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

Starring:Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
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
Description
Feature-Length Audio Commentary
The creators of Episode I give you insight into the film like no one else can. Hear from: writer/director George Lucas, Producer Rick McCallum, sound designer and film co-editor Ben Burtt, ILM animation director Rob Coleman and ILM visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires.

"The Beginning"
Making Episode I Documentary Film
Culled from over 600 hours of behind-the-scenes footage, this all-new hour-long documentary film takes you inside Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic during the making of The Phantom Menace. Sit in on the film's production process including: pre-production, casting, principal photography, editing, rough-cut reviews, visual effects meetings and other events that few people have had access to before.

Exclusive Deleted Scenes and Documentary
All-new documentary featuring George Lucas, Rick McCallum and guests discussing the painstaking process every director must go through in determining what scenes make the final cut. View seven exclusive deleted sequences that were created specifically for this DVD and learn why they were eliminated from the final version of the film.

Multi-Angle Animatics
Discover the amazing techniques used to create two memorable sequences (Submarine and Podrace Lap 1) from storyboards to animatics to final composites.

Featurettes
Five mini-documentaries give you an insider's look at The Phantom Menace's Storyline, Design, Costumes, Visual Effects and Fight sequences through behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and filmmakers.

Web Documentaries
Originally released on starwars.com during the production of Episode I, this award-winning twelve-part web documentary series gives you a fly-on-the-wall perspective into the making of the film as it was happening.

Exclusive Production Photo Gallery
Scroll through a never-before-seen gallery of candid cast and crew shots, each with captions.

"Duel of the Fates" Music Video
One of the most popular music videos during its release in May 1999, the "Duel of the Fates" video intertwines live footage of John Williams conducting the London Symphony Orchestra with behind-the-scenes clips and dramatic footage featured in Episode I.

Posters and Print Campaign
Examine the Episode I theatrical posters (Teaser and Launch) and the International Outdoor advertising used to support the release of Episode I around the world.

Trailers and TV Spots
Watch the theatrical teaser and launch trailers, plus seven TV spots (including the five original "Tone Poems" along with "The Saga Begins" and "All Over Again").

"Star Wars: Starfighter-The Making of a Game" from LucasArts
This featurette offers insight into the making of the popular flight action combat game along with information on other Star Wars games from LucasArts.

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.

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

Description

Feature-Length Audio Commentary
The creators of Episode I give you insight into the film like no one else can. Hear from: writer/director George Lucas, Producer Rick McCallum, sound designer and film co-editor Ben Burtt, ILM animation director Rob Coleman and ILM visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires.

Multi-Angle Animatics
Discover the amazing techniques used to create two memorable sequences (Submarine and Podrace Lap 1) from storyboards to animatics to final composites.

Exclusive Production Photo Gallery
Scroll through a never-before-seen gallery of candid cast and crew shots, each with captions.

Posters and Print Campaign
Examine the Episode I theatrical posters (Teaser and Launch) and the International Outdoor advertising used to support the release of Episode I around the world.

Trailers and TV Spots
Watch the theatrical teaser and launch trailers, plus seven TV spots (including the five original "Tone Poems" along with "The Saga Begins" and "All Over Again").

Exclusive DVD-ROM Content
Your Episode I DVD is a key that unlocks exclusive Star Wars content only available through a special DVD-ROM website.

Customer Reviews:

"I'm a person. And my name is Anakin.".......2007-06-22

STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE would have had to have been beyond perfect to survive the almost twenty years of fan anticipation and the avalanche of hype it was met with. When released in 1999, reactions to THE PHANTOM MENACE were very mixed. Disappointed (even embittered) fans claimed that George Lucas had created THE PHANTOM MENACE merely to cash in on the STAR WARS franchise---as if he needed to "cash in" on what had already become a multibillion dollar enterprise. As a result, the whole "prequel" trilogy got a bad reputation, none worse than this film.

