Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: PG
Release Date: 1-NOV-2005
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7301 in DVD
• Brand: NEESON,LIAM
• Published on: 2001
• Released on: 2005-03-22
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 360 minutes

Customer Reviews

Perhaps the Best in the series
I have seen all the Star Wars films with the exception of Episode III, and they are some of the best movies perhaps of all time. This one, the first in the series of newer movies following the life of Anakin Skywalker, is probably the best, if there is one that is better than all the others. I've always thought that the newer movies had sub-par acting in comparison to the original three, but Episode I has an exceptional performance by Liam Neeson. The special effects are absolutely stunning. The best scenes in the movie, in my opinion, are the podrace scene and the Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Maul lightsaber battle. The effects in the podrace scenes are good in the fact that they accurarley portray the speed of the podracers and there are several crashes that are quite graphic. The lightsaber battle is longer than in the other movies and is, I believe the best lightsaber scene in any of the movies (I don't know about Episode III, but from what I've heard, there are some good lightsaber scenes in that one too). If you are new to Star Wars, I would start with this episode, not Episode IV, because you can see them in the correct order. I would also watch this one first because it's a good intro into the series. I highly recommend this!!

Solid prequel to STAR WARS
George Lucas' STAR WARS prequels have received a lot of flack (some from me!) for being too much focused on CGI and not enough on dialogue and strong characters. And based on the overall quality of the prequels, the complaints are warranted! But, that said, I think that this one, THE PHANTOM MENACE, is the best of the prequels. Unlike its successors ATTACK OF THE CLONES and REVENGE OF THE SITH, this first of the new trilogy is not nearly as bogged down in political details and sappy romance and doesn't come to a screeching halt at times like the other two. THE PHANTOM MENACE is kind of a new introduction to the STAR WARS universe, as it is, technically, EPISODE I. So timeline wise, it all begins here.

MENACE benefits from having a lot of energy and being fast-paced. It compels the viewer to accept this world and doesn't waste time as much as the successor films of the trilogy. The film's protagonists are Qui-Gon Jin (fine performance by Liam Neeson) and his young apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (solid Ewan McGregor). Additionally, the solid cast includes Jake Lloyd (as young Anakin Skywalker), Natalie Portman (as teen Queen Amidala), Samuel L. Jackson (as Jedi Master Mace Windu), Ian McDarmid (as Senator Palpatine), Terence Stamp (as Chancellor Valorem, appointed leader of the Republic), Pernilla August (as Anakin's mother Schmi Skywalker) and Ray Park (as Darth Maul, apprentice to behind-the-scenes Darth Sidious). Also, we get to see Yoda again! In this film, Yoda is a puppet, but in the follow-ups, he is pure CGI. I prefer the puppet! If the actors seem a tad monontonous at times, I blame this mostly on the weak script and George Lucas' direction, or lack thereof. Lucas focused more on effects and plot here than he did in his actor's performances, so I'm not going to blame them for having the misfortune of working from shortsighted direction and script. Mostly everything else works.

In addition to Yoda, there are some good 'creature' characters like Anakin and Schmi's slavemaser Watto, Anakin's rival young Greedo (from the original STAR WARS) and Sebulba (a pod-racing star). Also, legendary robots C3PO and R2D2 return for the proceedings (good thing robots can live forever!).

The biggest draws to this film are several exciting and well done action scenes, including the fantastic CGI pod race in the middle of the film and the climactic lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan and Darth Maul. Also, the musical score that accompanies this film is really top notch and accentuates the action sequences. Not even close to the magic of the films of the original trilogy, but a much better movie-watching experience than the 2 flicks that followed!

This 2-disc set is great with a commentary and extra disc that explains how a lot of the CGI was handled and of course deleted scenes.

Better Than People Say
I admit that The Phantom Menace isn't quite as good as other Star Wars films, but it's still pretty good. I was a little bit disappointed the first time I watched it, but I gave it another chance and realized how good it actually was once you look past the surface of certain characters and races. Everytime I watch it the movie seems to get better because I pick up little things that add to the overall Star Wars Universe. That being said, the main reason I give it only four stars is because after watching the deleted scenes I see what the movie could have been had some of those scenes been left in. If anyone has read the novelization they know how important certain scenes were that were left out of the theatrical release of Episode I. Perhaps George Lucas will release Special Editions of the first three films in the series (Episodes I-III) and include those additional scenes to expand the universe a bit more. If that happens I will definitely be giving the extended version of this film five stars. So this only gets four stars, but seeing and/or buying this DVD is a must if you are a science-fiction fan, and especially if you are even a casual Star Wars fan. For those who dismissed this film before, I say give it another chance. I did and I was glad I gave it another watch.