A pretty good comeback - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

The Phantom Meanace is a very good return to the Star Wars films, but not as good as the box office makes it look. This is currently one of the top 5 highest grossing films ever made. This doesn't ruin the classic Star Wars like Attack of the Clones did, but it is for sure not as good.

The greatest star wars movie ever!!!!! - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

The is the BEST Star Wars movie ever! I've watched it 5 times and I still love it! There's lots of action, amazing visuals, and an outstanding story! It's such a great movie! I want to watch it over and over and over again!

Not bad - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

Well Jar-Jar was a little annoying but still, the light saber battle at the end was the best ever in any Star Wars film. The story was interesting till the end and the villian was great. Darth Maul would easily destroy Darth Vader if they ever met in a dark ally.

This was a truly great movie! watch it! - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

When this came out in the theaters I saw it six times. This is an either you love it or hate it type of a movie it seems. I loved everything about it and thats including Jar Jar. There is alot more to The Phantom Menace then meets the casual watcher eye. I am a big time Star Wars fan and this is my favorite of the series so far.

This movie sucks - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

anakin skywalker sucks, his acting is the worst bar none, lucas did a *****ty job picking skywalkers in both episode 1&2

We waited how long for this? - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

This movie is terrible. I mean, after the pretty good original Star Wars Trilogy, George Lucas puts this on us. Darth Maul, the only cool character, only says one line. None of the main characters are either cool nor played by good actors. Jar Jar Binks is the worst character to ever appear in a movie. While the visual effects are pretty outstanding, there is just too much of it that the movie looks totally fake. The only really cool scene is when Darth Maul fights Obi Wan and that Jin guy. Needless to say, I wasn't very happy with the outcome of that fight.

Not on par - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

Lucas, we expected more. Not more effects. There are plenty of those to spare. But what about a better story, fully fleshed-out characters, a little bit of heart? The first trilogy deserves a better opening act than this one.

Give these new movies a break - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

If these new movies were truly awful I could understand all the bad remarks that people give them. I think that they should be cut some slack. Not only is the new Star Wars films the prequel to one of the greatest movie epics of our time(something we have been waiting on since the end of Return of the Jedi), but they are fine movies in their own right. A lot of the disappointment that fans feel I think stems from the fact that these are not the original trilogy(ie...not the same characters)The wait for these movies was long indeed, and im sure the fan hype was ungodly. Again this is not the original trilogy...but it was never intended to be.

An underrated space opera - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

At first I was going to split this review into two parts; one containing my review about the actual film, and the other addressing the ever-constant criticism directed at the movie. But I decided not to address the bashing of the movie; I thought it would sound too much like a whinny Star Wars fan trying to protect his idolizations. But I would like to show you my favorite, and most ridiculous, TPM-basher quote: "George Lucas raped my childhood [by making this movie]." And with that, I will begin my review: The Phantom Menace is not the best Star Wars movie ever made (Attack of the Clones, or The Empire Strikes Back is, depending on who you ask), that's for sure, but it's still a very good installment to the soon to be completed Star Wars Saga. In this episode, or as Mr. Lucas likes to call his Star Wars films, Opening Act we are introduced to a whole Galaxy; A once noble, but now corrupt, government; a wise, and powerful religious sect; and, or a more personal level, the character in which the Saga centers around. The plot of the film is the most in-depth of the Saga, featuring aspects of politics, religion, and, of course, the battle for good over evil. It covers more then any of the other films, but still retains a 'personal' aspect that connects you to each individual. But, sadly, there is no Han Solo-type character to give off a bit of roguishness. Lucas tries to have Gui-Gon, and sometimes Obi-Wan, take Han's place, but it never quite works. I mean, come on, Han Solo is a smuggler, always running from the law. Qui-Gon is the law! But I'm not saying there should have been a Han Solo look-a-like in the movie; I'm just saying he's missed. Other then that need for a Han, the rest of the characters fit the film wonderfully, with Ewan McGregor portraying an amazing likeness of a very young Alec Guinness, and Liam Neeson etching himself a notch in Star Wars culture with his performance of the wise, but roguish (not quite Han-roguish, though J) Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. A character I liked more as the older Jedi Master figure, then the original Alec Guinness/Obi-Wan Jedi. And for the last three main characters; Anakin, Padme, and of course, Jar-Jar, I will give a short rundown: Anakin - Leaves most long-time fans thinking: He's no Luke. But, still Anakin is a very good character that will show you the good in him, that you may not see so predominately in the next two episodes. And even though Jake Lloyd's acting in the movie has been criticized (what hasn't been criticized in this movie?), I personally think he was as good as any other nine-year-old would be portraying the young Anakin Skywalker. Padme - What can you say about Padme, the mother of two of the main heroes of the originals. Natalie Portman does a fine job of playing the young queen, much better then her performance in the next episode. Jar-Jar - This poor little creature that has been bashed more then any other Star Wars character in history (including the Ewoks) never really bothered me that much, I mean he's no Chewie, but still is a ok/fair character that does his intended job in this film. For the older (I mean long-time fans, not particularly older in age fans), die-hard Star Wars fans this whole movie comes down to one thing; comparing all the new characters with the old ones, and, of course, the old ones will always win. Most of those fans will still enjoy the movie; even though it will never equal the originals. But for the newer fans, their appraisal of the film could differ immensely. Basically, my final assessment of the film is as follows: if you're a newer fan, I definitely, recommend this movie. If you're a long-time fan, I still recommend it, though with the warning: "Don't expect it to be better then the first three." And if you've never really been a fan, your opinion could be either that TPM was OK, but it still doesn't change your view of the Saga. Or it could make you a fan of all the movies. So overall, I would say this is a four star film, that's worth seeing at least once.

