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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

1999
Sci-fi, Fantasy
2h 16m
When the evil Trade Federation plots to take over the peaceful planet of Naboo, Jedi warrior Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi embark on an amazing adventure to save the planet.
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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

1999
Sci-fi, Fantasy
2h 16m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 32.92% from 19053 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(19053)
Compact view
Compact view
Rated 05 Feb 2007
0
4th
I can't even imagine how furious I would be if I grew up when the originals came out to go into a theater to see this shit. This movie is beyond awful. Jar Jar Binks? What the fuck is Lucas thinking? This is the movie that EVERYONE wanted to get made and Lucas failed on every single level. This movie is a disgrace to not only Star Wars fans but movie fans in general. A 0 just for how excited I was and how much of a let down this was.
Rated 14 Mar 2016
75
30th
This is what happens when you let elderly autistic billionaires make movies.
Rated 27 Dec 2008
0
4th
Has some of the absolute worst dialog I've ever seen in a film. Whoever wrote this must have only the vaguest theoretical knowledge of what verbal interactions are like. Its horrid dialog overshadows everything else, and with other god-awful elements thrown in such as a general lack of logic, Jar-Jar Binks, and so on, the decent special effects and, at least on paper, stellar cast can't come close to saving it. This film is the biggest letdown of modern cinema.
Rated 15 Apr 2016
60
26th
Age the kid up and scrap Binks and this could have been cookin'. It's tonally off as is - a kid-friendly movie about trade disputes, corrupt bureaucracy, and slavery? Key strengths go unused - Neeson's high talent is tied behind his back as he's constantly tasked to play off CG aliens while the wonderfully designed Maul exists for about three minutes total. I actually find the much-labored chariot/drag race scene completely satisfying as I've always had a fondness for desert racing culture.
Rated 15 Nov 2009
5
1st
This is the closest I've ever been to being physically pissed in the face.
Rated 09 Mar 2010
4
0th
Fuck you, George Lucas. FUCK YOU.
Rated 13 Mar 2022
70
53rd
Going back to the prequel trilogy after the sequel trilogy is super fucked up. There is an actual storyline we build on in the three (I'm not saying it's a good story!) The crushing disappointment of seeing this opening weekend has long faded, and the stupid George changes I dont even care anymore (ghoulish Yoda CGI over the puppet), we had no clue just how dirty this franchise was going to be done later. No movie before or since has used yippee with such reckless abandon.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
30
32nd
A blatant attempt to make the movie universally appealing renders it unappealing to those the series appeals to most. Send the kid to a London orphanage, make a suitcase out of Jar-Jar, and perhaps once again there can be balance in the Force.
Rated 27 Apr 2008
44
10th
The initial scenes showing the power of a Jedi Knight in his prime were pretty cool, as is the final lightsaber battle, but everything in between is either tediously boring or juvenile or insulting.
Rated 14 Jun 2009
50
23rd
"Now THIS is podracing!" A part of me dies inside when I hear this line.
Rated 01 Jan 2010
2
6th
(after repeat viewings) Years since I've last seen it yet TPM has absolutely no purpose other than introducing Anakin Skywalker. Any strengths the film may have are ultimately bogged down by its 1-dimensional characters, insipid storyline and at times shockingly bad acting (I'm looking at you Jake!). Jar Jar Binks deserves to be burned alive together with every copy of this film you can find. I went from a 7 to this, I guess that's what you call 'enlightenment'.
Rated 07 May 2019
5
25th
The core here is solid: one part engaging political power-games plot, one part planet-hopping adventure (loved the journey underwater: "There's always a bigger fish") with some moments of intrigue on the side (see the princess twist, Jedi council debate on the kid, the mysterious menace). Its often distasteful decoration (sorry Jar-Jar, you're just a bit much; annoying Anakin isn't helped by the script: "I'll try spinning, that's a good trick!") weakens it but overall it's still enjoyable.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
12
7th
Oh man, the first ten minutes of this movie are awesome. You've got Jedis fucking up robots and trying to saw their way through a door and it kicks serious ass! In fact, I can remember sitting in the theater back in '99 fully expecting to be blown away by this one. And then Jar Jar Binks appears and FUCKS IT ALL UP. And it's only downhill from there. You don't need me to tell you what a missed opportunity the whole prequel trilogy was. And SOMEHOW, this isn't even the worst of the three movies!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
36
4th
This says it all: http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/12/17/watch-this-70-minute-video-review-of-star-wars-the-phantom-menace/
Rated 05 Jun 2009
10
5th
A monumental disaster in cinema.
