Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 4K Steelbook (Zavvi Exclusive) (UK)

[Jezza]

Originally Posted by mrp1978

Ultimately time is the big factor here. Lots of people loved the prequels when they came out, lots of people loudly disliked the prequels when they came out. Now, decades later, most people feel pretty relaxed about the prequels. Time heals wounds and brings perspective. The prequels now seem to be largely seen as interesting, quirky, odd, significantly flawed films. I don't think they are great films, I am not sure I think they are good films. But I love them. They are unique, and all the more interesting for the way they are George Lucas' unfiltered vision in all its grand, glorious, thoughtful, silly, insightful, awkward weirdness. I have loved seeing how the internet has come to embrace the prequels and their charming eccentricity, but I am not sure the love isn't at least semi-ironic. Which is probably about right.

The sequels are still fresh. People have not calmed down. Time has not put things in perspective. But that will come. I suspect the general consensus as to quality won't eventually end up too far from the prequels. In some ways the two trilogies are the polar opposites of one another - one full of interesting, ambitious ideas, but often clunky and awkward on a scene by scene basis, while the other churns out plenty of competently made individual scenes, but is perhaps rather lacking in ambition and purpose.

You can't really compare how people feel about the prequels now with how people feel about the sequels. You're comparing apples and oranges. Passions still run hot for the one trilogy. For the other, that ship has sailed. People are a little wiser about the prequels than they are the sequels. Even people who loathe the prequels have at least come to terms with their existence by this point. Probably. People who hate the sequels still REALLY hate the sequels and can't see a discussion of Star Wars without feeling the need to demonstrate their hatred, but that will change.

That's what I think anyway. I have fun watching them all.

I think that's slightly disingenuous. I'd absolutely say they're more than just "good". The world-building, the story progression across all 3 chapters and the characters have clearly all resonated with a generation of Star Wars fans. If something isn't "good" I doubt it'd have such staying power as it does with the PT generation.

Phantom I'd argue is no better or worse than Return of the Jedi. Sith I'd rank as one of the best Star Wars films, Top 5 certainly. Clones is the only one that doesn't hit the mark. Just my view of course.

Otherwise, the rest of your post is absolutely spot-on. Time is absolutely a factor in opinions and I'm certain 10 years from now we'll be seeing people say how great the Last Jedi is. Just wait.

[Lordy]

My two cents:

V>IV=RO>VII=VIII>VI>III>II>SOLO>I>IX

V: It only has everything. What more can you ask for?
IV: There are times I think this should be my #1 but Empire has everything.
RO: Fantastic lead up to IV that almost has everything. Terrific space battle.
VII: Great start to final trilogy involving older (much) and newer characters.
VIII: Impressive follow-up to TFA that has been extremly, unfairly criticized.
VI: Nice conclusion to the first trilogy but way too much Endor & Ewok mania.
III: The best of the PT films still let down by a wooden Hayden Christensen.
II: Better than Phantom, with less Jar-Jar, but a boring Hayden Christensen.
SOLO: An OK story that just doesn't fit in like Rogue, and the lead disappoints.
I: Oh what could have been is frustrated by the Jar-Jar. But, it's still Star Wars.
IX: Can we get a do-over? The retconning is beyond absurd. A poor saga ending.

[steel_breeze]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

...apart from when you use the chapter skip button to go past stuff you don't like in Rise of Skywalker

Lol... damn straight! That's literally HOW I'm able to come to terms with some of the stuff I otherwise wouldn't like as much. My controversial usage of the Chapter Skip button raises that flick from a 5-out-of-10 to a 7-out-of-10 for me, so there's no way I'm going to feel bad about it or consider NOT doing it. And it's only when I watch TROS alone, so no harm no foul to anyone else.

[kwisatzhaderach]

1. Star Wars
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Return of the Jedi
4. Attack of the Clones
5. The Phantom Menace
6. Revenge of the Sith

And the fan films:

7. The Last Jedi
8. Rogue One
9. Solo
10. The Force Awakens
11. The Rise of Skywalker

[steel_breeze]

Originally Posted by Jezza

I'm certain 10 years from now we'll be seeing people say how great the Last Jedi is. Just wait.