Cool - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

HEY. IT WAS SO ASOME. I THAOUGH IT WAS A LITTLE UN FINSHED BUT THAT IS WHAT I LIKE ABOUT STAR WARS MOVIES BECAUSE AT THE END IT ALWAYS MAKES YOU WANT TO SEE THE NEXT ONE.

Booooooooooring! - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

The first time I saw this movie I fell asleep I never fall asleep during a movie. The second time I saw this movie I didnt fall asleep but it was still boring. The beggining I didnt understand it was boring overall the movie was a dissapointment bad acting bad story what happend I loved the first three movies.

George lucas is a poor director - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

This got too be one of the biggest let downs that I've ever seen. Just about everything in this movie is crab. The only good thing is the music and effects. Other than that everything is so stale. The acting is monotone, it's like most of the actors just say their horrible written lines in stead of acting them. The story is very bad written, the action is quite boring. Even though the last fight is okay it just doesn't make up for the horrible ***** that you had to go trough in the movie. Another mistake in this movie is Jar Jar Binx, What the hell was George thinking about when he wrote this character, could it have been "Damn I better turn this into a slapstick comedy, and make the character extremely annoying and constantly in this movie" Also little Anakin is in the movie, also extremely annoying al most as annoying as Hayden Christensen in Star Wars 2. Don't pay any money too see this insulting piece of *****, but then again I guess that's too late.

Good movie, not as bad some say..... - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

I remember all the hype with this movie. I remember standing in line while TV cameras filmed us. I was playing monopoly on the ground with two navy guys while waiting 12 hours for the sneak preview that showed at 12:01am. I remember thinking that is going to be the best Star Wars ever! I waited 16 years for this. I was a little disappointed but it was still very good. I hated jar jar but the story was still fairly good. I thought the ideal of Darth Vader growing was a good one but I think George sometimes sacrifices the story a little to make merchandise. He started doing that in Return of the Jedi. Ewoks were even dumber than Jar Jar. The only dumb thing about Jar Jar was his personality. The special effects were great while some touch was lost with using mostly only CGI. The thing I liked most about the movie was the waiting. There was a young girl playing Star Wars trivia behind me and a lot talk about what the next film was going to be about. There were people who never saw the original Star Wars films seeing this! It was like a free Star Wars convention that lasted 12 hours. When I waited in line for Episode II but there was not as much energy as was waiting for Episode I. The crowds of people and the sense of community and all the energy in the air was unlike anything I had ever seen. After Episode III comes out I will miss waiting in line as it has become apart of our culture. Years after the last Star Wars movie plays, we will all say we didn't know how good we had it until it was gone. Email me cmfurner@cox.net Website members.cox.net/cmfurner

The phantom menace - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

This is the biggest disapointment ever, in cinema history. We all expected a great return for Star Wars, and instead, we were given a stupid, no logic, kid-like movie! I am wondering why George Lucas did this to himself! This movie was terrible, in every aspect, except the Visuals. First of all, I am still wondering why there are robots in this movie (which was set before the 3 old Star Wars) and there are none doing the attacking in the 3 old ones? Why do they need Storm Troopers in the future, why don't they just build drones like in this movie? Is the empire trying to set a high score in human casualties? I don't think so. I think George Lucas didn't think of that before making this movie. Frankly, I don't care, because it's his franchise, and if he wants to destroy it, BE MY GUEST! If it was someone else however, I think I would be writing a much more agressive review! Well nothing else to say. There was missing all of the Star Wars magic - I feel like Lucas only made this movie for profit. There is no good story, it's all stupid politics, and the worse character was without a doubt Jar-Jar, the stupid character that really should of appeared in Monsters Inc.!! Biggest Disapointment ever. I'm just happy that other sequels (Like T3) didn't do as bad as this movie!

