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

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Product Details

Format : NTSC
Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0024543023883
Product Group : DVD
Release Date : 2005-03-22
Studio : Fox Video
UPC : 024543023883

ASIN : B00005MEPV

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Editorial Reviews

From 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-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 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

Additional Features

This limited-edition boxed set (only 1.5 million made) contains a widescreen version of the film, a behind-the-scenes documentary, a 48-page collector's book excerpted from The Art of Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and a mounted 35mm filmstrip. The documentary and widescreen version of the film are only available in this set.

Amazon.fr

Seize ans ! C'est exactement le temps qu'il aura fallu à la légendaire vague Star Wars pour déferler à nouveau sur notre galaxie. La Menace Fantôme constitue le premier volet de cette nouvelle trilogie dont l'originalité est de se placer chronologiquement avant l'épopée bien connue. Toucher à un mythe, c'est le briser ! Néanmoins, George Lucas, à nouveau aux commandes de ce premier épisode, réussit cet incroyable pari : réexplorer et relancer l'alchimie de Star Wars sans décevoir les anciens adeptes ni détourner la nouvelle génération, aux attentes et intérêts pourtant si divergents. Certes, un oeil aiguisé pourra toujours souligner l'anomalie d'avoir des équipements (vaisseaux, armes, robots…) et des effets spéciaux bien plus modernes que dans les trois autres volets, censés se dérouler postérieurement. Cependant, la force et la magie de maître Lucas tiennent justement à sa faculté d'occulter les rares objections soulevées en passionnant les foules au travers, notamment, d'un panel de personnages variés mais souvent comiques : Jar-Jar Binks, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan Mc Gregor), Anakin Skywalker et la Reine Amidala (Natalie Portman). Un grand moment de cinéma pour les jeunes et de nostalgie pour les plus grands. --Frédéric Thorens.

Customer Reviews

the first prequel to the original trilogy(chapter 1) (2007-09-23)

"The Phantom Menace was the most hyped movie since "Gone with theWind"(1939)to say it was eagerly anticipated is an understatement.afterall,this was the movie which set the stage for the eventually genesisof Darth Vader.in case you don't know,George Lucas's original Trilogybegan with episode 3,followed by 4 and 5.this was the firstprequel,chapter 1.was it worth waiting for?it really depends on yourperspective.as far as story goes,it is fairly weak.but visually it isvery appealing.it is very well photographed.again we have an abundanceof action.there is a very cool minor villain,whose character shouldhave been developed more.let's not forget Jar Jar Binks,a character ifound too juvenile for this movie.and we get to see young AnakinSkywalker,as a 5 year old boy,who eventually will become Darth Vader.ienjoyed this movie quite a bit,though it is nowhere near the standardof the original trilogy.the one question i have is--who comes up withthese titles?I mean,"The Phantom menace",come on.anyway,i think thismovie deserves a 3/5.

"A Great Deception" (2007-08-31)

INTRO:The original Star Wars movies,IV,V and VI can only be considered as classics,those movies were fascinating and the universe that George Lucas created with those movies touched millions of people.After completing the original trilogy,Lucas made the first prequel "The Phantom Menace" released in 1999.The Phantom Menace is the first of the three prequels and the first episode of the Star Wars saga as Lucas made the last three movies first.Episode one is the very beggening of Star Wars and centers around a young Anakin Skywalker(ring a bell?Darth Vader!),no need to say that it got mixed reviews,how did i like it?Read on to find out.REVIEW:Sixteen years after the last Star Wars movie,episode VI "Return Of The Jedi",Star Wars returns in 1999 with "The Phantom Menace" a pretty mediocre movie that sadly just can`t be compared to the classic trilogy."The Phantom Menace" was a big disapointment to me as the storyline was confusing and just not interresting at all,gone are the lovable and classic characters like Luke,this one is all about Anakin Skywalker,at the time a kid on his journey to become the evil Darth Vader.The movie is pretty boring as the action is really slow(slower than usual),that was to be expected,and only a few scenes are actually worth seing.CHARACTERS:Jar-Jar Binks is one unecesary character that this movie really didn`t needed and is one of the most hated Star Wars characters.Qui-Gon Jin and especially Darth Maul(he was awesome!)are both interresting characters but they weren`t developped enough to the point were they could have been greater characters *Spoilers* as they were both killed in the lightsabers battle in the end.Seeing a young Obi-Wan Kenobi was different and quite interresting.Anakin Skywalker was played rather poorly,without interrest and with him being the main character it made the movie an even greater deception.Padme Amidala,really was a dull and boring character,and the romance between her and Anakin is awfull.Speaking of it,the light sabers battle is a good reason to watch this movie it was action packed and enourmously entertaining as it was one of the only good things about this first episode.Darth Maul was awesome with his double lightsaber and the duel between him,Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon was amazing.Also i tought the space battle was alright,it was pretty cool and had great special effects.GOOD:-Lightsabers battle-Good special effects-Darth Maul and a few other charactersBAD:-Relies too much on special effects-Poor storyline-Unecesary characters(Jar-Jar Binks)-Would have needed more actionOVERRAL:I think episode one made the mistake of relying too much on special effects while instead they could have made a better storyline.The worst Star Wars movie ever done,yet you need to watch it.

