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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace [1999]

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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

"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 it is 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-breathing 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 Qui-Gon 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 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 sceptics. 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

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

George Lucas transports audiences back to the future with Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace, the first instalment of a prequel trilogy in which the director imagines the foundation for the entire six-part saga. Reflecting the symbolic and mythological bases of at least five story arcs, The Phantom Menace wields a newly emerged, youthful vibrancy courtesy of Lucas' invigorating return to the director's chair and his healthy respect for the emotional sources of fantasy. Despite receiving a storm of adverse criticism (notably for Jar Jar Binks) Lucas continually fascinates with his ability to place his characters--some new, some old, some CGI--in the same dramatic situations posed in the original trilogy: whether it be the juxtaposition of primitives with technologically advanced societies or the timeless battle between good and evil, the very familiarity of these recurring scenarios and rhythms galvanises the viewer. Of course, the state-of-the-art visual effects contribute mightily to the final impact. Much has been written about the kinetic Pod Race sequence (compared favourably with the chariot race in Ben Hur) and the War and Peace-style military battles, but even these events are upstaged by the new planetary vistas: consider the Romanesque grandeur of Naboo, the underwater city of Otoh Gunga illuminated by Art Nouveau lamps, the decadent brio of Tatooine, or the dizzying skyscrapers of the city planet Coruscant (imagine Blade Runner in daylight). Despite the beauty of his iridescent images, Lucas exercises discipline, cutting fast within frames filled with rich detail and activity. As a result, The Phantom Menace lends itself to repeated viewings.

On the DVD: This spectacular two-disc DVD set was certainly worth the wait. Simply put, this is the most comprehensive packaging of supplementary materials so far assembled for DVD. Most importantly, Lucas film offers an anamorphic, 2.35:1 film transfer and a highly active Dolby 5.1 audio mix. Disc 1 includes an insightful commentary with Lucas--his first for DVD--and other key personnel, making for a great tour. The bulk of extra treasures can be found on Disc 2, including seven deleted scenes completed just for this set that possess the same quality as the film; in fact, some moments (the "Air Bus Taxi" and "Pod Race Grid" sequences) are so good that Lucas reincorporated them into the film proper. Viewers can also enjoy no less than 12 Web documentaries, five informative featurettes, the popular John Williams music video "Duel of the Fates" and numerous galleries of stills, trailers and television spots. Better yet, Lucas premieres "The Beginning," a 66-minute documentary edited from hundreds of hours of behind-the-scenes footage. This is not your standard-issue studio documentary, instead "The Beginning" is an Oscar-worthy, cinema verityé-style exploration of the creative process behind every aspect of the film's production. One of the most memorable moments involves a late-day visit to the set by Steven Spielberg: watching Lucas and Spielberg behave like kids in a candy store is one more reminder why the Star Wars saga remains enduringly popular. --Kevin Mulhall

Editorial
DVD Description

DVD Special Features:

Over six hours of additional material, including: Audio commentary by George Lucas (Writer/Director), Rick McCallum (Producer), Ben Burtt (Co-Editor and Sound Designer), Scott Squires, John Knoll and Dennis Muren (Visual Effects Supervisors), Rob Coleman (Animation Supervisor)
Seven Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes with full visual effects completed solely for this DVD release
"The Beginning" - Documentary offering unprecedented access inside Lucasfilm and ILM during the making of the film (one hour)
Multi-angle storyboard to animatic to finished film feature
Five "Behind-The-Scenes" Featurettes--Storyline, Design, Costumes, Visual Effects, Fight Scenes
Music Video- "Duel of the Fates" (John Williams)
"Lynne's Diaries" - the 12 part documentaries
Three Image Galleries--Theatrical Posters, Print Campaign, Never-Before-Seen Production Photos
Original Theatrical Teaser and Launch Trailers
Seven TV Spots--including the legendary "Tone Poems" Subtitles: English for the hearing impaired, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish

Editorial
Synopsis

The first of three prequels to George Lucas's celebrated STAR WARS films, EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE is set some 30 years before the original STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE in the era of the Republic. Naboo, a peaceful planet governed by the young but wise Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman), is being threatened by the corrupt Trade Federation, puppets of an evil Sith lord and his terrifying apprentice, Darth Maul (Ray Park). Jedi knights Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor, performing an amazing vocal imitation of Alec Guinness, the older Obi-Wan) are called on to intervene in the trade disputes. Along the way, they acquire an apprentice of their own in the form of young prodigy Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), or as STAR WARS fans know him, the future Darth Vader. They also encounter Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), a goofy, lizardlike creature who has been banished from his underwater world for clumsiness. When the Trade Federation launches an attack on Naboo, the queen and her allies must battle hordes of robot troopers while Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan face off against the sinister Darth Maul.
One of the most anticipated films of all time, THE PHANTOM MENACE sets the stage for the tumultuous events to come. Lucas fills the screen with detailed sci-fi creatures and locations, revealing the most creative and exquisite sets, costumes, and character designs to hit the screen since the original trilogy.

