Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 4K UHD (1999)

[Viking61]

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 4K UHD (1999)

[Nothing371]

There's so much to like in episode 1. Even moreso that the franchise received a reboot after 16 years, and continued the Darth Vader origin story.

[mysticwaterfall]

Originally Posted by Nothing371

There's so much to like in episode 1. Even moreso that the franchise received a reboot after 16 years, and continued the Darth Vader origin story.

Ep 1 is a movie the more times I see it, the more I like it. I think it gets a bad rap most of time.

[jddf]

Yes my friend, there's a lot.

[StarWarsIsAwesome123]

No DNR please.

[brainofj72]

Originally Posted by StarWarsIsAwesome123

No DNR please.

I can't imagine this won't be the same DNR'd master currently streaming on Disney+. Prepare to be disappointed.

[StarWarsIsAwesome123]

Originally Posted by brainofj72

I can't imagine this won't be the same DNR'd master currently streaming on Disney+. Prepare to be disappointed.

You're probably right, but I just don't really understand why the film is DNR'd so much. Everyone says it's to match the digital look of II and III, but the majority of this movie is made up of digital effects, basically just the actors were shot on film. The only grain would be from those shots and should be fine enough not to be obtrusive.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by StarWarsIsAwesome123

You're probably right, but I just don't really understand why the film is DNR'd so much. Everyone says it's to match the digital look of II and III, but the majority of this movie is made up of digital effects, basically just the actors were shot on film. The only grain would be from those shots and should be fine enough not to be obtrusive.

IMO it got a grain reduction pass as part of the 3D conversion, only they didn't bother to regrain it when they prepared the 2D version and we've been stuck with it ever since.

[kchrules]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

IMO it got a grain reduction pass as part of the 3D conversion, only they didn't bother to regrain it when they prepared the 2D version and we've been stuck with it ever since.

That sounds about right, since the same thing happened to T2. I watched the Blu Ray of Phantom Menace over the weekend and yikes, the DNR is awful. I expect the 20+ yrs old 1080p CGI won't look great so I wasn't expecting much there (didn't look good on DVD or in the theater for 3d), but the waxy faces gave me flashbacks to the new T2 Blu Ray. Hopefully the new Ep 1 Blu Ray/UHD looks better.

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

IMO it got a grain reduction pass as part of the 3D conversion, only they didn't bother to regrain it when they prepared the 2D version and we've been stuck with it ever since.

Yeah, I was hoping Disney would have put more effort into remastering the films. For the prequels they clearly just took the existing masters used for the Blu-Rays and gave them an HDR pass. And the originals are from Lucas' 2012 4k remasters, so Disney really didn't do much. I wasn't expecting my Ultimate Box Set pipe dream with brand new 4K scans of every version of each film, but I'm thinking this is yet another stop-gap release before we eventually get something a bit more definitive.

[vincentric]

Quick cool story bro time. Remember lining up to see this at the local movies when I was 19 with my sis and future brother in law. They liked but I hated it.

Have grown to enjoy it a lot over the years, still dislike the midichlorian thing but have grown to tolerate jarjar and the kid actor. I really love the pod racing, darth maul, and the entirety of the final battle sequence w/duel of the fates playing in the background. Easily the best of the prequel trilo to me and may even enjoy it more than RotJ.

As for the UHD if the HDR and compression are looking good, that may be enough for me to get it, maybe.

[The Great Owl]

May of 1999 was a big month. I interviewed for a job at an environmental protection workplace where I am still employed today, over two decades later. I also ventured to the theater with some friends for an opening day midnight showing for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. After 16 years of rumors and theories, writer/director George Lucas was finally bringing the eagerly awaited prequel saga of Anakin Skywalker to the screen, and we could not wait to see it at long last. The sold-out audience erupted into applause when the words, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....”, displayed, and the signature John Williams score kicked off seconds later. A red laser pointer dot briefly appeared on the screen, and then disappeared just as quickly when viewers voiced their indignation, the culprit presumably aware that he or she would have probably been torn to shreds by a mob of serious sci-fi fans. The opening word crawl, announcing that turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic because of a Trade Federation dispute, commenced, and we all sat back, ready for a show.

Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi Master played by Liam Neeson, and his apprentice, the one and only Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Ewan McGregor, were landing on a Trade Federation base to negotiate on the part of the Republic. My 27 year-old self loved the idea that the Jedi Knights served as diplomats. This movie was off to a promising start. Minutes later, we the viewers were introduced to Jar Jar Binks.

After revisiting this film in present day, by way of the new 4K UHD Blu-ray, I am reminded of the youthful excitement shown by my friends and I as we sat down in the theater on that night almost exactly 21 years ago. I am also reacquainted with that same sense of immersive vigor, as I have been with each subsequent viewing of this flawed, but nonetheless wildly entertaining endeavor that was initially greeted with accolades before being napalmed in the court of public opinion and online jokes.

There are quite a few narrative plot points and visual aspects of The Phantom Menace that annoy me, but there are many more things about it that still impress me. Yes, Jar Jar Binks is the character equivalent of nails on chalkboard. Yes, we are basically watching a computer-generated cartoon during the Naboo underwater scenes. Yes, we do not need to hear Jake Lloyd's Anakin yelling, “Yippee!”, while piloting a starfighter ship. Fortunately, however, we also have McGregor showcasing a spot-on incarnation of Obi-Wan's personality. We also have a white-knuckle suspense sequence in the form of a pod race. We have some emotionally affecting interplay between Lloyd's Anakin and Natalie Portman's Queen Amidala. We see Ian McDiarmid's masterful Senator Palpatine playing chess with children who believe that they are playing checkers. Finally, we meet one of the coolest characters of the Star Wars universe in the form of the Sith fighter, Darth Maul.

Internet debates continue to rage on with regard to the order by which the Star Wars Episodes should be viewed. I strongly endorse watching them in order of their release dates, starting with Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. The “Aha!” moments of seeing familiar characters and hearing familiar quotes from the Original Trilogy enhance the experience of delving into this Prequel Trilogy after the fact. The applause on opening night when well-loved figures, like Obi-Wan, R2-D2, and C-3PO, appeared on screen during The Phantom Menace is a testament to this notion. On the other hand, of course, the undeniable love that fans from younger generations, who were introduced to the franchise by way of this Episode I, provides a solid counterargument to my assertion. Either way, this film, while not the high point of the franchise, is far more fun than many pop culture theorists give it credit for being.

Even a lower-tier Star Wars effort hits the mark more often than it fumbles. A return to The Phantom Menace, warts, midi-chlorians, and all, is still a return to the fictional universe that I grew up enjoying. It's all good.

What do I think about the 4K UHD presentation?

By conventional measures, this is a bad 4K UHD video presentation. When compared to any previous home video edition of this film, however, it excels. HDR, along with a darker look, brings out the best of the image and helps to sway the noise reduction tendencies of the abysmal standard Blu-ray transfer into considerably more palatable territory. This is the best that The Phantom Menace has ever looked in my living room. I wish that the pod race would come off in a more detailed way, but that is my only true grievance.

Flawless? No way.
Unwatchable? No way.

This 4K UHD Blu-ray gets the job done. The Queen may not approve, but I approve.

[Blu-Curry]

I actually thought the blu-ray looked and sounded fine. I wonder how I'd find the 4K version if "it's not a good transfer" but still "the best the film has ever looked".

[Shaggy1978]

Originally Posted by brainofj72

I can't imagine this won't be the same DNR'd master currently streaming on Disney+. Prepare to be disappointed.

I watched all of the films on my 2019 OLED with my family and we were blown away by how good ALL of these films looked.

What are the complaints about “DNR” (I believe it stands for Digital Noise Reduction) but I don’t understand how this affects the PQ that I found so amazing in Dolby Vision. They took 20-30 year old movies and made them look like they were filmed yesterday.

