1 Not bad...
I'm 16 years old right now, and when I was young and growing up I constantly watched all the Star Wars films. I loved them, they were awesome...
This came out when I was 10. Naturally in my 10 year old nerd self, When I saw previews for Star Wars episode I, I freaked. I was like "YEAH!!!". SO I saw it...and hey it was good.
I can agree, NOT the original. But still, GOOD. I really liked it. I though it was a good way to get a jump into Anakin's life. (Sorry...I wasn't one of the fans hoping for the prequel's to START at Episode III and continue on...Though I would love to see some new Vader action).
I can agree with the annoyances, like Jar Jar Binks and 90% of the gungans...(But hey...Jar Jar had some great lines in there..."My give up...My give up!"). I did, however, like seeing young Obi-Wan, and I thought Qui Gon Ginn was one of the coolest Jedi's ever. I don't know why, but after seeing episode I I thought Qui Gon was cool.
Overall...yea this DVD is on my shelf...
2 Not what everyone was expecting, but good in it's own way
For a long time i've been reading negative reviews of this movie from people who have "been Star Wars fans since their childhood." Well, of course you're going to be disaponited if you waited 20 years for this one to be like the first three. This one was obviously going to be different, there's no question about that. These new movies have a different story and different characters (for the most part). It's not about a young man finding out who he is. It's about an established authority beginning to crumble because of an unknown evil. The acting has been critizied as well. ENOUGH OF THAT. Everyone plays their roles extremely well. Liam Neeson does an excellent job as Qui Gon Jin. He truly seems wise throughout the movie, a perfect Jedi Master. Ewan Mcgreggor does a very good job as a young Obi Wan and Natalie Portman does well as Amidala. The special effects are very well done as well and add that much more to the movie. For those who wished the movie was going to be like A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back or Return Of The Jedi was wasting their time. This movie introduces a new generation to Star Wars and frankly, i love it. So lay off the negative talk and if you hate it so much, DON'T WATCH IT!!!!
3 Best of an overrated series
I know...Most of you now have a deep hatred for me and are grabbing for your plastic light sabres(is that the "darkside"gaining control over you?hmmmm?)..But to be honest..as a Sci Fi fan...this was the most entertaining! I have never felt as impressed with the star wars special effects that in their day were supposed to be revolutionary(even though a decade earlier 2001 was released with effects that in my view were much more effective...but really that is apples an oranges)but I could never get over the fact that as omminous a character that Darth Vader was....his men were terrible shots....not a particularly dangerous Empire really..and the Death Star(While on the outside looked immense...on the inside looked like a flying high school...with small narrow corridors(which curved.!!...on a planet sized craft they shouldbe straight and look like they go on forever!!)And when viewing the original series when they were rereleased in the theatres I actually fell asleep halfway into "A New Hope" These are dated films people....Not really up to snuff with current standards.....hokey lines/inept enemy villians/....I guess it is like saying the "Emperor"has no clothes.These films are light entertainment....but no match for what can be done now in storytelling.Compare this old 70's series with The Lord of the Rings......NO COMPARISON! Great story'great effects..great epic!!..Ok....I've said my piece.....May the Farce...I mean... Force be with you(what a lame line that is!).
4 Pretty good.
Now, when this movie FIRST came out, I saw it nine times in the theater, owned the graphic novel, owned two Episode 1 novels, and owned the playstation 1 game which i played with my brother 24/7. This was a really good move, but you may not quite get the star wars feeling you desire. Its not quite as good as the original ORIGINAL trilogy, but its up there. I own it now, and on the DVD they add one deleted scene and extended podrace in the movie (plus you can watch them on the special features.) If you havent seen it yet-well, why not? Try it. I loved it. You might, too.
5 Good, But Doesn't Have The Magic Of The Original Films
The original films were mostly remembered for their great special effects (for their point in time) and cheesy acting. This newer version, while having great special effects, is extremely long. This 1999 blockbluster, i think, was only successful because of its name and the reputation the Star Wars series has. This movies acting is way too good for the Star Wars series and doesn't have the great comedy like the older movies. Overall, not bad, but not very good aswell.
6 Not the original trilogy, but still Star Wars
If not for Jar Jar Binks, i would have given this a 5, but the only let down for this movie was Jar Jar, it is nice that George Lucas decided to go back and start from the begining since he has actually planed it this way when he sat down and started creating Star Wars, but come on George what's up with Jar Jar. Overall good addition to the Star Wars movies.
7 Not as good as episode IV
Admittedly, I was initially a bit disappointed in this one. I thought possibly they would delve a bit more into the young Obi-Wan. In fact, when it first came out on DVD, I didn't even want to own it. The worst part of movie for me was the overlong Podrace, while a great special effects masterpiece, it really broke away from the main plotline.
I beg to differ with those who do not buy the idea of the sense of the Force being an inherited ability; if they will recall towards the end of Episode IV, when Luke is trying to blow up the Deathstar, Vader says he feels the force is strong in him. Since we all know that Luke is Vader's son, then we must conclude that he inhereted his sensativity to the Force.
As to the character of Jar Jar, I found him rather funny.
The acting for the most part was pretty good.I loved Ewan McGregor as the young Obi-Wan and I have always liked Liam Neeson. He played the part of a Jedi Master very well.
Maybe you have to look at this movie as part of the whole series to appreciate where Lucas is going with it. Watch Episode II and you might like this movie a little more.
8 Lucas loosing his touch
Let's start with the film's good side. Darth Maul is awesome, Queen Amidala is beautiful, strong and inspiring. It's interesting to see the young Obi-Won and the evil plot Palpatine cooks up.
But why oh why did Lucas create the character of Jar Jar Binks?! He is a disgrace to Star Wars! Why elect a Queen? Why did those aliens have offense Chinease accents? Why did Obi-Won run like the wind from the droid destroyers but dragged his (...)when Qui-Gon needed help? And Anakin ACCIDENTLY destroyed the trade federation?
Lucas has lost his touch. The original Star Wars is better.
9 Horrible, horrible, horrible
I loved the three original star wars, but Lucas should have just stopped there. This movie quite plainly is a pure waste of time and energy. There's no acting in the movie, its called reading script and waiting for cue. (SIGH) what people call movies these days is quite depressing.
The movie starts out just like every other one starts out, with the ship floating through space. Come one Lucas! Think of something completely new! We would thank you for it. Then for them on the movie rapidly progresses on a downward slump of bad movie making. Ben Kenobie is frankly a disapointment, he's a silent rather punkish hunk that can't act worth his life. And his Jedi Master is even worse. I have no clue on how his name is spelled, so I'm not even going to try, all I know that it just wasn't star warish. More kiddish than anything.
Then the aliens get rather dumb, whats with the stupid long-eared one that can't speak, and lives in a city that is supposed to be hidden, but anyone with half a clue where it could be. Would be able to find in the space of five minutes. So much for hidden.
On the whole, the movie thing left me irritated and angry at Lucas, the whole star wars feeling was gone, and instead there was the uncanny feeling that it was nothing more than a circus in space.
10 "But witch was destroyed the master, or the apprentice?"
We of course, as the audience know the answer to this question but the jedi do not and just such a line prepares you for episode II witch I greatly enjoyed as well but as this review is supposed to by about episode I then I will just get down to bussines. I personaly enjoyed this movie myself but it's not on that that this review shall dwell. Rather, I will focus on my answers to several criticisms of this movie. I'll start with Jar Jar Binks who has been rather unfairly treated. We, as Americans are exposed to complicated, wordy,overly-saphistacated comedy where you must follow a plot and get the jokes to have a good time watching it. We are not, however, exposed to enough "sit back watch the clowns and have a good time" comedy. Consaquently, many find Jar Jar's character annoying but I don't I just sit back and watch Jar Jar inable to control himself while swinging a cannon ball on a strap, tell soliders to keep steady and a moment later jump9ing in the grond and shouting "ahh!" and finaly (my favorite) traveling through the battle while hanging on to the gun of a federation army tank! Plus, he is supposed to be annoying to the other characters so if you find him annoying than Lucas has don him convincingly enough you to be annoyed and even to make you think it detracts from the movie. Next point the morality of these movies witch seems to for some reason seems to annoy people. The "sticks and stones" factor's morality is that you don't win by having more guns and having more powerful weapons but by having a big heart and a strong will and doing what you know is right to the best of your abilities and by being on the side that uses love rather than hate; basicly being on the right side. There is also the moraliity of if we work together and help each other and don't shune each other out because we may seem to be different to one and other on the outside (when we are really the same on the inside) that the world will be a better, happier place. All of this morality is basicly saying good will always triumph over evil in the end even though it may take the wool being pulled over the eyes of the good side and many years of suffering for the good side good WILL prevail over evil in the end everytime. That, I think is a morality witch is over the heads of many, many people but witch I as a child of 12 find touching, beautiful, and wonderful. It is also woven into the stories wonderfully. Heck, I feel wise beyond my years saying this stuff but anyhow the entire Star Wars series is great including and perhapse especially "Phantom Menace" and in parting I suggest thinking of and hopfuly strongly considering the above listed ideas, opinins, and proven facts. Farewell and remember to watch with an open mind!
11 Not the Original Trilogy, but good
The Phantom Menace was the first Star Wars movie from the prequel trilogy to come out. George Lucas used new technology when he created it. Many people did not like the new special effects and thought that the story was not quite the same as the originals. While i agree that the story was not quite the originals, the lighsaber fight was the best one in the entire series of Star Wars. The Phantom Menace is a good movie and one to have in all star wars fan's collections.
12 Special Feature Laced With Expletives
This review is not so much a commentary about the first Star Wars film in 16 years. I think there are plenty of other opinions on that (2500+ just on Amazon.com). Instead, I wanted consumers to be aware of the unfortunate fact that the behind-the-scenes documentary was filled with partially-deleted expletives by production crew and principle actors.
This kind of thing would normally not bother me. However, if it were not for the fact this movie has been rated PG and has gone to obvious lengths to target younger audiences I wouldn't raise a concern. There was some attempt to audibly blank most of the offensive language out, however the efforts fell very short and even missed a couple of F-bombs.
The production quality of the behind-the-scenes documentary was also lack luster... of course I may have been spoiled after watching the endless hours of Peter Jackson's behind-the-scenes of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The 17 web featurettes are very well edited on the other hand, and were among my favorite of the special features to watch. However, it would have been nice to have a "Play All" feature.
I would have given this movie 4 stars, but I'm forced to give the overall product 3 stars due to the poor editing of the main special feature.
13 Great introduction to the Star Wars Universe
I think it all comes down to overhype vs. no expectations. If you're a fan who watched the original Star Wars movies 25 years ago and ever since you've been a hardcore fan and following all the spoilers/previews/reviews on the internet, you never had a chance to like this movie. If this movie was an introduction to the Star Wars universe (like it was for me) you will love this movie. The only weaknesses in this movie are the lack of personifying the suffering occuring to the people of Naboo, and Anakin's over-acting in the cockpit of the Naboo Starfighter. Everything else about this movie I love. It has the best Lightsaber duel to date (with the best soundtrack ever to a duel), a great soundtrack with a lot of new material, and great acting by Liam Neeson, Ewan McGreggor, Ian McDiarmid, Andrew Secombe, Pernilla August and Jake Lloyd (minus the starfighter scenes)... comparitively, A New Hope only really had great acting from Alec Guiness (who wasn't in the whole movie), Anthony Daniels, and Harrison Ford (sometimes).
Let go of the criticisms, don't try to point out all the faults, just try to sit back and enjoy this movie and you will, because even with the Original Trilogy, there were many faults (probably many more), but it was still enjoyable because people went into the movie with an open mind.
Also for those who argue Lucas changed Star Wars/this isn't a Star Wars movie... I think there would be no point of a Prequel Trilogy unless it gave us something new to look at. Just look at music, the greatest music artists were able to reinvent themselves over and over, and if they stayed the same, it would be old and stale. And even when people "redo" a song or a movie, its always a reinterpretation of the original piece to bring another point of view to the table.
So just shut out the criticism and enjoy the movie. If this was the movie to come out in 1977 I'm pretty sure it would be lauded for the same things that A New Hope was lauded for.
:)
14 This movie has destroyed the magic that was Star Wars
Okay, let's be honest with one another -- this movie is tragic.