Revisiting it years later, after all the shouting has died down, THE PHANTOM MENACE seems far better than it did upon its release. It doesn't measure up to any of the films of the original trilogy. It may in fact be the weakest film of the sextet. THE PHANTOM MENACE suffers from the same mistaken approach that George Lucas has adopted toward his "improved" versions of the original films. THE PHANTOM MENACE has most of the same shortcomings, particularly the (very common) sci-fi bugaboo of using a film to showcase special effects. Lucas gave us a truly Shakespearean tale in the first trilogy, and incidentally set it "a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." The spaceships, the ray guns, and the alien life forms propelled the story, but they were NOT the story.

Lucas wants to show us all kinds of new, colorful, and beautiful visions in THE PHANTOM MENACE, and he does, but at great expense to the storyline, which meanders all the way from Point A to Point A Prime in this installment.

There's even greater expense to the characterizations. We could relate to Luke, Leia, Han, See Threepio and Artoo Detoo in the first trilogy because they were like us in so many ways. Han Solo especially served to ground the STAR WARS universe in familiarity. Han's "scoundrel" energy was very central to the success of the original movies.

There isn't a lovable scoundrel in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Lucas does give us some truly interesting new characters, but they're alien (both literally and figuratively) and we hardly get to know them.

The young Queen of Naboo, Padme Amidala (played by Natalie Portman, one of the beautiful new visions in this film) is oft-times regally remote, and somewhat mysterious. Her lookalike decoy is played by Keira Knightley (another beautiful new vision), and it is truly difficult to tell them apart at times.

Although Portman's Amidala shows herself to be clearly a warm, open, and sympathetic character, by the end of THE PHANTOM MENACE we know much less about her than we do about her cinematic daughter, Princess Leia, in A NEW HOPE.

Young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) is a slave-child on Tatooine. An inventor and a gifted pilot even at the age of eight, he is so bright-eyed and kindhearted ("Someday, I'll come back here and free all the slaves") that it is difficult to reconcile this gentle little boy who cries for his mother with the horrific Darth Vader he eventually becomes.

The Jedi Council initially refuses to allow Anakin to be trained as a Jedi ("There is much fear in you, young one," says Yoda). We never really see his fear or feel it. Nor do we get much more than a glimmer of the rage and anger he must feel as a slave. Watto, his owner, is a straw boater wearing, comical-looking flying bumblebee/vulture who speaks with a vaudeville Italian accent. Simon Legree should not be doing stand-up. By making Watto a figure of fun, Lucas fails to either underscore the weaknesses of the Galactic Republic, or presage its descent into darkness.

Essentially, we have only the criticisms of the Jedi Masters to go on in consigning young Anakin to the Minus Column. It just isn't enough, especially when he wins the high stakes podrace that is the main act of the story (the stakes being his own freedom), and is eventually responsible for firing the well-placed shot that defeats the enemy in battle (like his cinematic son, Luke).

The oddly mismatched love between the prepubescent Anakin and the much older teenaged Padme comes out of nowhere, with hardly a forethought (Anakin's shy question to the girl at their first meeting---"Are you an angel?"---is the only indicator of what later blossoms).

Likewise, Lucas utterly wastes two of his most intriguing characters, the iconoclastic Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and the truly satanic Darth Maul. Qui-Gon is wise. Qui-Gon is skilled. Qui-Gon should have been Obi-Wan's Obi-Wan and Anakin's ally. But although Qui-Gon is instrumental in freeing Anakin from bondage, he never develops a truly affectionate (Obi-Wan and Luke-type) relationship with the boy, seeming more interested in him as raw material for Jedi training.

The silent Darth Maul, (the evil lord of shopping centers) with his horned black-and-red face, twin-ended lightsaber, glowing sulfur-yellow eyes, kendo-style fighting technique, and flowing black robes is potentially a figure as memorable and frightening as Darth Vader, but both he and Qui-Gon die in battling one another; and so a fascinating second trilogy dynamic between good and evil dies with them.

