THE PHANTOM MENACE

[Kodiac]

Yes, I had to be the first to bring it up...

I am going to go see it tonight at midnight.

This movie looks to be a real barnstorming treat and a real GUY flick!
Hot Rods, Space Battles, Land Wars, Saber Duels, Guns all over the place, Robots with Guns, Submarine race/wars (dont know - havnt seen it yet).

And a pretty Princess - even if she is youngish - her hair style will make you smirk - but at least it wont remind you of breakfast. :)

Oh - did I mention the Hot Rods, Space Battles, Land Wars, Saber Duels, Guns all over the place, Robots with Guns, Submarine race/wars (dont know - havnt seen it yet)?

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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

[Mute]

Best of all, the heroes (Jedis)believe in peace, but still carry and use weapons when necessary to defend those who are unjustly attacked.

[John/az2]

My wife and I really enjoyed it. For us though it would not be worth a 2 day wait in line! :D

Those ship-eating fish were cool!

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John/az

"Just because something is popular, does not make it right."

www.countdown9199.com (http://www.countdown9199.com)

[DonL]

A few observations from playing hookey from work yesterday afternoon for a "team building exercise" at the local cinema with a bunch of co-workers. Went for a 3:00 show. Got there at 2:40, no ticket lines, 10-12 people waiting to go in and get seats. Paid $5 for a matinee ticket. No lines, no camping out, no scalpers, pretty cool.

Big time eye candy with the special effects. Typical Star Wars plot leaps, and some lacking in character development, but hey, look at the target audience. The space battles and land wars were cool, the hot rod race effects were great, and the receding Dopler effect was strangely reminicent of a Formula 1 Grand Prix car at 15-16,000 rpm screaming down the Mulsane Straight.

The robot armies were cute, the force field/shield effect was similar to the Stargate portal. My favorite part I think was the big light saber duel. The one bad guy character using a double-ended light saber like a staff against the two Jedi knights was, I thought, well choreographed and pretty exciting, with enough movie ninja/martial arts moves to make it fun to watch while not so much as becoming a "gimme a break" special.

This is a movie that should be seen on a big screen to get the full impact on the special effects and sound, so if you can deal with or avoid the waits, long lines, and exorbitant cost of marked up tickets and $3 Cokes, I recommend it. It's a fun movie.

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arms reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.

[rabbit assassin]

:( I knew I shouldn't have read this. We don't get it until June. But I suppose I will find out some stuff from Kodiacs article anyway.

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Drop by and visit at www.gun-center.com (http://www.gun-center.com)

[Kodiac]

Typical Star Wars plot leaps, and some lacking in character development, but hey, look at the target audience.

Ahem... There was plenty of Charicter development when you consider that the charicter being developed here is Obi-wan and Darth Vader. STAR WARS is about the REDEMTION of ANAKIN SKYWALKER... Every one else is a bit player in that stoy.

DARTH MAUL could have used some more development - BUT, giving more would have given away "The Mystery Of The Sith" - Which is yet to come in Episode 2. Maul show's us just how tough the Sith are - and that they are very dangerous. Vader and Palpatine are Lords of the Sith... episodes 2 and 3 will answer how they become such as they are obviously not to begin with. Did you notice Senetor Palpatine (who becomes the Emporer) say to young Anakin that he will watch his career carefully?

Lucas puts SO MUCH DEPTH in the movies - ALL of them... that if the movie's plot DOESNT move so fast - it wouldnt be able to be told!

Look at the target audiance? What is that crack supposed to mean? The Target audiance is every one... Especially those who have watched the rest of the "Holy Trilogy."
To those who have the gall to say they were disapointed in the movie - Listen to me cause its obviouse you dont understand what was going on.
Episode One is like the First Chapter of a book. You dont read a whole book and expect Chapter One to be the best chapter in the whole dang book!

You can't take this movie as just a single film... But even as a single film - it still rocks.

The guns are great - those battle droids are wonderful - and the saber duels are worth the ticket price alone...
And the Pod Race - WOW! Hot Rods from hell! Ben Hur chariot racing with jet engines! Very cool.


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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

[DonL]

Kodiac, I never meant for anyone to takes things so personal. We all go to movies for different reasons and get different things out of them, and you obviously seem more educated on the Star Wars history than I am. I guess I should have explained that I was looking for more development relative to this movie, not necessarily against the entire six-ology. I guess I failed "Star Wars 101" or more likely you're a more devoted fan, but I guess I was hoping that the movie would carry enough detail that for those who didn't read all the books (which I unfortunately, I guess, didn't - mea culpa) would know what was going on. I wanted to know more about Darth Maul, who the Sith were, where Qui-Gon came from, that sort of thing. That's all I meant. Chris Carter did a decent job with the X-Files movie like that, but there were points in that one as well that if you weren't a regular fan of the show, you might be left wondering what the heck just happened, or what was going on, or what some particular reference meant. I was hoping TPM would "stand alone" a bit more. No offense intended.