I'm going to summarize my disdain for this movie by making one point and one point only. The "midi-clorians", this has to be the saddest thing I've ever heard. No longer can a kid playing Star Wars in his back forest become a Jedi in his mind and soul by making a personal commitment to honour and truth and chivalry -- like any knight in history, both European or far Eastern or wherever -- but by having a certain genetic predestination alone. You see, as Qui-Gon tells us plain and simple, Force sensitivity is hereditary; it's in all of us, but in some more than others. We can assume from Obi-Wan's astonishment at Anakin Skywalker's midi-chlorian count -- "Not even Master Yoda has a count that high!" -- that Force sensitivity is proportional to the quantity of midi-chlorians found in one's cells. I can't begin to tell you how awful that sounds to me. People are no longer on a level playing field; equal under the Force. The Force (read God) is perfection, and some are evidently now closer to perfection than others as a fact of nature. This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of, and has destroyed the magic that was Star Wars forever. Star Wars ruled because it touched each of us as kids at a spiritual level, whether we realized it or not. Each of us were Luke Skywalker standing on Tatooine gazing up at the stars wondering, hoping, wishing of what will become of ourselves. "Owp, hold on kid, let me check your blood-type. Hmm, so sorry, but it seems you are not of the Jedi race." "But, Jedi is not a race, it's a way of being, it's about goodness and virtue and all that and any kid can be a Jedi, no matter where he or she is from or what he or she looks like." "Well, part of that is right. It doesn't matter where you are from or what you look like, but it does matter if you have the right blood or not. For you see my worthless little friend, some people are lesser than others, and you are barely registering on the scale. Being a Jedi is not an individual quest, either you are born Jedi material or you ain't. And you ain't."
Hogwash. Like the rest of people in the free world, I grew up playing Star Wars and my childhood was a lot more happier because of it. I had friends back then as a small child whom I haven't seen or talked to in a long long time, but if I remember them at all I know they wouldn't stand for this baloney. If I could build a time machine and go back to the Hoth that was Ontario in January and stop the Star Wars game that was going on in the street by all us kids and say "hey, wait a minute, have you guys heard about this midi-chlorians thing? Where some of us are Jedi worthy by natural predestination and the rest are, well, nothing??" The kids just wouldn't have stood for that, I can tell you for certain. And why should they stand for it??
Sorry George. I think you forgot what being a kid means . . . what magic means.
15 OK for popcorn sci-fi, not for the Star Wars purist
The Phantom Menace was the perfect example of why you should not set your expectations before going into a film; I walked in expecting a movie with the grandeur and majesty of episodes IV, V and VI, and instead got an admittedly entertaining romp with limited scope.
While admitting the movie was entertaining, there are some issues that must be addressed. Much of the casting was poorly done (for example, Natalie Portman was at her wormiest as Princess Amidala, and Amidala's captain of the guard was a total ham), the script was often cheesy (i.e. "are you an angel?...") and the character development (or perhaps the actors skills) lacked the strength needed to portray deep conflicts of soul and ethics. Many of the CG characters, notably the villians of the trade federation were obnoxious and cutesy (as was jar-jar). The subtle interplay between good and evil, light and dark from the previously released films was gone--and its passing was greatly missed.
16 Bad but Good
A prequel is usually never even close to being a good movie because it usually assumes that the audience has already seen the previous films and know what's going on. This movie is no acception. In this movie all we find is the beginnings of character development and at the height of the movie we are made to watch a race in which everyone knows who's going to win. How entertaining is that suppose to be? The storyline is barely there. The only saving grace of this movie is that the acting is done decently by everyone that is involved on the screen.
17 what a shame
man, what a letdown, a truly terrible movie, it seemed to cater to little kids. someone tell george lucas that with a computer you can type up a good story as well as make all these crazy worlds and flying things. jar jar was a terrible idea, the whole thing was and is a complete disaster!!!!
18 Curious
How George Lucas could follow up his brilliant first three "Star Wars" movies with this stinker, I will not understand until there is a tell-all biography about his life, which I will eagerly read out of morbid curiosity. "Phantom Menace" is like Shakespeare following "Romeo and Juliet" with "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle".
Maybe Lucas alienated the hired talent from the first three movies. Whatever happened, Lucas should get down on his hands and knees and beg the brains to come back, if he is at all interested in rejoining the ranks of quality film producers.
Everything about this movie is bad, with the possible exception of the special effects. I stopped after thirty minutes, and plan to skip anything else by "no-talent, big money" Lucas.
I remember with fondness and now sadness how much I enjoyed the first three Star Wars, watching them many times over the years. For a decade, I equated Lucas with genius; now it is clear he was a parasite latched onto the back of brains now departed and working on other projects.
19 SACRILEGE= One who steals sacred things.
George Lucas should be ashamed of himself. We patiently waited 20 YEARS while george delt with his marital problems & Dog knows what else... THEN he has the nerve to bring this crap to the table...THAT's SO WRONG! You have betrayed us george. And that Jar Jar Binks! His voice alone was painful to listen to! What In the name of Dog were you thinking George?...that after 20 years we not only got younger, but dumber too? Well apparently some of us did, I saw some 4 & 5 star reviews out there,Yeah & WWF Big-Time Wrestling is for real.
When Released on tape, I wasted a couple bucks renting it, with a glimmer of hope (knowing georgie is buddies with that other over-rated P.O.S. director Steven "The Terminal" Spielberg it was just barely a glimmer) after 15 min. I couldnt take any more, Jar Jar Binx done sent me running out of the room.
Couple weeks ago I found a copy for a $1 at a used cd store. I thought what the hell, maybe I was just in a bad mood that day (it happens) for a buck and two hours of my life, it woudn't kill me to give it another try....Ha ha ha ...boy was I wrong. it did kill me; Im writing this from thae afterworld where my soul is trapped in torment...oh man when will it end?
20 What an awful film
This edition to the star wars universe is crap. The actors looked utterly out of place when meshed with the CGI (the fault of the director). And haveing the movie pander to a 6 year old didn't help it any either. This movie was riddeled with pointless reaction shots from Anakin and JarJar. Instead of buying this peace of crap I got the Phatom Edit 1.1. This is a fan edit of this movie that ends up only being little under an hour and it's a better film for it.
21 As with so many other sci-fi movies, so much potential lost.
I rate this movie up with Lynch's Dune, Final fantasy movie, star trek the original movie. So much wrong with so much movie, with so much story. The expectations were too high, but the fans were all ready on the wagon. I was excited, At the peak of climax, after the opening sequence, the verticaly flowing script, and the classic John Williams (I've been waiting for this for soooo long!), then the biggest freaking anti-climax, Emotional rollercoaster, in the galaxy of films! I was deeply pitted against the movie with more watching, and more repugnant characters. I was so low after watching this movie that I had to raid the medicine cabinet. I wanted to know why jar jar had more screen time than darth maul. I wanted to know why all the actors were acting like they were being watched by millions of people, and I wanted to know why i didn't feel young again from watching this film. Instead I walked away droopy, wane, and puzzled, feeling like an old, crusty critic. Hmmm, what's the worse film I've ever witnessed, "Judge, it's him, the one wearing the fake looking cgi. God, please, take him away."
22 superb, adds depth and fills out the concept
This is a wonderful film, and the best judges of it are my kids. They have watched this - and forced me to watch it with them - at least 10 times in the last few weeks. I really like the characters in it and find all sorts of subtleties, many of them precedents to the later masterful trilogy.
I don't know why people are so critical of this, unless they wanted more of the same from the first trilogy. That would be boring if you ask me: this is a different world complete with a crumbling political order and the latent seeds of destruction and chaos, leading directly into the themes that are so rich in the original Lucas production. Indeed, these themes are deepened here with new details that are left for interpretation.
Moreover, the story is extremely dense with details that can live in the imagination. For example, while we know Aniken becomes Darth Vader, his relationship with Qui-Gon is such that if he, rather than Obi-Wan became his mentor/master, his future might have been very different. That is fate, but also incredible richness in character and theme. You can get into all of that if you are so inclined, which as a scifi lover I am.
It is a matter of taste, of course. I think this is truly brilliant sci-fi, with wonderful values that beg for thoughtful interpretation. It teaches kids a lot, too, about loyalty, ambition, and even politics. I simply love it all.
Highest recommendation.
23 Not great, but not totally bad....
I admit, this is my least favorite Star Wars movie. It's average, not as good as the hype, but not as bad as other hype. Jake Lloyd is not very good as an actor, and I also don't like kids in movies. I also think Jar Jar Binks should never have been used; that type of character alone can ruin a whole movie's reputation. However, the special effects were great, and the storyline is good; it just needed better dialogue and stronger acting from the cast. I also think it could've been a little shorter in running time.
24 Excellent!
I, like many people, think that this movie has unfairly gotten a very bad reputation. I believe that because Episode II was admittedly not that great, that it has overshadowed Episode I as well. I personally think that while Jake Lloyd was only the first bad actor to play Anakin, the rest of the acting in the movie was very good. Natalie Portman, as a queen, was not supposed to sound "human." She was supposed to sound stiff! But I think the best acting comes from Palpatine, and from the two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. I was very sad when Qui-Gon died, and felt that he could've proved a valuable character in the subsequent movies. Darth Maul, I felt, also died too soon. He showed himself to be a much better Dark Jedi than stupid Dooku, and could've been a good final opponent for Anakin before becoming Palpatine's apprentice. But I'm also a believer in George Lucas. I think that any decisions he made, he made them with the other movies in mind. But I wish I could travel back in time and tell him not to direct it. And to kill Jar-Jar. But I think I'm just dreaming.
25 The first chapter of the greatest film saga ever conceived!
:-)
I have read the reviews on line here at Amazon.com about "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace," some I agree with, others I don't. I remember when this movie was in the theaters, in fact at the theater I was at, I was the very first person in line to purchase my tickets and I purchased two tickets each for the first three showings of this movie for myself and my date. Both she and I agree that this was worthy of the title of "Star Wars" and we also both agree had Mr. Lucas stayed as writer & executive producer that the movie would have been even better.
George Lucas is a great storyteller, creating great characters and a great adventure to watch those characters grow within the film, but he is no director. As I have viewed many of the movies Lucas has directed, from "THX 1138," "American Graffiti," "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope," and "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones," and it became apparent to me that Lucas is no director as his camera angles are trivial and not very imaginative - much different from the collaboration between he and Steven Spielberg in the "Indiana Jones" movies. That collaboration really works and I bet had Lucas asked Spielberg to direct his saga he would have agreed - after all Spielberg is directing "Indiana Jones 4" as he did all the pervious "Indiana Jones" movies. Still this was a magnificent movie.
I would not have used Jake Lloyd, but with Lucas' knowledge of the character Lloyd does manage to pull it off - barely. I was sorry to see Qui-Gon die, however I do see it as being necessary for Obi-Wan to move from Padawan to Jedi Knight, and I was disappointed that Darth Maul was killed off as well though that also was necessary since the focal point of evil is not Darth Maul, but he who becomes the Emperor. I am disturbed however that there is no mention of Yoda being "the Jedi Master who instructed me!" as Obi-Wan said in "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back." Maybe Lucas will make mention of the in "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" as it was slightly eluded to in "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones."
I purchased both the VHS and the DVD versions and in the VHS there really is nothing very special that is different, from the theatrical release. The DVD release however not only has deleted scenes, but also has incorporated some extra scenes and extended scenes into the DVD release, however Mr. Lucas if you are reading, a release with certain deleted scenes would be nice to be incorporated into the movie itself, or like the "X-Men" DVD did, allow people to make the decision to add the deleted scenes by electing to select that option. Scenes that I would like to see included are "The Waterfall Sequence," "Dawn Before the Race," "Anakin's Scuffle with Greedo," and "Farewell to Jira."
Anyway I have heard the complaints about this movie, however remember this is a prequel and as such it is bound to be less suspenseful as we do know what happens in the end. However what I like most about this movie is that we finally get to see more than just a single Jedi. I also loved the two edged lightsaber and would love to see that show up again in "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith."
Jar Jar Binks may be a bit annoying at times, but his character is necessary to this and future chapters of the saga plus he adds a morality message as the Gungans are forced to accept the other race on the planet Naboo in order to work together to defeat a common enemy.
