Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Full Screen Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the others, but still good...
Review: I've never expected good acting out of a Star Wars movie. Heck, I was satisfied with the acting in "Attack of the Clones." However, it seems to me like everyone involved went completely out of their way to ensure this movie had the worst acting possible. But like I said, I've never expected good acting in Star Wars, so I'll gladly move on. The film is struggling to create an early Star Wars universe and for the most part does an okay job. While TPM is lacking in many places, the final battle is terribly exciting and well worth the wait of a little over an hour, during which there are peace talks, Jar-Jar Binks, and Samuel L. Jackson doing absolutely nothing interesting. But the final battle with Darth Maul is truly awesome and I even sort of liked the Gungan-droid battle. Sure, Jar-Jar and Anakin are very annoying, but so was Luke Skywalker at first, so stop whining. Sadly, this first episode isn't enough to be a good intro into the Star Wars saga. That job still lies with the fourth episode, "A New Hope."

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Effects, terrible director
Review: If you're like me and thousands of others you bought the VHS tape and now the DVD like a good little Star Wars geek and like me you were not happy with how long this widescreen release was in coming, but you were satisfied when it finally arrived. The really good thing about this DVD is that it brought a new appreciation for what a massive project this movie really was. I still love Star Wars, but why is Lucas trying so hard to ruin what's been built?
Jar Jar remains ever annoying and the plot has some holes, but at least on the DVD suffering can be at a minimum with the skip feature. Let's be honest what we really want with this movie is a way to relive what we all love in the original Star Wars trilogy.
It is evident to me that after seeing this movie and Episode II that Lucas CAN NOT direct or motivate actors to save his life. Empire and Jedi were pulled off so beautifully because others directed them. If you look to the first of the series (A New Hope of which most of you simply call Star Wars) the same directing flops are present and bad acting reigns supreme. Maybe in years to come when these movies are remade we will have a director step up who can actually direct, but until then we'll have to deal with this blundering yet beloved fool called Lucas.

Rating:
Summary: Don't listen to what others tell you, just watch this
Review: A lot of people told me that this movie was not all that good, but I watched it anyway. I have to say that I think that the dissenters are wrong, this is a good movie. Besides just being a great DVD because of the great scenes, music, and special effects, this movie really has a good story in my opinion. And if you have a kickin' home theatre set up (subwoofer required) then this movie is a must-have. Crank up the volume and this one will blow the roof off your house!
This movie is not like the last 3 in the series, and I think that is why some die-hard fans did not like it, but it is still a winner. I know that some people said that they did not like the movie because of Jar-Jar Binks, and that is just silly. He is only one little bit of the movie- get over it!
This is a winner, buy it today.

Rating:
Summary: The first I've seen, and it wasn't the last!
Review: This is an action packed movie with many answers to the original trilogy's collection including Darth Vader's original soul. This Star Wars brings back memories of summer 2000, when I saw this for the first time! It is fun and funny to watch, has more action than A New Hope and Return of the Jedi combined, and has great acting! This is not at all a dissapointing movie to me!

Rating:
Summary: Worst of the 5--and not too bad at that.
Review: Solid good fun from George Lucas' fertile imagination that precedes the events in his 1977 blockbuster Star Wars (the second-most successful film of all time after Titanic at press time). In this episode, the story suffers from being overburdened by a strong emphasis on computer graphic animation: where the first three entries in the film series (which has practically become a religion for some) succeed because of their excellent character development and very tangible emotional quality, The Phantom Menace has a rather hackneyed plot and no truly sympathetic characters. Resisting the strain of this size a project can't be easy, though, and the film's stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Liam Neeson do exceptionally well, as does Pernilla August (The Best Intentions) in a supporting role. The plot involves Queen Amidalah (Portman) doing her best to ease difficult trade relations between unfriendly planets, and Jedi Knights (McGregor, Neeson) who after discovering a force-blessed young man named Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader) are compelled to escort him safely back to the Jedi counsel for closer examination (watch for the scene where Anakin's mother talks about how she conceived him-it might remind you of something...) Jake Lloyd's performance as little Anakin is terribly weak (even for a child actor) and all the obvious racial stereotypes that Lucas indulges himself in (the shady vehicle salesman has an Italian mafia accent, and the duplicitous dignitaries from the outer reaches of the galaxy are distinctly Japanese) mar the clean enjoyment this film has potentially to offer. None of these myriad of criticisms, however, can compare to the sham of Jar-Jar Binks, a character who dresses like Lenny Kravitz and has an accent that can only make one think of Prissy from Gone With The Wind. Confirmation of his being featured in the next film of the series was met with dire disapproval. My favourite part of the film, at least for historical importance, is the part where C-3PO first introduces himself to R2D2: watching the start of my very favourite ... romance in all of film history almost leaves my eyes misty. This is the first film George Lucas has directed since the original Star Wars film in 1977.