New Fan, Completely Amazed
Review date: 2008-08-28 Rating: 10 out of 10

(I wrote this review back in 2004 and only found it again recently)

Before I start on this review, let me tell you that I am a relatively new fan of star wars, so my opinions may be slightly different than those loyal fans who have been with these movies from the very begining.

I saw this film a few days after watching the original trilogy, and although I still prefer the original, I think this is amazing too. It is incredible to see Annakin Skywalker as that little innocent boy, and unnerving to remember what he becomes. It goes to show how even the most evil villains began life as a normal person. They weren't born evil.

The plot is interesting, and I think the acting is pretty good. But my favourite thing about the movie is seeing the younger versions of everyone, what they were like before they became the well known charactors we know today. Obi Wan seemed so different from that confident and expereinced old man that you meet in episode 4, but Annakin still amazes me the most. Throughout all the movie I just kept remembering his face in episode 6, when Luke removed his mask, and wondering how could anyone so sweet become something so pitiless and cruel? It was kind of sad.

Overall, I give this film a 5, because even though it wasn't as good as the originals, it was still a very good film.

Reviews

Menacingly Bad
Review date: 2008-08-04 Rating: 2 out of 10

Went I went to the cinema to watch this I was glued to my seat, otherwise I would have left.

An honest reappraisal
Review date: 2008-07-07 Rating: 2 out of 10

This absolute mare of a film with be 10 years old next year. And guess what? Time hasn't been kind to this boring, insulting film, and complete and total disappointment.

George Lucas should have been brave enough to hand the reigns over to the likes of Frank Darabont and David Fincher to direct what should have been a dark, depressing journey all the way to the dark side of the Force. It should have been thrilling, amazing, and awe-inspiring. Instead it was trill, mediocre, and bloody awful.
He's directed one good film - back in 1977 - what idiot thought he could deliver a trilogy of real quality in this day and age? Well, with the chief yes-man Rick Mcallum on board to ensure this dated, patronising, twee vision actually made it to the screen, I guess we were in deepest. darkest committee hell. Remember - a room of professional, mature, articulate, creative adults, would have met on numerous occasions and discussed the introduction of Jar Jar Binks as being a good idea for the film. They would have discussed design sketches, discussed accents, and then, weirdly, amazingly, decided on something that they ALL agreed would benefit the film.

The story (if you could call it that) was devoid of any kind of excitement and plot development, and the casting of Anakin Skywalker brought to light two of world's worst wooden actors. Again, what were they thinking? And why make him the focus - the original three films had a real characters with many different threads to the story. Little brat turns to teenage brat then goes bad - what should have been an epic, sad, terrible journey to the dark side of the human psyche was handled with all the panache of a 6th form film student.

Then there's all the obvious insulting plot holes that make you think that the film was directed by someone who was brought in at the last minute having only watched the original trilogy the day before.

I'd have more respect for George Lucas if, in some weird, almighty precedent, he held his hands up and disowned the films - he could blame Mcallum, retrieve the films and give them to some directors with talent.

And the argument that the new films were aimed at a new generation of young people as the original trilogy was doesn't quite wash. I can watch any of the original trilogy as a thirty-something, whereas the new ones were insulting to even teenagers.

It's NOT as bad as some would have you believe
Review date: 2008-06-01 Rating: 8 out of 10

Is it really 9 years since The Phantom Menace brought Star Wars back to the Cinema after a 16 year hiatus? Back in the summer of 1999, the world was a very differant place to today. Bill Clinton was still American President. Tony Blair was enjoying his long honeymoon with the British electorate. The Twin Towers were still standing and few people had heard of Al Qeada. As we counted down to a new Millennium the world appeared to be on the cusp of a new golden age of econmic prosperity and relative peace. Admist this background came Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The hype and expectation for this movie was probably greater than anything before or since in movie history. What film could ever hope to live up to this hype and expectation? No film ever could. The initial response from fanboys and critics across the world was cries of anguish and pain. Claims of childhoods being raped drowned out the more sensible reflections that actually this movie whilst not particularly great, was as bad as many claimed it was. Now, almost a decade on from the initial release, perhaps the time is right for a more considered view of this film?

The Phantom Menace is the very definition of a "mixed" film. It has both good and bad points, and whether you end up liking this film will depend on;

1. Do the bad points outweigh the good points for you?
2. Do the good points outweigh the bad points for you?

Thus you will find the answer of whether or not this movie works for you, somewhere in the balance of the two.

Some of the bad points; George Lucas's direction is stiff. Lucas hadn't directed a film since 1977 and it shows.
Jar Jar Binks is annoying and tedious and frequently gets in the way, however, as with so many complaints about this film, Binks is NOT as bad as some would have you believe, and you CAN enjoy this film despite the presense of JJB. Children will love Jar Jar, so if you show this film to your 8 year old child, please don't let your loathing of Mr Bink's ruin your child's love for this character.
Other bad points are that the pod race goes on too long (it went on too long in the theatrical release, and for some reason its been extended further for the DVD)
Ewan Mcgregor unfortunatly gets very little to do.
Natalie Portman shines as Queen Amidala, but as Padme she often leaves a lot to be desired. Jake Lloyds Anakin is given some annoyingly silly lines to read out (as with Binks, Lloyd is NOT as bad as outraged fanboys would have you believe)
The Gungans are probably the worse species in SW history (except for the Ewoks of course ;) ) and the final battle between the Gungans and the Battle Droids is unengaging.
Perhaps my main complaint about Menace is that the two characters that get the most screen time, Jar Jar Binks and Qui-Gon Jinn, are the two characters that don't really feature in the next two films. Thus, this is, I think, the central problem with Menace. Its mainly filler. Lucas needed "more" in this film.

