STAR WARS 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE(1999)

Sooooo much hype for the prequells to the greatest sci-fi
movie franchise ever!! Wow, did it ever fall short!! The kid
is annoying, Jar Jar is ultra annoying. And the sad thing is,
take them out of the movie, and it would have been awesome!! C+

A review 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 melange 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

COMPLETE LIST OF DVDs
LIST OF MOVIE DVDs
LIST OF ANIME/ANIMATION DVDs
LIST OF BOND DVDs
LIST OF DISNEY DVDs
LIST OF ELVIS DVDs
LIST OF MUSIC DVDs
LIST OF STAR TREK/STAR WARS DVDs
LIST OF SUPERHERO DVDs
LIST OF TELEVISION DVDs

TO PHOTO PAGES OF MOVIES:

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J-K
L
M
N
O
P-Q
R
S
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U-V
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X-Z

ANIME/ANIMATION
ANIME SUPERHERO
BOND
DISNEY
ELVIS
HOLIDAY
MUSIC
MUSICALS
OTHER
SERIALS
SETS #-M
SETS N-Z
STAR TREK/STAR WARS
SUPERHERO
TELEVISION A-B
TELEVISION C-D
TELEVISION E-F
TELEVISION G-H
TELEVISION I-K
TELEVISION L
TELEVISION M
TELEVISION N-O
TELEVISION P-Q
TELEVISION R
TELEVISION Gene Roddenberry
TELEVISION S
TELEVISION T
TELEVISION U-W
TELEVISION X-Z
TELEVISION STAR TREK/STAR WARS
TELEVISION SUPERHERO

Music playing is:
Theme From Star Wars:
Main Theme!