Phantom Menace on DVD - finally!

[-reaper-]

This months DVD Monthly has news of the upcoming DVD:

Due for release later this year it will be launched in all regions simultaneously. It's going to be a 2 disc set and will feature THREE versions; the original theatrical release, one with all the sfx stripped out and another which is roumered to be 30mins longer (including the much talked about fight scene between Anakin and Greedo which never made it to the final cut) and will have remastered effects. The soundtrack is also being remastered into 6.1

Other extras will be more deleted scenes, 11 or 12 trailers, dirrectors commentry and an exclusive Episode II featurette.

[JackG2]

What about the rest of the trilogy? Aren't they bringing that to DVD?:{

[DizMatt]

woohoo...not

[Shadow Templar]

Finally!!!! Oh god ... how long have I waited for a crap film to be put on a superior format! If the video didn't make you fall asleep or rip your own fingernails out with sheer bad-filmness then you can torture yourself with not 2 but 3 different versions ... and ohhhhh I really like this one ... one without the special effects, so only the acting and plot is left ... its like concentrating evil into pure evil. Anyway isn't this conversion banned by the Geneva Convention?

/me waits for Boba

[Jaguar]

/me fans the flames a bit

I agree totally, its just another money making scheme from sad old George. I finally caught up with this 2 weeks ago after avoiding it, and i have to say its one of the worst films i've ever seen, the acting, writing, and direction are appalling (even Samuel L Jackson struggles with the cringeworthy dialogue). Jar Jar Blinks is worse than the ewoks, and that little kid is just plain annoying.

That said i was never that big a fan of the originals (kids films). All bad acting, dialogue, camp robots, and poor old Alec Guiness slumming it for a few quid

[JackG2]

BLASPHEMERY!!!!!

[DizMatt]

some of the film is alright..
the fight scenes are awesome (Ray Parks for Prime Minister)
the race is fun I think
the jedi stuff is well cool
the casting is good
makeup excellent and costumes

there are LOTS of crap bits though...
and the inspite of all the good bits that could have saved the movie???
all I can think about when I see the movie is the future Darth Vadar...saying....[i][b]"Yiippeeee"

[-reaper-]

Whatever, but this will be the biggest selling DVD of the year.

And as for this being another money making scheme by Lucas, he didn't want to release any DVD's until he'd finished the new trilogy, but the fan pressure was too high and he had to give in and spend some time away from the new film to get this done. It's not even out yet and it's already being hailed as THE DVD release of the century.

Say what you like, but TPM is a good film and doesn't have the luxury of being "new" or being a defining genre film like the original did. It also had the unenviable task of satisfying a generation of people who have grown up with the original series thinking them to be the best things since sliced celluliod. Your hopes and aspirations for Phantom were way too high before it was released.

Where do I pay my 2 cents?

[JackG2]

Reaper made a good point I think. It's makes me appercate my copy of TPM more.

[[TJC]Boba Fett ASF]

/me takes deep breathes

[[TJC]Boba Fett ASF]

Gotta agree with Reap tho!! Good ol boy!

[Ruskins]

bah ill buy it then just skip straight to the Saber fight.

/me pats digital chapter selection.

[DizMatt]

look, the trilogy boxed set was released.
sold out quick, the remastered one was released, sold out too
the new special editions were released...hard to find sometimes in widescreen...

BUT TPM???
PRE-OREDER YOUR COPIES NOW!!! everyone said.
WHsmiths was making everyone put down a deposit.
but when it came out? stacked on shelves everywhere.
there were reams of them in cmoputer stores, supermarkets...
really they didn't sell at all in the numbers retailers hoped....
so why will the DVD be any different?

[OllyB]

Sounds cool 2 me!

[Pop Culture Monkey]

It was an appalling wank-stain of a movie.

And yet I'll be the first to be chasing up a copy of this DVD...

Hmmmm... Maybe it's because of the hype, maybe it's because I'm a sucker for marketing or maybe it's because I'd rather watch this abortion than have to sit through A New Hope.

I'll be getting that too...

Fool that I am.

[[TJC]Boba Fett ASF]

It aint a bad film! Pretty damn amazing actually

[Pop Culture Monkey]

Yeah, okay.

Which was your favourite bit? The appalling acting, the glaring plotholes or the most irritating character in movie history?

Maybe you enjoyed the weak-ass space battle at the end? Assault on the Death Star it wasn't.

Or maybe you favoured classic lines, such as: 'Im a person, and my name is Anakin!'... Yeah, right up there with lines like 'I am your father.' and 'Use the Force.' that one.


Maybe your favourite bits were the same as mine - The bit's where they took the super-cool villain Darth Maul and actually used him...

Y'know, THE BITS WHERE THEY USED HIM!! You must have seen those bits. The four minutes of screen time and all of the lunchboxes, posters and action figures. Those were great.

And don't be saying anything about the Pod Race, we all know that bit was cool... But it doesn't count. I wouldn't eat a piece of chocolate if it were surrounded by dog poo.

