Star Wars Episode I DVD Review

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Star Wars Episode I DVD Review

Posted by michael on Thursday September 20, 2001 @12:24AM from the love-the-smell-of-lightsabers-in-the-morning dept.

dswensen writes: "Theforce.net has an in-depth review of the forthcoming Star Wars: Episode I DVD (due for release October 16th). Looking at all the great features packed into this DVD, I'm glad Lucas decided not to just toss off a cheap version a year ago. Love it or hate it, it looks like they really pulled out all the stops." Plus Ant points out that there is some teaser movie available for Star Wars Galaxies, the upcoming massively multiplayer game.

8 of 209 comments (clear)

Okay, but.... by Migelikor1 · 2001-09-20 00:29 · Score: 3, Insightful

We still haven't seen the original trilogy that didn't suck on DVD, and there is no plan to release it. I find it somewhat ridickulous.

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1. Re:Okay, but.... by Rogerborg · 2001-09-20 02:06 · Score: 3, Informative
  We still haven't seen the original trilogy that didn't suck on DVD, and there is no plan to release it
  
  ...until after episodes 2 & 3 are out. Wierdly, Amazon has the DVD of Episode 4 listed, complete with ASIN number.
  
  But sure, let's have it, George. Heck, I'd settle for being able to get pristine VHS tapes of the unbutchered versions.
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Good things about episode 1 by 0-9a-zA-Y_.+!*'(),-$ · 2001-09-20 00:57 · Score: 3, Insightful

Actually, there were quite a few things I liked about Episode I.
First of all, he established the groundwork for what are sure to be two very dark and combat-filled movies.
Also, the lightsaber fight at the end was the best filmed so far.
Even during a second viewing, I was still laughing every time I saw the "thin client" attack droids in action. IMHO, anybody who doesn't think an entire army of Crow T. Robots getting their asses kicked by lizzard men is funny needs to lighten up a little. That battle alone was worth my seven bucks.
On the downside, turning The Force into super-intelligent germs was a huge mistake. In two brief scenes, he ruined the whole series by turning a beautifully impossible fantasy into a very implausable sci-fi load of crap.
This was even less forgivable than the cartoony Jar Jar, the Bat-Grapling-Guns that Amidala's royal guard used, or the fact that Brian Blessed (voice of the Gungan King) put in the corniest performance of his carreer since his hammy appearance in Flash Gordon.

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A much simpler review by Junks+Jerzey · 2001-09-20 01:37 · Score: 4, Informative

I mean this in all honesty:

1. Phantom Menace was a poor to mediocre movie no matter what your point of view, unless you saw it when you were 7 without seeing the original movies. It does not deserve to be talked about any more that Waterworld does.

2. DVD extras cannot change #1.
1. Re:A much simpler review by elmegil · 2001-09-20 03:10 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Thank you for proving my point. Know-nothing blow-hards don't get it. btw, can you tell me the real reason why the Trade Federation invaded Naboo? Show me you have the intelligence greater than a third grader...
  In other words: "I am one of the elite few who understand the true genius inherent in the movie, and the rest of you who actually thought movies are to be enjoyed instead of analyzed are just morons. Nany nany boo boo!"
  Get real. TPM was trite and occasionally offensive. Most of the acting sucked (little Anniken in particular). A lot of effort was spent and the result should have been mind blowing on its face instead of requiring deep analysis and "understanding" to "get it".
  Actually though, this should have hardly been a surprise to anyone who went to see the re-issues of the original trilogy; it has not aged well, and the first movie which knocked everyone's socks off at the time in particularv is not much better than TPM except in the effects for the time department. Of course today those effects look dated too....
  If you want to live in your nostalgia land where Star Wars was the best thing your 11 year old eyes ever saw, feel free, but forgive the rest of us if we've grown up and placed higher expectations on our movies (even action movies need to surprise us).
  
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  7 November 2006: The day Americans realized corruption and incompetence weren't addressing 11 September 2001
Re:Has the reviewer ever seen a good DVD before? by Rogerborg · 2001-09-20 01:59 · Score: 3
- since the reviewer doesn't mention the only aspect I truly care about with menus: do I have to spend 8 hours watching flashy menu transitions just to watch the movie
Or in the case of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, see a spoiler of the end of the movie!. Yes, this irritates the hell out of me as well. I wonder why they think it's necessary.
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Much better review at DVDFILE.com by Malc · 2001-09-20 02:29 · Score: 4, Informative

This review is dreadful. Are the reviewers suffering from tunnel vision? Did they have their Lucas goggles on? Were they paid by Lucas? It's a bit of a brown-noser and the tone suggests to me that even if the quality of DVD had been really crap, they would still have written good things about it.

I prefer the review at dvdfile.com. When they discuss the transfer to DVD, you can't but help feel that they know what they're talking about. Perhaps I also share the same opinion as the reviewer: this wasn't a great great film, but we all liked the *idea* of a Star Wars film. The review is here: http://www.dvdfile.com/software/review/dvd-video_4 /starwars_episode_i.html.
dvd? passe. by Lumpy · 2001-09-20 02:38 · Score: 3, Informative

I had it on Laserdisc for almost a year now.
No region encoding, No content controls.
Same resolution you have on your DVD and in Dolby 5.1

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Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.