Maybe this will help: I must confess that I like a super-sharp image with bright vivid colours and no film grain. Film grain just reminds of a film reel at a movie theater after it has been played 5 times/day, every day, for months and has been all scratched up.

I’ve read about audiophiles and videophiles whose primary concern is faithful, grain-for-grain, more natural looking reproduction of a director’s exact vision or an audiophile who claims he/she can tell which stage/venue a symphony was recorded at on a specific day and specific year. My ears are not that astute nor do I have any desire to develop or acquire this “skill”

Is this why I am missing the concern about “DNR-ing”?

I ordered the 8 of 10 of 4K releases (I already own 4K & 3D Steelbooks of Solo, The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker, 2 copies of The Force Awakens 3D Special Edition and Rogue One).

My hope was for an all-inclusive 3D + 4K set of, at Minimum the prequel and proquel movies and the Christmas Special as a feature.

Please help me understand the term and importance to movie buffs, like me.

Thanks!

Jeremy

[notops]

Originally Posted by Shaggy1978

I watched all of the films on my 2019 OLED with my family and we were blown away by how hood ALL of these films looked.

What are the complaints about “DNR” (I believe it stands for Digital Noise Reduction) but I don’t understand how this affects the PQ that I found so amazing in Dolby Vision. They took 20-30 year old movies and made them look like they were filmed yesterday.

Maybe this will help: I must confess that I like a super-sharp image with bright vivid colours and no film grain. Film grain just reminds of a film reel at a movie theater after it has been played 5 times/day, every day, for months and has been all scratched up.

I’ve read about audio and video files whose primary concern is faithful, grain-for-grain, more natural looking reproduction of a director’s exact vision or an audiophile who claims he/she can tell which stage/venue a symphony was recorded at on a specific day and specific year. My ears are not that astute nor do I have any desire to develop or acquire this “skill”

Is this why I am missing the concern about “DNR-ing”?

I ordered the 8 of 10 of 4K releases (I already own 4K & 3D Steelbooks of Solo, The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker, 2 copies of The Force Awakens 3D Special Edition and Rogue One).

My hope was for an all-inclusive 3D + 4K set of, at Minimum the prequel and proquel movies and the Christmas Special as a feature.

Please help me understand the term and importance to movie buffs, like me.

Thanks!

Jeremy

TPM, unlike the other two in the 'prequel trilogy' was shot on film. A filmed image consists of tiny little bits of grain all formed together to create an image. Grain is not a byproduct or an after effect. It IS the picture.

If a museum was restoring an old painting you loved, but was in shabby condition, would you rather they meticulously cleaned it to to reveal all of it's original details or slap some watercolors over it and call it a day? DNR is kind of like the equivalent of the watercolors option.

[Shaggy1978]

Originally Posted by notops

TPM, unlike the other two in the 'prequel trilogy' was shot on film. A filmed image consists of tiny little bits of grain all formed together to create an image. Grain is not a byproduct or an after effect. It IS the picture.

If a museum was restoring an old painting you loved, but was in shabby condition, would you rather they meticulously cleaned it to to reveal all of it's original details or slap some watercolors over it and call it a day? DNR is kind of like the equivalent of the watercolors option.

Thanks.I thought film grain was simply the the scratches and tiny white artifacts you’d see at movie theaters when they actually used film reels (I worked as a projectionist in high school back in the 90’s

Thanks for the answer and useful analogy!

[levcore]

Originally Posted by Shaggy1978

I must confess that I like no film grain. Film grain just reminds of a film reel at a movie theater after it has been played 5 times/day, every day, for months and has been all scratched up.

movie buffs, like me.

[meremortal]

Are these the first 1080p to 4k upscales?

[Bluyoda]

Oh, that's fantastic news. I can buy these individually and won't have to wait years to get them.

Please no DNR, and be good. Love TPM.

[kevin87]

Dang Disney, there's other months than March, you know. 5 Pixar, 2 B&TB, and now 7 Star Wars (and probably the 9th). You got any other franchises to hurl at us at once? lol