All ProductsBooksClassical MusicDVDDVDs A to ZDigital MusicElectronicsMagazinesMusicMusic TracksMusical InstrumentsReggaeSoftwareVHSVideo (DVD & VHS)WirelessWireless Accessories	View Shopping Cart or Checkout
<-- Or, Select from a Category at Left                              Plus, Save up to 99% off of Retail Price on Used Books!

DVD : Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)

Rating: - It all started 30 years ago today
I have been an avid fan of Star Wars since 1977. I was[..]when I saw it and I was hooked ever since. The premieres of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were major events in my family's lives. Even after Jedi and into my teenage years, I still held on to my love of the Star Wars saga.

I just want to say that I am not the type of SW fan who buys everything with the words "Star Wars" on it. Besides the DVDs, soundtracks, and a handful of of books/novels, that's as far as my "collecting" goes.

When Episode One came out in '99, my friends and family EAGERLY awaited its release, but I did not camp out or spend hours (or weeks like some knuckleheads did) in line waiting to get tickets. I went the day it opened, got in line about 45 minutes before the starting time, got a great seat, and enjoyed experiencing what it was like to be a kid again.

I will never understand all of the bad reviews and negative opinions so many people had about this film. To me, it was everything a Star Wars film should be. It had thrilling special effects, tons of action, a great story, memorable characters, and it introduced me to worlds and places that I had never even dreamed of.

It was amazing to see the Jedi order in their heyday and to finally find out where Darth Vader came from and how the Old Republic began to crumble. This movie and its story are the stuff of legends.

The ONLY fault I can find in the film was that the dialogue was a bit flat and sometimes unconvincing. The original trilogy films were rife with memorable and quotable lines, but the prequel films seemed to be lacking in that department.

I know a lot of people will hate me for writing this, but the character of Jar Jar Binks was NOT THAT BAD! I chuckled a little bit at his antics and agree that he did get a little too much screen time, but all in all, I didn't find him to be anywhere near as annoying as most people have made him out to be.

The moment the words "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." appeared on the screen, tears began to form in my eyes. It made me remember how much fun Star Wars was and still is and made me feel like a kid again. How can a "bad" movie move a person like that?

The scene where Anakin says goodbye to his mother and follows Qui-Gon out of the city and the "Force Theme" plays, it makes me bawl like a baby every time. That scene is so touching and amazingly crafted.

I think a lot of "fans" went to see this film with preconceived notions of how it was going to be. The same thing can be said about the first Star Wars film in 1977. Everyone thought it was going to be a stupid sci-fi film that would quickly be forgotten, but it became an American icon.

If one watches this film objectively and places it in the proper context within its relation to all six films, you can gain a deeper appreciation for the Star Wars saga.

This is a VERY GOOD film. Each time you watch it, you can come away with something new that you never caught in your previous viewings.

Today is the 30th birthday of the original Star Wars film and thus, the birth of a timeless saga. It's hard to believe that so much time has passed since then, but thankfully, we have the DVDs available to help remind us of what it was like to be young again....

Rating: - One enormous wind tunnel of suckdom
I remember the near hysteria surrounding the first 3 films when they were re-done in 1997 for the 20th anniversary. We all skipped school and watched those movies 3 or 4 times, it felt kind of like Christmas in July. The level of hype surrounding Star Wars was surreal.
Then comes 1999. The Preview for the Phantom Menace comes out. We were all in the theater for some other movie, saw this and no one even cared about the actual movie anymore. It had to be one of the greatest trailers of all time. Which just goes to show you. When I went to see the actual film, I left utterly numbed and horrified. This film was just one gold lined piece of garbage that no one over 7 years old could stomach.
All the gorgeous jaw dropping visuals aside, the script and acting are just terrible.

1. Jake Lloyd was the BEST they could get for this part?! Come on, it's the most important character in all of Star Wars! He was like some rotten commercial for kiddie vitamins that just never ends.

2. Jar Jar Binks. He should have died. Better yet, lock Lucas up in a padded cell with endless loops of his dialogue: "How Woooode!" and "Exquuueeeze me!" (Baking powder?)

3. Padme/Amadala. God, this character stunk. Cold, lifeless - you can almost see Natalie Portman rolling her eyes trying to deliver such lines as (in bad British accent) "We will Not allow the treaty to be discontinued" or "You presume too much." Bad Queen Victoria act.
And her scenes with Jake Lloyd are outright painful. "You are such a strange little boy." and he fires off with "Are you an Angel?" Agghk! -gag!-

4. Qui Gon. Seriously, Liam Neeson slept through this entire part. He can and has done much better, but the script was beyond even his talents to fix up.

5. Mitichlorians. You mean, mitochondria? As in, even WE can be Jedi, too! Ugh. Rotten idea.

6. Anakin being immaculately conceived. As in Jesus? Wow. Real original. And just what all the fans hoped for. (Lucas is beyond idiocy at this point. )

The Good. And there is some here.
1. Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windoo. Great character, would have liked more but that comes later.

2. Ewan McGragor has Obi-Wan exactly right. He gets even better in the next 2 films. He was a perfect choice for a young Obi-Wan.

3. Ian McDiarmid. I just love this guy. He IS the Emperor, and delivers a very satisfying performance as Palpatine. He also gets better with the next films.

All in all, there are good points, but not enough to resurrect this clunker. If only CGI could make a good movie, this would be a multiple Oscar winner. But alas, Lord of the Rings it is not. Bad script, Rotten acting - all of it is a lame excuse to wrap 'bantha poodoo' in gold lining and pass it off as the Star Wars prequel that some fans waited 20 years to see. And you get Jake Lloyd. As 'Annie'.
If only the Sun Would Come out Tomorrow . . .

---

Rating: - Great start to the saga!
This is one great way to kick off Anakin Skywalker's path into the Dark Side. It certainly explains that he didn't have it easy growing up. He had to struggle with being a slave and leaving behind his mom who, up to that point, was the one human being he cared about the most. My only complaint about this movie, is the sequence in which young Anakin is aboard the naboo fighter and saves the day (the whole sequence is too childish for my taste). But having young Obi Wan and the introduction to Qui-Gon Jinn is worth getting this DVD alone.

---

Rating: - Wonderfully nice!
A DVD everyone should have in their collection. Very nicely made menus, great DVD quality.

---

Rating: - the start of it all
this movie shows 3 firsts: the beginning of a friendship between Anakin and Padme, R2-D2 and C-3PO becoming friends, and Senator Palpatine/Emporer looking younger. of course, like 2 through 6, you will see humans and aliens hanging out together. there were only two lightsaber battles in this movie, which are the hallmark of the Star Wars films. I recommend this film to all Star Wars fans.

Books | Classical Music | DVD | VHS | Electronics | Magazines | Movies | Music | Musical Instruments | Software

Copyright 1996-2006 AnaBooks.com.   All rights reserved. 
No reprint or republication without prior written consent by AnaBooks.com.