I have heard complaints about the virgin birth of Anakin with Christian groups protesting since only Messiah Himself should be from a virgin birth, but what these Christians fail to realize is that Anakin & Shmi Skywalker come from "a galaxy far, far away" and are not human by our standards but rather are humanoid - a human like species, plus that even here on Earth we have creatures that on a regular basis are born through "virgin" births, which the scientific community has dubbed asexual reproduction, so why can't an alien from another planet. We see the exterior appearance of this species, not their anatomy. One need only refer to many aliens from other shows that appear human to us to see that what one can conceive can be created in a fictional character. In "Doctor Who," one of the oldest sci-fi shows we learn that Gallifreyans, which look completely human, have two hearts, live for hundreds of years and when they die their cells reform to bring them back from the dead. In "Star Trek" the characters of Guinan and Deanna Troi clearly look human and clearly are not and on "Babylon 5" the Centauri clearly look human with very bad hair styles (does that mean PadmŽ Amidala and her daughter Leia Organa are Centauri?), but they also have two hearts - a primary heart & a secondary heart. There is precedent through many different sci-fi shows that aliens can look human but not be human.
Most of the backgrounds were digitally, not physically, made and really made their locations very exotic and the digitized characters were very, very cool. Most of the vehicles though did not have that rustic feel and they did in the original trilogy, these vehicles looked too new for a "Star Wars" movie. The Trade Federation is a good analogy of how corporations can get out of control, just as the Senate of the Republic does for government. Seeing the Jedi council was cool and how they test for users of the Force and the final battle seen was reminiscent of "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" final battle with the three prong effect of a lightsaber dual, a massive ground war of low tech versus high tech and the space battle against other starships and a powerfully shielded space vessel. And I loved seeing the subtle influence of the Dark Side of the Force in Anakin & Palpatine, and the developing bond between the two.
All in all this was a great movie, though I must also admit that all the other "Star Wars" movies with Anakin/Vader were better than this one (that means that the "Ewok" movies and cartoon show, the "Droids" cartoon show and "The Star Wars Holiday Special" were not as good as this movie.
26 What the hell happened here?
This movie was a big disappointment, and a major letdown from the last three films. Jar Jar Binks wasn't even funny at all, Jake Lloyd sucked as Anakin, and the dialogue was flat. Lucas needs to improve on the story and character development, along with adding more humor. But even with these shortcomings, the movie is still watchable thanks to the amazing special effects. Thankfully Attack of the Clones improves on most of the problems that made this movie such a blow, and I expect Revenge of the Sith to fully return the trilogy to the level of the original movies.
27 Corny
What a really expensive yet completely awful film. Talk about a waste of celluloid. Jar-Jar Binks, anyone?
28 A Very Good Prequel!
This film is not as horrible as so many people are saying. It is actually very good. I enjoyed it as much as any of the old films. Keep an open mind.
29 parallel universe
OK, this was not "The Empire Strikes Back" or "Return of the Jedi". The reason people had so much trouble with this movie was they were looking for Luke and Lea, Han Solo, and the characters they were familiar with.
What George Lucas is doing is practicing a brand new concept in the movies known as "art imitates life". Star Wars is a generational film in a sense that it is giving us an image of the same family in different times in history. No, you will not the swaggering Han Solo making his wonderful one liners, or Luke saving the day with his light saber. The characters weren't born yet. Darth Vader was only a child at this time.
A wonderful analogy is a family tree. Let's say you can travel back in time to the 1940s. You will not find yourself there or the people you know. You will find your grandparents or parents as teenagers or as young children along with a population that would be totally unrecognizable. The political situations would be totally different, the villains would be different, and even the general way of thinking among the people would be different. It is your world, but it would not be your world.
This situation, when viewed on the movie screen, would bother many, many people which would make the movie hard to adjust to.
OK! Some things on the movie could have been better. Jar Jar Binks could have been a LOT less aggravating than he was. Yes, there could have been just a bit LESS talk at the political conferences and more action.
Still, there were wonderful highlights. It was very refreshing to see Jabba the Hutt again along with the great race. The creatures who were to be the competitors were hilarious.
Ian McDiarmid was back, playing a dual role as both Darth Sidius and Palpatine, the human would LATER become the evil emporer. Although McDiarmid looked too human this time he still had the wonderful wit of the emperor and was enjoyable to see.
All in all, it is a wonderful movie to see to look for memorable characters and to view the Star Wars' parallel universe that we wanted to know about in the original trilogy.
30 Wonderful beginning to the Star Wars Saga!!
This movie isn't a masterpiece, but it's definately a watchable beginning to the Star Wars Saga.
The Storyline is pretty good, the effects get extensive sometimes, but I think they storyling did what it needed to do.
They needed to find Anakin. And it was done very well.
This movie doesn't come close to any of the original trilogy, but like I said before, It's a nice beginning.
31 That's NEGATIVE 5 Stars
People sometimes say things like "Elvis should have died in 1959". Their point being that our memories of the King would always be of a young, trim Elvis instead of the fat, sweaty Elvis who(while performing in a drug induced stupor)would forget the lyrics of his songs. Well, upon completing The Empire Strikes Back(The best Star Wars film and the last one that didn't suck. That's right people, Return of the Jedi sucked)George Lucas should have gone home, put a shotgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
32 really bad...almost not watchable
george lucas says this will be a good movie after episode 3 comes out. but i can't see why.
i've tried to like this movie but its so hard. its not good at all. its painful to watch. its too juevenile.
its just dumb and jar jar is the worst character thought of in the movie universe. he actually makes Howard the Duck look respectable.
33 The Best Star Wars Movie!
"Phantom Menace" is the best of the Star Wars movies because it has so many creatures and it's really interesting, unlike some of the others. Even though I am (...) old, I know it is better than all of them. Partly because I think that Darth Moll is cool and interesting, and partly because I think that learning about a creature that is called a Sith is interesting, too. "Phantom Menace" is a really good movie. I think it's the best movie I've ever seen.
Peter, age 7
34 Ugh! A decade long wait for this??
To call this movie a colossal disappointment would be an understatement. George Lucas kept us on hold for 10 years for this?
The Good:
The Pod Race
Lightsaber duel
Darth Maul
Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor
The Bad:
The Plot
Queen Amidala
The Trade Federation
The script
The directing
consistency with the first films
The Jedi Council
The ships (ugh!)
The Awful:
Jar Jar!!!!!!
Anakin Skywalker!
What was Lucas thinking? Jar Jar? Sure my six year old daughter liked Jar Jar, but here is a news flash for Mr. Lucas. She would have liked the movie just as much without him. Sure, a small dose of "witty" comedy in a Sci-Fi move is fine, but this was overkill. After a while I half expected Jar Jar to break into a singing and dance routine. Who's idea was it to cast Jake Lloyd as Anakin? He is terrible. The kid couldn't act his way out of a paper bag. The entire plot of the movie was very dull. A trade route dispute? How exciting is that? Speaking of boring, the Jedi Council was very unimpressive. They just sat around and stared at each other. Yawn. And the ships? Horrible. The Naboo ships, save for the Queen's ship, were just plain ugly. The only things worse were the Naboo pilot outfits. Ugh!! The Trade Federation ships/machines weren't much better. Their "battleships" looked more like a space station from 2001: Space Odyssey.
On the positive, I did like the lightsaber duels. Very well done. The pod race was alo very good. I would have enjoyed the Droid/Gungan battle better if General Jar Jar had been killed. Qui Gon and Obi Wan played there parts well.
Overall, though, this movie was a big let down. Somewere along the way, Lucas stopped caring about what the audience wanted. He took a great formula and decided to "tweak" it. It reminds me of the old saying "..if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
35 A Long Long Time Ago....
Pod Race good; Jar Jar Binks bad. Ewan MacGregor good; Jake Lloyd bad. Special effects good; acting bad. Lightsaber duels good; Anakin's virgin birth bad. Empire Strikes Back really good; The Phantom Menace really bad.
36 a misunderstood movie
I think this was a great movie the only reason im giving it four stars was because of jar jar but even he has a point in the film as you will see in ep 2. People need to realize that this film is meant as an opener and as part of the whole story not as a stand alone movie. This movie introduces anakin, we get to see that he has a temper, we get to see the young obi wan and the jedi temple and council that gets mentioned in the later episodes.
And to the idiot who says that ALL jedi vanish is just crap the old obi wan is the ONLY jedi to do that, the reason this movie is lighter in content is to coinside with obi wan's remard in a new hope when he tells luke " there was a time of peace , before the dark times, before the empire" if you just watch the movies it all makes sense.
You have to remember in this movie the sith are thought to be extinct by the jedi, other than that everything was peaceful . If you have seen all the movies your gonna have a big grim on your face when Palpatine tells young Anakin "we will be watching your career with great interest" that was by far the greatest line so far in the trilogy.
Other than that i luved the jedi sith fights , i finally got to see them in their hayday fighting in out , other than that only you only hear about the way they fought when obi wan told luke,or when luke was seen fighting vader , or obi wan fighting vader but now you get to see a sith warrior and how deadly they are . Overall i loved this movie and thought it was a perfect start to an already legendary trilogy.
37 while I have my issues
overall it was fair. It had its redeeming qualities. The pod race for one. The lack of mystical/spiritualism was a real disappointment. I could go on and on, but with so many reviews that pretty much cover the good and the bad.
I just want to address the ugly. Darth Maul. Here is a nemesis that you could have drawn out over the new trilogy and had anakin kill to become darth vader. Similiar to what was offered to luke in the original. He had the potential of being a true menace and adversary throughout the films. While I understand in a way why you didn't, because it leaves a question and allows palpatine to grow in power and influence, it just would have been nice. ;)
that's about it.
;)
ta for now
38 IMAKIKUASS
The funny thing about this movie, other than it being horrible, is how people defend it. I actually know people who told me things like "you didn't like it because you expected it to be good".
Uhhh. Yay and so the (...) what? Shouldn't it have been good? Lucas only had a decade and a half to come up with it. He had the good idea's of other authors, and countless others. He had templets from other movies. Yet for some reason MANY people feel the need to defend this movie.
Let me start of with the infamous Jar Jar. First of all, I couldn't care less if Lucas wants to use stereotypes. In fact, he gets his stereo types pretty accurate and so I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. So, yes, Jar Jar is supposed to be a "brown man" but, get this, no one wants him shoved in their face over and over. We get enough of that on WB, MTV, and every other media outlet there is. Science fiction used to be a safe haven from that sort of thing. Everyone would have loved the idea of Jar Jar if Jedi whats-his-face would have chopped him up with his light saber after the first 5 minutes. Alas, no, we had to endure "wheezagonna dye esheeebieubu!" for the duration.
The story was a snoozer. Little Anakin's constant scowling just didn't seem like good acting to me. The Jedi Council meeting was overdone. The whole Naboo story was ridiculous. And then there's the fact that Boba Fett is a little Mexican kid. Darth Maul wasn't memorable at all.
Sigh. The whole movie seemed too forced and at the same time didn't seem to go anywhere. It was also inconsistent with the original trilogy. Yoda was the one who was supposed to have trained Obi Wan NOT Liam Neeson. Jedi, when they die vanish in the original trilogy, only Vader does not. In episode one Obi Wan cremates Liam Nelson. But if he were a Jedi then why not vanish? A hardcore Star Wars fan would try to justify this by making up some kind of hidden plot that Liam Nelson's character wasn't really good but must have had darkness in his heart. Blah blah blah!
If someone else had done the movie then I wouldn't care so much about the inconsistencies but didn't Lucas watch his own movies?
It seems to me that a much better plot line for this trilgoy would have started with the Jedi and the Sith in a HUGE battle on Tatooine. Both the Jedi and Sith end up destroying a home out int he desert, the home of the Skywalker family. The family is killed in the crossfire but through the rubble Yoda finds a baby, however, unbeknownst to Yoda and the other Jedi little Skywalker can already talk but only be heard by the audience, the voice over done by Bruce Willis. As Yoda tries to change his diapers and go shopping little baby Darth Bruce makes witty comments and pees on Yodas face for our amusement.
In episode two Yoda and Skywalker (played by Screech) , now in his late teens, must set off on a deadly mission to recover the Lost Ark in the Temple of Doom. Armed with nothing but a whip, Yoda and his sidekick beat up the Nazi's and save the day from the bad blonde people.
Episode Three... Well, here Anakin rebels against Wacko Yoda after years and years of sexual molestation. Yoda, of course, dismisses Anakin's claims saying that his mother put him up to it so that she could get money. Unfortunately the Jedi already killed Mother Skywalker in episode one so she cannot be Yoda's alibi, which of course adds even more fuel to Anakin's hate. Because of Anakin's confused sexual history he takes on a disguise as The Talented Mr. Ripley and works as the Evil Emporer's bulter, leading to disastrous consequences.
