Rating: 
Summary: Star Wars?? I dont think so. An enjoyable afternoon..
Review: Ok, first of all I', giving it two, because it was watchable. But lets compare.Now of course the original movies were designed with plenty of cliche's and sillyness, but they tell a good story, certainly linked to mythology, and for the most part make sense. Now its a known fact that lucas brought innovations in movie making in episodes 4 + 5 (ANH, ESB), but these were for story telling, not innovations for the sake of it. I would argue that lucas has done so much with ILM and CG, that any new innovations were made for the sake of it. I would also argue that unlike the previous movies, plot was built around these effects. In the previous trilogy, the effects were build around the plot. Jar-jar is the perfect example. He can be explained away by the need to have the gundam (spelling?) forces during the final battle, but thats just a poor recreation of the ewoks. Heres why: as annoying as we found the ewoks, there was a point: technology alone doesnt win. A less advanced force could win. The ewok in ROTJ did it well, even if we as fans didnt like it. The Droid/Gungam thing was just poor. As was the anakin destroying the Droid Control Ship. No point, other than to have anakin do it. His winning the podrace was more than enough. It was in fact, too much of a rip of the original movie. Maul was an interesting character, but the audience never got to learn about him. And then theres the movie itself... it was designed so you have to see it twice to understand lots of the lines in the beginning. Ca-Ching!!! Finally, a word to Mr. Lucas: We're not stupid. We do remember past statements, even though you claim they werent made. (PErfect example: on the Spec edition tapes, he talks about all 9 episodes, all written, although he doubted the last 3 would be made, that he had written it as 3 trilogies from the beginning). 3 years later, he says this is something someone else made up. PErsonally, when i saw it, once the star wars euphoria wore off, it seemed to me like a movie with little thought into the script, and most into the effects. Even putting aside the expectations, it was not a "Star Wars" quality of movie.
Rating: 
Summary: The Phantom Menace is a great movie!
Review: Ok, I do not understand why people have given Star Wars Ep I such a hard time. I am a hardcore SW fan, can't wait for Episode II and didn't think this movie was extremely bad. Yes, Jar Jar was an annoying character, and the midichlorian thing is a little strange, but COME ON! This story is not complete! We must wait until Ep II & III come out before we should totally judge Anakin's story. I believe this one was meant more for the kids, so in thinking as a child, I can see why they love this movie. I gave this one 5 stars because it is a great movie for all ages, but focuses more on children, unlike the original trilogy which was best for more mature audiences. Just wait until Ep 2. ....
Rating: 
Summary: Too many characters....little plot
Review: Ok, I gave it 3 stars because I was thrilled with the Pod Racing section. Other than that, it is completely empty. If anyone ever heard people complain about Mortal Kombat: the movie, then you got the picture. It seems like them tried to add too many characters into the movie and it turns out, they didn't have enought time to developed the characters into the story itself. This is the first time watching SW and I wish that the darkside should win.
Rating:
Summary: Get over it already.
Review: Ok, I have had enough of the Jar Jar bashing to last a lifetime. Where were all of you when Jedi came out with those silly ewoks? Episode 1 in all intensive purposes is the first installment of a saga. In all other cases, the beginning isn't as good as the other movies in a saga. Take Star Trek The Motion Picture. I think that the main reason that most people didnt like the story of Phantom Menace is that they know the rest of the story. The climax of the saga is known. In every movie the beginning 30 minutes is used to establish characters. Anyway, The DVD is the best package Iv'e ever seen. I have seen all that there is on it and I can't wait to get home and watch it again. If you are a Star Wars fan you can't pass this up.
Rating: 
Summary: If you know Star Wars, you'll love this!
Review: Ok, I know this is not the greatest film ever. I couldn't decide whether to give it 3.5 or 4 stars, but because I am a big fan of the series, I'll be generous. Jar Jar Binks? Yes, we could do without him. And yes, some of the acting is a bit dry. But come on, for any fans of Star Wars that know the characters, know the story, and just know the Star Wars galaxy, this is a great film to watch. The podrace is just incredible, and if that is not enough for you, you will LOVE the lightsaber duel between the Jedi and the sith at the end. The characters are well introduced into the Star Wars world with maybe the exception of Anakin Skywalker (Jake Loyd is not all that good in this film). But Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman are all very good. The DVD is loaded with extras that I'm sure will enhance this spectacle. I plan on getting it when it comes out and I'm really looking forward to seeing the cut scenes and documentaries. Bottom line- It's not as good as the original Star Wars, but it works.
Rating:
Summary: Could someone please remove my brain
Review: Ok, I'd like to pose a question. Why is George Lucas A Big Talent? Why? He directed two films, then created a studio, wrote other films and is one of the most respected directors of all time. This film was just so bland. I got some good laughs though, Liam Neeson and Ewan Macgregor just acting so serious while talking to characters such as JAr Jar Binks and a flying troll had me cracking up. Also the obviously stereotyped japanese aliens I found very funny and also offensive. The Light saber showdown was such a letdown! The fight was horrible! Hasnt anyone seen a Shaw Brothers film? Akira Kurosawa? Ring a bell? It was really shot bad! log takes and editing was nowhere near quick enough. This film was really bad. Sorry all you fanboys!