Rated 24 Apr 2010
2
2nd
Oh God, where to begin with this one. Where the alternating bad and hammy acting of the original franchise had a campy, ol' timey charm, here it's just way, way beyond tolerable. The creaky, lame humor that popped up occasionally in the old flicks is smeared over absolutely everything here. Where the originals seemed to inhabit a world that one could nearly reach out and touch, this one feels cold and distant. The mother of all cinematic disappointments.
Rated 09 May 2011
40
10th
The acting resembles a porno with the good bits cut out. The humour fits too. A cluttered, overly shiny explosive moneyshot finish is no compensation. Hey George, masturbate on your own time and I think you got some in our eye ya prick.
Rated 19 Sep 2011
73
16th
Someone pointed out how great the last lightsaber fight is. It's excellent, but Darth-Maul is so underutilized that I didn't care for him as much as MANY seem to. Also couldn't get past some of the acting. It's a lazy effort overall, with decent eye-candy and not a whole lot going on when it comes down to it. Worth watching for the sole fact that it's Star Wars, but man, good effects and editing doesn't make up for the weak writing and acting.
Rated 20 Oct 2015
21
9th
So many unanswered questions compared to the aptly titled New Hope: when did aliens stop looking like extras from Phinneas and Ferb? When did they abolish black people? Asians? When did the universe have time to take acting lessons? Hopefully Lucas can clarify this soon.
Rated 01 Sep 2016
30
16th
Viewed with hostility by many on obviously justifed bases, dialogue and acting in particular. But some fan criticism of this dumb film seems to be outrage that it isn't dumb ENOUGH. The demand for comfortably dumb stories was taken on board by those involved in subsequent SW films. The lesson? Minor efforts at building a world in which politics and economy are not simply reduced to anti-evilness a la LORD OF THE RINGS are apparently bad steps - what's all this talk about trade and stuff, huh?
Rated 03 Feb 2007
40
10th
Wretched stuff. The writing is bad, Lucas's direction is bad, Anakin should've been at least five years older in order to not be annoying as hell to watch, both Darth Maul and Jar-Jar are utterly useless (in completely different ways), and there's far too much CGI that's going to look absolutely ridiculous some years from now if it doesn't already. But even in spite of all that, it still has some of the charm and fun of the original trilogy. Just not nearly enough of it.
Rated 16 Apr 2007
70
63rd
A fun film, and while not impressive by filmic standards, I am a huge fan and can't help but find the Star Wars' films endearing.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
30
18th
Shocking to see how poor this and Episode 2 & 3 are when compared to the Episodes 4 - 6. This movie looks and sounds great. Too bad there's nothing else. Swing and a miss for Mr. Lucas.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
43
9th
It's a decent movie. But as far as Star Wars is concerned (and there is a high standard set), it's EASILY the worst one.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
24
8th
One of the most disappointing (and annoying) films ever conceaved by a man previously known for his impressive works. It's like finding out William Shakespear wrote "Ernest goes to camp."
Rated 14 Aug 2007
5
23rd
Take away the Star Wars name and you have an average, albeit technically wonderful, sci-fi story.
Rated 08 Feb 2008
70
22nd
Tariffs? Trading routes? I try re-watching this every 3-5 years to see if it gets better,\ but it never does. MacGregor, one of the only actors in this that seemingly has a pulse/gives a shit, does a fine job as Obi-Wan. The rest of the cast is given dreadful material and does nothing to elevate it. Worst of all is the sad ballad of Darth Maul who is responsible for almost every great moment in this slog, including the best ever SW saber duel. Too bad he's only on screen for like 8 minutes.
