Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: Wow. That's all I can say...wow.
Summary: 1 Stars
Just watched this again on TV the other day. The acting is simply astounding. I can feel for the actors, as the dialogue is so atrocious that it's almost beyond belief, but still. Were they physically prevented from doing the thing that we normally think of when the word "acting" is mentioned? I mean, blurting out some dialogue, or reciting it as if you're making an emotionless statement, that's not acting. Seriously, this is what I expect from fifth graders appearing in their very first school play. It's just astonishes me every time one of the characters says something. It's like a big, dumb, obvious summary of what's going on at the moment. "Mom, I'm not a slave any more!" Mom: "All your dreams have come true." Said with all the emotion of "Oh, you remembered to pick up the potato chips from the store." Probably 80% of the dialogue in this movie is like this. Most first-time script readthroughs on a soap opera must be far superior to this. Seriously, Scooby Doo has better acting - much, much better. I honestly can't remember ever seeing anything like this, except maybe in the worst of the worst of Sci-Fi Originals. And even then, it's not every member of the entire cast like it is here.
Then of course there's Jar Jar, the baby talking donkey. I guess Lucas was really reaching out for the 2 and under audience. And the big battle at the end, with a villain we hardly know, so there's really no drama there (except what can be created with CGI), and he looks downright silly in that Halloween face paint. Oh, let's not forget the story, as Annakin's fighter gets hit, causing him to go out of control. He ACCIDENTALLY flies into the space station, then while shooting at some droids, ACCIDENTALLY hits the main reactor, which nicely waits for him to get to a safe distance before exploding. Good grief, it's too stupid and pathetic to even bother criticizing.
Overall, this is an astonishingly bad movie, with dialogue that keeps one in a constant state of "What the **** did I just see?". I mean, constantly,. throughout the whole film. The action is much the same, dumb, silly, dopey. the tone of the movie goes from "epic drama" to dopey silliness, back and forth, pretty much every thirty seconds. Dopey droids are vwooshed in half by the increasingly boring sounds of light sabers, which now look more like a fluorescent tube than any sort of weapon. And then they chop another two dozen in half, then another three dozen, then another dozen. Then another two dozen.
Movie Review: What was Lucas thinking???
Summary: 1 Stars
This was a terrible movie! After giving us one of the best trilogies in movie history, Lucas does this??? Confused plot, repulsive characters (especially Jar Jar), and ...did anyone REALLY want to see a baby-faced Darth Vader shouting "Yippee!" Barf! It sort of ruined the whole second trilogy for me. (Although the second trilogy does get better from here!) I know Lucas was trying to draw in pre-schoolers who had never seen the first trilogy, but did he need to thumb his nose at his older fan base?
If Lucas really cared for his fans he would come out with his own re-edit of this one (sort of like the newer version of the original series) giving us a movie that is watchable for "over pre-school" fans. Or at least, instead of trying the sue the phantom editor, he could have included the phantom edit as a special feature on the DVD as a tribute to his fans who loved his work enough to try to cover his mistakes!
Movie Review: My least favorite Star Wars movie, but still alot of fun.
Summary: 4 Stars
When Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released in theaters in May of 1999, I was one of those crazed fans camping out for the midnight showing. Having grown up with the original trilogy (episodes IV-VI), I had very high expectations for the first film in the prequels. The visual effects did not disappoint, however, the film was not without its problems. The main villian in the film, Darth Maul, promised to be the ultimate bad guy of the Star Wars saga. Although the character, played by Ray Park, was very menacing, I felt the movie spent too much time on the hated Jar Jar Binks, and not nearly enough screen time was given to Darth Maul, making Jar Jar the most hated character in Star Wars history. The film does, however, do a good job of setting up the rest of the series, giving you an introduction to key characters, and leads to the better movies in the franchise. For me, Star Wars is told like a loaf of bread. The end pieces (Episode I and Episode VI) are the weekest parts. The best Star Wars films are everything in the middle (Episodes II-V).Movie Review: Deciphering the Star Wars Episode IV from the Star Wars Episode I known by Few
Summary: 4 Stars
I wouldn't say that Star Wars Episode I isn't a movie to be excited about when your going to go see the premiere, but deciphering it from the very first Star Wars movie ever made, it just feels so..."movie magic". I mean the special effects were very convincing, considering the Podrace and all, but in Star Wars Episode IV, you can see that normal people just like you are performing in an action-packed sci-fi film. It's harder with these "model" characters. Queen Amidala looks like a plastic Barbie doll with bird crap on her face, and Anakin looks like he's some nerd with a bob-cut. And Qui-Gon Jinn is wearing a girl's hairdo. I mean, does this seem just a LITTLE unhuman? And most of these people don't get really into the movie. They just seem like movie characters, and that is all.
The effects are basically what you should look forward to. The aliens, the vehicles, even the backgrounds look maginificent and so very real, as if it were a real place. Coruscant reminds me somewhat like New York City but, well, alot more metal. And Sebulba looks like a turkey, if that's a good thing. :P Do you think the character's where made by special effects, too? Seems like it.
Now enough about the movie. The DVD is very informational, especially the documentary on Disk 2. It's a bit lengthy, but if you enjoy Star Wars as much as I, then you should watch it. Getting a glimpse behind all the blood, sweat, and tears in the Phantom Menace is enough to get me excited. Did you know that when the people are hitting each other with the lightsabers really fast, that they really ARE that fast? I mean you see them battling with metal sticks, but it's still so cool!
Movie Review: Every saga has a beginning...
Summary: 5 Stars
This DVD was the last part of my Star Wars DVD collection. It's a great item. Discs contain lots of features that you can't see everywhere easily. You should listen to the orchestra conducted by John Williams. It's amazing!