Now isn't this an improvement?
39 The Saga Begins...
The Star Wars saga has thrilled audiences for over 20 years, and now we are all invited to bear witness to what started it all. In Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, George Lucas takes us to the beginning. This movie is set many years before the events in Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope, in a time that old Obi-Wan referred to as a time of peace and justice, before the dark times, before the Empire.
This movie was fairly light in tone, given how this new prequel trilogy is designed to shed light on Anakin Skywalker's rise and fall from Jedi grace. Some have said this was more of a kid's movie, I disagree, though yes there are elements that appeal to kids more than adults (the excessively irritating Jar-Jar Binks is the prime example, and the fact that Anakin is a just a small boy). There are many elements that are quite adult oriented, such as; honor, sacrifice, love, evil, and deception. This movie sows the seeds of what will occur not only in the other 2 sequels in the trilogy, but also what has already transpired in the original trilogy.
The special effects in this movie were top-notch, the acting was good (Ewan McGregor seemed a bit wooden, he was much better in Episode 2), and the story was a great launching point for one of the greatest sagas in movie history.
The interesting thing about this prequel trilogy is that even though we all know how everything ends up, it's fun to watch and see how we all got to that point. It's interesting to see how Anakin went from this young boy with a big heart, became the scourge of the galaxy in the form of Darth Vader; or how the Jedi went from large in number to but a few.
If you are a fan of the original Star Wars trilogy, this movie is a must see and for that matter the entire Prequel trilogy is a must see.
Rated PG for sci-fi violence.
40 Has grown on me
I'm not sure if it is repeated viewing or the realization that the last film will be here soon, but this one has grown on me. Return of the Jedi was always the problem child for me. It was replaced when this one came out. Once again the effects are breathtaking, but it has several obvious weak points. We should have met Skywalker at a later age. Jar jar is completely useless. My favorite peev though is the point where Skywalker destroys the control ship and say's "Now this is pod racing!". I can never help myself but to respond with "No, this is warfare and many people have just died!"
However, within the storyline George has laid out, this film does what it sets out to do. And there are moments of brilliance. The podrace and the duel are worth price of admission alone. If we did not know what was going to happen in future segments of the story it would all be very mysterious (I plan to make my grandchildren watch them in correct order!)
Overall, I would say that the rabid negative reactions many had towards this installment were tad over done. After all, even the worst Star Wars movie is still much better than the majority of stuff we get. George has created a whole galaxy for us to explore, unlike LOTR where existing mythology was just pasted together in a new format. I enjoyed Episode 2 and have high expectations for Episode 3. I even hope somebody picks up the flag and does other Star Wars stories.
41 I am blown away...
...not by this movie, but by the number of Star Wars apologists on Amazon.Com! There are people rating this four and five stars, but their review contains nothing but digs at every aspect of the film, excluding the visual effects. People spending hundreds of words to say why the movie is bad, then turning around and saying they loved it, and proclaiming it "100% Star Wars." This was NOT Star Wars. Seeing this in the theater was like being in a bad dream. I'd wanted to see the prequels for so long, and was utterly let down in every way. The idiotic introduction of "midi-chlorians" stomped all over the spiritual aspect of the originals...that mastery of the force was all about spiritual and mental focus, and belief. Now it's just about how many of the right cells you've got. Ridiculous. I could go on ad infinitum about Jar Jar Binks, the worst character ever introduced in film, but that's been done to death. Jake Lloyd has already taken his lumps for his awful performance, as have others...so I won't belabor that point, either.
The fact is, the characters of the original trilogy are icons for a reason - you CARED about them. We don't care about any of the characters in the prequel trilogy - they are all completely disposable. We know what becomes of everyone of significance in the story, the rest of the characters are one-dimensional and unimportant. The Jedi Council is a rogues gallery of makeup artists at work, but not a single one will be remembered...let alone acheive iconic status. Shouldn't they have made more of an impact on us than the characters in Jabba's palace, who we only saw for a few minutes? In fact, who still cares about Darth Maul? Nobody. He was a microcosm of these prequels - all flash, no substance. I was bitterly disappointed by both the two prequel movies and I'm praying for a small amount of redemption in the third, but I feel Lucas has lost his way and is now only good at putting effects on-screen...which is more a testament to the talented staff of ILM than anything. But the long line of digital characters rolled out by his effects company do nothing to match the simple, rubber-mask charm of Greedo or the denizens of Mos Eisley Cantina...just as none of his main characters can hold a candle to the charisma and charm of Han Solo.
In twenty years, nobody will be talking about the prequel films. No future filmmakers will hold them up as the movies that inspired their career choice. They are disposable entertainment for an audience that has apparently become so easily amused that ANYTHING is passable, as long as their eyeballs are entertained by "great graphics." Final Fantasy: The Movie was panned by critics and viewers, but I'd argue that it had every bit as much depth and made just as much sense as the Star Wars prequels have.
So that's my rant, just had to get it out of my system.
42 The Phantom Menace
I seen this in theatres in 1999. In any case, I believe it to be a good movie, even if it wasn't as good as the original trilogy. The graphics are better in this movie than the originals, but what are you to expect with the time difference? The Pod race was awesome too. Jake Lloyd (the kid who played Anakin) cannot act to save his life, therefore the film suffers with the scenes he's in.
Here's the biggest problems: How do you have better technology in the past then you do in the future? If I remember right, Episode I takes place 32 years before Episode IV. Why do you have an animal pulling something that can levitate, they can figure out how to levitate something but they can't figure out how to move it from point A to point B? George Lucas has such a big ego that he had to showoff how great he is and make this movie so over the top with special effects that it makes the originals look dated instead of making the new movies flow into the old movies.
43 Annoying at best...Don't you dare buy it!
Considering the money, cast, and producers behind it, the Phantom Menace is possibly the worst movie ever made. Even the title is confusing. It's almost like they just chose a title that sounded cool and threw it on. It doesn't mean anything. What exactly is the phantom menace? Who is the phantom menace? Is it Darth Maul, a character we see for about five minutes before he's killed? Come on. How terrible. How cheap. Do they really think we're that stupid? And don't get me started with the acting. Even though some very good actors are in this movie, they all do a horrible job. It's almost like they did the movie for the sake of doing it. There was no emotion. Look at Natalie Portman. NOt a flicker of interest, and she sounds like a lesbian. Liam Neeson? He acts sort of gay, and seems out of place. And the kid is the worst. I wish he would have died (the kid, not the character) in the making of the movie. Have you noticed that he hasn't been in anything since? Hmmmm, I wonder why. He absolutely ruined the movie. People blame Jar Jar, but it was Jake Lloyd who ruined it. Of course, having a terrible script didn't help either. Remember that part where he says "Yippee?" Who the heck actually says yippee? No one. How terrible. I can't believe this movie actually made it to theaters. The minor characters are stupid too. The salesman who talks like a greasy Italian, the viceroys, they're just annoying. And I hate all the senate crap. It's boring. If I wanted to watch the senate crap, I'd turn on C-Span. I could go on for days. The first three Star Wars movies are great, but this one isn't worthy of them. What a tragedy. Oh, and Attack of the Clones is almost as bad as this one, certainly slower and as badly acted. Stay away from them! Use the force if you have to...
44 Only One Major Flaw
My feeling about what detracts from episode I when compared with episodes IV-VI is that there isn't a central character that we can identify with fully enough. In episode IV-VI, we have a pivotal moment at the end of each movie: Luke has faith in the Force and destroys Death Star, Luke discovers Vader is his father, Luke defeats the Emperor by refusing to give into the dark side when he had the advantage over his father. In episode I we have a pivotal moment in the battle between Obi Wan and Darth Maul. But this moment doesn't carry the emotional impact that the similar moment did in the other three movies.
Obi Wan Kenobi should be the Luke Skywalker for the first three episodes. We don't develop an emotional understanding of Obi Wan Kenobi. We are not prepared to see the great potential significance of Obi Wan giving into rage as he attacks Darth Maul. Basically Obi Wan went to the dark side for a moment to defeat Darth Maul. This stands in opposition to Luke's defeat of the Emperor in episode VI. Obi Wan has evidenced a weakness that represents a crucial character flaw that impacts everything that happens afterwards. Obi Wan's rage makes him a less than adequate mentor for a young Anakin who has a real problem with anger. It is this crucifixion between love and the patience to choose other than a quick course decided by hatred for those who have destroyed what you love that must be chosen by the Jedi. Otherwise, the dark side prevails.
This movie needed to explore the source of Obi Wan's rage and its consequences in order to give us a profound moment of "Oh no!" when he turned himself loose on Darth Maul. I believe that it would not have taken much to create that effect given the rest of the plot. Even if Obi Wan had a quick counseling session with Yoda afterwards and admitted his feelings in the moment in his fight with Darth Maul and a concerned response on Yoda's part regarding how his foresight has becomes significantly more clouded (as he mentions in episode II) might have been helpful.
Otherwise, I find the movie as engaging in every other sense as the previous movies. I just think that this episode and episode II both lack this personal spiritual climax that we were spoiled with in the other three episodes.
45 Why do I have a feeling we picked up ....
...another pathetic life form?
"Every generation has a legend. Every journey has a first step. Every saga has a beginning."
Two Jedi knights and an outcast must help a queen save her world, and along the way discover a boy who has the potential to be a powerful Jedi himself. And so the Legend of Darth Vader begins.
This was a very entertaining movie, and some people forget that: it is a MOVIE. Star Wars is not Rome, and it is a story based on the bible, IT IS A MOVIE, for your entertainment purposes. To be honest with you, the plot was just as good as any of the original plots, the story line has never been what makes Star Wars great, people act like "Luke, I am your father," was as dramatic as the end of the movie Seven, bad news for you guys, it wasn't. If you watch it again, it seems kind of ridiculous. I still have a hard time seeing why people viewed it as so dramatic, like watching the old Star Trek episodes (Yes I grew up watching it, I'm 25).
Back to the movie, as I cannot expect everyone to stop drinking the Kool-Aid, and realize this and those are just another movie. They are very good movies, and so was this, but nothing more. The cast of this movie was brilliant. Liam Neeson was fantastic, and had a very strong screen presence. His character demanded respect, and demonstrated authority. Ewan McGregor played a very good young Obi-Wan Kenobi. What I liked about this movie is it showed that despite Jedi being picked out while young, and trained almost since birth, they still possessed the ability of defiance.
Natalie Portman played Queen Amidala, and again, Lucas made a tremendous choice, and maximized her talent utilized her to perfection. The same can be said for Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker.
I will admit Jar Jar Binks character was annoying, and perhaps was a little over the top. He did not ruin the movie, he just detracted from it; yes DETRACTED, nothing more. Some people really just need to get a life, do something in their spare time besides talk in chat rooms about how bad this movie is, and realize the special effects are far superior to the old films, the story line is at least as good, and this was a perfect lead to the sequel. Is it my favorite movie? No. Does it belong in your DVD collection? Yes, right beside the old Star Wars movies.