Rated 14 Aug 2008
68
37th
Yes, it's rough and has Jar Jar. When compared to parts of A New Hope, however, there are moments of cheese that stand out in both. Lucas has never been very good at dialogue. I can actually stand this for what it is (an over-blown action movie) and I guess I have fond memories of it because it was the first Star Wars I saw in theaters. Neeson brings quiet strength to Qui-Gon's characer and the much-maligned special effects are actually very impressive. If only a different kid had played Anakin.
Rated 17 Apr 2009
1
8th
Liam Neeson is its one redeemable feature though his character sucks.
Rated 21 Sep 2010
62
30th
A couple decent fight scenes, but man can't get past the acting, or lack thereof.
Rated 07 Dec 2010
70
39th
I love the end scenes of this movie and generally find it better than many people do. I dig Liam Neeson in the main role, liked the idea of meeting Anakin as a kid, and loved watching him and Obi-wan mature throughout the series. However, the movie lacks a villain that is well done and only uses the "villain" for a handful of scenes, not to mention the acting is sub par in many cases and, of course, Jar Jar is a terrible replacement for the awesome C-3PO. Still, the endings pretty cool...
Rated 29 Mar 2011
55
31st
Fuck JarJar. Fuck shitty writing. Fuck Gunguns. Fuck underdevelopment of what could have potentially been one of the coolest potential villains for a saga full of them (by this I mean Darth Maul). Fuck putting little shit head kids in movies. Fuck emotionless acting and poor character writing for what could have been a fantastic dynamic duo of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. However it did spawn a pretty sweet podracing game for the N64. It had so much potential and just couldn't fully perform.
Rated 18 Sep 2011
35
19th
Seeing this ultra-commercial blockbuster for the first time twelve years after release, the wooden acting and weak characterisation are obvious, some of the action scenes seem conceived as the basis of tie-in videogames, and the script and narrative in general are less than compelling. Although derided by fans of the first trilogy, in fact this movie deliberately repeats many of the elements from those films (which were themselves over-praised to an absurd degree). It's not too bad for kids.
Rated 25 Jan 2012
24
3rd
I fell into the hysteria that was the release of this film and I'm glad I did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have anything nice to say.
Rated 28 Mar 2014
73
32nd
Personally I felt like a kid again the first time I saw this, but there's no doubt it doesn't hold up. In its defense I will say Jar Jar Binks is no more nauseatingly child-friendly than 3PO and R2's GOD AWFUL sparring in the original films. They're for kids, people! Still, there's nothing to recommend this other than the thrilling race on Tattooine and the last battle with Darth Maul, even though you have to wonder why Kenobi/Vader and Luke/Vader were so godd-mn leadfooted in the first trilogy.
Rated 04 Mar 2017
58
36th
The cheese is already strong in young Skywalker. Will he be able to complete his training and become the ultimate cheese master?
Rated 15 Apr 2017
57
29th
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is visually stunning and features one of the series' greatest villains, but it appears to have been written by a first-grader.
Rated 14 Jul 2017
30
5th
Crappy CGI, ridiculous acting, an origin story that no one wanted to know and an assortment of needless, totally uninteresting scenes, from filler shots to boring conversations, all strung together in a clumsy manner. Jar Jar Binks wins the award of shittiest comic relief ever, worthy actors get good pay checks to say shitty lines in a shitty way and the characters are as flat as it gets. 135 very underwhelming minutes - plus a good one: the fight between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul.
Rated 27 Nov 2006
50
20th
Sigh.... just watch it if you like Star Wars and then stick some pins in your George Lucas voodoo doll.
Rated 11 Dec 2006
78
42nd
Don't let Jar-Jar ruin it for you; there's Star Wars gold in here, beyond the rough.
Rated 12 Feb 2007
25
12th
Natalie Portman was hot in that outfit.
Rated 21 Feb 2007
0
2nd
a five alarm fuckup in every way possible.