My target audience remark was aimed at those who for the last few weeks have been in costume, camping in line, and willing to buy from scalpers like those that the local news has been showing the last few days, those who were waiting in line for days or weeks for both the related merchandise to go on sale, as well as the tickets. I guess while I enjoyed the movies, I enjoyed them on a more superficial level, while others enjoy the deeper meaning that Lucas wrote into his books. Please don't get me wrong, Kodiac, TPM is a very good movie, and Lucas is a genius to be able to write and direct stories that appeal to so many on a number of different levels. Like I said, it was a fun movie, with great special effects, exciting fight sequences and battles, and the pod race was awesome. I guess I was just expecting something a bit different, or maybe complete, in one package. Didn't expect to need Nomex skivies today. For my penance, I'll rent the first three, and read all the books and see this movie again (which I would, I mean, it is a good movie) and see if it hits me differently. Never meant to ruffle any feathers.

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arms reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.

[This message has been edited by DonL (edited May 20, 1999).]

[This message has been edited by DonL (edited May 20, 1999).]

[RepublicThunderbolt]

I think that the target audience must have been the pre-teen market. Lucas really went for the "ewok factor" with this one. Beautiful effects work and world-building, with a dime-store plot and cutesy characters. Even tries to "explain" The Force! Symbiotic bacteria, AARRGGG! Isn't that something best left as "magic"? And little punk kids flying starfighters to save the day, on autopilot, no less? Guess you don't need those highly trained, very experinced pilots after all!

Anybody else wonder why the Trade Federation droid troopers have hand-held, Stormtrooper-type blasters? Wouldn't intergral weapons be a bit more suitable? Also, curious that Darth Maul's cool double lightsabre continued to work even when cut in half! And why is only one ship left to blockade Naboo *after* landing troops but before the planet is secure? Just what is Naboo trading, anyway? Spice, perhaps?

A pair of clever Jedi can't figure out that waifish Portman's the real queen? The Force strong is not with you today, mmmm?

Well, it's just a movie. Sorry about venting some of my incredulity. Pity that it doesn't live up to the caliber of "A New Hope".

[This message has been edited by RepublicThunderbolt (edited May 21, 1999).]

[grogers]

I had just read a 'report' that Natalie Portman told Rosie O'Donnell that she was proud of the stand she was making against guns. That combined with a less than spectacular movie has killed any chance I'd see it again. Better luck next time George.

[David Z]

I think they should have cast a slightly older kid as Ani, but oh well.

I have a question, though: is Naboo a monarchy or a democracy? The "Queen" states that she was "elected", and one of her advisors claims that Naboo is a democracy. My gut feeling is that she is supposed to be the monarch, but that there were continuity errors that crept in as a result of trying to appeal to people who aren't very politically sophisticated (essentially thinking that democracy=good, monarchy=bad).

[Rob Pincus]

This whole thread makes me laugh.

I grew up watching Star Wars over and over again... WE had one of those Video Disc players and I just about wore out the Star Wars disc. Every line memorized, the whole bit. I'd watch it once and recite all the C-3po lines.. next maybe I'd do Han solo..

I was a real Star Wars dork, okay? But, I am really not taking this movie nearly as seriously and some of you guys who don't even seem to have liked it.

I'll take the story for what it is and I really don't care what the target market was.

I enjoyed the film.

But, afterwards I was left with one nagging question:

Where those Olympic Free Pistols that the Queen's Guards were using ??

[Kodiac]

I think those free pistols were from Pardini Arms. They are very heavily modified, so this is hard to pin down. Hammerli could have made them as well.

These are also the ONLY real guns used in the movie. The others are made from scratch.

These Naboo Royal guard pistols are also the ONLY rapid fire blaster in the Star Wars Universe. Panaca - The captain of the guard fires it rapid fire to blow out a window.

Check out the article I sent to GUN CENTER about the Guns of the Star Wars Universe...
Different from the articles I sent to Echo Station (who I dont write for anymore)

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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

[BudGT]

Star Wars was great.

And who cares what kind of firearm they were using...I want Darth Maul's light saber!!!!!!!

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*The G30....Glocks Stealth Bomber

[Kodiac]

Can I let you guys in on a secret?

The Phantom Menace is Senator Palpatine... He is Lord Sideous... Palpatine is what is called a Dark Lord of the Sith... Darth Maul was working for Palpatine, as was the Trade Federation... all to bring about the Senator's ascention to Chancellor - to position him to become Emporer in the long run.