Grade: B
46 You People Must Look At This Differently
We all know the orginal trilogy is like god of movies etc...But you must look at this film differently from the orginal trilogy. If you were to compare a book to a film, obviously everyone is going to say the book is better because it is more detailed. Truly you can not compare a book to a film. A Film is not composed of the same material exactly to a book. Yes a film has chapters, and so does books but films are a layout, almost like an outline. Everyone compared Return of the King movie to a book. I love Rotk and the book but i do not compare them. I actually think the movie was much more well accumulated and put together than the Book! Star Wars Episode I is a totally new saga but the same criteria as the orginal trilogy. YOu must stop comparing the two. Stop complaining about the ships. You must realize that the whole triolgy is NOT COMPLETED!!!!!!!!!! SO WHY DO YOU JUDGE IT AND CALL IT ABSOLUTE GARBAGE????? EPISODE III, REVENGE OF THE SITH HASN'T EVEN BEEN SEEN! It will all make sense when the final chapter is completed. You must also relaize that Darth Maul is not a major villian! Darth Sidious is always the major villian. Lucas is trying to show you the Deception that Sidious unleashes upon the galaxy. Did you really think One Man and one apprentice could take over the galaxy? Sidious uses different people as his servants! Lucas said in the DVD, that he is the Puppet Master. That is what a Puppet Master does! He controls everyone and takes away free will. It's the power that evil grows from. You must also realize that even that Darth Sidious is the Enemy! It was not Vader! Sidious is truly the Personification of Absolute Evil. Darth Maul is just a pawn used in Sidious's scheme. Another thing is that many say it does not remind them of anything from the Orginal Trilogy. How can it remind you, its a totally different World! Its Before The Dark Times! Before the Empire! Lucas has to show you how the Empire was all accumulated and brought together. It did not happen over NIGHT!!!!!! Jar Jar Binks is another issue. He is not really a big deal. He's just a crazy character in Star Wars. Yet i think he should had been protrayed different and a little more serious. He was designed for children just like Wicket. Yet no one said anything about Gollum or Wicket when they were made! I love Lotr but i think Gollum is an annoying S.O.B and i hate that character but he fits the PLot and Story! Jar Jar is just one of those characters that fits the Story! O and for Die Hard Fans Out there, which i could be considered one....Accept the fact that Anakin was born from a Virgin! Except it! it's in the Jedi Prophecy! That makes the Chosen One so significant. Well i am sorry for those who do not beleive in Incarnation. I don't care because i believe in incarnation, such as Jesus Christ's birth. Besides the point, I used to hate Episode I. Now i respect it more because i am realizing that they had to be done this way! People should not see Star Wars as a layout or blue print because of how the orginals were made. People should not point their fingers and say things like, "O in Episode I, it should had been like A New Hope." Its a totally different story! And i hate when people say it does not seem like the orginals because of the ships and etc. You must understand that this is a time of peace, glory and greatness before the Empire! This is when the Republic were in charge of Affairs! i actually think Episode I is better than Episode II! Wait and see for Episode III. i just know Lucas has something up his sleeves that will blow the fans away!!!!!!
47 c'mon george lucas
this is just another ploy by george lucas to make money off of a failed movie, don't get me wrong i love star wars, but i'm not the biggest fan of the new ones, ESPICALLY episode 1, the hype was so big for this movie and i believe that lucas defiantly failed to deliever. Now he's trying re-release this movie, what's new about it, widescreen format and a few new documentaries with the same footage used in other documentaries about the movie that you could probably see on cable tv.
In my opinion just another attempt to make money, is this really worth another $20 dollars to you?
48 Getting the Darth Maul full-face tattoo? 225 Dollars...
Waking up after a 24-hour drunk and looking in the mirror at your new "face"?
Priceless.
Yep, that's exactly what happened to your Gentle Reviewer just days after I saw George Lucas's masterpiece "Stars Wars Episode I: The Phantom Anus". Dude, I tell ya, I was ready to rock and roll on this one, having just gotten into Seattle and never been to the Redlight/PornFlick district before.
That's when my buddy Ragnar said "you dufus, this ain't gonna be porn---it's dat Star Wars prequel mammy-jammy everybody's talkin' bout".
That was fine with me. I took a swig of the NightTrain, settled back in my seat, and let the power of Lucas's magnum opus take me for a magic carpetride.
The last Star Wars flick was "Return of the Jedi", and I saw that back in 1983. Sixteen years had intervened. Ten of 'em had been spent doing really hard time in the Laughing Horse Pentitentiary just outside Mad Dog, Texas, paying my debt to society. Anyhoo, to make a long story short, your buddy the Armored Eunuch was real excited to see what Old Man Lucas had taken sixteen long years to cook up. Here are my rough impressions:
1) JAR-JAR rawwwwwks! Everytime he was on screen he went to town and showed us some serious OWNAGE! It's a pity he doesn't get more screen time; Lucas should seriously go back and digitally introduce Jar-Jar Binks, everybody's favorite Gungan, into the three original flicks. They'd be tons better.
2) Cheap racist stereotypes? Nahhhhh. People need to mellow out about Lucas making all his aliens one-dimensional racial caricatures of the Italians, Japanese, and Jamaicans. Yeah, Jar-Jar looks a little like Bob Marley; yeah, Wotto (WOP-o? say it ain't so, George) needs only a sleeveless t-shirt to look like he just clambered outta the Tiber; yeah, the Trade Federation aliens can't do "R"s right. And have blubbery lips, and epicanthic folds at the corners of their eyes....HEY!
3) When I go to a Star Wars flick, I really wanna spend most of the time with an annoying, smarmy, 6-year-old kid who looks and sounds like every other annoyingly smarmy 6-year-old kid. Naturally, I *don't* want lots of light saber fights, and I think it's a really good call to give the main villain, Darth Maul, about three minute of screen time. That way you get more JAR-JAR, man! And *everybody* loves Jar-Jar!
4) More of the two-headed sports announcer! Boy, whadda great character he was, and the CGI was just GREAT!
That's pretty much all I got to say about this fine cinematic classic "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Anus"; it's right up there with Uwe Boll's "House of the Dead" and "Gigli" in terms of movie greatness. I could watch it again and again.
In the meantime, can anybody e-mail me the name of a surgeon who can get this Darth Maul face tattoo off? Thanks.
49 Terrible Movie
This movie makes me sick to my stomach! Its horrible acting (a blind, mute, mentally retarded old man would be better than Jake Lloyd), rotten "cute" characters (that's you, Jar Jar), and the incredibly idiotic story (what the heck does the liberation of Naboo have to do with anything that happens in the original trilogy?) make me want to hurl.
First off is the acting. Who in the world saw any kind of potential in Jake Lloyd as the little Darth Vader?! He has got to be the worst actor in cinematic history. Some of the other actors also have a less than satisfactory and convincing way of getting their lines across on screen.
Secondly I would like to mention Jar Jar. (Where the heck did George come up with the name Jar Jar anyway? It sounds like an unintelligible word an infant would mumble to himself.) He looks like a cross between a frog and a chicken. The way he talks is as stupid (if not stupider than) as he is, and every moment his ugly face comes on the screen I want to chop it to pieces with an axe.
Lastly is the storyline. Wow, the Jedi go undercover to this beautiful planet called Naboo and free it from some weird, stupid droids. And during the fiasco they happen to have to land on Tatooine for repairs for their ship and meet Anakin Skywalker. What is the point of the entire Naboo story? Was it just put there because George Lucas couldn't think of anything better? I mean, come on. Couldn't they have done things a little better and more interestingly?
This movie is NOT worth buying PERIOD. Heck, it's not even worth renting. Don't waste your time and money on it.
50 I'd give it negative 50 stars if i could!
I HATE this movie! It is sooo terrible George Lucas ruined it with his casting jake lloyd, who couldn't convincingly say anything in this movie. He can't act to save his life and Natalie Portman is pretty bad too. Jar Jar is stupid, the story is terrible, and the addition of "funny" lines terribly fall short. This movie is so worthless I can't begin to scratch the surface of it's utter stupidity. Trash these filthy new movies and watch the original trilogy.
51 Not the best- but still a great flick!
Star Wars continues to break new ground, and what this film lacks in story and stupid characters- Jar Jar, it makes up for in Special effects and new ideas.
I thought the light sabre scenes were fresh and interesting.
The pod-racing was awesome, and the Jedi training area most interesting.
The casting was on the whole pretty good, with Ewen MacGregor and Liam Neeson stealing the day.
The extra scenes and stories that come with the DVD version are also very interesting and gives one more insight into the philosiphy behind behind the story.
Still a great, if not brilliant movie, and will keep you entertained for a couple of hours!
52 A perfect beginning to that galaxy far, far away
I realize I am in the minority and am going against popular opinion when I say how much I love this movie. Flawed though it is (non-existent character development, poor-to-mediocre acting by most of the players and George Lucas'over-reliance on computer-generated special effects, to name a few), "The Phantom Menace" opens the pages to the backstory of the original trilogy and sucessfully recaptures the feeling of "A New Hope", "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi". We are introduced to a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, who is still an apprentice (or Padawan-learner...a term not used in the original trilogy)under the wise and kind-but-sometimes-terse Master Qui-Gon Jinn (flawlessly portrayed by Liam Neeson, the most talented and versatile actor working in film today, in my opinion). Qui-Gon is a bit of a rebel, a "renegade" Jedi who often clashes with members of the Jedi Council and has been known to defy their decisions by following his devotion to the "living Force" rather than the more widely accepted "unifying Force". When Qui-Gon meets the 10-year-old slave Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine, he immediately senses how strongly the Force is with the boy and wins his freedom in a pod-race bet. Qui-Gon performs a test on Anakin to check his blood for "midi-chlorians", microscopic lifeforms that reside in all Jedi cells and enable them to feel and use the Force. Anakin ends up having the highest midi-cholrian count of anyone, even more than Master Yoda. It is then determined that Anakin is indeed the "Chosen One", a being conceieved by the midi-cholorians themselves and the one spoken of in the ancient Jedi prophecy as the one who will bring balance to the Force. Qui-Gon then brings Anakin before the Jedi Council so he can be tested and, hopefully, be trained as a Jedi. Yoda and Mace Windu, the two elders on the Jedi Council, sense a large amount of fear and anger within this small and innocent boy, and they deny Qui-Gon's request that he be trained, although they do admit the Force is indeeed very strong with him. This is fascinating to watch unfold, because we
"the audience" know all too well what beomes of Anakin in the future, and it is interesting (but not surprising) that Yoda is the only one wise enough and strong enough in the Force to sense the danger, however intangible it may be at the time. All of these events transpire around and are interwoven with the underhanded dealings of the Trade Federation, who are in cahoots with a mysterious Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, who we realize is actually the devious Senator Palpatine (later the self-proclaimed Emperor, master to Darth Vader), obviously doing some very sinister double-duty here. Amidst all this, we are introduced to the young Queen Amidala of Naboo, future wife of Anakin and mother of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. She also pulls double duty as the Queen's "handmaiden" Padme. Natalie Portman's portrayal of the Queen & Padme is a prime example of the wooden acting that permeates the film, as is Jake Loyd's portrayal of Anakin. Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor (as young Obi-Wan) save the flim in that respect, although I was disappointed that Obi-Wan was reduced to little more than Qui-Gon's sidekick. His role becomes much more prominent in Episode 2: "Attack of the Clones". I also wish the role of Darth Maul, Darth Sidious'apprentice, had been more prominent, because he had the potential to become a memorable villian, by looks alone if nothing else! The most memorable moment in "The Phantom Menace" is the climactic lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul, also known as the "Duel of the Fates". This is by far the most spectacular lightsaber duel in the entire Star Wars saga thus far (we'll have to wait to see how the rumored 17-minute duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin goes in "Revenge of the Sith"). The death of Qui-Gon Jinn at the hands of Darth Maul was a disappointment, because his character had so much to offer and was the most well-portrayed in the film. The main element I had to "overcome" with this film was the completely different cast of characters. Star Wars fans have been used to seeing the interplay of the original heroes and the undeniable presence of Darth Vader. Their absence is felt, but the new cast is not inferior, only different, a different dynamic. And critics have complained that the plot is confusing and convoluted...not to me...this is still the Star Wars I know and love...yesterday, today and forever.
53 Bad acting, but I'm willing to overlook the problems
I have three main complaints about this film:
1) Jar Jar Binks. He is everything that was wrong with Return of the Jedi all over again (cutesy Ewoks, rolled up into one annoying alien).
2) Bad acting. Jake Lloyd was terrible, as were Pernilla August and Natalie Portman. I don't know why people like her. She's borderline Keanu Reeves/Uma Thurman bad. If you're looking for someone to just read lines, cast me - I'll work for cheap.
3) Bad story flow. This movie was long, but it felt long. Too long. It just didn't come across the way I was expecting it to come across - as the first chapter in a grand tale, where the viewer cares about the main characters, and is taken in by the grand scale of the beautiful and free pre-Empire world.
Having said all that, I still loved the movie, despite its many many many imperfections. I grew up with these movies, going to the Star Wars opening weekend in Walnut Creek, CA when I was six. I remember clearly standing in line with my dad and brother, amazed at the massive crowds. I even remember my dad complaining that he had never experienced such hooplah.
Yes, the movie answers questions and sets the stage for the films to follow, but it should have gone beyond that and did a better of job of selling us on the characters. There is no character development, period. Their relationships with each other are cold, and sterile. We all overlooked Luke's bad acting the first time round -- we liked him because we saw him grow and deal with things, and loved his interactions with Han and Vader and Obi -- and we cared. Not so much this time around.