Rated 05 Mar 2007
30
11th
This was the start of a series of films that completely ruined Darth Vader. Still, Darth Maul was a bit mentallist and the lightsabre battles in this were the best of the 'prequel trilogy'.
Rated 09 Mar 2007
65
26th
shit pod races more shit
Rated 20 Mar 2007
49
18th
Everyone was so excited to discover what became the weakest link of the Star Wars franchise. It grossed close to one billion dollars worldwide but also managed to have Jar-Jar Binks crucified. We then loved the dual-lightsaber battle against Darth Maul, but cringed whenever Jake Lloyd or Natalie Portman uttered a sentence in the english language. George Lucas became very rich and smiled at our anger. But hey - you can't deny that the visuals make up for something.
Rated 20 Mar 2007
1
1st
Technically, you could do worse. But few films are delivered to the general public with as much hype or intrusiveness as the star wars films. Not even a bad movie, it is sinfully atrocious, and since it was unavoidable it gets a one. Mutiny in Space with a trillion dollar budget.
Rated 25 Mar 2007
61
29th
I wanted to like the Star Wars prequels. This is how they started, though. I sat outside all day for a ticket to this one, enjoyed it while watching it because it was Star Wars, but was bored to tears when I went back to see it a second time. Then, as I got older, I realized how this movie sucks. Caricatures. Fucking Jake Lloyd. A convoluted plot. Jar Jar fucking Binks. This movie ruined Star Wars. Who knows if it will ever fully recover. (It didn't recover. It got worse.)
Rated 10 Jul 2007
50
22nd
Assy.
Rated 16 Jul 2007
25
4th
I enjoy the two big action set pieces and the music, but this is mostly incomprehensible drivel. If it's a movie for kids, why is there 45 minutes of action-less pretend parliamentary politics in the middle? Why has every member of the cast forgotten how to act? Why isn't there a single recognizable emotion anywhere in here? If someone told me George suffered a stroke in 1997 that's the reason for this I would probably believe them.
Rated 04 Aug 2007
72
25th
I actually think that until the end of the chariot race bit, this movie is decent fun. Becomes dull and pointless after that, though.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
62
16th
I'll put it out there... I disliked Jar Jar Binks as much as everyone else, but I think Jake Lloyd as Anakin was worse. He is a terrible actor. Even by child actor standards. Plus, Lucas explained things that didn't need explaining and disappointed a lot of people. However, the final Qui-Gon, Obi-Won, and Darth Maul battle is absolutely fantastic.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
0
0th
This garbage deserves nothing else.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
36th
The worst of the Star Wars saga. Jar Jar Binks plus little kid Anakin makes many parts of this film cringe worthy.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
30
7th
Ugh.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
46
14th
What killed this movie: 1) "Yippeeeeeeeeeee!" Worst child actor on the planet. 2) Jar Jar Binks gayness. 3) *Sparks!* *Sparks!* -- When Darth Maul has Obi Wan literally hanging on for his life, and all he does is scrape his lightsaber on the floor making sparks instead of going for the deathblow.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
58th
A little better than i had expected. I expected bad overwritten dialogue, talking heads, and stupid cute stuff. All this i got in spades. What i didn't predict was fast pacing & pretty solid action. Lots of eye candy. My favorite of the new 3. Funny, fun, not as boring or stupid as the following two. Great kid movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
59
18th
There's some good in there (that duel!) but too much bad that drags it down.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
7th
Besides the unnecessary ethnic stereotypes, grating child actor, and poor gimmicky characters (namely Jar-Jar), nothing really happens in this film - Lucas could easily have told this story in flashback, narration, or even in a quarter of the film's time and developed episodes two and three further.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
32nd
george lucas rapes his own classic movies and spits on them and then takes a huge dump on it and says it's better than a classic and makes me tear my eyes out
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
56th
Sorry haters, I liked it. It's slow at points and Jar Jar is annoying, but it still shows us some great flashy special effects, and the Pod Race scene still ranks as one of my favorite moments in the saga.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
50th
Certainly the weakest of all six in the Star Wars franchise, one must remember to view this as a setup film for the whole series. Lucas' reliance on CGI is bordering on troublesome. I'd like to see a mixture of live action/models/CGI instead of pure CGI as he is now prone to doing. It's clear that Lucas can't get the best from his performers as a director.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
76
55th
Not the "OMG this movie is so bad it raped my eyes" movie everyone says it is, but not great either.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
18th
Man, how many nerds went into apoplectic rage at the sheer failure of this movie? I didn't hate it THAT much, but I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it again.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
63
29th
This one's a disappointment, to be sure, but that podrace is still moderately awesome.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
37th
Not nearly as bad as Attack of the Clones; really, the negative aspects were outweighed by the positive. Nix the kid, get rid of the repetitive big-fish-little-fish anecdotes and put the hit out on Jar Jar, and you've actually got yourself a somewhat decent movie.
