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Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace”
Over twenty years passed between the release of the original “Star Wars” and this film. That’s twenty years of technological leaps in film, sound, and special effects quality, providing George Lucas with the right tools to bring the origin story of his saga to life.
And the origins of Anakin Skywalker turn out to be rather thrilling. The film overall manages to capture a whimsical sense of lighthearted adventurism, in the same fashion as the original “A New Hope.” A lot of time is spent in exploration, showing a plethora of exquisite setpieces, vivid landscapes, and gorgeous special effects. Upon seeing them for the first time, I was rather enthralled to see the places and events that were always hinted at or referred to in the Expanded Universe, but never seen on film previously (namely, the planet Coruscant, the Galactic Senate, the Jedi Order, etc ). Moreover, the film is loaded with fresh and new concepts that merge pretty well with the classic trilogy, and also distinguish it as its own entity (enter the Trade Federation, the battle droids, planet Naboo, and more). Of course, there are also plenty of references to the classics; you can expect familiar characters and places to exist here as well.
The thing that matters the most in any “Star Wars” movie will be the action, and in “The Phantom Menace,” the action generally does not disappoint. Its centerpiece is a magnificent Podracing scene, where high-tech chariot-style machines zoom across a desert and canyon at suicidal speed and intensity. Out of all movies I’ve seen, this is probably my favorite racing scene. Aside from that, the film also has plenty of major fights and battles. The final climax has a pretty decent ground battle, a swell space battle, and one of the best lightsaber duels of the series. The only things that break up the high pacing are the occasional scenes of (semi-confusing) politics, a little bit of sappy drama, and numerous low-brow comedy antics that aren’t funny (looking at you, Jar Jar Binks). Some of the most critical fans may also nitpick about individual issues (such as the concept of Midiclorians).
The story for this generally mirrors “A New Hope,” showcasing the main character’s origins as a poor boy stuck in the middle of nowhere, yearning to leave and live an adventurous life. As such, the characters are pretty strong; the familiar figures like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda remain true to their original selves, while all of the new characters remain distinct and lively. The story overall has a feel-good quality, as it inherently highlights the triumph of the hero, and celebrates the unity of all life forms.
If you’ve never seen “Star Wars” before, and are looking into this as your first step into a larger world, you can also expect to become immediately immersed in a massive and imaginative universe. Great care is taken into designing each world, giving each character (even the most minor of them) backstories, and ordaining everything in immaculate detail. The biggest joy of any “Star Wars” film is that it’s a rich, vibrant, and lively universe, the quality and depth of which is rarely matched by any other franchise (close contenders being “Lord of the Rings” and “The Matrix”). My recommendation for first-time viewers is to start with the original trilogy (Episodes IV, V, VI), so as not to ruin the big reveal in “The Empire Strikes Back.” But otherwise, “The Phantom Menace” does provide a decent introduction to the prequel saga, and probably could stand as a solid intro to the entire “Star Wars” universe.
Cinematically, the film looks slick. A huge majority of it must be computer-animated, giving the film a rather artificial flavor that others may not enjoy, but I’ve always found impressive. Photography and editing are generally good, and most of the imagery is fantastic. Acting can be a mixed bag in any “Star Wars” movie; I enjoy the performances by Jake Lloyd, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, and Ian McDiarmid. It’s also pretty cool to see Terrence Stamp in a brief role. Writing shows some weaknesses, but generally gets the job done. The production design features loads of excellent sets, props, costumes, locales, and special effects. John Williams’ score is as strong as ever (probably my second-favorite soundtrack of the “Star Wars” movies).
4.5/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4/5)
Recommendation:
The prequel trilogy as a whole is recommended to see at least once to all “Star Wars” fans, and as a rental to casual viewers.
This Blu-Ray looks far better than I expected, especially when compared to its former DVD release (which had massive chunky grain and noise and stuff) and its former VHS release (
). The video is slightly DNRed, but nowhere near as extreme as movies like “Predator” or the initial “Gladiator” release. I’d say “TPM” is comparable to “Swordfish,” and thus, I find it to be exceptionally sharp, clean, clear, and vivid, with good color and contrast. The only thing that really mars the video quality is the slight blurring of the faces. But otherwise, I’ve been blown away by just how detailed the cityscapes, planetscapes, spaceships, aliens, sets, costumes, and just about everything really are. I see little reason to grant it a low score, and chances are that this (along with Episode II) is the best DNRed video I’ve ever seen (regardless of how paradoxical that sounds
). The only other issue is that some of the added footage in then Podracing scene look rather soft. Sound quality is…perfect!
PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 5/5
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Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones”
One of the key requisite elements of “Star Wars” lore that was referenced in “A New Hope” was the Clone Wars. Although this prequel episode is considered one of the worst of the lot, I believe it excels really well at bringing the legendary Clone Wars to life. The bulk of the film has occasional bursts of thrilling action; the chase scene through Coruscant, the fight between Obi-Wan and Jango Fett, the (obligatory?) asteroid field chase, and the impromptu droid factory pursuit are spectacular sequences as they are. But the movie’s finale is a sight to behold; it starts off as a small-scale arena fight, which then expands into an all-out brawl between Jedi Knights and the droid army, which then spills out to the planetscape beyond. Jedi, clones, and droids are entangled in a long continuous free-for-all, and it’s glorious! The film does suffer some drag with its focus on a rather sappy romance and a confusing mystery plot, but I believe the action makes up for it.