Rating:
Summary: The Beginning Of It All
Review: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is an awesome movie and is a great DVD package. This is a real "feel-good" movie with a real "feel-good" and victorious ending. This is the movie that got me hooked on Star Wars. Episode I, the first of three prequels in the Star Wars saga, brings a certain flare to the story and exudes hope and despair for what we know is to come. With an all-star cast that includes Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ewan McGregor, Frank Oz, and more; and the always-impressive special effects that Star Wars movies deliver, this is an impressive movie that is very well constructed. This movie will not disappoint you and will delight any DVD collection for years to come.

Rating:
Summary: Oh boy the star wars that could have been
Review: I was dissapointed with this movie entirely because of how George Lucas took a well developed series of movies with good stories and everything and turned these new ones into just plain old money makers it just makes me mad that he didnt take the time he took on the last movies with these ones....so many of the books that he himself has approved were so good with such great stories. If he cant write a good story or movie what ever then he should have gotten one of them to write it ..this way the movie would have been better with someone who understood star wars .... I just dont get how someone who started something so great would go and mess it up .... dont get me wrong the last saber battle was great but miniclorines or however you spell it come on the whole point of the force is that it is mystical and that no one really knows why some can use and why others cant...I love stars wars the second one was much better than the first one that is for sure the second one is good but the first one.... well I wouldnt watch that one again I would buy the dvd because of it being star wars and the special features are wonderful very enjoyable ..... I love star wars and I hope the next one just gets even better.

Rating:
Summary: It's ok
Review: This was ok. I was expecting more for the actual beginning of the sequence. There was too much special effects, it ruined the prospect of the movie. There were some cool parts, but the storyline was weak. Attack of the Clones along with the original trilogy were MUCH better.

Rating:
Summary: Different Perspective
Review: I've been a hardcore Star Wars fan since I first saw the original trilogy years ago. I couldn't wait when I heard George was going to write a prequel trilogy back in 1997 and when Episode I was released, my jaw hit the floor. I loved it, as well as Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Now before you start thinking I'm just a SW fan protecting George Lucas because he's my idol or something, stop thinking and keep reading.
I've read reviews for movies galore and in many of them people have lost their appreciation for the reason movies are made in the first place. I'm not defending George because he is who he is or Star Wars because it's one of the greatest things since sliced bread. I'm defending movies in general. Most people will say if a movie is good or not because of acting or dialogue or something like that, but there are a few of us who really don't care about that stuff. Too many people have raised the standard on the level of escapism offered in a movie that there are only a few new films that are "good". But, that's what movies are made for! To give us another world into which we can go and forget about everything else for an hour and a half or so. I don't care about acting or dialogue, I pay attention to where the movie takes me. I can see the little similarities between the new movies, the old, and the extended universe books and it actually seems like I'm in the movie.
I guess some people are just too picky. What's happening now to movies is exactly the same thing that happened to books. So next time you start to knock a movie, think of it from my perspective and reconsider.

Rating:
Summary: The New... and The Old
Review: Ep. 1 as most now know was suppose to be the first Star Wars movie out... but I'm glad they waited. THis movie needed all the help from a graphical stand point. It still had a wonderful story line and kept me into the movie. Start your collection today