[Shadow Templar]

Originally posted by Pop Culture Monkey
Yeah, okay.

Which was your favourite bit? The appalling acting, the glaring plotholes or the most irritating character in movie history?

Maybe you enjoyed the weak-ass space battle at the end? Assault on the Death Star it wasn't.

Or maybe you favoured classic lines, such as: 'Im a person, and my name is Anakin!'... Yeah, right up there with lines like 'I am your father.' and 'Use the Force.' that one.


Maybe your favourite bits were the same as mine - The bit's where they took the super-cool villain Darth Maul and actually used him...

Y'know, THE BITS WHERE THEY USED HIM!! You must have seen those bits. The four minutes of screen time and all of the lunchboxes, posters and action figures. Those were great.

And don't be saying anything about the Pod Race, we all know that bit was cool... But it doesn't count. I wouldn't eat a piece of chocolate if it were surrounded by dog poo.

This man speaks the truth.

AND THERE IS NO WAY I accept the "Well he was just setting up the other 5 films" or "He couldn't satisfy everyone" ... because he could have setup the scene and satisfy most .. . BY MAKING A GOOD MOVIE. This was average at best. This DVD with the SFX removed should hopefully reveal the shear lack of substance in the movie. Burn TPM BURN!

[OllyB]

I partly agree. GL had the Time, the money and the experiance to make the best film in the world ever. Im not sure why he didnt but I do remember him saying that the film may not be well recived by a lot of people and that he didnt care if it wasn't.

[[TJC]Boba Fett ASF]

Hehehe quite funny actually! This is probaly the strongest person I've fought!

Originally posted by Pop Culture Monkey


Which was your favourite bit? The appalling acting, the glaring plotholes or the most irritating character in movie history?

I personally thought the acting was fantastic -Liam Neeson for one was great, Anakin well his acting wasn't bad (plus he is young) he only had a few annoying lines like "Yippee" which makes him seem awful, plotholes...well I'll give ya that one...the only thing I didn't like was the way Anakin destroyed the Trade Federation (which to me was the only plothole).
I assume you refer to Jar Jar when talking about annoying characters, I personally thought he was great, a little over the top at times, but stillgood -a releif in tension in the film for viewers..especially the younger generations.

Originally posted by Pop Culture Monkey


Maybe you enjoyed the weak-ass space battle at the end? Assault on the Death Star it wasn't.

The space battle wasn't the meant to the main part of the film, plus why compare it to the Battle of Yavin? Maybe Lucas wanted it to be different...

Originally posted by Pop Culture Monkey
Or maybe you favoured classic lines, such as: 'Im a person, and my name is Anakin!'... Yeah, right up there with lines like 'I am your father.' and 'Use the Force.' that one.

Well there are plenty more good lines...why compare the worse lines in TPM to the best lines in the whole Trilogy?

Originally posted by Pop Culture Monkey

Maybe your favourite bits were the same as mine - The bit's where they took the super-cool villain Darth Maul and actually used him...

I think his air time was sufficient, his mysterious and overpowering presence was enough to make him popular. What more would you want Lucas to do? Throw in a few more lightsabre battles so fans start complaining that they are overusing him and his skills. Watch him sit on Tatooine doing nothing, while his probedroids work? Watch him sit around at home? These would be totally pointless.

Originally posted by Pop Culture Monkey


And don't be saying anything about the Pod Race, we all know that bit was cool... But it doesn't count. I wouldn't eat a piece of chocolate if it were surrounded by dog poo.

The Podrace was good, but personally to me wasn't the highlight of the film.

I've babbledlong enough, plus I've probably made loads of mistakes and it's probably unreadable, but hey!

[[TJC]Boba Fett ASF]

Originally posted by Monkey Fool sometime ago



Lucas has done so much for Cinema THAT was why I said lets not slag him off unnecessarily.

The points you have raised are your opinion of the film, which I will concede in admitting to hearing the same before. If you had followed the reviews of Episode 1 you may also like to mention the amount of critics that praised the young Jake’s performance saying how good an actor he is. As I mentioned before the “YIPEES” grate me as much as the next person but Lucas has tried his hardest to create a cute, unthreatening little guy who could not possibly turn into Vader. He made a few of the scenes with him seem “hammy” and over acted for that exact reason and so children could even get that impression. Lucas, from the outset of filming, said the movie would be more kid based than the previous trilogy that would set the scene of what was to come. The film would appear very light and happy compared with rest.

Regarding his choice of directors. I think the guy deserves praise for doing everything in these films from Editing, Directing, Production, Cinematography, all of the technical aspects of such a massive project and also coming up with an entirely new galaxy with different rules and people. He may not be an Irvin Kershner but the guy does not set out to be. These movies are a 9 year, full time project and which other director can claim that sort of commitment?? (That is not to take anything away from the “true” calibre directors at all)

This leads me well into his choice of using so much CG, again another brave step in the future of Cinema. What will happen when the likes of Spiderman is released (if it ever happens!) were rumours suggest a lead role filled by a CG character, will you not give the film a chance because of this? I hope this form of film does not take over from the conventional style of director and actors but it can certainly live on the same shelf. Film is a directors medium but Lucas does not try and make Oscar winning dramatic scenes but Epic tales, again completely different from other directors.