Rated 03 Sep 2007
50
8th
Lame lame lame!
Rated 14 Sep 2007
14
4th
I probably would've given this movie something in the mid 90 range if not for three things: 1. Jar; 2. Jar; 3. Binks.
Rated 26 Sep 2007
1
10th
In retrospect, The Phantom Menace was something of a rite of passage in my life as a cinephile. I was a Star Wars freak before seeing this opening night in the theater. Of course, I was horribly let down, and my interest in the franchise died a few short weeks later. TPM taught me not to get caught up in hype, and that some directors can be greedy, cynical assholes who don't give a shit about the quality of their films as long as they turn a profit. A tough but important lesson.
Rated 30 Dec 2007
23
9th
One of the most disappointing moments of my childhood. Darth Maul is perhaps the most wasted character in popular culture.
Rated 25 Mar 2008
70
15th
Ooh, it's been ages since I've seen this (I've been meaning to rewatch). I don't recall being overly fond of it though. However, McGregor and Neeson are brilliant in their roles! And, it's still Star Wars, even if it lacks the light-hearted feeling of the first film.
Rated 08 Apr 2008
39
4th
I can't remember much about this. I think they call that repression.
Rated 13 Apr 2008
0
0th
There is nothing good about this film. The characters are, at best, completely empty. At worst they are actually annoying. The plot is minimal, but where it exists it is unnecessarily complicated, contradictory, and drab. The action scenes are obviously choreographed doing nothing introduce or relieve tension in the story. The multitude of flaws to the Star Wars cannon are unforgivable and actually demean the original films. This movie made me angry, not only as a fan, but also as a human being.
Rated 10 May 2008
40
18th
A travesty in so many ways.
Rated 10 May 2008
53
20th
How did Jar-Jar get put into a movie? How could that happen?
Rated 27 Jul 2008
70
42nd
None of the three "sequels" live up to the worst moments in the first trilogy, but Episode I tries its best.
Rated 08 Sep 2008
26
11th
Neeson and McGregor defy all odds and manage to produce quality performances in a modern George Lucas production. Good thing too, because save a few choice action sequences and a bad-ass villain design, there's really nothing else to write home about here. The plot is about...raising taxes?? Who knows. It's all extremely heavy-handed and boring, and Jake Lloyd and Jar-Jar crap up the place. Still, the climactic showdown is terrific. The weakest link in the franchise by far.
Rated 28 Sep 2008
55
24th
Only duels...
Rated 03 Dec 2008
66
25th
Just watch the lightsaber fight and skip the rest.
Rated 15 Dec 2008
0
0th
This movie was never made, it should probably be removed from the site.
Rated 17 Dec 2008
40
5th
Terrible sciencefiction movie for children, I think. Poor story and a disappointed end, furthermore I don't like Liam Neeson, I'm not thrilled with him. The first three star wars movies were much better.
Rated 30 Dec 2008
55
14th
Bad writing, bad directing, I only watch it because its Star Wars and the final moments.
Rated 04 Jan 2009
100
75th
Every Saga has a beginning
Rated 21 Jan 2009
0
1st
I never even liked the originals very much after Obi Wan died. This is just...corpsefucking.
