Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anthony Daniels, Brian Blessed, Kenny Baker, Oliver Ford Davies, Pernilla AugustBrand: Fox Home Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 360 minutes
Published: 2001
DVD Release Date: 2005-03-22
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Movie Review: Perhaps the Best in the series
Summary: 5 Stars
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!!
Summary of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Features include:
?MPAA Rating: PG
?Format: DVD
?Runtime: 360 minutes
"I have a bad feeling about this," says the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace as he steps off a spaceship and into the most anticipated cinematic event... well, ever. He might as well be speaking for the legions of fans of the original episodes in the Star Wars saga who can't help but secretly ask themselves: Sure, this is Star Wars, but is it my Star Wars? The original elevated moviegoers' expectations so high that it would have been impossible for any subsequent film to meet them. And as with all the Star Wars movies, The Phantom Menace features inexplicable plot twists, a fistful of loose threads, and some cheek-chewing dialogue. Han Solo's swagger is sorely missed, as is the pervading menace of heavy-breather Darth Vader. There is still way too much quasi-mystical mumbo jumbo, and some of what was fresh about Star Wars 22 years earlier feels formulaic. Yet there's much to admire. The special effects are stupendous; three worlds are populated with a mélange of creatures, flora, and horizons rendered in absolute detail. The action and battle scenes are breathtaking in their complexity. And one particular sequence of the film--the adrenaline-infused pod race through the Tatooine desert--makes the chariot race in Ben-Hur look like a Sunday stroll through the park.
Among the host of new characters, there are a few familiar walk-ons. We witness the first meeting between R2-D2 and C-3PO, Jabba the Hutt looks younger and slimmer (but not young and slim), and Yoda is as crabby as ever. Natalie Portman's stately Queen Amidala sports hairdos that make Princess Leia look dowdy and wields a mean laser. We never bond with Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Obi-Wan's day is yet to come. Jar Jar Binks, a cross between a Muppet, a frog, and a hippie, provides many of the movie's lighter moments, while Sith Lord Darth Maul is a formidable force. Baby-faced Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) looks too young and innocent to command the powers of the Force or wield a lightsaber (much less transmute into the future Darth Vader), but his boyish exuberance wins over skeptics.
Near the end of the movie, Palpatine, the new leader of the Republic, may be speaking for fans eagerly awaiting Episode II when he pats young Anakin on the head and says, "We will watch your career with great interest." Indeed! --Tod Nelson
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