Yar, you be here: Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition) > Customer Reviews

Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition) Customer Reviews (154 - 156 of 166 Reviews)

QUIT YOUR WHINING AND WATCH THE MOVIE!
The most eagerly-awaited prequel in movie history, "Episode I: The Phantom Menace" carried so many false hopes into theatres many were bound to be disappointed. But the problem isn't with the movie itself, which is first-rate. There were just too many people who had their own ideas of what the first new Star Wars film in nearly a generation should be like for creator George Lucas to possibly satisfy. Sadly, those persons' negative reviews have somewhat marred an otherwise phenomenal blockbuster, which by any well-reasoned definition is a highly worthy extension of the beloved Star Wars mythos.

Even the film's critics agree that this movie looks spectacular. Lucas spared no expense in the set design and special effects, and the result is simply magical. From the iconic architecture of the planet Naboo to the wastes of Tatooine and the cold reaches of space, everything shimmers with life and you almost feel like you could walk right into the story yourself. Beyond that, the story itself is excellent and in line with the familiar Star Wars formula of good vs. evil on an interplanetary scale. Likewise, the cast is terrific and does a tremendous job. Liam Neeson is an commanding Qui-Gon Jinn who dominates every scene he is in, and Ewan McGregor is also excellent as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi just growing into his full power but clearly destined to be one of the greatest Jedi of all. Natalie Portman's Padme is appealing and believable, and Jake Lloyd is surprisingly effective as the ill-fated Anakin Skywalker. Ian McDiarmid lends a sinister air as the shadowy Senator Palpatine, whose suave elegance barely conceals his true dark nature.

Yes, there is Jar Jar Binks, and while Jar Jar does occasionally strike a funny note he is more often annoying. And young Mr. Lloyd does have to utter some rather painful lines from time to time. But these minor flaws hardly hinder the overall drama, which is quite strong. Particularly moving is Anakin's final dialogue with his mother, when he stands at the crossroads of his destiny and realizes that once he chooses which path to take, he can never look back. Of course there is also the famous pod race, a deadly race against fate that shoots across the Tatooine desert like lightning. The masterful extended climax (divided amongst no less than four different battles)is incredibly exciting. Here young Anakin foreshadows Luke Skywalker's later Death Star heroics, and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan face the diabolical Darth Maul in an incredible display of lightsaber wizardry.

No review of this film would be complete without mention of John Williams's usual fantastic score. The soundtrack is magnificent, one of the most thrilling any movie has ever had, and it should've been used a bit more liberally in "Attack of the Clones."

Not only is the movie great, but the DVD is something special too. There are tons of special features that are sure to enhance what should be an already awesome viewing experience.

Overall, most of the negative press this movie got was undeserved. The characters are strong, the action unceasing, and the final product is nothing less than sensational. If it's not quite as good as the original Star Wars films, "The Phantom Menace" nonetheless recaptures the spirit of those immortal movies and opens a brand new door to wonder and fantasy. Don't be afraid...come on in!

Extravagently funny and exciting.
This movie is excellant.It was funny,humorous,scary and very touching.My MOST FAVORITE CHARACTERS ARE THE GUNGANS.[JAR JAR BINKS,CAPTAIN TARPALS AND BOSS NASS are all soooooooooooo cool.I cried literally cried when Jar Jar Binks came on the scene.I GUESS THAT YOU CAN TELL THAT I'M SERIOUSLY IN LOOVE WITH HIM.I'm in love with all the GUNGANS.I hope that every person out there will some day put an end to the crewd insults and nasty things that their all saying and doing.

IN THE WORDS OF THE GUNGANS I NO LIKEN DA MAKENEEKS.
[SERIOUSLY.]

Devoid of the Force...
Why was this movie even made? It contributed little plot development to the Star Wars universe. Lucas could have taken all the important stuff in Phantom and added an extra half hour to Attack of the Clones instead. That way we would have been spared the lacking plot, the throw-away characters, and the bad acting.

The plot was really lacking. It is a nice, Sunday-afternoon kind of movie, but that isn't what a Star Wars movie is supposed to be. This movie was great for the kiddies, especially with Jake Lloyd's whining, Jar Jar's antics and the droids, but it left the adult audience disappointed and unsatisfied. There was a lot of action, but no real suspense or complexity. Even the attempts at misdirection were thinly veiled.

Three characters stood out an throw-aways: Qui-Gon, Darth Maul, and Aurra Sing. Out of the three, Qui-Gon got the most mileage as the driving force behind a majority of the movie's plot. I understand why Qui-Gon was used the way he was, but that doesn't mean it was the only or the best way to further that aspect of the story. Darth Maul, who was a nice mysterious villain, was painfully underused and dispatched rather easily. This limited the impact he could have had on the story. As for Aurra Sing, there was a lot of press about her prior to the release, but I can't remember if she made the final cut of the movie.

The acting, or lack there of, spoke for itself. While Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid and Liam Neeson were great; they were over shadowed by the poor acting of Jake Lloyd and the incessant banter of Jar Jar.

The best part of the movie was the way it looked. ILM did a masterful job with the special effects. The ships were cool and the scenery was beautiful. Even though "the look" is very important to the Star Wars universe, it's bad when then special effects stand out more than the plot.

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56

Next Page