If you look behind the scenes Ahmed Best played Jar Jar just as he is seen on the screen in CG format. Lucas replaced the human form for a more alien like being and IMO it works brilliantly. Not liking Jar Jar’s character is one thing but hating him for being CG is wrong. Unless of course you REALLY don’t like computer animation, but that is your choice. (just stay away from Toy Story if that is true) No film has ever seen such a blend of CG and real life actors working so well. (except for the scene were Obi Wan is staring over Jar Jar’s head)

So the film is childish but it was aimed at CHILDREN why people assume he should make a film foe the die hard fans is beyond me but we are all victims of what has gone before.

If you don’t like it fine but don’t try and convince me of the same.

Wise words from Monkey Fool

[Shadow Templar]

Jar Jar was impressive technology for its time, but the character itself was terrible.

Let me go into more detail about the plot canyons in the film.

The entire trade federation assault was destroyed by accident. Now I'm sorry I don't swallow. What would have been better would be some new tatic or weapon employed by the Naboo forces and Gunguns which made droid assaults obsolete forcing a new method of attack, thus introducing the Clone Wars. Now you know I talk sense.

Was it me or was JarJar promoted to GENERAL!?? What ... thats one of the highest military position, for ohhh all that combat experience.

Only two dark jedi? A bit dissappointing and Darth Maul said almost nothing and had almost no air time, but I do understand why just by looking at the title of the movie. When do the rest of the dark jedi turn up? Not really a plothole but I am curious.

I also don't buy the way c3p0 just so happens to turn up, if so why doesn't he say he was Anakins droid at any point during the other 3 films. Why doesn't he tell Luke that Vader was his father. To fill this hole I bet his memory is erased in one of the other films. I don't buy this either. Why can't he be an ordinary character dragged into this, it would be far more acceptable.

I could write pages, but when it comes down to it this film was poorly formed, the characters were wooden and fairly badly acted, it was a poor addition to the Star Wars trilogy, and the reason this is obvious is there are so many people who don't like the film. Only some of the CGI impressed me as well, there were some really bad mistakes such as reflections as well. The plot is also lacklustre and messy. And considering the time and resources Lucas had to pull from it acts as a multiplier in my head making it a truely bad film, where others see it as dissapointing or average.

[travis bickle]

i have to agree tpm was a bad film overall

the thing that i feel strongly about is, as mentioned by pop culture monkey, is the underuse of darth maul

it is often said that the hero is only as good as the baddie he is up against- i mean look at john mcclane and hans gruber

it would have been possible to give maul this sort of mysterious menace whilst being on the screen. i mean look at a new hope- there is almost a paralell narrative structure- we keep cutting between lukes journey and what vader is doing- like the excellent force choke scenes or the torturing of leia. all of these scenes build up a sense of evil around vader without actually blowing its wad and leaving his lightsabre fight with obi-wan at the end

why underuse the face of the phantom menace?

[JackG2]

Originally posted by Shadow Templar

I also don't buy the way c3p0 just so happens to turn up, if so why doesn't he say he was Anakins droid at any point during the other 3 films. Why doesn't he tell Luke that Vader was his father. To fill this hole I bet his memory is erased in one of the other films. I don't buy this either. Why can't he be an ordinary character dragged into this, it would be far more acceptable.

I'm sorry, I have to respond to this part.... *ahem*... did you ever think c3-po would reconize Anikain in that Darth Vader suit?
For all you know, he probaly only has data on him as a boy. Look at the trilogy too, c3-po never really saw Darth Vader in the films. And I doubt that he would also react to Luke when he said he was "Skywalker". c3-po is smart. He probaly thought that there was all sorts of other people with the name Skywalker in the galaxy.

[DizMatt]

droids memories can get erased...
personally I think it a little silly that they used both the droids...almost for the sake of it.
trying to follow up with those two as spectators for all the movies??...Hmmmm
maul was well used I think
Ray Parks isn't a bad actor (X-men) but they dubbed him over and I think they used him well.
he wasn't the main bad guy...he was only a minion.
acting? Jake Lloyd? bah, they should have got the kid from 6th Sense, I bet Lucas banged his head against the wall when he saw that lad on the big screen.
the only thing about lloyd is that he could look like a young skywalker
Neeson and McGregor were superb I think.
they always have some tough lines..
Like some of the crap Alec Guiness has to say in ANH...amazing that he made it sound so cool!
anyway TPM? shame really, but I did enjoy it a lot more the second time around.
but I do feel left out...it was obviously aimed at kids, a new generation of star wars fanatics...
it's just a shame he couldn't make the effort to please the old fan base like myself too.
oh well.