The phantom menace - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

This movie is definitely a step down from A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, but it has its own pluses. To start off, the story was kind of so-so. George Lucas could have done so much more with this being the very first one and two other movies to fill a gap, but he didn't. It just wasn't really that great - things just kind of happened here or there. Next, the acting in certain scenes was so horrendous I nearly wanted to turn the movie off. People who did a good job: Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid. And then there was Liam Neeson, a well-known good actor, who was so monotone and lifeless that it seemed it was all he could do just to move. Then Jake Lloyd, and I know he is just a 10-year-old, did the worst of all. I know he's a kid, but come on, people! If he was chosen, there must have only been about two kids who showed up to audition! Last, the visuals - the only way this movie improved on episodes 4,5, and 6. The cities and creatures and ships were all spectacular. They were fantastic. This movie is good enough to watch - overall, it is a B.

A lot better than most thought - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

A lot better than most people thought. A lot of people who disliked the film were blinded by hype. They don't understand that the films not supposed to be Shakesphere. It's Star Wars. It's a dam good film, with great visuals and acting from Portman and Nelson.

I am just a little late.... - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

If you can believe it The Phantom Menace was the first Stars Wars movie I ever saw. If you could only imagine not knowing anything of "the force" or not even that the "Death Star" was a ship not some coordinate in some space constellation. Then seeing a movie like this. After watching this movie I became immediately obessesed with the force. Bottom line this is: MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!! I never saw such things on camera. I think finally I've seen something more creative than the things I dream about. GREAT MOVIE.... EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH ALL OF THE STAR WARS INSTALLMENTS. I love you Annie.

Liam neeson in star wars is something great - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

I have to say that this is one of the best if the Star Wars films, but it has the worst story, which is not bad, but its not really good eather, but the casting of Liam Neeson and Ewan Mcgregor, in the Star Wars films was perfect, there some of the best actors we have oout there right now, so puttong them in Star Wars will boost both of there curently week careers, to the hight they diserve.

Great 4-way battle - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

This is a great movie but the best part by far is when the gungan-droid war, space battle, darth-maul vs. jedi battle, and storming the base all happens at once and they keep switching from battle to battle.

Great ! the second best star wars movie - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

Jar Jar Binks was hilarious, the lightsaber 'Duel of the Fates' between Obi Wan Kenobi, Qui Gonn Jinn and Darth Maul was the greatest fight scene in film history, the podracing will leave you breathless. This is one of the greatest movies of all time - people say it's bad because the expect too much from it because of the original trilogy, but if you watch the movie more than once you will come to realize the magic that has turned casual star wars fans into die hard freaks.

An awful start... - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

Despite a truly menacing character in Darth Maul, a wonderful score by John Williams, and a terrific fight sequence among the Jedi (with the exception of how absurdly easy Darth Maul is eventually killed), this movie flops, fails, falls hard and couldn't get back up with a walker and a crane. Much of the final battle is waged between computer generated creatures that we couldn't possibly care less about, and the overall plot is weak and very thin. Plus there's Jar Jar Bings, a character so unforgivably bombastic and annoying that even the other actors seemed put off by him. Only Liam Neeson really puts his best into it, but even he was clearly uncomfortable with his decision to appear in this movie. Despite how much I loved and enjoyed the original trilogy, Lucas proves--with this film and "Attack of the Clones" as well, if not more--that he's an overblown second-rate writer and probably the worst director there is. The only way I can explain the original trilogy is by looking at the credits, and realizing that--contrary to popular belief--Lucas actually had very little to do with the original movies. And if he's smart, he'll have very little to do with Episode III either.

Every saga has a beginning. - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