But the film has some visually beautiful scenes, such as the battle of the Gungans versus the droids. Loved the lush green, obviously-computer-generated-but-still-way-cool scenes. And the whole underwater ride through the center of the planet. Fantastic.
54 The Phantom Movie
I don't believe it's possible to make a bad "Star Wars" movie but this one comes close. Everything that made Episodes IV through VI such classics - the beat-up "hot rod" spaceships, the cameraderie between the main characters, the epic struggle between an oppressive galactive empire and a small band of freedom fighters - all of that is just ... gone. Gone. There's just none of that in "The Phantom Menace". The movie has no magic at all. No great characters. No memorable lines. No compelling plot. Just nothing. Zip. Nada. Considering its pedigree, the movie is a total letdown. "The Phantom Menace" becomes a rather ironic piece of self-commentary when Liam Neeson as a Jedi Knight observes that the trade dispute that is the movie's mcguffin is "trivial". Imagine a film that stops to observe that its central plot point is a triviality. George Lucas once said that a special effect without a story is pretty boring. Well, that's what's wrong with "The Phantom Menace"; it's not a special effect without a story, but it comes dangerously close to being just that. A movie about a nine-year-old kid? George, what were you thinking? Jake Lloyd as the young Anakin Skywalker is a talented child, but he can't hold the weight of this movie on his small shoulders. All in all "The Phantom Menace" is kind of like a science-fiction version of "Much Ado about Nothing": people race around the galaxy, there's a lot of screaming and shooting and none of it really amounts to anything. What this prequel needs is a prequel.
55 The Phantom Movie
I don't believe it's possible to make a bad "Star Wars" movie but this one comes close. Everything that made Episodes IV through VI such classics - the beat-up "hot rod" spaceships, the cameraderie between the main characters, the epic struggle between an oppressive galactive empire and a small band of freedom fighters - all of that is just ... gone. Gone. There's just none of that in "The Phantom Menace". The movie has no magic at all. No great characters. No memorable lines. No compelling plot. Just nothing. Zip. Nada. Considering its pedigree, the movie is a total letdown. "The Phantom Menace" becomes a rather ironic piece of self-commentary when Liam Neeson as a Jedi Knight observes that the trade dispute that is the movie's mcguffin is "trivial". Imagine a film that stops to observe that its central plot point is a triviality. George Lucas once said that a special effect without a story is pretty boring. Well, that's what's wrong with "The Phantom Menace"; it's not a special effect without a story, but it comes dangerously close to being just that. A movie about a nine-year-old kid? George, what were you thinking? Jake Lloyd as the young Anakin Skywalker is a talented child, but he can't hold the weight of this movie on his small shoulders. All in all "The Phantom Menace" is kind of like a science-fiction version of "Much Ado about Nothing": people race around the galaxy, there's a lot of screaming and shooting and none of it really amounts to anything. What this prequel needs is a prequel.
56 I expect more from George Lucas than fart jokes
I grew up on Star Wars and as bad as the new movies are, I will end up seeing them anyway.
Most of the acting (...especially the kid), dialogue (...the Hutts, there ganstas) and CGI creatures suck (...Jar Jar Binks. They appear very cartoonish and annoying. There is no chemistry between the characters like Hamill, Ford & Fisher in Episode IV, V & VII.
The big battle scene sort of reminds you of ROTJ where a group of retarded creatures (cough..cough..ewoks) can destroy a powerful army with sticks and crap without one of them getting killed.
Every scene with the kid sucks, from the pod race to him destroying the droid army by pushing a couple of buttons. His acting is about as good as the Olsen twins on Full House.
I also didn't think it was necessary to tie in R2-D2 & C3PO as neatly as the did.
The only cool part is the Darth Maul/Qui-Gon/Obi Wan lightsaber duel. The problem is you have to get through an hour and a half of crap to get to it.
This movie is easily on par with the Star Wars Holiday Special. The crappy Star Tours ride at Disney was better than this piece of garbage. I would say that even Willow was better.
Let me recap...
The pod race sucks...
The announcers at the pod race really suck...
The kid's acting sucks...
Natalie Portman's acting sucks...
The dialogue sucks...
Jar Jar Binks really really sucks...
Nuff said
57 Goes Far but Leaves Much to Be Desired
I hadnt seen this movie in the theater and bought the Wide Screen DVD instead. Much of the visual portions of the movie were very stunning but I wish that Lucas wouldnt put in such silly races in his movies. I guess he has to find something cuddly and likeable to make up for all of the dark forces in the flick.
In answer to one critic - the Ben Hur chariot race was from a different era and the race scene in this movie was a waste of footage as it would have been better to have spent more time developing relationships than how a character can win by flying a pod. The Ben-Hur race is by far more exciting and has MUCH more drama behind it. These days you can pump this kind of stuff out pretty much any time you like. Try finding someone like Steven Boyd and Charleton Heston to give you good acting!
Kids in Star Wars movies dont excite me. I would have preferred that less attention be shown on the kid and more on what was going on in the other side of the hill (bad guys) like they did in the original movies.
The acting by the ladies was well done. Some of the lines for Obi-Wan seemed out of place. Alec Guiness gives you the idea that he was less impulsive than his younger character portrays in this movie.
All in all I liked the movie and tried not to compare it to the other movies. I found myself interested in it as long as the flapper ears wasnt droning on and on to the other characters.
It was more of a comedy to me than a serious work but I guess that Lucas was trying to interject something to replace Skywalker, the Princess and of course the scoundrel Han Solo.
And Star Wars as a whole will never keep me coming back to watch it as well as Lord of the Rings does. It has everything to do with acting and very little to do with special effects.
58 The best of them all
George Lucas really has been able to do what every Star Wars fan wanted, he has started to complete the definitive circle of his lifes work on the number one story in the world, STAR WARS.
The Phantom Menace has shown how great the story of everyone's demise of where they ended up in A New Hope. This movie contains a line that everybody has wanted to hear for a long time "Obi-Wan Kenobi, met Anakin Skywalker". This is truely exciting on so many levels.
59 Why no half-stars, Amazon??
I am giving Lucas and his film a half-star more credit than I feel this film deserves. My reasoning? Well, let's see...
First, unlike the original trilogy, the action and spectacle of this movie could not quite outweigh the bad acting. Don't get me wrong: I think Ewan MacGregor did an excellent job in this movie (as he does in just about everything he's in), while Natalie Portman and Liam Neeson (both absolutely wonderful actors in the proper roles) do the best they can with the script they were given. But then there is the wooden acting from our "supervillain-to-be" (I'm pretty sure the audience was supposed to feel Anakin's earnestness and feeling when he describes his love of podracing, not chuckle), and the ridiculously over-acted roles of the Gungans. I mean, I understand that Lucas was trying to appeal to kids (his own in particular, if I remember correctly), but the Ewoks in "Jedi" appealed to children and they never said a word of English. Hey, Jar-Jar, what the heck is a "boom-de-gasser" or a "hedlibber"???
Second: On a more positive note, I have to give Lucas credit on this one for Darth Maul. Not only was the climax of "The Phantom Menace" one of the best fight scenes in the history of cinema, but Maul was one of the better villains to come out of celluloid in a long long while. My only complaint regarding Maul is that the audience is not given any of his history or backstory. It is my earnest opinion that more Maul and less Jar-Jar would have made this a much more Phantom-y and Menace-y experience.
Third: It seems to me that, having seen all the Episodes EXCEPT III, the arc of the "Star Wars" story mainly concerns Anakin and the price he pays for falling into evil. However, this first Episode more primarily deals with the rise of Palpatine to power, setting up the events of the coming movies. This is not a complaint, necessarily. I just think it would have been better if Lucas could have found a child-actor who had the capability of portraying subtle changes in attitude instead of just being exasperated with Yoda and frowning at Mace Windu. I realize he's supposed to still be an innocent, but even so ... Look at the amazing Dakota Fanning --- there are GOOD child-actors out there. Lucas should have found one. (Well, I guess that was kind of a repeat of my first point. Apologies.)
Fourth: The special-effects are excellent in this installment, as is the sound. Of course, with THX involved, just about anything will have a level of excellence in these fields. And THX IS "Star Wars".
I wish Lucas would have followed the example that he set for himself and NOT directed all three of the prequels. He directed "A New Hope", and did a wonderful job for an up-and-coming young director with limited means. But he handed the director's reins over to other people for "Empire" and "Jedi" both. And anyone who watches the original trilogy can see the improvements. I'm not criticizing Lucas as a creative mind. I am criticizing him as a film director. As I said, I think he does an admirable job with the skills and relatively limited experience he has had. But let's face it. He hadn't actually directed any film for YEARS when he began working on "Phantom". And it shows. For pure film spectacle, Lucas is wonderful. But to convey the complexities of the human heart, actors need better direction than "Faster, with more intensity."
But, hey ... I'll go see Episode III. Probably on opening night. Lucas has managed to create and sustain a phenomena that means a lot to a lot of people. And he deserves credit for that. Thanks, George!
60 Old fish need to be thrown out
Watching this movie was the biggest disapointment I had experienced in years.When I saw this film in the theater,I waited 2 1/2 hours in line while roasting in the summer sun.This film,essentially was a 200 million dollar looser.George,what were you thinking?I was'nt expecting the film to rival the original,that would have been unrealistic,but the screenplay/story could have used alot of re-writing and some more insight.
The story/plot itself was too complicated for most children to follow,and those who could...should'a been beating their heads into the wall.It was a very pollitically driven plot,and how many kids can handle that?I'm 32,and I can't follow politics to this day.The dialog on the other hand, was infentile for the most part.It was so drab&drull,it seemed like everyone was attending a wake.The characters were 2 demesional and flat, and the makeup ,hairdo's and outfits they had the usually gorgeous Natalie Portman in,were hideous,it looked almost painful.
Jar Jar binks is probably the most annoying cgi character ever created.While I undertsand why George created him for the film(strictly to maintain the youger kids attention)he had entirely too much screen time.The special effects itself were spectacular as usual,there are'nt many more FX companies out there besides ILM that can produce that quality.However, the FX overshadow the film for the most part,and make watching it all the worse.
There were some occassional great scenes, and little bursts of action,but mostly this film plodded along like a constipated elephant.Many years ago George Lucas gave an interview about his films and stated,"the story is the story,the special effects are'nt the story".I wish he would have remembered that,he could have made a far better film instead of just a "visual [...]" for the eyes.The film was so bad that you are bombarded by special effects in an attempt to forget how badly written it really was.This fish stinks,and should be thrown back,buy at your own risk.
61 Has less CGI than AOTC
Amazon has to learn how to stop those kids who keep registering 20 or so names hoping to up the rating of SW prequel films just because they were wrong to their friends when LOTR ruled and SW prequels stank. Otherwise, why else would anyone give 5 star ratings to Episodes I and II? There are some good things in Episode I sure. The duel, the great music, a young obi-wan, Portman's brilliant smiles etc. However the movie as a whole doesn't stack up to any of the LOTR films which deserved 5+ stars each and every 17 oscars the trilogy won. Sad to see Jar-Jar while ubiquitously hated, with billboard posters on mainstreets of many cities actually helps Episode I by annoying viewers while AOTC caused a lot of boredom induced sleeping without Jar-Jar because Lucas hasn't directed anything worthy to actually be in a theater since ANH. Episode III may be an improvement since Lucas has used up two movie slots as practice and I will grade it fairly as well. TPM ***, AOTC *1/2, ANH ****, ESB ****, ROTJ **
62 Too cutesy. Strictly for viewers who hug teddy bears.
It's certainly fun to watch the beautiful settings--ornate cities and monster-infested seas on distant planets, plus the usual battle scenes--but I find the cutesiness tedious: both Jar-Jar (that annoying comic-relief character), and the ubiquitous six-year-old detract from what could have been a good film.
63 Plleeeassee
This film totally ruined the original 3 movies for me. At this point, I recommend reading the DUNE series by Frank Herbert, the original idea behind STAR WARS. A lot more complex and cerebral but I'm sure all those STAR WARS fans can handle a little thought. Right.
