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

This is where it all started There is an inescapable truth that has been pointed out by this movie - there is a huge difference between liking Star Wars and understanding Star Wars. To those who watched the first trilogy simply for the flashing lights and pretty colors this ...

Format : Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Widescreen, NTSC
Publisher : 20th Century Fox
Company : Star Wars
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Begin your STAR WARS DVD collection with STAR WARS: Episode 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE. Packed with over six hours of additional material, including exclusive documentaries and never-before-seen deleted scenes, this 2-disc set provides the perfect showcase for the incredible detail and breathtaking scope of George Lucas's first episode in the mythic STAR WARS saga.

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"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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Customer reviews

This is where it all started by .. Bill Wunderlich ()
There is an inescapable truth that has been pointed out by this movie - there is a huge difference between liking Star Wars and understanding Star Wars. To those who watched the first trilogy simply for the flashing lights and pretty colors this movie won't make any sense at all. But for those who understood the mythical underpinnings of the saga this movie made perfect sense.

This is where everything starts. It shows the Old Republic, the Galactic Senate, and the initial conception of the Evil Galactic Empire. But beyond all of that this installment shows us a true Jedi Master in his own element - and what he is capable of.

This is the beginning. The first chapter. From here things will descend into oblivion over the course of the next two episodes leading up to that Star Destroyer chasing Princess Leia's Tantive IV Blockade Runner over the surface of Tatooine.

Complaining about the lack of a "Han Solo" character is simply idiotic. To have one would be redundant. The story already has a "Han Solo" character. He enters the story in Chapter IV.

This movie forces you to re-evaluate the first trilogy to incorporate the information presented here. Information regarding the Jedi Council, the training of a Jedi, how the Empire came to be, what Luke and Leia's mother was like, and above all the origin of Anakin Skywalker, his importance to the galaxy, and why the character of Darth Vader is a tragic figure.

Earlier complaints about the movie being "dumbed down" are completely inaccurate. It is in fact the other way around, and low-brows are complaining because Lucas is forcing them to connect the dots themselves. And Jar Jar was put there specifically so the kids would have something to latch onto, because the grandeur of the story would no doubt airplane the younger ones.

Basically if you don't get it, you just don't get it, and nothing anyone can say will change that. And if you do get it, then you already know this movie was a milestone and you already know everything I have been saying.

Bring on Episode II

Excellent! This movie did exactly what it was supposed to do by .. Jeffrey Sprankle (Houston, TX USA)
The Phantom Menice is a wonderful movie. Some people didn't like it because there wasn't at much action or space battles. However, it was meant to develop characters and introduce us to the world that we were thrown into in Star Wars. The story (in the original Star Wars) was wonderful but we never knew where the characters came from or why they were in the positions they were in. This is where Phantom Menace comes in.

The Phantom Menace starts at the beginning and shows the characters that started the whole thing. In addition it answered some questions that Star Wars fans had for a long time, as well as created new questions that will be answered in the next two movies.

When you take the movie for what it is, the beginning of a long story, it is FANTASTIC! I just wich it was available on DVD!

Simply fun and entertaining by .. Mike (Lauging at the basement-dwelling slack jawed yokels)
I feel bad for sci-fi fans who are so caught up in themselves and what they percieve to be a "perfect movie" that they couldn't enjoy a fun, entertaining, and warm movie like this.

From start to finish, I was completely caught up in another world. Lucas's masterpiece has the ability to sweep you away for two hours and take you on an exciting journey like no other film has. This movie is a throwback to "old-time" entertainment that is "good vs. evil" and exciting and FAMILY ORIENTED.

I do not consider myself a huge Star Wars fan, but I absolutely loved this film. Avoid the opinions of all the Star Wars nuts who would not have been satisfied if Lucas had shot a four hour epic on LOCATION in a galaxy far away with real Jedi.

The story is great (and emotional when you realize what the future holds for some of the characters), special effects are astounding, and characters are cool. What else do you want?

NEWSFLASH: Two hours and 20 min of Darth Maul would not make a good movie (although some would have you believe so). I liked him too, but I don't think the movie sucks because I personally would have liked to see more of him! He was supposed to be a menacing background character (hence: The Phantom Menace), not a new Darth Vader. So...get a grip, loosen up, allow yourself to have fun and watch this one for what it IS: a fun and entertaining movie, not a Godsent gift of filmmaking perfection aimed directly at you...

The movie kept growing on me by .. Robert Shepard Jr. (USA)
I was 12 when the original Star Wars came out, and for a brief time I felt like I was 12 again when I saw Phantom Menace. The first time I was a little disappointed, but a funny thing happened when I went back once, twice, then three times -- the movie grew on me. I began to see very interesting subtleties. Very disturbing parallels between world events and events in the movie. There is clearly a much deeper level to the movie than what most 12-year-olds will notice.

Most noteworthy, the movie came out a month after the Columbine High School massacre, which was only a few miles from my home. The movie, as well as the killings, made me reflect on how a cute little boy could possibly mutate into a ruthless killer.

It is clear to me that George Lucas deliberately set out to create a movie that was a little sillier and more frivolous than the earlier three. The contrast between Phantom Menace and Episode III (where, no doubt, lots of good people are going to die) should be very striking. Then, I think, people will understand Phantom Menace much better.

What could Mr. Lucas have done differently with the movie? Not much, that I can see.

STAR WARS ON DVD. WELL WORTH THE WAIT. by .. M. Berliner (San Mateo, California)
It was said that Star Wars wouldnt make its way to DVD for years to come. However the demand grew so intence, Lucas decided to feed our hunger, if only for a little while. I got this DVD early from a friend who works at Blockbuster...so i was very excited to be amoung the first to own this film on DVD.

Everyone has seen Episode 1 so I dont need to go on about the movie itself, but the special features instead.

Disc one has commentary with George Lucas and Crew, but no cast memebers. That itself is the only dissapointing thing on this DVD. It would have been nice to hear Liam Neeson, and Ewan McGregor talk about the experience. Also George Lucas pauses for long periods of time, before speaking again, I started losing interest into what he was saying, and more interested in watching the film again.

Disc two has all the good stuff, outside of the movie. You can view the deleted scenes seperately, or they are intergrated back into the movie, if you can catch them. The film itself has many extended scenes at Corousant, and The Pod Race at Tatooine. Each deleted scene comes with an interview with Lucas explainging why it was cut and so on.

The rest is all normal features. There are 5 documentaries and a bunch of other toys to play with. Its really a great DVD, with hours of fun. Also each time you put it in, the menu screen changes to a different scene. Its really nice looking.

It sounds great, picture looks great. Feels like your back in the theatre again..all you need is movie popcorn.

GO GET THIS ONE.