Released in 1999 to overwhelming public expectation, "The Phantom Menace" severely disappointed many of the fans of the original series and excited the wrath of many a critic, who believed the whole movie was just money-spinner and an exercise in digital technology. Some, but not all, of this criticism is accurate. While the film does not recapture the magic of the original trilogy and the special effects do dominate a bit too much, the end result is still an effectively staged film. The story, set some forty or fifty years before the original "Star Wars", begins in the very murky world of intergalactic politics. The Trade Federation enforce a blockade on the peaceful world of Naboo in response to a political decision to taxate their trade routes. The Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic (Terence Stamp) sends two Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan MacGregor) to sort out the problem.... Forced to flee after the Federation tries to kill them, the pair rescue the planet's ruler Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and a local ne'er-do-well Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best). They intend to bring the Queen to the Republic's ruling planet Coruscant, where she can plead her case to Galactic Senate. Forced to make a pit-stop on desert planet Tatooine, they pick up a young slave boy, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), who possesses mysterious powers, all the while being trailed by a mysterious dark warrior Darth Maul (Ray Park), whose boss is manipulating everyone from behind the scenes..... The film begins what is essentially a very different story to that told by "Star Wars" and it's sequels. Whereas the original trilogy told the tale of good triumphing over evil, this film sees the start of a tale that will see the evolution of a benevolent but inefficient democracy into an evil dictatorship and the turning of a great warrior into an agent of pure darkness. In it's differences from the first (but chronologically later) set of films that present a whole wealth of story possibilities. There is political intrigue, hints at impending tragedy and a couple of ambiguous characters who are not all they appear to be... Where the script falls down is in failing to make these themes exciting to the audience. Alot of the characters are left with bland, staid dialogue that weakens the effect of a great many scenes. Some of this is nullified by virtue of some good acting but better dialogue (especially on the Tatooine and Coruscant scenes) would have really helped liven the proceedings. Humour is another thing missing from this script, and it is left to the token slapstick idiot Jar Jar Binks to provide most of the comedy relief. Director George Lucas wrote the script for this film, as he did for the original "Star Wars". While his style of writing was fine for the relatively simple story that movie, a more skilled and experienced writer could have taken better advantage of the story's ideas. The acting in this film is mostly very good, and the majority of the principal actors rise above the deficiencies of the writing. Neeson and MacGregor just about pull of their lines and convince as the Jedi. Natalie Portman is a mixed bag as Amidala. She's good when pleading her case to the Senate or being a surrogate sister to Anakin, but isn't quite so convincing when the script asks her to play an action hero. Ahmed Best plays Jar Jar Binks, a character who isn't quite as irritating as many have made out and who jives up each of his scenes with his fruity speech and mannerisms. Jake Lloyd is likeable as the future Darth Vader, lending spirit, wonder and a sense of adventure to the part. Terence Stamp should have maybe have been allowed more screen time as Chancellor Valorum. He only just registers as the well-intentioned but weak leader of the Republic and some more time could maybe have been devoted to give some depth to his character. Ian MacDiarmid, on the other hand, is excellent as the Machiavellian Senator Palpatine. He lends a wonderfully sinister depth to his role so that you know he is up to no good even as he's being sincere. Ray Park is also on fine form, giving the right mix of aggression and athleticism as Darth Maul. The final duel between him and the two Jedi is a winner. Technically, the film is an accomplishment in digital technology and the settings for much of the action are very well depicted. The lush forests and waterfalls of Naboo, the glorious wonder of the underwater city to the grandeur of Coruscant (a detailed combination of flying motorways and ludicrous skyscrapers) provide colourful backdrops to the action, all accentuated by John Williams' atmospheric score. But whereas the original "Star Wars" used it's effects sparingly and thus maximised their impact, this film throws digital effects into nearly every shot to the point where the initial wonder at them quickly wears off. To conclued, the film is perhaps not quite the film many "Star Wars" fans expected, "Phantom Menace" is still a very good picture. If you like this movie, I also recommend: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IV, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

You people are blind to the greatness - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Reviews

The people who don't like this movie either have a Darth Vadar helmet stuck on, or don't understand Star Wars. The original was the original and this is new, get over it. It has a different cast, plot, story, and effects! It is unthinkable that people have run this movie down and made it out to be a B-movie. That is absolutely ridiculous. Let's review what helped give Star Wars a legendary following and made it great; A new and fresh Sci-Fi world full of differnt creatures and people, a band of rebels struggling against a great evil empire, which come together reluctantly but ended up best friends, light saber action between true good and true evil religions, technology and worlds beyond your wildest dreams. This is the original Star Wars at its heart and these traditions are continued in the Phantom Menace. My only point of criticism in this movie is the absence of contrasting characters. Think about it: Han Solo contrasted with Luke greatly, 3PO contrasted R2D2, Leah contrasted with Solo, etc. The main good guy cast consists of Amidala, Obiwan, Quygon, Jar Jar, Anakin, and the bots. Do you see my point now? The relationships are very dry. There are differences between quygon and amidala but they dont become very colorful and eventually they come to see eye to eye too fast. The bots havent really developed their love\hate relationship yet, obiwan is quygons yesman, and amidala does what shes told. Anyway you see my point, the relationships are very DRY. But whatever is lost in character development is made up for with pod races, underwater chases, light saber flashes, and all the rest of the breath taking effects. So sit back and relax!!! Nothing can ever top the original, don't let people say that it is supposed to! It's just George Lucas telling us what happened in the past! It's pure Star Wars fun! So don't take it so seriously! If another generation wants to adopt it as their very own let them! We adopted our Star Wars, let them have theirs and LAY OFF!!