Rating: 
Summary: Jeez ease up
Review: You know there are many a people out there who bash this movie relentlessly. Ease up, this was a pretty solid, and definately entertaining movie. I understand where the people who didn't like it come from, yes at times it seemed to be made for a much younger audience and yes Jar Jar is annoying as all hell. But this is still a very well put together and great movie. There are people who also dislike the so called "new star wars." But you have to understand, Lucas wrote these movie's years ago. And he wrote them in order all together. So this is the true start of his vision. If you can suck it up and manage to suffer through a few stupid Jar Jar lines, then you will really enjoy this movie. Which "YES" is good enough to be placed next to episodes 4,5 and 6.
Rating:
Summary: Top of the line effects
Review: You know when a movie has awesome special effects when they can't be told from the footage of real performers. THAT's the case of Episode I. Sometimes the scenes have SO MANY DETAILS that they're hard to detail, but that doesn't take anything away to the movie. Lucas has done it again. I wouldn't say this is the best of the four (that's why I'm giving it a 4 of 5), but it definitely is worth being in your collection, specially if you're serious about Star Wars.
Rating: 
Summary: Can I get a Yub Nub?
Review: You know, I kind of miss those Ewoks now. Atleas they had spunk, but none of the characters in this movie seemed loveable or fun. They were all too serious except for that disaster bubble fish crossed Jamaican accented Jar Jar Binks. He was definitely the most annoyying. Nothing in this movie yearns for that old trilogy fling. Lucas took a great gamle. If this story was written in 6 chapters, he was right to film the last three. Those made more of a memorable story than these first two. Sadly drab.
Rating:
Summary: God Save Us From "Visionaries"
Review: You know, I'm the type of guy who enjoys his DVD perks; deleted scenes and alternate endings are what I live for. Character bios and director commentaries are great too, if done well. These are the things that make a DVD you want to buy, rather than rent. look at "Dogma": 100 minutes of deleted scenes! Yikes! Plus candid commentary about the pitfalls of making this film. Not that you have to watch them all, but at least they're there if you want them. I don't see this happening with "TPM". First, His Greatness has held off way too long on bringing out the DVD version, KNOWING fans were begging for it. It wouldn't have taken that much more time, and sales would have been through the roof. Now, even I'm going to have to rent it before I make my decision as to it's worthiness. Second, if the extra scenes contain any Jar-Jar , you'll be able to see the sales bar drop ... Third, I'd pay more for Episodes 4,5&6 with just the deleted scenes we already know about than Epi 1. That's how much better these films are; even the lice-ridden Ewoks are more tolerable than most of the creatures from Anikins childhood. Lastly, it's about ego. I don't feel like rewarding someone with my hard-earned money for having "artistic sensibilities" that deny me what I want. Movies are made for the public. Either give them what they want, or back off and let someone who will give it a shot.
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: The Force is with this!
Review: You will not find a bigger Star Wars fan than me. I saw the original when I was 5 and this new one is just as good. After seeing it 13 times, it just keeps getting better. The actions that take place in the background are the most detailed special effects you'll ever see. Widescreen is the only way to go. I have seen both versions and the pan & scan loses to much. Pure action satisfaction. Don't miss out. Gearge has said that all 6 episodes will be in a DVD box set but not until christmas of 2005. The VHS is well worth the purchase. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Phantom Menace: Buy it now!
Review: You will probably see a lot of 1 star ratings saying, "it sucked" or "Jar jar is dum" by a lot of people desperate for attention. Bottom line: Unless you are worried about looking not cool for liking Star Wars, over-obsessed with ANH and ESB to the point where you hate every new SW movie since ROJ and the concepts that come with it, YOU WILL LOVE THIS MOVIE. It has everything to offer: fun, excitment, humor, great characters, lots of emotions, and deeper levels, like SW's mythic ties, all the great themes, metaphors and symbolisms that come with it. The midichlorians are sheer brilliance, and are very important to the movie. The battle scenes are great, as are the character scenes. Portman rules as Padme Amidala, the best character in the film, and the best character in all of SW. JW's score is great again. So basically, see the movie, and enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: Get the widescreen!
