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The Phantom Menace is the first story in the Star
Wars series and is the prequel to Star Wars, The
Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi (Parts
4 to 6).
It takes you back the days when Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor)
was a student jedi under the tutelage of Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam
Neeson) and they meet up with a small boy, powerful in the
Force, by the name of Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd).
The baddies of this scene-setting movie are those of the
Trade Federation who are trying to bully the Naboo, led by
Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman), into acceding to their demands.
When she refuses a last time the Federation launches a sneak
attack and invades Naboo.
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon help the Royal party to escape and they
land on a small planet, Tatooine, where they come across Anakin.
During their time there you get to witness the spectacular
pod racing which, it has to be said, looks and sounds absolutely
magical on DVD.
In the extras section of disc 2, you can see a longer version
of the race that includes a lot of footage on the massively
cut release version of lap two.
After Tatooine it's off to gain the support of the Galactic
Senate on Coruscant, a return to Naboo, a battle between unexpected
allies and the federation droids and then a terrific lightsabre
fight between the jedis and the Sith fighter Darth Maul.
While The Phantom Menace is not as soul-catching as
the other Star Wars movies - it lacks their flair and character
development - and does have some un-Star Wars parts that detractors
will slag off unmercifully, it is still well worth watching.
Technos will certainly enjoy the special effects and way in
which it blended computer imagery and real life.
On a good note - The Phantom Menace on DVD is completely
different to that released on video. The images are sharp
- almost too sharp at times - and the sound will have your
ears flapping like Jar Jar Binks' lips.
And then, of course, there are the six hours of extras ....
Conclusion: Movie 80%, Extras 95%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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