As a compliment to “The Empire Strikes Back,” the story for this focuses much on the characters’ growth and the romance that buds between Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala. Their segments are pretty well-developed, so you can easily see the direction they will go. The other half of the movie is a little more interesting, as Obi-Wan Kenobi jumps around the universe (exploring some interesting sights along the way) investigating an assassination plot. Sadly, the said plot doesn’t hold much water, and it can get very confusing trying to figure out the implications of what he discovers. The end of the film seems to present more questions than it answers. Episode III generally resolves all issues in a sound manner, and makes much better sense, but Episode II falls pretty short with its confusing politics.
Fortunately, the film is still competently made, with quality photography and editing. Special effects are everywhere in this film; some folks may not care for the artificiality of it, but I find it quite mesmerizing at times. Acting is okay for a “Star Wars” film. Most people don’t like Hayden Christensen’s performance, but I believe he did an okay job, especially in expressing the anger and impulsiveness of Anakin’s character. Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, and Ian McDiarmid return with splendid results. I also enjoy the performance of Christopher Lee. Writing shows few strengths in the dialogue, but much weakness in sorting out the story. This production features plenty of strong sets, props, costumes, locales, and special effects. Music is generally good, but I feel that the movie uses too many familiar themes from all previous films.
4.5/5 (entertainment: 5/5, story: 4/5, film: 4/5)
Recommendation:
The prequel trilogy as a whole is recommended to see at least once to all “Star Wars” fans, and as a rental to casual viewers.
Just like with “TPM,” this film shows some DNR, and thus has some waxiness to the characters’ faces. The film still shows exceptional detail, clarity, sharpness, and color reproduction. Sound quality is awesome.
PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 5/5
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Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.”
Everything in the first two “Star Wars” prequel movies (if not all five of the films) have lead up to this. Just like “Return of the Jedi,” “RotS” culminates the events of its predecessors with a smashing climax; as war and power struggles break out across the entire galaxy, the movie jam-packs itself with mostly non-stop action, including one of the best space battles ever filmed (the Battle of Coruscant), and the most intense duel in the saga. The fight between Obi-Wan and Anakin is the one conflict I was looking forward to the most as each prequel was released. In between, there are dozens of other great sequences. There’s maybe just a little bit of drag in the first half, as the characters push and pull on Anakin, but these scenes are still pretty short, and integral to the overall story.
And the story is smashing. Not only does it tie up the loose ends of the previous two films, but it also connects with the original trilogy movies in the most logical way possible. Avid “Star Wars” geeks might catch on to one or two plot holes and inconsistencies (the most glaring of which I see is wondering how the heck the Emperor managed to zoom to Mustafar and pick up Vader’s carcass so damn fast…). I kinda wish the movie covered more ground regarding the Battle of Kashyyk, the Organa family, and the Rebel Alliance. But the movie generally covers all the bases that I can see, rounding off the prequels really well, and laying the groundwork for “A New Hope.”
On its own merits, the story is inherently powerful as watch a hero’s downfall, repeated acts of betrayal, a tragic love story ending, allies turning on each other, and a democracy falling apart. Characters remain as strong as ever. It’s especially incredible watching Anakin suffer the pressures of both the Jedi Council and the Emperor; it’s pretty easy to see how and why he made the decisions he made. It’s also pretty ominous watching the Old Republic turning to the Galactic Empire; I’m not sure if Lucas intended for it to be a warning message to American democracy specifically, but I could see the events of this movie applying to real life, just as it did when the Roman Republic turned to an Empire thousands of years ago, or when Germany turned to a dictatorship only seventy years ago.
The film has decent photography and editing. It’s still very CGI-happy, with nearly every shot digitally painted or manipulated; meaning that the eye-candy is great and the scenes are convincingly immersive, but some folks may be disturbed by the artificial nature of it. Acting and writing are a little cringe-worthy or laughable in some scenes, but for a “Star Wars” film it’s mostly forgivable, and I think it’s pretty strong in some parts. I still enjoy the performances by Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, and Ian McDiarmid. Production value is very high, with no expense spared on any set, prop, costume, or special effect. Music is great as always.
5/5 (entertainment: 5/5, story: 5/5, film: 4/5)
Recommendation:
The prequel trilogy as a whole is recommended to see at least once to all “Star Wars” fans, and as a rental to casual viewers. Out of the three, this one would get my highest recommendation.
With no glaring signs of DNR, this disc has perfect video and sound.
PQ: 5/5, AQ: 5/5
Notes:- The CGI Yoda in Episode I totally caught me off-guard; I forgot they changed that, so I was surprised when Yoda appeared with actual expressions and a better-looking face!
I did laugh pretty well in the final scene though; while everybody's happy and celebrating, Yoda's standing there looking royally pissed off for no reason. I'd still say that this is a good change; the old puppet looked pretty bad.
- I noticed that, during Anakin's nightmares in Episode II, they added in Shmi's scream. Makes totally good sense to me.
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But I’ve always enjoyed this film for its subplot featuring Jabba the Hutt, the cool speeder-bike chase, its epic space battle over Endor (which comes very close to being my favorite space battle of all films, second only to the battle of Coruscant in Episode III), and most importantly, for showing the final confrontation between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. All of the major conflicts are resolved in this film once and for all, and regardless of how unlikely it is for the Ewoks to overcome the Empire, I find the final fight between Luke and Vader to be very invoking, and the final space battle to be very awesome.
), but a big thank you for your reviews. A great thing about this board is the opportunity to discuss and debate films, and disagree in a mutually respectful way. Kudos, dude! 
But everything I say is true...from a certain point of view. 
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