Review: You've already seen the movie by now, and if you haven't, the 500+ comments already posted here will probably give you all the info you need. My comments are about the video itself. Spend the extra ten bucks or whatever it is and GET THE WIDESCREEN VERSION. We all know that with pan and scan, you lose almost half the picture. That's fine if you're watching, say, The Runaway Bride. However, there's a *lot* to see in this movie, and watching the stuff in the background is half the fun; if you get the pan and scan to save a few bucks, you'll be getting less than you paid for. Oh, and don't blame poor Jake Lloyd for Anakin's stilted dialog (especially the egregious blobs of exposition he spouts on Tatooine). Blame Darth Lucas... and hope the next script is edited by someone with a better track record.
Rating:
Summary: The Writer/Director Menace
Review: [....]Like many others that have written reviews, I am totally disappointed with Episode I. The problems in a nutshell: (1) too many plot lines, especially throw-away plots that barely tie into the chief plot (i.e. the phantom menace--the Trade Federation overshadowing the plotting Palpatine); (2) Horrible dialogue (like others have stated, the actors were given some of the most inane lines in recent blockbuster history--e.g. "Now that's pod racing," exclaims young Annie as he *accidentally* destroys thousands of "enemy" alien beings and robots on the Trade Federation ship); (3) Even more horrible directing. Let's face facts now: George Lucas comes up with imaginative characters, settings, plot lines, etc. He is a story teller. He is not, however, a screenwriter or director--or more appropriately, he fails at such attempts. Most viewers agree that Star Wars [...] is a basic yet solid movie, with decent acting and spectacular effects. The mystical force drew us audience members in and kept us waiting for Empire and Jedi. A better moview with a stronger plot, Empire Strikes Back has superb directing and screenwriting (NOTE: Lucas did NOT write the screenplay NOR did he direct). Compare scenes such as the lightsaber dual with any other. The intensity and emotion poured out in those few minutes is unrivaled--even by the excellent and artistic choreography of the Darth Maul/Qui Gon Jinn/Obi Wan battle. Some of us still get shivers watching Darth Vader reveal his identity to Luke, shortly after he lobs off his son's hand. ANOTHER NOTE: Ewan McGregor's onscreen acting took place only when Darth Maul kills Qui Gon--and that is not the actor's fault, but the writer/director's! The director of Empire captured pure emotion in shots of faces without any dialogue. Just view the "carbonite freezing" scene, with individual shots of Leia, Han, Vader, Boba Fett, Chewbacca, etc. The pure emotion that the director attempted in the shots really worked! Furthermore, the director was not afraid to get the actors/characters dirty. Luke is a sweaty, torn, and bleading frazzle at the end of Empire; compare with the well groomed while battling scenes of Return of the Jedi and Phantom. Empire Strikes Back is revered as the best Star Wars movie overall because of the following: only TWO major plots (One major, one minor) dominate the movie. Luke remains the focus, the force is discussed [...], the maturation of Luke is observed throughout. The Phantom Menace is an example of a good intentions and good plot line gone awry. Palpatine is barely in the movie, and Maul makes a memorable appearance for a fight, but their few lines (three sentences for Maul?) and appearances are so overshadowed by TOTALLY UNNECESSARY SCENES including the "spectacular" (sarcasm) Pod Race. Here's an idea for a movie: have the title match up with the chief plot. Here are some more unbelievably bad points of the Phantom Menace: 1. actor and character lines for Anakin Skywalker. Couldn't be more boring (though cute) and canned. With all of that aside, the boy is a cute kid. I had to laugh when Yoda says, "there is much fear in you." Both the audience AND Anakin are thinking the same thing. "What [...]are you talking about, Yoda?! The only emotion I have is for a fast sports car . . . er, pod racer." NOTE: Anakin left his mom in a matter of minutes from being released and he sure didn't show fear. [...] he was fearLESS! (In this case, that meant he didn't care or think about what he was getting into, but that's another issue.) 2. Waisted talent: Liam, Ewan, and Natalie are sure wasted on this show. Sadly, they obviously followed the director's tips. BEST ACTING IN SHOW: Natalie Portman--she's the only one that snuck in a bit of emotion to her lines. 3. Bizarre surprises: (a) virgin birth of Anakin, (b) force is actually not an energy field but microscopic organisms, (c) Obi Wan was not actually trained by Yoda, but Qui Gon, (d) Jedis are a bunch of ignorant and dismissive elitists, (e) everybody in Star Wars is related somehow--even C3PO was--this is absurd--made by Anakin. No, he couldn't have been a translator for any number of characters; indeed, Luke's very father, in childhood, built a the gold-plated British twit that came to meet Luke, on the same planet (Tatooine) where he was born/created--even though C3PO has no idea where the hell he is in Star Wars (episode one). Need I say more?