64 An overwhelming catastrophe - It should NOT have been made
Do you remember when Phantom was nearing its theatrical release date? Do you recall the HYSTERIA in the media with people going berzerk buying up the novelizations, the toys, the soundtracks, just about anything associated with it PRE-RELEASE? It makes you wonder. Did people in Lucas' marketing department have a look at the film, and collectively realize they needed to rush out the merchandise BEFORE the film came out - for if the public saw the complete horror and disaster that Phantom was, THEY WOULD STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ANYTHING RELATED TO THIS CINEMATIC ABORTION! This has to be one of the worst films ever made. Think about it. If this were a first-time film by an unknown, it would be derided for the pap that it is. It would NOT EVEN merit a sequel. It would be a flop. Fans have been HAD with this AWFUL film. Let me say this though: I wept tears when I saw the 2 minute teaser trailer for the first time. Judging from the look and feel of that trailer - which IS included on this dvd - one would say the wait was worth it. It was a glorious preview. UNFORTUNATELY, that trailer is the ONLY thing worth viewing with the re-visiting to Star Wars Land. The acting is horrible. You can only hope that two fine actors, MacGregor and Neeson, will live this down. I believe they can. Everything else in this film feels so hollow, so WRONG. What would have made this an interesting dvd would have been the option to mute out all the dialogue and just have music and sound cues (remember when dvds used to have isolated audio tracks like that?). The visuals of the pod race are impressive, but the stretching of disbelief, even in a sci-fi fantasy, of a tyke flying like an ace, IS asking too much. I won't rehash the multitude of story problems. Other reviews posted here cover them well enough. Suffice to say, the ship - the legacy - of Star Wars began to sink here. Pretend it was never made.
65 You love it don't yah
I think George Lucas just spilled his coffee. I better get out of the way for all of you dense and brain washed Star Wars fans out there to pick it up for him. I remember the first making of Star Wars video that came out after Return of the Jedi hit the streets. I remember him saying that special effects is just a tool. Special effects without a plot is a pretty boring thing. My god, I think he just dropped the ball once again. Attack of the Clones was even worse and the release of the originals onto dvd is a disaster. Face the music ladies and gents, the golden age of Star Wars has just left the building. We will never have another episode IV, V even VI again.
66 Incredible
This movie was just that. Even though epsiode 2 was better, I still love this movie as well. I love everything about the star wars galaxy and this movie just furthers the story. It helps make the original trilogy even better, by making us see how this all came about.
67 Possibly the most underrated movie in history
First of all, I am fully capable of admiting that this movie has flaws. Every movie has flaws. In fact, this movie had a good number of very impressive flaws that I will now list.
Flaw 1: The acting was (in general) not particularly impressive. It comes down to two catagories of sub-par actors: Jake Loyd, and the supporting cast. Sorry Jake. The "Are you an angel" scene will make even the most dogmatic Star Wars fan cringe. And all of the supporting cast seemed rather bored.
Flaw 2: Jar-Jar Binks. He isn't quite the horror that many people describe him as, but having said that, he is rather annoying.
Flaw 3: The battle droids. They simply aren't any substitute for the Stormtroopers. They look silly (although in the commentary Lucas says that they're supposed to look that way) and they just don't work very well.
Having recited the flaws that I see in this film, let me explain the five-star rating.
When I first watched this movie, I was somewhat dissapointed. However, after watching Episode 2, and having watched this film more, it began to grow on me. And now I can say with confidence that I enjoy this film (Despite its flaws) as much as I enjoy the original trilogy. That's not to say that it is better that the originals, but it has that Star Wars feel, that sense of adventure that we all enjoyed as kids in the original trilogy. And that is why it is worthy of the name: Star Wars.
Many a reviewer previous has stated how they didn't connect with the characters. I disagree. I only think that Jake Loyd, and the supporting cast's acting was sub-par. Ewan McGregor did a fine job as Obi-Wan Kenobi, and although he is no Alec Guiness, he certainly delivers and makes for a splendid Obi-Wan. Ian McDiarmid does a magnificent job as senator Palpatine. He is able to act as a character that is acting, and he does it magnificently. I also like the potrayal of Yoda. In the original trilogy Yoda was introduced as a lunatic old alien. Now he is introduced in the proper way; as a stern old master of the force. I also think that the character of Watto is one of the greatest CGI characters of all time, ranking up there with Gollum from the Lord Of The Rings.
But I think that the greatest contribution (acting-wise) to the Star Wars universe in episode 1 was that of Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn. Leeson is a magnificent actor, and almost (I dare to say) as good as Alec Guiness in how he potrays a jedi master. Qui-Gon is one of my all time favorite Star Wars characters, and I don't see how anyone could say that the characters of episode 1 don't connect when there's Qui-Gon staring them in the face.
Of course the special effects are brilliant and ahead of their time. The sound is absolutey amazing, and in fact is far superior to the original trilogy. And the soundtrack by John Williams is perhaps the greatest of all the Star Wars soundtracks, because it takes us back to 1977, when we were just discovering Star Wars for the first time. The soundtrack will bring back that sense of wonder that we experienced a long time ago, in a theater far far away.
The action sequences are of course incredible. The duel of the fates between Darth Maul, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon is by far the best Star Wars action sequence thus far (Episode 3 anyone?). And then of course there is the podrace. The podrace is one of my all time favorite scenes in all of the Star Wars saga, because it is one of the greatest actions scenes, but also because it is packed with fun details (most of them can only be found on the DVD however). On the DVD you will see a vendor selling alien frogs to patrons as the pods flash by. You will hear one of the pilots of the pods screaming with exhilaration as he zooms past. These and many other details make this scene brilliant.
But the true reason that I am giving this movie five stars (which is an obviously contriversial thing to do) is because it conveys the sense of wonder that I had as a kid so long ago when I first watched Star Wars for the first time. People may scorn episode 1 for being too childish, but I think that these people are being too elitist. Chances are that they were kids when they first watched Star Wars, and were swept away by it. On repeat viewings, I too was swept away by this movie, and people that say "Too childlike" need to slow down. Star Wars is a very bright, energetic saga that appeals to the young and the young at heart. I don't always want to watch a gritty movie with oodles of gore. That's why I love the Phantom Menace. It's a great movie, and if you really liked Star Wars, I would encourage you to give it a chance.
May the force be with you... Always.
68 Great movie
When I read all the negative reviews of this movie, it really surprised me. I went into it expecting a lot, having grown up with the originals, and it easily surpassed all of my expectations. I like it more every time I watch it. Honestly, I have to say I like it better than its counterpart in the original trilogy, A New Hope. There's just so much more to the plot in this movie, and in Attack of the Clones, too. Instead of the old good vs. evil, black and white storyline, we're presented here with a morally ambiguous, politically driven plot which is highly complex. I had to watch the movie several times before I felt I completely understood everything that was going on. Call me strange, but this kind of set-up appeals to me more than something more black-and-white. Seeing how Palpatine manipulates everyone to elevate himself into power is just great to see, especially when the Jedi and the Naboo all think they've won in the end, when really they haven't accomplished anything. Deliciously ironic.
I've heard some other people call it "heartless", but I don't see that either. For all its over-reliance on CGI and visual 'wow-factor', it is, for me, one of the most human of all the Star Wars movies. All the scenes between Anakin and Qui-Gon, and Anaking and his mother, are really touching, and really sad, given what we know about his character.
As for the people who think the movie is too childish, well, all the Star Wars movies are like this. Even Empire has a lot of pretty silly comic relief. Lucas really hasn't changed much in that vein. Sure, Jar Jar is a pretty superfluous character, but he's there to appeal to the kids, just like the droids did in the originals (since C-3P0 has a really tiny role in this one). I have to say, though, that I don't find Jar Jar annoying at all, and I still don't see how anyone else does, either. (Guess it's all a matter of taste.) And c'mon, how cool is Darth Maul? That lightsaber duel was just incredible to watch.
So in the end, interesting characters, deep plot, great soundtrack and visual effects.. just a very good setup for the saga overall.
69 Darth Maul!!!!!!!!
My favorite character in this movie was darth Maul!!!!! I couldn't get enough of that evil (...). He is the coolest villain in cinema history. I loved episode 2 but it was missing Darth Maul!!!!Hopefully somehow he can come back in episode Three.
70 I love Jar Jar!!!!
This movie was incredible I can't belive yesterday was the first time I saw it. How could have been so stupid?!?!?
71 Can I get a witness?
Does anyone else think that Jar Jar Binks was the funniest character of all time? I wet myself thrice!
72 Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For true Star wars fans this movie is a dream. People shouldn't jugde it as a sole movie. It's just a small part of a six part story. For a Star Wars fan's the story is great, the f/x are amazing and it makes me love star wars even more then I ever have before. I've been a fan for 15 years and my love for star wars has never been stronger.
73 Very Mixed Opinion
Getting straight to the point, This film is beautifully CGI rendered and has moved the goal posts of how modern day films are made.
It has some exciting moments and the best sword fight in movie history so far but ultimately lacks substence. It is poorly acted, the computer effects are too much at times and has a storyline that will baffle most people. One of the main characters in the film, Jar Jar Binks, is one of the most ruinous aspects overall because of his Disney-like stupid, incoherent nature. I genuinely cringe whenever he opens his mouth. Another huge dissapointment was the lack of screen time or dialogue for the new bad guy Darth Maul with only three lines in the film and they're short. The Podracer sequence is over-hyped but is still an impressive moment none the less. The lightsaber fight at the end is worth buying this fim for. It is very dramatic with stupendous choreography and brilliant use of camera angles to capture the peril of the scenes.
Overall the film has it's ups and downs but you must see it at least once. Preferably twice to try and get the plot sorted out in you mind. It makes much more sense that way. Possibly Rent First
74 The Beginning...
This movie, along with the rest of the Star Wars series, continues to get better with age. When it was first released, it was misunderstood. Today, hopefully more people can see it in the context of the entire 12+ hour saga. This was never meant as a stand-alone film but rather an introduction to the entire story. Fantastic movie. I don't want to live in a world without Star Wars.
75 New Fan, Completely Amazed
Before I start on this review, let me tell you that I am a relatively new fan of star wars, so my opinions may be slightly different than those loyal fans who have been with these movies from the very begining.
I saw this film a few days after watching the original trilogy, and although I still prefer the original, I think this is amazing too. It is incredible to see Annakin Skywalker as that little innocent boy, and unnerving to remember what he becomes. It goes to show how even the most evil villains began life as a normal person. They weren't born evil.
The plot is interesting, and I think the acting is pretty good. But my favourite thing about the movie is seeing the younger versions of everyone, what they were like before they became the well known charactors we know today. Obi Wan seemed so different from that confident and expereinced old man that you meet in episode 4, but Annakin still amazes me the most. Throughout all the movie I just kept remembering his face in episode 6, when Luke removed his mask, and wondering how could anyone so sweet become something so pitiless and cruel? It was kind of sad.
Overall, I give this film a 5, because even though it wasn't as good as the originals, it was still a very good film.
76 Just as good as the orginal Stars but better!!!!
When i first seen this movie i loved it,it also made me cry cuz Qui-gon-jinn died but it had beautiful scenes like on Naboo and it also had One of the best lightsaber scenes i ever seen in STarwars its just an amazing film with exciting music i really love the Regular starwars too but i liked this just a lil bit better.
77 George Lucas is a genius
This movie get's better and better every time I watch it. The first time I saw it in theather's I was a bit confused and was not sure if I liked it or not. Then I went the next week and that time I got it. Since Darth Vader is my favorite character of the star wars saga, I love to see his story of when he was young. Plus this movie made me become a big fan of Obi won kanobi. Thank god for George Lucas
78 A classic
What more can I say exept this was a classic film. A masterpiece in so many ways I still don't fully comprehend how marvelous this film is. I loved it.
79 Wonderful!!!!!!!
This movie was marvelous. Anybody who thinks otherwise are losers. These movies are for Star Wars fans, so i kinda understand why a non-fan would dislike it. But in my opinion I belive when years pass people will appreciate this movie a bit more. The movie was colorful, beautifully shot and a dream for Star Wars fans. This movie is a masterpiece from beginning to the end. Oh yeah and I loved Jar Jar.
80 Mediocre "Beginning"
"The Phantom Menace" isn't what everyone expected it to be. Die-hard Star Wars fans were expecting another "A New Hope." Casual fans were hoping to get more of the whiz-bang adventure that was presented to them in the initial trilogy. Folks relatively new to the Star Wars phenomenon were left wondering what the big deal was over all of these films to begin with.
