Star Wars: The Phantom Menace [4K UHD]

Nice movie

Came on time and worked great. A piece of my childhood. ❤️

The Phantom Menace (1999) marks the long-awaited return of Star Wars to the big screen, serving as the first chapter in George Lucas’s prequel trilogy. While the film delivers stunning visuals, groundbreaking CGI (especially for its time), and an unforgettable pod-racing sequence, its storytelling can feel uneven. The political intrigue of the Galactic Senate often overshadows the human drama, and some characters—most notoriously Jar Jar Binks—haven’t aged well in fans’ eyes. Still, the film introduces iconic elements like Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn, and the young Anakin Skywalker, laying important groundwork for the saga’s larger story. Despite its flaws in dialogue and pacing, The Phantom Menace remains a visually rich and ambitious start to the prequels—one that’s best appreciated for its world-building and its role in reigniting Star Wars for a new generation.

What is so awful about this movie? All I've seen at this site is DISTURBINGLY negative reviews of it, calling for the torture and death of Jar Jar Binks and calling the movie a "steaming heap of refuse" or words to that effect. Are you people SERIOUS?! Qui Conn Jinn I have to wonder about, granted, but Natalie Portman, for her young years, is an excellent actress....She seems much more mature than the 20 or so solar cycles she's seen. Yes, granted, Jar Jar Binks is a pain in the [...], but for my money, C3PO is STILL the most irritating character in the Star Wars pantheon. Why is he even THERE? R2D2 is the robot that usually pulls everybody's fat out of the fire at the last minute...what has 3PO done? Saved Luke and Han from the Ewoks in "Return of the Jedi"? I think they and Chewbacca could have eventually handled them. Anyway, back to "Phantom". While I take pains to defend the film, there ARE a few things wrong with it, some MAJOR things, not the least of which is Qui Conn Jinn's fawning interest in little Annakin! For instance, a little too much of it is reminiscent of "The Empire Strikes Back" in the beginning, especially as Qui Conn, Jar Jar and Obi Wan leave Gungan. Speaking of Gungan, I like Boss Nass as a character, with his odd speech pattern and facial tics. Very original character concept, if you ask me. Schmi Skywalker is also a great character, ("Schmi"?! Why was she named after a villain in "Peter Pan"?) She exudes a tranquil persona that permeates every scene she's in. Pernilla August handles this part beautifully. WHY was she killed off in "Attack of the Clones"?? The art direction....? Nonpareil! Though not the equal of "Attack of the Clones", if "Phantom" didn't win the 1999 Oscar(r) for art direction or visual effects, a fix was in for the actual winner, because few movies can equal this or its sequel for pure visual mastery. (Or pure cheek!) The plot? What was wrong with the plot? Granted the pathos and strong feelings from "New Hope" aren't there because THIS IS NOT "NEW HOPE"!! This movie didn't have the luxury or inherent specialness of being the founder of a film dynasty and institution, and it does put some light on the beginnings of Annakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and what made him so special in the eyes of the Jedi and the Empire. Sorry, but we will never again see the image of the remains of Beru and Owen amongst the ruins of their smoking residence, or Luke's stunned reaction to it. Never see Luke blow up Deathstar with the spirit of justice guiding his every move. Never see him shreik in outrage as his own father kills Obi Wan Kenobi right in front of his eyes. Never see Princess Leia surprise Han and Luke by firing a gun like a pro that first time. Nope...never. Deal with it. This movie could have been garbage, like "Return of the Jedi", which is, as far as I'm concerned, the REAL stinker amongst the Star Wars films! Lucas certainly didn't have to exert himself for the bucks, now did he? However, I will put this up against "2010: The Year We Make Contact", "Ghostbusters II" "Alien Resurrection", "Batman & Robin", "Star Trek: Insurrection" and any ONE of Spielberg's little money factory originals or sequels any day of the week for quality! About the only other thing that bugs me about this movie and "Clones" together is that Ewan McGregor is NOT a convincing young Obi Wan. Forty-five, fifty years ago, Alec Guiness pretty much looked, sounded and acted as he did in "New Hope" to "Jedi". It's impossible to imagine McGregor developing Guiness' distinctive speech patterns and mannerisms along the way to his dotage. Where's the nasal tone? The smirk? Believe me, nobody changes that much over the course of a lifetime, I don't care HOW much they age! All in all, NOTHING should prevent you from buying this movie...not the condemnations of fanboys, not the homicidal sentiments toward Jar Jar Binks or anything ELSE! Buy this for what it is...another great addition to THE Royal Family of popcorn movies! THEN...analyze it!

