Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Full Screen Edition) |  | Director: George Lucas
Actors: Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Pernilla August
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $3.84
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Seller: goHastings
Rating:  2698 reviews
Sales Rank: 10650
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 136 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2005620D
UPC: 024543056201
EAN: 0024543056201
ASIN: B00006JDU9
Theatrical Release Date: May 19, 1999
Release Date: March 22, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his young apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi aid the Queen of Naboo in an attempt to thwart the invasion of her home planet; meanwhile, they come across Anakin Skywalker, a young boy with strong Jedi powers.
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: PG
Release Date: 22-MAR-2005
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com
"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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Showing reviews 1-5 of 2698
 Cheap and fast February 6, 2010
D. G. McBride (Denver Colorado)
I just got this to replace my Fiancé's VHS copy and on Christmas morning she was happy to see that I had replaced it because her VHS copy started showing wear. Fast shipping and the DVD was cheap too!
 Truly an awful movie. Only wanted to complete the trilogy. January 31, 2010
Daniel Liston
This is by far the worst of the Star Wars movies (all of I-VI). Jar-Jar is torturous to watch as are young Anakin Skywalker, Watto, Sebulba, and the other cartoon creatures of this film. Only worth having in order to complete the set. This is the movie that makes it impossible to watch all six in a row, in a day. Plain and simple.
Starts too far back to be relevant January 21, 2010
H. Jin (Melbourne, Australia)
As the first of the three prequels, and therefore the most distant from the original story, 'The Phantom Menace' was probably always doomed to be the least interesting. I was prepared to accept this film would be mostly background and story development, and that I wouldn't fully appreciate it until I'd seen Episodes II and III. All fair enough.
But Lucas made the problem worse by starting too far back, to the point where the movie feels almost disconnected from the Star Wars story. The trade dispute at the centre of the plot is supposed to highlight the beginning of the Republic's downfall, but is too mundane and obscure to be engaging. And it's impossible to make any connection between the boy Anakin and the greatest villain ever seen. It might have worked had Anakin been an interesting character, but he's basically a whiny brat (something which does not change at all throughout Episodes II and III). He's just plain annoying and adds nothing to the story.
Anakin apart, the acting and characterisation is a mixed bag. The two male leads do okay, although it's hard to accept Obi-Wan as a cocky young apprentice. Natalie Portman, unlike Episodes II and III, is at least given something to work with, while Ian McDiarmid was the obvious choice to play the younger Palpatine. However, Darth Maul, who had the potential to be a really cool and interesting villain, is largely sidelined......and do I really need to mention the laugh-at-him-not-with-him Jar Jar?
There's also a very leaden feeling to the production, a problem which plagues all three prequels. The spontaneous fun of the originals is missing, and the acting and dialogue is often predictable and wooden. Despite it's child-friendly gloss, too much of `The Phantom Menace' is taken up with the boring political posturing, which seems to suck all the fun and enjoyment out of the movie.
The only thing I really liked about this movie was watching Palpatine skilfully manipulate the trade crisis as his first step to becoming Emperor. That's probably the one and only key element in this movie for fans of the original. As for the rest, you could easily begin at Episode II and not miss very much. There's no real reason the prequels couldn't have started as Episode II did, with Anakin already a young Jedi, which makes `The Phantom Menace' a bit of a waste of time, and a missed opportunity.
 Not as bad as I remember January 19, 2010
D. J. Nardi (Washington, DC)
I remember reading all of the horrible reviews of The Phantom Menace and my disappointment upon first seeing the film. Admittedly, it's not the greatest Star Wars film and a lot of the criticisms are valid. However, I recently rewatched it with my wife and started to see some value in it. It is an adventure movie with some pretty cool scenes (the Darth Maul duel in particular). But more importantly, it isn't supposed to focus on character and plot development - that's for Episodes II and III. Rather, TPM is just an adventure story to introduce the world of Star Wars (think the Hobbit before the Lord of the Rings). It isn't a great movie, but it's also not so horrible as to cast it out of the Star Wars saga. Overall, a 3.75 star movie.
Not as bad as I remember January 19, 2010
D. J. Nardi (Washington, DC)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I remember reading all of the horrible reviews of The Phantom Menace and my disappointment upon first seeing the film. Admittedly, it's not the greatest Star Wars film and a lot of the criticisms are valid. However, I recently rewatched it with my wife and started to see some value in it. It is an adventure movie with some pretty cool scenes (the Darth Maul duel in particular). But more importantly, it isn't supposed to focus on character and plot development - that's for Episodes II and III. Rather, TPM is just an adventure story to introduce the world of Star Wars (think the Hobbit before the Lord of the Rings). It isn't a great movie, but it's also not so horrible as to cast it out of the Star Wars saga. Overall, a 3.75 star movie.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 2698
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