Added to these missed opportunities are odd inconsistencies between THE PHANTOM MENACE and the original trilogy. See Threepio turns out to have been built by Anakin on Tatooine, but then why didn't the droid recognize Tatooine or the name "Skywalker" in A NEW HOPE? Although Ben Kenobi claims to have been trained by Yoda in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, he is clearly Qui-Gon's student in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Tatooine is ruled by the Hutts in this film, but not in the original trilogy. Although Anakin's mother references Tatooine's twin suns, they're never seen together in the sky.

Clearly, Lucas couldn't have reworked the original films after 20 years to fit all these elements in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Their inclusion here is a sign of his hubris. Why not just be true to the original? Clearly, his desire to make these changes overrode any considerations of film continuity and audience expectations. George Lucas isn't really trying to give us a better cinematic experience here, he's just totally into playing with his favorite toys. It's a form of selfishness.

Possibly the worst of Lucas's new ideas is the Social Darwinist/Nazi race theory concept of a high "midichlorian" count giving rise to greater Force sensitivity. Anakin has a mythic virgin birth due to the midichlorians, a bad twist to the tale when one considers that Lucas could have underscored the horrors of slavery by having Anakin fathered by a freeborn man who exploited Shmi Skywalker's position as a slave. Here, once again, the film fails to foreshadow the lawlessness and unethical evils of the rising Galactic Empire.

STAR WARS isn't sociology, but it's insistence on touching universal themes is what made it so wildly successful. The first trilogy was constructed entirely upon the foundation of our shared collective subconscious. Lucas loses that thread in this film.

The inclusion of the midichlorian factor means that the Jedi are no longer a highly-trained spiritual fraternity. They've become racially superior to the rest of us. If ever he re-edits THE PHANTOM MENACE, the midichlorians must end up on the cutting room floor. Sorry, but as ideas go, this one just stinks.

And speaking of stinks, Lucas also brought us the ridiculous Jar-Jar Binks and his race of Rastafari amphibians, the Gungans (Ganja, anyone?). Jar-Jar Binks is a technically interesting additional character, being primarily a CGI character; but he adds nothing (and detracts much) from the film with his distracting brainless chatter, clumsiness, and utter stupidity. If Lucas thought that this duckbilled dunce would provide comic relief, he was wrong. See Threepio and Artoo Detoo serve that purpose in the first trilogy and should have continued to do so in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Jar-Jar merely irritates the viewer, particularly given that he appears throughout the film, not just in a few scenes. He's merely filler. As filler, he's a sign that Lucas wasn't imaginative enough to use THE PHANTOM MENACE's screen time to its best advantage by progressing the storyline.

Binks may be the only character ever that inspired a website advocating his destruction, the aptly-named www.Jarjarbinksmustdie.com. What was George Lucas thinking when he gave us the jarring Jar-Jar?

THE PHANTOM MENANCE is uneven and inconsistent and suffers from some poor scriptwriting and too many missed opportunities. These reduce the film, but do not ruin it. Despite its weaknesses and flaws, THE PHANTOM MENACE is a solid THREE STAR effort. It is essential to the telling of the tale, and leaves us considering what's next?

In that regard, THE PHANTOM MENACE is as successful as any film can be. It finally gives us the entertaining and engaging introduction to that long time ago and far away galaxy we've come to know and love.

hmmm...give my baby nephew this i will (smiles).......2007-06-21

yeah its was ok but definetly for the younger kids. i guess it goes along with the theme of Aniken Skywalker is also a kid. the next 2 are much better. there's just too much comic relief in this one for an adult.

I've discovered something revolutionary!.......2007-06-13

Hey, folks! I don't know about you, but I've realized something extraordinary! Yoda is a HERETIC! How is this possible, you may ask? Well, here's how. You see, in this highly-anticipated prequel, Quack-Gonn Jinn explains the force to Anakin Snobbwalker. He explains how the force is really just a bunch of microorganisms (similar to sweat) that live in your cells and boss you around. However, in Episode V, Yoda (who in Episode I looks like a monkey) claims that the force is something that surrounds every living thing (something like that). If Yoda is a heretic, that means he's bad. If he's bad, then why do you see him with the good jedi at the end of Episode VI? Meeesa have bad feelzing about this. Can you guess who meeesa is? Youssa right! Issa meeesa, I'mgonnahityouovertheheadwithajellyjar-jar-Bonks.