I had to do it... I had to get both versions of the Phantom Menace... I mean, I might as well wear out the pan & scan version and save the widescreen edition for special occasions (whatever)... anyway on to the film... I think enough has been said about the content of the film itself. There will always be endless debate about how great/horrible the movie was, about how funny/moronic/racist/utterly worthless Jar Jar Binks was/is... but I digress. The movie is actually enjoyable & very watchable (coming from someone who has seen it over 1 dozen times already)... like John Williams said, it's a great Saturday afternoon movie. Great introduction to the young Obi-Wan Kenobi and his teacher Qui-Gon Jinn (if he trained Ol' Ben, though, how come he never mentions him in the later films?, Darth Maul is totally cool and wields a pretty mean lightsaber, Jake Lloyd is adorable as Anakin, Natalie Portman is wooden as Queen Amidala, and Samuel L. Jackson & Pernilla August turn in pretty good supporting roles. The widescreen edition is presented in a pretty cool format, with the 35mm cell and the booklet. Technically, the video is above average. Good thing I bought the widescreen version; when I started to watch the pan & scan version, halfway through the film the picture became distorted & jumpy, eventually becoming totally unwatchable. When I returned the film for an exchange, the cashier mentioned that they had some problems with a lot of tapes that were returned for similar reasons... so much for THX mastering. The picture is not as clear as I though it would have (& should have) been; it tends to jump in certain places, and happens to be more noticeable in the pan & scan version. I checked it out on at least 3 different VCR's so it's the tape that has the problem. The Dolby Pro Logic soundtrack, however, is another story; rich and very deep in the bass parts, the soundtrack stands out from the get go (with the THX "test" before the film begins). The lightsabers hum all around the room and the starships sound (& feel) like they are taking off in your living room. Highlights include the various lightsaber duels (which put the duels in the original trilogy to shame), the space assault on the Trade Federation, the unbelievable Boonta Eve pod race, and the obligatory celebration at the end of the film. George Lucas tends to go overboard on some of the CGI in this film, with the cardinal sin of making Jar Jar Binks a major character. The film lacks the imagination that Lucas used in the first film. Instead of thinking a scene out (like the now legendary Creature Cantina sequence), with the current technology Lucas can just digitally drop crap into every scene without thinking about it. It shows in many of the scenes, none more so than the droid/Gungan battle. On the whole, however, the movie is fun to watch and pretty much geared towards children (how else to explain the cuteness of Anakin & the buffoonery of Jar Jar?) Pick it up and have some fun on a lazy, hazy (or rainy) Saturday afternoon(s)... you won't be disappointed you did...

Classic, made a great gift.