A good film in the Star War's saga (2007-07-21)

I've always been quite impressed by this film. It didn't have the same appeal as the original Star Wars Episode IV - but I suspect that had more to do with being 5 years old when I saw episode IV versus 22 years old when I saw episode I. Lucas did a good job with the script, as usual, and a good job picking actors and actresses who suit being immortalized into four inch action figures and comic book drawings. The special effects are amazing of course and the plot is full of interesting twists and turns. What I find so interesting is that we all ultimately know how the story is going to work out, yet you can't help but watch the movie to see what happens next; this is why it's worth watching.

It's Star Wars come on! Great DVD features. (2007-02-11)

Okay this is old now I know, but re-watched it the second time.Overall - better then I remembered and worse all at once, the DVD had some awesome special features though.Summary: that start of the Star Wars series. Don't think I need to sumarize this one. See Anikin Skywalker as a kid, see young Obi-Wan, see Jar-Jar and a pod race. The good: the effects are awesome. It's Star Wars, sure it's not the best Star Wars but it's still better then 90% of the movies that come out. Darth Maul rocks. Young Obi-Wan is awesome. The pod race is pretty cool. Seeing Corusant for the first time was sweet. The battles are great.The bad: Darth Maul dies too easily (now not as easy as Dukoo or General Grevious). The pod race is cool but long. Kids can't act and Anakin is no exception. The budding love between Amidala and Anakin is creepy. Jar-Jar annoyed me. I much prefered 3P0 for comedic releif. He wouldn't have been that bad if they didn't have to slip him into every scene.The ugly: Midicloriens and the virgin birth of Darth Vader. WTF?!? I can overlook Jar-Jar, but not the scientific explanation for The Force. Why not leave it mystical like it was. Why not leave every viewer with that faint hope that The Force does exist and if they just try enough they can use it. Why rationalize it. Argh I hated that, and still do and always will.Overall: worth seeing if you are a Star Wars fan. There was no way in hell no matter how good it could have been that it would live up to the original series. Some people will love it, some will hate it, but its still Star Wars and it's still a good time.

The Magic is Back!! (2006-03-03)

I have waited a long time for this. When I was a young lad of 4 when the original came out, I laid witness to one of the best movies I would ever see. Unfortunately, I was too young to really appreciate it. I also don't really remember the hype of the movie back then. I feel quite privileged to have been part of the magic of Episode I.I was in university when the trailers for Episode I came out and my brother and I would watch the trailers over and over again. We thought we would die waiting for the movie to be on the screen in front of our faces.Fortunately, the seemingly long wait ended and I can still feel that chill running up my spine when those immortal words came upon the screen: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..The movie hit a home run on many counts. First of all, the casting of Ewan McGregor as Obi-wan Kenobi. Anyone who has seen his movies know how much of a powerhouse he is in his roles. Obi-wan was no exception. Ewen's portrayal made me wish I was young again so I could pretend I was Obi-wan(sorry Luke, Obi-wan's a better Jedi). Another reason this was a great entry was the special effects. George Lucas and his camp of wizards made this the most amazing Star Wars movie experience.Now, I am not betraying the originals, they are still the best movies ever, yet, I can't turn my head away from this entry. It was simply breathtaking. The various worlds, the amazing creatures, and an important look at the Jedi and the masters of peace-keeping they once were. The only look at the Jedi we've seen was Darth Vadar picking on an old man and then a fledgling teenager. Yes, seeing the Jedi in their prime gives everyone a good look into what the old Obi-wan has gone through to be where he is and how much work Luke must have gone through to get the skills he has.I am glad that the "real" fans stayed true and made this movie the success it deserves to be. Now, I am sure that all those "generation-X" losers found this movie to "suck".Well, I say, go back to your pot-head, "destroy the institution" movies like "8-mile" and other wastes of celluloid.Take a bow Mr. Lucas, this movie deserves to be placed right beside your other sci-fi masterpieces. Episode II can only be as great. I can't wait!!!

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