Just had to share my Star Wars Geekness :)

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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

[Jffal]

I somewhat enjoyed Phantom Menace though the real lead character of the movie wasn't young Annakin, the Jedi, the Queen, etc but instead was the sheer spectacle of the whole thing. In some respects, this was not such a good deal - it seemed the colorful characters and sense of adventure and derring do found in all the previous movies, even the scrappily plotted Return of the Jedi, was kind of lost in the widescreen land and building scapes. Liam Neeson's Jedi master was the most developed character it seems and even he was secondary to the the deluge of FX.

Also, Lucus veered from complex political machinations to slapstick. Annakin's unintentional heroism in the final battle proved ultimately more effective than anything even the deadly, mature Darth Vader was capable of. I felt that Annakin's victory was a big misstep (he didn't even appear to use The Force) that dragged the action into comedy.

I am fond of Natalie Portman so will allow her those alleged anti-gun sentiments. She is still practically a youngster. Folks like Rosie O'Donnell are supposed to be old enough to know better. Besides, Nat's original homeland, Israel, places great value in firearm ownership and training. And Portman did, after all, debut in the deliciously dodgy kid and killer movie, The Professional (the complete Euro version of this film, Leon, is even more twisted as Natalie swears, drinks, smokes and attempts to seduce up a storm with her older companion ). For publicity, young Natalie posed with a firearm and teddy bear to promote the movie.

She handled a mean blaster in Phantome Menace (the gun's design was an obvious throwback to Flash Gordon/ Buck Rogers days).

To its benefit, Phantom Menace included smaller details that would become important in the later trilogy. The robot warriors proved themselves vulnerable to sabotage in battle and would be replaced by human soldiers (perhaps cloned troopers? - could this strategy be the origin of the Clone Wars Lucus alluded to in the completed trilogy??). Also, sentient robots are discriminated against in Star Wars (they are forbidden from entering the joint Luke and Ben Kenobi walk into looking for a pilot). Despite their failure in combat, the robots may have left lasting scars on many planets, hence a mistrust lasting decades.

In Star Wars, Han Solo blasts an alien hitman named Greedo who threatens him in a club. The adolescent form of that alien or another one of the same species is pictured here as a friend of Annakin.

My hope is that the characters will be more central to the storyline in the next go around.
Jeff

[Jffal]

THE PIRATES STRIKE BACK!

Ryan is a chap based in Hong Kong who keeps tabs on the movie situation there. I didn't bother to clean up his English (not his first language). The pirate VCD situation in Asia has become bad enough to seriously weaken the Hong Kong movie industry, the bootleggers releasing their wares onto the street in advance of new release and discouraging audiences from going to the theaters. The pirates aren't the only cause behind Hong Kong's failing industry but are definate contributors to its continuing problems.

As Ryan's comments suggest, bootlegs in Hong Kong is also an American problem. It appears that the pirates have pointmen here who can begin the illegal bootlegging process in USA and Canadian theaters and distribution facilities. As with other crime, movie piracy has gone international.
Jeff

Ryan:
Organization:    Hong Kong Movie DataBase
I don't know whether it's a good news or a bad news.
The distributio company of "Star Wars: Episode I" tried to delay the release date in Hong Kong to 1st July in order to suppress the problem of pirates. HK is the place in Asia which is late in release of "Star Wars: Episode I".
However, it is very ironic to know that pirates of "Star Wars: Episode I" has been available since Monday evening in Hong Kong. Most of the pirate VCD shops even play pirates of "Star Wars: Episode I" as their demonstrations!

The more ironic thing is that no matter how's the box office of "Star Wars: Episode I", it has broken a record for the fastest available pirates. It shows in the States on 19 May afternoon NYT (GMT -0400) but available in Hong Kong in pirates in the evening of 24 May (GMT +0800). It takes less than 100 hours for the pirates to be available in a place is almost the opposite of the World!
Ryan

http://www.glink.net.hk/~ryan/ Hong Kong Movie DataBase: http://www.hkmdb.com/

[Kodiac]

LOL!
Yeah, here at work we had pirate VCDs of The Matrix all over the place.

Most of these come from the guys who work on the projection booths who own digital cameras. It is a problem. Lets solve it after I get a VCD of Phantom Menace...

Another thing this movie shows... the need for a standing army. The Trade Federation would never had made the blockade in the first place had the Naboo had a military force. Beautifull planet - just like one I would want to invade too...

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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

[BudGT]

Someone told me that E.T., yea that's right, E.T. 'The Extra Terrestrial' was in EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE.

They said he was part of the Senate when Queen Amadala went before them, and he was shown on screen three times.

Any truth to this? If so, man I gotta go see it again!

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*The G30....Glocks Stealth Bomber



[This message has been edited by BudGT (edited May 26, 1999).]

[Mute]

Absolutely true.

If you get to see TPM again, when the Queen addresses the Senate, there is a scene where a whole section of the senate floor is shown. In the lower part of the screen, one of the senate booths has 3 senate reps that look like the alien from E.T. Of course it could just be a cameo by Newt Gingrich.