This is episode I, meaning it relies heavily on the five later chapters to fill in the gaps. I know lots of people were confused by all that was happening and to be honest, there were more things going on than we're used to in Star Wars films. The writing, which came under the heaviest criticism, was very similar in tone and nature to the three previous films. The difference is that we were all younger and more forgiving of the simple innocence. It seems out of place in today's cynical atmosphere, but it's to his credit that he kept the tone similar to those that came before. He kept it 'all-ages' rather than marketing it to 13 year olds the way they did with the inferior Matrix. How easily grown-ups forget the way they saw the world as children. This film explores more than we're used to seeing and that can be confusing, especially to the unimaginative. All the 'disappointed' people seemed to be saying they wanted the same thing served up again rather than treading new ground. This galaxy is populated by a mix of aliens, droids and humans. As humans we tend to think of droids and aliens as puppets rather than characters. Again, this is a shortcoming of the audience. The ideas Lucas brings up are also not popular, this probably hurt the film the most. Greed is a terrible thing in Star Wars, but in America we swear by it. Naboo, a beautiful artistic is beyond the realm of Earthlings who litter their environment. The style of this film is beautiful and shows us that film can be art when crafted by visionary directors. The design, the photography, the palette and scope of the film are truly magnificent. There are so many spectacular scenes, places, characters and events in this film, you must see them for yourself. The podrace, though exciting and stunning, is the only part that detracts from the flow of the story. There are so many strong points that more than make up for this. The lightsabre duel between the three warriors is fierce, magnificent and thankfully silent - most directors would fill such a sequence with pointless dialogue to enhance the adversarial relationship. The ground battle between droids and aliens is beautifully done and briefly returns us to the glory days of epic films. When it comes down to it, who are we to say this is not OUR Star Wars? It is George Lucas' Star Wars, always has been and always will be. This chapter fits in to the whole, though we are two more films from realizing that. The Phantom Menace is most like Return of the Jedi in color scheme, mood and atmosphere and I think it'll be part of the story turning full circle. For everyone who said it's 'not what I expected', try opening your mind and not limiting the film to the scope of your own personal vision, and don't make the opinions of others your own. Maybe you'll start to enjoy it.

I pre-ordered and bought star wars episode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; all the individual 4K UHD bluray titles. I chose to buy this instead of the skywalker saga boxset; because Disney is NOT going to get my money for making bantha poodoo like 7,8 and 9. These six movies in 4K will be my last copies of star wars that I will ever buy, unless they come out with 8K or 16K UHD blurays in the future. Supposedly the prequel trilogy is only upscaled 4K, but it's ok; I still loved them. And now I have the original trilogy on 4K. I am a star wars fan, and I will always be a fan until the day I die. But for me, star wars stops at Episode six. I'm not gonna be like those fans who are ranting and complaining on social media, I am gonna let my MONEY do the talking. I have stopped going to theaters for star wars movies, I have stopped buying star wars merchandise and I have stopped buying star wars toys. This is how disappointed I am in STAR WARS now. Buy the individual 4K blurays, don't waste your money on the skywalker saga boxset. Don't waste 300 bucks and get 9 crappy discs which you will never ever watch again; probably use them for coasters or frisbees.

exelente

Awesome deal!

Article conforme à l'annonce et livraison rapide

Perfecta colección de las 6 películas hasta el momento. Buscaba algo parecido y he dado en el clavo. Aunque tienes que comprar una por una, no vienen en una típica caja de cartón de coleccionista. Para mi perfecto. Típica caja metálica aunque muy fina para mi gusto y recubierto de plástico por dentro. Solo viene el Blu-Ray y nada más. El dibujo de delante es un tono metalizado y tiene cierto relieve en las letras y por detrás aparece la portada original muy bien dibujada. Son totalmente excelentes, no podrían estar mejor hechos. He colgado una foto para que veáis la parte de atrás ya que viene con un cartón que representa la típica parte de atrás de un dvd o blu-ray donde sale escenas, información, créditos, etc... y al ser un SteelBox lo podemos extraer quitando dos trozo de celo y se deja ver en todo su esplendor. También he colgado otra foto para que veáis las seis cartulinas y como he decidido cortar la parte que envuelve cada película por encima para guardarlos en el estante. Lógicamente he hecho tal cosa porque es mucho más bonito ver los dibujos de la caja que ese trozo de cartón tapándolo. Ahora toca esperar a la nueva trilogía y las antologías que también tienen pensado sacar, aunque... ¿Cuantos años habrá que esperar para que saquen un edición con un dibujo tan excelente como lo son estas 6 primeras? Muchos.

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