling as the originals, that feeling is filled in by the young Obi-Wan Kenobi. He gives off a good vibe and keeps you hooked. Being a huge Star Wars fan myself, I appreciated this movie and loved it. But for movie fans who could care less that this movie came out, it is lousey. So, in conclusion, my star rating is for Star Wars fans. For Movie fans, I give it a 2 out of 5. The only reason being the ultimately anoying and controversial Jar Jar Binks.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY, VERY, VERY average
Review: The next two episodes which complete the Star Wars saga will have to be a huge improvement on this installment, if only to save the great name of Star Wars. From the word 'go' the potentially likeable team of Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor are battling against the forces of the dark side, the robots of the trade federation, and a decidedly dodgy script. The cheesy performance of the young Anakin Skywalker certainly doesn't help matters, and the sound and visual effects just don't seem to have the same positive influence on the film as the originals did. What did help the film's cause were the superbly convincing performance of young Natalie Portman, the Queen of Naboo, and the interesting and exciting character of Darth Maul, the original villain. However, as all of these new ideas, characters and plots enter the fray. e.g The trade federation, Naboo, the Sith and blood tests to check how strong you are with the force. You could be left asking yourself "What has this got to do with the Star Wars story?" You could quite easily walk out of the theatre wondering what it was all about!
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: The number one film of all time gets the number one DVD of all time... The Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace DVD surpases any DVD ever released. With over six and a half hours of bonus material, it is a must have for anyones collection. You will not be disapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie Even If It Is Aimed At The Kids
Review: The number one thing that most people forget when watching the Phantom Menace is that it is not meant for adults, it is meant for kids. This movie is great nonetheless in my opinion. It has a somewhat interesting plot and a couple of twists and turns that I did not even predict despite the fact that I had read a lot about this movie before it even came out. The number one reason to get this movie though is probably the special effects and the attention to detail. Lucas is a master at making sure that everything is there for a reason and makes sense for a reason. This particular edition is also really nice the half an hour introductory scene about the making of the movie is very interesting and was very informative. And this is a movie that has to be watched in Widescreen format to truly understand the magnificent scope of some of the settings and scenes. Plus from a collector's viewpoint the film strip is kind of nice as well. Overall this is a great movie and I can't wait till the sequel, PS wait till the very end of the credits and you can hear Darth Vader breathing....
Rating: 
Summary: Not as bad as they say it is.
Review: The one that started it all! (sort of). Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace tells the tale of young Anikan Skywalker (who eventually becomes Darth Vader). Anikan is a slave, so is his mother. Not only does Star Wars Episode One tell the tale of young Anikan Skywalker, but a battle started by the Trade Federation and puts an entire planet under peril. Qui-Gon-Jin, and his apprentice Obi-Wan-Kenobi flee from the trade federation and hide on the planet of Tatooine (Anikan and Luke Skywalker's homeland) and try to get spare parts to repair their space ship. Qui-Gon-Jin meets a shopkeeper (whom which Anikan works for) and fails to use his awsome "Jedi tricks" against the keeper. I don't blame him for trying, the guy charges a King's Ransom for every dang item he sells! Qui-Gon-Jin makes a gamble (yes, the Las Vegas of Star Wars!) during pod racing, if Anikan wins the race, Anikan will be set free and Qui-Gon will get the parts he needs for the ship. If Sabulba (an undefeated cheater) wins, Qui-Gon will be forced to give up his space ship. As it turns out, Anikan won, and the young lad is set free. But, he leaves Tatooine, and his mother to go with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Now some other stuff, oh yes. Jar Jar Binks can get pretty annoying, sometimes humorous. The specail effects are simply put: spectacular. The kid actor did a pretty good job acting as young Anikan Skywalker, but he's not Anthony Hopkins or somebody. Star Wars Episode 1 is worth a look, but it's not as good as A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, or Return of the Jedi.
Rating:
Summary: The saga begins in a good way
Review: The one thing that probably killed this movie was the expectations. I myself partially expected a lot of stuff to happen right off the bat - but I was still amazed at the detailed array of special effects. I think most other people weren't fazed, and even these days I've been thinking that this film does have a few flaws. The biggest negative thing of this film is Jar Jar Binks, of course. His antics can be embarrasing (but fortunately, this gut-wrenching feeling wears off after the trillionth time it's viewed. I even have to be honest when I say that some of his goofiness is a bit funny...maybe mesa turning Gungan. Doh!!!) But the film itself has a good amount of action and adventure, witty (but sometimes flatulent) humor, and well orchestrated fight scenes. The special effects are supreme for its time, and add a great amount of detail and flare to the space battles, the vast variety of aliens, and the immense ground battles. The lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul is probably the best of the entire series. The music score for the film is splendid. The characters are well established (the TV spots on the DVD set actually embellish the characters). The story line is well-crafted and sets up the next films rather well. This DVD set includes extra footage reinserted into the feature. It's not much, but still adds to the grandure of the film. This disc set has some splendid deleted scenes (completed just for this release), and some interesting documentaries and galleries. I'd say that despite its almost childish style, THE PHANTOM MENACE inaugerates the Star Wars series with gradure, a large scope, and a good story. It's the start of a new era in Star Wars films.
Rating:
Summary: Just Shy Of Perfect
Review: The only complaint I have is that you cannot watch the movie with the complete deleted scenes in the movie, other than that I think its great can't wait till the rest are on dvd!
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
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