Some of the good points; Liam Neeson is the glue that holds this film together. Anybody that says the acting was better in the OT, should look at Neesons performance. Its at least as good as anything in the OT.
The political sub-plot is interesting and engaging and seeing how Palpatine begins his rise to power is compelling. Ian Mcdiarmid is outstanding in the small number of scenes he is given.
The Mother/Son relationship between Anakin and his Mother is well done and you do feel a sense of Anakins pain at being parted from his mother and having to leave her as a slave. The twist of Anakin's origins (that he was born without a father) adds a mystical and mythical element. Deeply religious people may be offended, but "virgin births" feature in many mythical stories.
Seeing the workings of the Jedi Council and how the Jedi relate to the Senate is interesting.
Darth Maul is cool and The Duel Of The Fates is probably the most exciting lightsaber battle of the Saga. The piece of music that accompany's the duel is truely outstanding (otherwise John Williams' score on TPM isn't very memorable - Like Lucas, at times you get the sense he is warming himself up with this picture
The general time and effort and attention to detail is wonderful. For Amidala's gowns alone costume designer Trisha Biggar should have won an Oscar. ILM's special effects are amazing. The film looks outstanding and sounds wonderful. As a piece of art, The Phantom Menace is an awesome blend of creativity and artisitic inspiration. Too bad the final product ended up so mixed.

Just to say, the movie ranks as a solid *** affair, but the DVD package itself takes it up to **** The central documentery; The Beginning is one of the best DVD extras you'll find on any DVD release. An absolute gem. It even captures the moment George Lucas himself realise's the movie is not panning out as well as he had hoped. Also included in the extras is a full commentery, deleated scenes, trailers, music video and web-docs (which are also of the highest quality)

In closing, The Phantom Menace IS a deeply flawed movie. Slow, plodding and yes, in places even dull. Much of it is filler and a setting up effort. But it also has moments of pure brilliance and many parts are good or very good. Theres a fascination at seeing the Star Wars universe; BEFORE THE DARK TIMES. This is a film that is about children and for children. Theres a lightness and feeling of innocence that contrasts fantastically to the much, much darker Episode III. Given the time in which the movie was released, itself a moment that could be described as "before the darkness" you can't help but feel a pang of nostalgia when you watch The Phantom Menace. Even those that hate this film must feel that somewhere?

To date, my biggest ever disappointment.....
Review date: 2008-05-20 Rating: 2 out of 10

Star Wars episodes IV, V and VI make up the finest cinematic saga of all time. Originally written as the middle three episodes of nine stories spanning centuries in the Star Wars mythology, they captivated audiences of all generations and still continue to do so today. When George Lucas announced he was going to begin filming the three prequels to his original trilogy I almost passed out in excitement. We waited and waited and waited. And then, in a typhoon of worldwide media frenzy, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace opened in cinemas. I was there of course, my only concern being whether or not I had enough time to run to Toys 'R' us and buy a lightsabre before the film started. I never even considered the film might stink. After all, this is Star Wars! How wrong I was.

Star Wars: Episode I is a boring, noxious dog's egg of a film. Industrial Light & Magic's gruesome creatures are replaced with irritating, glossy CGI animations giving the film a tacky, shiny gloss not at all in keeping with the spirit of the originals. Even Jabba the Hutt looks like a slimmer, more sanitized version of his Return of the Jedi self. The story concentrates on Anakin Skywalker (Luke's father), following him as a child growing up on Tattooine and then as he embarks upon a journey towards his inevitable destiny as a powerful warrior. Jedi knights, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his young apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) meet Anakin and sense the force in him and realising he could become a powerful Jedi, take him with them. Standing in their way is evil Darth Maul, a pretty rubbish looking Sith warrior with a cheap looking painted face. His only saving grace is a cool double edged lightsabre. Tagging along all the time is an incredibly annoying and totally unnecessary CGI characater called Jar Jar Binks who is in no way as important to this story as C3PO and R2D2 were to the originals. Add all these factors to a very dull plot about an intergalactic trade dispute or something and drag the film out to over two hours and you have what could quite possibly be the most massive turd of all time. I still went to see episodes II & III but don't consider any of them as members of the Star Wars franchise.

Like this? Try: Episodes II & III

Product Details/Specifications

Actor(s):
Pernilla August
Jake Lloyd
Ewan McGregor
Liam Neeson
Natalie Portman

Creators:
Liam Neeson (Primary Contributor)
Ewan McGregor (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 5039036007375
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2005-09-20
Universal product code (UPC): 504903601246
Number of discs: 2
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 127 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1999-05-19
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: Norwegian (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)

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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace [1999]

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