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent DVD, mediocre film
Review: [THIS TEXT REFERS TO THE DVD WIDESCREEN EDITION.] The classic Star Wars trilogy is, without question, one of science fiction's crowning achievements. When the "special editions" of the classic trilogy were released, the series received a huge revival, and rumors began to surface about a "new, prequel trilogy". In May of 1999, the first one of these prequels arrived in theatres. And now, the film has arrived on DVD! Read on for my review of Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace. BASIC PLOT:
The time is thirty years before Episode IV - A New Hope. An organization known as the Trade Federation has began setting up blockades across the galaxy, creating a large problem for trade ships. After a failed attempt to stop the blockades, two Jedi knights ally themselves with a Gungan, and the queen of Naboo (and all her close followers.) During an escape attempt, they are forced to land their ship on Tatooine, where they meet a young slave boy they feel may be the one that will bring balance to the force. It doesn't take long for them to realize that this is no ordinary boy - he is extremely gifted. After repairing their ship, they head back to Naboo to settle the issue with the Trade Federation once and for all. FILM OPINIONS:
This film was a good idea, but it just wasn't executed all that well. The major flaw is, without question, the character of Jar Jar Binks. This character is pretty much comic relief - AND NOTHING ELSE. Why would you waste a character like this? The lightsaber duels look better than ever (you've gotta love that double-bladed one), and some of the new (or is it old?) technology is cool, but the film ultimately falls flat. We're introduced to a number of characters, but we don't get very much character development. I was also disappointed that we didn't get any premonitions to Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader (I was hoping the title of "Phantom Menace" would refer to his transformation to the dark side, but, in fact, it's just a reference to Darth Maul.) Likewise, the idea of the queen using a decoy is just stupid. Is she a coward or something? Because of this, you'll often be confused as to who is who (I know I was.) And the ending of the battle above Naboo is just stupid, because it's won by ACCIDENT! One of the reasons people loved the first film in the classic trilogy so well is because the characters were going after a direct target. They knew what to go for, and they knew they were taking chances. Not true here. Another huge flaw is the lack of space combat. Other than the battle above Naboo at the end of the film, we don't get any! To put it simply, this is a mediocre entry in the Star Wars series. DVD:
The saving grace here is the DVD. There's a whole second disc of bonus material. In addition to a "making of" featurette and the typical DVD stuff, we get the holy grail of DVD extras - deleted scenes. No, these scenes don't reveal anything too important, but they're still a nice touch. There is no shortage of bonus footage here. In fact, there is so much of it, that if you watch all of it, it will be longer than the actual film! Lucasfilm really outdid themselves here. OVERALL:
Although this was a mediocre film through and through, I feel that an excellent job was done on the DVD. If you're new to the Star Wars series, start with the CLASSIC trilogy. Don't bother with the prequels unless you're a Star Wars nerd who can't get enough of the series.
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