I am Qui-Gonn Jinn. I am a stone-faced, mature Jedi Master, yet I enjoy the presence of my friend Jar-Jar-Binks more than my audience.

Jar-Jar - Exqueese me! You saved my life! Meeesa your servant for life!

Qui-Gonn - Yes, Jar-Jar. If I were in my right mind, I would slash you with my lightsaber until I could see the individual atoms that you're made of. However, I'm never in my right mind, so I will bear with your company. What's more, I'll even take you with me, so that everyone aboard my ship will lose their minds when you crack fart jokes every five seconds.

Obi-Wan finally meets Jar-Jar. He would also slash him to pieces; however, that would mean he'd lose Jedi points, because destroying an unarmed creature is against the jedi rule. It's bad enough that Padme likes snobby, most-horrible-actor-in-the-world Anakin, but she likes Bonks. How is that possible? I think Jar-Jar is a Sith! How else could anyone like him, than by using Jedi mind tricks? How else could he not die, when thousands of battle droids are around him and none hear his ridiculous screams?

Finally, we see the villain of the movie! Darth Maul, who is not in it at all! What does he do in the movie? Except for some incredibly awesome lightsaber moves, he rolls his eyes! Probably an addiction he developed when going through the movie's storyline with Lucas.

Who is the hero of the movie?

JOHN WILLIAMS!!!!!!!

Star Wars I.......2007-06-12

I think George Lucas has a wonderful imagination and not afraid to apply that imagination on screen. However, I find it hard to believe a boy that young (Anakin) could manuver a craft like that or for that matter, build one. None the less, I loved it and will watch it over again.

Rita

The best of the new.......2007-06-11

Of the 3 new episodes, this is by far the best one. It has a captivating storyline and never ceases to amaze with the fantastic CGI special effects at every angle. Many die-hard SW fans do not approve of all the CGI, but I believe that feeling goes hand in hand with the fact that they were around when the first SW came out, and that film was "theirs" so to speak and can never be duplicated. Something so magnificent as SW in 1977 must've captivated the mind and created such a frenzy that many opinions will be biased some 30 years later. I was not born yet when the first ones came out, but I'm a fan of all 6 and didn't really understand the SW buzz until I was able to watch the first 3 (newer ones) in succession followed by Episodes IV, V, and VI. Many fans have seen it the other way around, but I find the SW saga to still be enjoyable if you watch them in numerical order.

Of course, as a young buck myself, I will gladly say that Episodes I-III are great. A true treat to eye and a gem in fantasy/sci-fi land if you're in to that type of genre. Lucas could've not created anything better in my eyes. As I stated earlier, many old-school fans don't appreciate the new ones and that's completely understandable. For me and my generation, my Star Wars films were The Lord of the Rings trilogies. For me, I will go to my grave saying that LOTR was and is the best film of the genre. Hopefully they will make more as Tolkien wrote a lot, but I will not appreciate them as much as LOTR. That's just the way it is I guess.

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

Average customer rating:

"I'm a person. And my name is Anakin."
hmmm...give my baby nephew this i will (smiles)
I've discovered something revolutionary!
Star Wars I
The best of the new

Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Liam Neeson , Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Jake Lloyd , and Pernilla August
Director: George Lucas
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Amazon.com

Description

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.

Customer Reviews:

"I'm a person. And my name is Anakin.".......2007-06-22

hmmm...give my baby nephew this i will (smiles).......2007-06-21

I've discovered something revolutionary!.......2007-06-13

Star Wars I.......2007-06-12

The best of the new.......2007-06-11

Average customer rating:

Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace

ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00076RT24

Product Description

This is the 2-disc widescreen edition of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

VCD: Star Wars, Episode I, The Phantom Menace

Average customer rating:

VCD: Star Wars, Episode I, The Phantom Menace
Starring: Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , Pernilla August , and Frank Oz
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First chapter of the Star Wars saga, set 30 years before the original Star Wars film.

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