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MOVIES / ON DVD / STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

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Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

64%
39%
64%
N/A
N/A
N/A
64 %
Reviews Counted: 151 Fresh: 97  Rotten:54 Average Rating: 6/10
 
Consensus: Lucas needs to improve on the plot and character development, but there's plenty of eye candy to behold.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins

Theatrical Release: May 19, 1999 Wide

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... 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. [More]

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid

Director: George Lucas
Screenwriter: George Lucas
Producer: Rick McCallum
Composer: John Williams

DVD Info

Release:

Nov 1, 2005

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • 2-Disc Set - Keep Case; Sensormatic

Interactive Features:

  • Interactive Menus
  • Scene Selection
  • Disc 1: STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE - Feature Presentation
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35:1

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 EX - English
  • Dolby Surround - English, Spanish

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - 1. George Lucas - Writer/Director; Rick McCallum - Producer; Ben Burtt - Co-Editor/Sound Designer; Rob Coleman - ILM Animation Director; John Knoll - Visual Effects Supervisor; Dennis Muren - Visual Effects Supervisor; Scott Squires - Visual Effects Supervisor
  • Disc 2: STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE - Supplemental Material
  • Featurettes - 1. "The Beginning"
  • 2. Deleted Scenes Documentary with 7 Deleted Sequences with Full Visual Effects
  • 3. Storyline
  • 4. Design
  • 5. Costumes
  • 6. Visual Effects
  • 7. Fight Sequences
  • 8. "Star Wars: Starfighter - The Making of a Game" from LucasArts
  • Making-Of - 12-Part Web Documentary
  • Music Video - John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra - "Duel of the Fates"
  • Trailers - 1. Teaser
  • 2. Original Theatrical Trailers
  • 3. 7 TV Spots

Interactive Features:

  • Multiple Angles - Storyboard-to-Animatic-to-Film Comparisons - Submarine and Podrace Lap 1

Text/ Photo Galleries:

  • Galleries - Poster Art
  • Stills/Photos

DVD-ROM Features:

  • Web Links

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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Ratings Image
N/A

The horror of Jar Jar Binks aside, there's plenty in Episode I to keep us entertained.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/04/08
Channel 4 Film
Ratings Image
2.5/4

It's still a galaxy far, far away, and it still looks like nothing we've ever seen before.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
Ratings Image
N/A

Charmless, sexless, passionless and robot-humoured, it's preposterously uninvolving.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Ratings Image
3/4

It's good to have Star Wars -- any Star Wars -- back after such a long time; and it's worth seeing.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Ratings Image
N/A

Despite a shaky start and the presence of questionable elements throughout, by the time it arrives at its finale The Phantom Menace has won its place alongside the original Star Wars trilogy.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/02/06
Keith Phipps
Onion AV Club
Ratings Image
B

Lucas has protected his multibillion-dollar franchise by making a film targeted at children. It gives them exactly what they want--eye candy that moves at light speed.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/04/05
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Ratings Image
4/5

What’s important to remember is that the better moments don’t merely balance out the weaker ones - they topple them.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/20/05
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com
Ratings Image
A

What is most striking about Lucas' movies -- all his movies, including THX 1138 and American Graffiti -- is a sort of startling obviousness.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/19/05
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ratings Image
B

I must take issue with the intense backlash from other critics against the film.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
Ratings Image
3/4

No film made could measure up to the avalanche of buzz and craziness surrounding this release. There is plenty of both good and bad news here.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/20/03
Jim Shelby
Palo Alto Weekly
Ratings Image
4.5/5

I enjoyed the film and feel that it established the foundation for many story elements that were curiously unexplained in the previous trilogy.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online
Ratings Image
2.5/4

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
01/29/03
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy
Ratings Image
B-

Film franchises come and go all the time in Hollywood, particularly in science-fiction circles, but the Force is still strong in this one.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/10/03
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks
Ratings Image
N/A

There are no romance, no humor, ultimately nobody to care about in this oddly sterile movie.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/15/02
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
3/4

Lucas' films might not be very deep, but they're very complex and involving in a comic book kind of way.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal
Ratings Image
N/A

Even with a pretty rotten crust the toppings are still delicious.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/12/02
Joshua Tyler
CinemaBlend.com
Ratings Image
N/A

The movie’s visual artstry amazed me.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/02/02
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Ratings Image
3/5

Se este fosse o primeiro episódio da série a chegar aos cinemas, ela não teria alcançado o status e a longevidade que conseguiu nos últimos 20 anos.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/31/02
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
Ratings Image
4/5

It exactly has the same strengths and weaknesses as the original three, plus breathtakingly spectacular visual design and special effects.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/25/02
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
Ratings Image
8/10

Episodio I tuvo la virtud de juntar a dos generaciones en un mismo fenómeno

Full Review | comment Comment
05/18/02
Luis Martinez
Cinenganos
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