Rating:
Summary: The best and the worst
Review: OK, I'll start out with what I percieve as the two biggest flaws. First of all, Jar Jar just should not have appeared in the movie. There was plenty of comic relief without him, and he just brought absolutley nothing to the film--all he did was take time away from character development of the great human actors. Can you imagine how completely out of place Jar Jar would have been in the near-perfect Star Wars or Empire? The other big flaw was Jake Lloyd. Especially when you see movies like "The Secret of Roan Inish", "Fairytale--a True Story", or the 1993 version of" A Secret Garden",and you see what really great child actors can do--it's clear that Jake Lloyd would have been better cast as a guest star on the "Full House" TV show. On the positive side, though, most of the human cast is pretty strong. And as far as the art direction and sets, particularly the underwater city, and the palaces of Naboo--these are just some of the most amazing, awe-inspiring, wonderful sci-fi images ever put on film. The music is completely fantastic, and the action scenes are also incredibly well done. I agree that people were mostly remembering the best parts of the other 3 movies, and were putting 16 years of expectations into this one movie, which it could not live up to. I just hope George listens to a lot of this criticism, because if you could take the tone of the first two movies and combine them with the visuals of this one, you would indeed have an amazing movie.
Rating:
Summary: See Episode II.. you will like Episode I better!
Review: Ok, i'm 15, kinda a star wars freak, i admit it. i saw Phantom Menace 4 times in the theater.So far I've seen Attack of the Clones twice, and i must say, after seeing it, i liked Episode I
much better! You understand, why it's so light, and why it seemed like a "kids" movie.Things just fall into place more. And you see why they portrayed Anakin as a "nice" kid.Believe me, Episode I will probably be the ONLY film you'll like him in(that is, if you liked him at all!)as for Jar Jar, i really didn't have that big of a problem w/ him. Of course, i like the old movies better, but these are NOT the old trilogy! so people GET OVER IT! I thought Episode I was a good intro, and i think people will like it more after seeing Episode II and then III. Oh yes, and of course,the CGI is very good...
Rating:
Summary: Must everyone badmouth this movie?
Review: Ok, I'm getting tired of all these reviews dissing Episode 1. I watched the movie in theaters and I LOVED it. When there was another chance for me to watch it, I leaped at it. When I bought the tape (the regular version), it wasn't as good, because... well it wasn't widescreen. Once I saw the widescreen, it brought back the same excitement and thrill I'd recieved the first time I watched it. But anyway, I'm not here to diss it. Get off Jar Jar's case! Me and my sister immediately liked him and his humor. Its funny and decent. So there's a lot of loose ends. They'll most likely be covered in the next two movies. So what if the movie is more computer animated than the first three, it looks cool! The acting was not horrible, although there were some places where it could have been slightly better.What's everybody got against George Lucas anyway? I'm not defending him, but will everyone stop complaining about the stupid DVD issue and trashing all the new stuff he did in the Special Edition? I liked most of it. Watch your original versions if it bothers you so much! We wouldn't have Star Wars if it weren't for his imagination. This movie wasn't all that it could have been, but it is just the first of three! My favorite parts are the cool podracing scenes and the saber battles.
Rating:
Summary: People are too literal
Review: Ok, I've heard it all. "I hate Jar-Jar", "There's no acting!", blah blah blah. I was first introduced to Star Wars at the innocent age of three. I saw Return of the Jedi in the theater and can only remember walking out of it after it was over. I was three. The magic of seeing that movie (and having a father who enjoyed the first three films) was that I can now say that i have seen the trilogy well over 300 times, each film. Only because every time I watch these movies, I keep an open mind and view them as if I was three years old again, the only benefit to being older is that I can actually understand what Yoda means when he talks about the force. This is exactly the same attitude I took in with me when I entered that theater to watch the latest offering from Lucas and Company. And I loved every minute of it. Did I complain about the acting? No. Why? Because it's Star Wars, I'm not saying the acting was bad ever, but watch all four again, you'll see similarities in ALL of the acting. Does Jar Jar suck? Of course he does, but I'm too mezmerized, by the dark side of the force and one of the coolest lightsaber battles I have ever seen, to notice. The quality of the Phantom Menace is something that has only been surpassed by the first three Star Wars films and the Matrix. I've never seen anything that can do better, even with all of its apparent flaws, my heart still races when Obi-Wan busts out his lightsaber with ferocious malaise to avenge the death of his master. And I've seen it over 100 times, 15 or so in the theater. The DVD makes it even better! The inclusion of the extra scenes, the hour and a half long documentary about just making the movie. And it's not one of those documentaries where they explain the film. Its literally a camera on the sidelines while they're making the film! Fantastic. Oh and the blooper reel had me rolling for about 5 minutes after I saw what pickup that jawa sandcrawler actually had! All I can say is I've seen the latest trailer for Attack of the Clones and I'm going to be waiting patiently for the next 8 weeks. Because once that movie is released, all of the people who have spoken badly about Episode I will be suddenly silenced.
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