I'll say it now: LAST JEDI is easily my third favorite of the eleven live-action features; it's GREAT! See, now you don't have to wait ten years. LAST JEDI is actually the only STAR WARS film since '83 that I loved immediately, without any "breaking in" period where I had to get used to anything. I simply "loved it" on the night it premiered.

Okay, just 'cuz others are doing it and I'm feeling sheep-ish...

1. STAR WARS (4K77 v1.4)
2. TESB
3. TLJ
4. RO
5. TFA
6. ROTJ
7. AOTC
8. SOLO
9. TPM
10. ROTS
11. TROS

That's my ranking, but I genuinely love 'em all.

[ethnosax]

It's nice to see people's lists of favorites, without any personal insults or aggression. When I see lists that are much different from mine, it doesn't make me angry; it just makes me feel a sense of wonder at the variety ways of enjoying a movie, all the different experiences and expectations that endear a movie to one person but not to another.

Here's how I rank the movies today:

1. RO
2. ESB (Harmy or Adywan Revisited)
3. SW (4K77 or Harmy)
4. ROTJ (4K83 or Harmy)
5. Rebels (not a movie, but to me this is some of the best SW yet made)
6. Solo
7. All the others—basically tied. I don't absolutely dislike any of them, but I feel no particular love for them.

[mrp1978]

I don't think I've ever properly thought about an order of favourites before, but this is fun. I mean, I do genuinely have great affection for them all. But at the moment I think it's this.

1. The Empire Strikes Back - Watched it again last weekend. Still holds up as well as when I first saw it. It genuinely has everything. Emotion, romance, excitement, laughs, wisdom. Wonderful movie.
2. A New Hope - Like an old album you've heard so much you think you're bored of it, but then you put it on again and remember just how good it is. It always surprises me.
3. The Last Jedi - Not being a troll. I really liked it. I was unsure after the first, midnight viewing, I needed some time to digest. But on the second viewing (a day later) I loved it and my opinion hasn't changed. For me that was absolutely the Luke Skywalker I watched as a kid. Maybe not the one from all the EU novels, but I always felt they largely missed the point.
4. Return of the Jedi - A big gulf in quality here from the top 3. Parts of it I have never enjoyed. The middle section on Endor really sags for me and I have never been enthralled by the speeder bike chase. But the Vader/Luke stuff is electric and the final space battle has never been beaten. Without those it would be a good few places lower.
5. Rogue One - A thoughtful, clever, film. If Star Wars insists on doing "grim and dark" I hope this is how it is done. Beautiful and bitter sweet. Mature in a way no other Star Wars film is, and I mean mature emotionally and politically rather than in the normal "violent and gritty" sense.
6. The Force Awakens - Fun, fun, fun. I get that it is perhaps a little too derivative, but I totally get the reasoning behind that. Made me love the new characters very quickly.
7. Revenge of the Sith - I am not sure George quite straddles the MASSIVE shifts in tone required by the plot, and there is very much a sense of things being tidied up a bit too neatly for Episode IV. I wish we had seen a bit more to justify the "Obi-Wan once thought as you do" scene from Jedi. Obi-Wan seemed to think Anakin could be redeemed for all of 10 seconds and that's where the drama should have been, not in 15 minutes of silent dueling.
8. Solo - I really liked the actors and the performances, but it just seems inessential. Not bad at all. Just really, really average. Needed to be about something.
9. The Phantom Menace - I think it has aged really well. Watched it after getting the 4Ks and very much enjoyed it. A bit nippier than I remember and has a certain fresh simplicity to it. I think it may move up a few places with successive watches. I don't know why everyone complains about Jake Lloyd.
10. The Rise of Skywalker - I think they really dropped the ball here. Ep VII was fun and totally worked as a pallete cleanser for the Disney era. Ep VIII was interesting and filled with promise of new ideas and directions. The Rise of Skywalker totally bottled it and over-reacted to the online backlash, ending up as a rushed attempt to please everyone, spectacularly falling between several stools. Still has some great moments though - Both the Rey and Kylo duels are gorgeous, and I get chills when the civilian fleet arrives. I don't mind the Emperor not being explained (that would have been 10 minutes of dull Sithbabble that a quick quote from Episode III nicely covers for me) but there needed to have been some kind of hint that there was someone behind Snoke. A plan for the trilogy was sorely missed.
11. Attack of the Clones - It really sags in several places, and has the prequel moments that I run aground on the most - Padme's reaction to Anakin's confession of mass murder is "under developed". Anakin's 10 second pivot from graveside mourning to departing on an adventure while beaming from ear to ear seems tone deaf. And worst of all, Padme shattering her pelvis by jumping 20 feet and landing crotch first. I still have no idea how no one thought something needed to be done about that in the edit. But it is full of some of the maddest Star Wars stuff and I love it for that. The Coruscant chase, the Yoda battle, Jar Jar Binks setting Palpatine up to be Emperor.