Rated 01 Mar 2009
48
10th
So So Disappointing.
Rated 26 Mar 2009
72
63rd
Not what I'd expected from this one. Most say this is the worst star wars film and I really hope it is. Jar Jar is funny but maybe a bit too childish for this kind of films. The last Lightsaberbattle is great, but up till then I really started to question the great fighting skills of the Jedi.. Another thing that annoyed me were the weak transitions between the short scenes and the queen which is a very weak character in my opinion. Exept that the film wasn't that bad, I just expected more of it
Rated 04 May 2009
60
23rd
It's okay. The acting is anemic (Portman is amazing now but terrible in this, and young Anakin is just bad). Dialogue is sometimes really hokey. I actually don't mind the more political aspects, nor do I mind the plot about trade. Some of it is very cheesy, and Jar Jar is shitty -- though he bothers me a little less than most people -- but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it a little bit.
Rated 20 Aug 2009
50
12th
Awesome lightsaber duel at the end, but everything else was very disappointing
Rated 01 Sep 2009
24
10th
Let's cut out all the scenes with Jar Jar Binks in it, and every one where Anakin talks. Then you'd have a decent movie.
Rated 10 Jan 2010
8
3rd
Pretty much the only good things I can say about the prequels is that Coruscant looked nice... and the cast in this one (excepting Lloyd and Best) had the potential to be great. Lucas will now forever be associated with this embarrassing trilogy rather than the original. The amount of failure, layer upon layer, is actually pretty staggering if you stop and think about it. Or watch that youtube review.
Rated 17 Jan 2010
50
12th
One word describes this..disappointing. For every somewhat cool scene you have about 5 completely retarded scenes (Jar Jar Binks, Jake Lloyd) that you try to block out of your mind. It was kind of amusing to see the sad faces after this had been playing in the theater for awhile. It's also incredible how Lucas took all the interesting characters (Darth Maul) and made their parts short and nearly inconsequential then took shitty ones (Jar Jar Binks) and made them centerpieces.
Rated 17 Feb 2010
46
3rd
The biggest letdown in history. I saw this on ecstasy and it still sucked.
Rated 15 Apr 2010
65
15th
one additional dimension didn't make the movie good obviously. it's still as bad as of in 2D and beware... Jar Jar is extremely more annoying!
Rated 25 Jul 2010
55
33rd
Nonononono... George Lucas, you don't go from creating a legendary film trilogy to... this
Rated 25 Sep 2010
30
8th
It's unexciting, uninteresting, unfunny and has horrifically dated CGI. I don't care about how disappointing it was or how it ruined Star Wars forever, it's simply an awful movie.
Rated 09 Jan 2011
10
9th
This film completely fails to make the audience care about anything. The plot is stupid and makes no sense, the characters are bland as all heck, and the direction lacks any sort of innovation or excitement. This is a pretty passionless film, made mostly for the money. Star Wars = broken forever.
Rated 19 Feb 2011
7
2nd
Now this is pod racing.
Rated 18 Jul 2011
62
32nd
Lucas needs to improve on the plot and character development, but there's plenty of eye candy to behold.
Rated 18 Aug 2011
71
61st
While its no epic classic like the original trilogy it still has a great spirit of adventure. Not bogged down in making sure all the elements of a huge story arc are met like ep 2 and 3 helps it be just good popcorn fun. The lightsaber fight is one of my favorite star wars moments.
Rated 17 Sep 2011
50
43rd
Yes, Jar Jar still sucks but it does have the best lightsaber fight in the entire series and it is responsible for helping launch the action career of one Liam Neeson.
Rated 26 Nov 2011
65
27th
It has an appeal to it that has given me the ability to re-watch it multiple times. It's not horrid. I've seen definite worse. However, it's certainly not great. Poor acting, laughable dialogue, and inane plot concepts, The Phantom Menace is certainly not an amazing Star Wars film, but as a film, and as part of the Prequel Trilogy alone? It's not horrific. I dislike Episode II FAR more than this one.

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