What we were actually given was a typical, contemporary, over-budget sci-fi flick that had great intentions and huge shoes to fill. Perhaps George Lucas let his delusions of grandeur go to his head. Perhaps all of the Star Wars geeks placed him on such a tall pedestal that all he could do was fall. Maybe he just ran out of ideas. No matter what, I think it is safe to say that this film was doomed from the get-go. Even if it were the greatest film ever made, it will always be in the shadow of the original trilogy. The second film, "Attack Of The Clones," probably benefited from this fact since it is not the first film in the new trilogy and the standard set by "Menace" isn't that high.
There are few memorable performances from this film. Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson do well as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn, but I couldn't connect with either of them in this film like I did with Alec Guinness in "A New Hope." The kid who played Anakin Skywalker was a little bit annoying to me. I'm glad to see him out of the picture. Jar-Jar Binks was raped by critics and fanboys alike, but I have to admit that his oafish comedy actually helped me trudge along through this film. As a matter of fact, the character that I disliked the most was the one that no one would stop talking about: Darth Maul. For some reason, I got the feeling that this guy was forced on us in the hopes that he would achieve Boba Fett-like legendary status. Boba Fett had few lines, but people fell in love with him. Maul has a few more lines, and I hated him. Both of them were supposed to be sinister warriors and feared opponents. Both of them had cool costumes. They each had a neat sounding voice. But in the end, Boba Fett's popularity came unexpectedly. Maul's fame came by way of commercialism.
The special effects were excellent, though they worked against the original trilogy in that the technology looked billions of light years ahead of the original films. How can you fly around in clunkers after you've had such fancy ships as Amidala's cruiser? The lightsaber battles were enjoyable, but without Vader or Luke in them, I felt somewhat cheated. The android troops seemed to be more efficient in this flick than the slow-minded stormtroopers in the original series, but the stormtroopers had something to them that cold androids with guns lack. Stormtroopers screwed up and they looked funny doing it. These androids try to drop one-liners, but they aren't funny at all. In fact, they gave the Jedi bigger problems than the stormtroopers.
In all, things just don't add up between the original trilogy and this new one. Sure, these new films are adequate, but they will never be as good as the original ones for the simple fact that they are sequels to the originals. The standard set by the original series is almost unreachable, but I'd love to see Lucas come as close to that standard as possible with the "new" third film.
I recommend this to folks who merely need a base for the original trilogy or fans who are willing to look beyond the shortcomings of the new flicks. Average movie-goers may not see what's so special about the Star Wars mythos, but if they view the original films, I'm sure they'll understand.
81 Episode I- The Next Generation
When I first saw Star Wars Episode I- The Phantom Menace at the 12:01 AM showing on opening day, all the familiar elements were intact.The 20th Century Fox logo,the tag line "A Long Time Ago...", then the title Star Wars with John Williams classic score playing behind it, then the familiar scroll this time detailing the beginning of the movie.Then we begin to see that this is an entirely new Star Wars.
Coming sixteen years after Return of the Jedi,TPM looks and feels different from the first trilogy.The special effects are amazing as a majority of the movie is filmed against CGI.Unfortunately the CGI curses the movie as the storytelling factor is diluted.
This is George Lucas's first directing job since the first SW movie 22 years ago.Being a bit rusty, as well gearing the movie towards kids(which plagued ROTJ)left a bad taste in most fans mouth.Most barbs are pointed at the character of Jar Jar Binks(Ahmad Best), an annoying yet endearing Gungan who's main funtion was comic relief,but comes off as obnoxious.The other is the weak script that talks down to fans, and dialogue which talented actors (Liam Neeson,Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman,Samual L. Jackson) has to struggle with.Jake Lloyd, who plays Anakin Skywalker suffers the most in a role that may ruin any chance of a further acting career.
The saving grace of the movie is the villianous Darth Maul who wields a double edge lightsaber in a fabulous lightsaber fight that blows away the previous films climactic battles, as well as the podrace on Tatooine.Unfortunatly the validity of a young Anakin saving the day stretches credibility very thin.
As far as older fans are concerned,this is an entirly different SW from the previously trilogy.Despite the state of the art effects and exciting scenes, TPM stands as the weakest SW movie as Lucas loses sight of what made the previous trilogy so loved by the fans.Beloved characters and strong storytelling.
82 "Star Wars" Slips Far, Far Away From Fun
"Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" comes nowhere near the greatness of the original trilogy. The fun and humor has been drained out of the story and replaced by computer animated horror Jar Jar Binks. The story follows young Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn as they attempt to stop the Trade Federation. It is nice to see how the "Star Wars" saga began, but without such memorable characters as Princess Leia, Han Solo, or Darth Vader, it just isn't the same. The special effects are brilliant and the DVD fascinated many people, but director/writer George Lucas didn't thrill me with the serousness of the plot.
83 So very disappointing...
Well, another disappointed reviewer here.. shocking isn't it?
This film is subpar in so very many ways... it is downright saddening. Nothing wrong with the story itself, if it had only been presented correctly! The mood of the film is alltogether too light and fluffy... obviously aimed at a VERY young audience, this takes away from the film fatally.
Young Anakin is too cute and untroubled - considering his above average gifts, and the fact that he is a slave in a squalid backwater wasteland should leave him far more troubled than he appears to be - and this would help build up his transition to the dark side right from the start, and make it more believable than it ends up being (from what we see in AOTC). His high spirits, and shouts of 'Yippeee!' are silly and inappropriate... a more introverted personality would be much more suitable (both considering his life situation, and the personality of Darth Vader).
The comic bits are distracting and out of place - too many of them, and not of the right style (the original had humour, but it wasn't like THIS) - downright bad actually in nearly all instances. Jar Jar simply should not have existed (certainly not as he is), and frankly the rest of the Gungans don't exactly add much here... if you had problems with the Ewoks, well... it gets worse.
John Williams' score is fine, but does not have the inspiration he brought to the original trilogy... too much functionality, not enough invention... a score with a stronger presence could have gone a long way to salvaging at least some of this film (I mean, just imagine the original trilogy without its magnificent music).
In conclusion, if you like Star Wars to any small degree, I guess you have no choice but to watch this episode as well, but it IS so very disappointing...
(One other thing - why on earth are used copies of this selling for so much? Sometimes exceeding full price, not to mention five times what Attack of the Clones is fetching, which turned out much better than this first one - though still not perfect. Will the madness never end?)
84 FAILURE
George Lucas tried just a little to hard to equal the succes of his first trilogy. The acting is atrocious, the computer effects stand out, and jar jar binks is annoying! Is this really the same man who made the brilliant mythological film of 1977 - which was good not because of its special effects but because of its humanity?
85 Jar Jar, you are NO Chewbacca
I'm in the crowd that's quickly becoming the bane of the Star Wars fan community. One of those pesky people that saw the film at age 7 when it first erupted onto the big screen. Leading the charge in support of getting new films out (which I consider our sacred duty, after all we waited over 20 years for it) we were also the first to shy away from them when they didn't match up to our expectations.
Enter The Phantom Menace (TPM), a Star Wars episode that feels quite a bit out of step with the original three. Visually this is a stunning movie, and I think that this facet is what it will be remembered for. The lightsaber duel between Gui-gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul makes the one in Star Wars: A New Hope look like a geriatric aerobic workout in comparison. The podraces were absolutely awesome. The set design and costumes were also very well put together.
*scratches his chin contemplatively*
And now for the constructive criticism portion of my review. After all if fight correography and CGI graphics were all that were necessary to make a movie beloved then I have no doubt the "Final Fantasy" movie and "Mortal Kombat" would be ranked up there with "Citizen Kane". Sorry Mr. Lucas :(
1. If there's any one nit I have to pick with this movie and "Attack of the Clones" it would have to be the lack of chemistry between characters. Luke, Leia, and Han didn't have to be top-notch actors in their respective roles in the original 3 movies, but any doubts we had about their acting talent was put aside by the great chemistry that they had on screen. It really worked, and while I like each of the individual actors in TPM I simply don't connect with any of them. And for the record I get the impression they don't really connect with each other either. That magic is missing, and it plagues this movie and AOTC as well. I guarantee you that if this element was present in TPM it would receive a much better rating.
2. Whoever wrote the individual lines for the actors needs to be blasted. And don't set them for stun. Through most of the movie we're bombarded by wooden acting by people that you almost get the impression had to be poked to be reminded that it was their turn in the script (that chemistry thing again). Jake Lloyd's lines were absolutely unbelievably bad, although the movie being more directed towards kids I can let it slide.
3. Every movie needs a sidekick. Chewbacca was Han Solo's steadfast companion. His lines consisted of grunts and growls, but the movies were designed so that you always knew what he was saying because Solo conversed with him in that special way. Now we have Jar-Jar Binks, part Murphy's Law victim, part reggae aquatic-Bob Marley guy, but 100% annoying. I remember grimacing in my chair in the theater as he recited his routine. I feel really bad for the guy who voiced him, probably the most disliked person in the western hemisphere. Therein again since this was designed to be mostly a kids movie I can even let Jar-Jar slide a little bit. But not much. Hand me that blaster, would you?
4. The plot is a bit deep for Star Wars fare. I'm not saying that the first 3 were too simple, I'm saying that the concept was very straightforward. Good vs. Evil, dad versus son, lots of nuance and a whole pile of special effects. This movie takes the shoestring premise of the first three films and turns it into the Gordian Knot. We have the Trade Federation blockading Naboo for some reason. Then there's the future Emperor who orders them to invade. Why? And what's with all the Senate intrigue? Why explain midiclorians (sp?) as the prime mover of the Force? Why is Yoda so unlikeable in this one? And most of all why make a movie so obviously aimed at a younger audience have so many plot points and loose ends?
In the end the first 3 movies will always be revered. I'm not so sure about this one. It's liable to end up being like a not-so-good episode of your favorite TV show. You watch it because even though it's not good you need to see it to get to the next episode.
86 Wanted more.
It was a great film. But I didn't like Jar-Jar, wanted more Maul, didn't understand the battle with the Trade Federation. And I wanted more from Anakin. To me he didn't seem very deep. He just seemed like a dumb kid along for the ride. Kind of like whiny little Luke in episode four. I had the feel of the original trilogy that it was like an actual event. I was watching the history of some other universe. It's kinda hard to explain. That was its appeal with me. I don't get that same kind of connection with this movie.
87 Very nice.
Nice addition to the series, loved the podrace. Acting was all right, and the plot filled in with the original trilogy nicely. We can only hope EIII will be as good as this ands II.
88 Horrible
This is definetely the most dissapointing movie of all time. The storyline is dull and not enjoyable to follow. The characters arnt great and help to add to the overall corney feeling of the movie. Theres a half hour pod racing sequence that just slows down the movie and you may fall asleep during. I realize that since this is a "star wars" I probably rate it more harshly then other movies but still, this movie was in the works for years and it would of been better left on the drawing board. I will never go to see episode 2 or 3 as this is a clear indication of the direction of these prequels. Stick to the original Star Wars movies, "Episode I" does absolutely nothing possitive for the series.
89 The Force sure ain't with this one
When I think of the difference between the original 3 Star Wars movies and this one, the word that comes to mind is "swashbuckling".
There was a kind of Errol-Flynn-wink-to-the-camera while swordfighting bravura to the first three films. They didn't take themselves too seriously. This covered up two shortcomings:
1. The plot, for all of its Joseph Campbell overtones, is basically a comic book.
2. George Lucas is an emotionally distant director who has difficulty soliciting great emotional performances from actors.
Lucas can't seem to decide where he wants to go in this film. Jar-Jar is a bust at comic relief. I think of Princess Leia (saying of Chewbacca) "Will someone get this walking carpet out of my way?." Jar-Jar deserves much worse, but it seems like there is a code of trans-species politcal correctness that is now observed. Poor Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker) and his Pernilla August (his mother, Shmi Skywalker) have some of the most stilted and poorly directed dialog I have heard in a major movie. Lucas isn't emotionally tone-deaf, but his range is very limited.
Lucas is still at master at getting great bang for the buck, the film is sumptuous and stunning. The pod race scene is great fun. You can get lost in the eye candy details he provides. I thought some of the costumes were a little over the top, but on the whole great fun.
I just wish Mr. Lucas wouldn't take the rest of this so seriously. It's a Saturday Matinee, George, the force will take care of itself without getting too preachy about it. Have fun!
90 Strictly for Fans
In my opinion, the Star Wars prequels are strictly for fans. Anybody can understand the original Trilogy, but the story isn't very clear in the prequels, and anybody who watches Episode 1 just because it's another movie to watch won't be