[ahossein79]

Still waiting for the announcement on the Attack of the Clones steelbook...can't wait to get my hands on it!

[rpvee]

Originally Posted by mrp1978

But the Vader/Luke stuff is electric

Not as much as the Emperor/Luke stuff.

[Rizor]

Man, I'm kinda bummed I missed this one now. Hopefully Best Buy releases them here...

[kinkyqueen]

Originally Posted by ahossein79

Still waiting for the announcement on the Attack of the Clones steelbook...can't wait to get my hands on it!

These steelies can't come soon enough!

[JJ]

Ooh, we're doing rankings? Happy to see all the Rogue One love!

Here's my list of the 12 movies:

1. Rogue One
2. Empire Strikes Back
3. A New Hope
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. Solo
6. The Last Jedi
7. Return of the Jedi
8. Rise of Skywalker
9. Force Awakens
10. Attack of the Clones
11. The Clone Wars
12. A fifteen minute sequence of bantha poodoo



973. Phantom Menace

EDIT: Even at 973, I ordered this steelbook, because I'm a stupid completist. And the space battle, duel of the fates, and podracing sequence make this movie worth suffering through

[DarthEd]

When does Episode II go sale? I thought it was this Thursday, but there’s no thread for it and I haven’t gotten an email from Zavvi about it....

[cyclorama]

Originally Posted by DarthEd

When does Episode II go sale? I thought it was this Thursday, but there’s no thread for it and I haven’t gotten an email from Zavvi about it....

Nobody knows yet.

[MarioBrickLayer]

Originally Posted by DarthEd

When does Episode II go sale? I thought it was this Thursday, but there’s no thread for it and I haven’t gotten an email from Zavvi about it....

For each one so far, i'm pretty sure they have sent a teaser tweet early in the week and then it's gone on sale on the Thursday, so if they don't tease it today I think it will be next week maybe?

[Metal Gear]

Episode 2 should be on sale next week. There would've been a teaser by now if it was this week. I'm guessing the rest will be sold every 2 weeks.

2 weeks before E5 was sold
1 week before E6 was sold (they might've rushed this out due to the ESB backlash)
2 weeks before E1 was sold

[MSortland]

I haven't been excited for a steelbook since Shout/Scream Factory started releasing some of John Carpenter's films in them. Excited to get them and own all the Star Wars films in 4K finally, glad I waited.

Star Wars Films Ranked

1.) The Phantom Menace
2.) Revenge of the Sith
3.) Return of the Jedi
4.) Rogue One
5.) Attack of the Clones
6.) The Empire Strikes Back
7.) A New Hope
8.) The Force Awakens
9.) The Last Jedi
10.) Solo
11.) The Rise of Skywalker

Love every Star Wars film

[kinkyqueen]

Originally Posted by MSortland

Star Wars Films Ranked

1.) The Phantom Menace

That's... .... special...

[Eve6insideandout]

Originally Posted by kinkyqueen

That's... .... special...

I'm guessing they are just really young and what they grew up on.

[Lordy]

Originally Posted by Eve6insideandout

I'm guessing they are just really young and what they grew up on.

Hmmm.....