What do you think of TPM as the months (and years) go by? - Official thread

I couldn't wait any longer. I haven't seen Episode I in about four months and I wanted to watch it again. I sat myself down in the living room, put the dvd in and pressed the play button. I wasn't expecting my opinion to change an awful lot, I've seen this movie many times before. After seeing it last night, I have to say that my love for Episode I has grown more than last time. This movie does indeed improve with time. I still find the Story compelling, the special effects awesome and the characters interesting. I still find Bink's antics on Tatooine and Naboo hilarious, I still find the lightsabre duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul awesome and I still find Palpatine's rise to power very chilling considering we all know what he is going to do in Episode III. Some of the complains about the movie seem a tad bit unfair now and while I can understand why you don't like it, surely there is some good in this movie?

Has your opinion changed in the last few months on Episode I? Do you still hate it or love it or are you in the mushy middle?

I asked Oakessteve whether this topic was a good idea last night and he told me it was allowed. Please don't discuss the members or this topic will suffer the same fate as some others here in this forum. Thank you for reading. I look forward to the posts after this one...

Edit:[/i] Title changed at Learner's request.

 

My opinion of TPM has only improved with time. At first, I definately did not know what to think. I LIKED it but I was not sure about a LOT of it. While I do have definate issues with TPM, some of them major, none of them have kept me from enjoying the film. In the three years between TPM and AOTC, I found myself liking TPM more and more. The issues I have are still there but few glare at me every viewing. The next HUGE leap forward was seeing AOTC. It deepened my appreciation for TPM greatly. It also helped to connect TPM to the older films through the events and locations of AOTC itself.

 

Movies rarely affect me this emotionally but yesterday I cried when Anakin said he will come back and free his mother.

 

That scene is DEFINATELY more powerful now that I've seen AOTC. MAN!

 

LOL, I love TPM even more now. 4 years have passed and AOTC has come out and both of those things have made TPM age brilliantly.
I also have a deep appreciation and emotional feeling when I see the farewell scene between Anakin & Shmi.
I still have an emotional feeling when Qui-Gon dies and gives his dying wish to Obi-Wan.
The podrace still excites me.
I still like Jake as Anakin, I still find Jar Jar funny and I still feel pity for the gungan.
And thanks to AOTC, TPM is made even better and there is so much more tragedy in the film that there was when i first saw it.

Conclusion
TPM is still one my favourite films ever, and is still a great introduction to the Saga.

 

I definitely love it more. I always though it was great but it's grown on me in recent months. I think part of the reason is this forum which has enhanced my understanding and appreciation of the film.

 

I appreciate it now as much as I did in 1999.

 

I liked TPM a lot.
I like it even more since I got my BOSE suround sound system.....hehe!

I don`t know why but I liked AOTC better
in theatres but I think TPM is easier to watch.

I still think both are really great.

TPM is a great piece of art.
I always get the chills when I watch Qui-Gons end, the funeral and Anakin`s
theme in the end credits when it reatches
it`s highest tone. Not to forget the breathing and the imperial march bit at the end.

WOW!

* clap! clap! clap! *

 

I don't know if I would exactly call Jar Jar Binks's actions on Naboo and Tatooine hilarious, but instead, amusing.



As for TPM, I believe everyone knows where I stand....


A wonderful film with it's own number of flaws, with AOTC only enriching it's importance to saga, more so than before.

 

Well as I've told friends, I still think the TPM ranks number one. I like how things are set into place with Anakin becoming jedi and Palpatine's rise to power. Plus it also gives you alittle insight on what to expect in the upcoming films. The only flaw I found in the movie, was that I wished GL, would have developed Darth Maul's character alittle bit more. Other than that the movie was awsome!

 

Me likey TPM. I didn't like it the first time I saw it but I changed my mind after viewing it again with a clear perspective.

 

My feelings about TPM are pretty close to strilo's. I liked it when I first saw it, but realized I had a few issues with it.

I still like it, however.

I, too, would have liked to have seen more of Darth Maul's fighting skills.

Lady Sami

 

Liked it the first time I saw it.

Gets better and better everytime I watch it. One thing that really impresses me is how amazing the special effects are.

 

I still love the movie, although I find myself skipping the entire podrace. I also apreciate it a little bit more, as my opinion, its a better made movie.

 

I was blown away when I first saw it, and like it even more today.

In an era of films with increasing violence, gross-out humor, and sexual content, TPM relied on colorful characters and stylish action. It deserves a lot of credit for this. Neeson has such a commanding presence, and the introductions to all of the major players, through QGJ, was very well done. My only gripe is with JJB, although I didn't despise him. He just isn't funny, kinda harmlessly stupid.

One aspect that has grown on me was Darth Maul. At first, I thought that he should've been in the film more. But a good friend of mine pointed out that DM is more of a respresentation of evil than a major character in the SW saga. He personifies the evil of the Sith. Much like Hercules final task of defeating Hades' guardian Cerebrus before ascending to Mount Olympus, Obi-Wan defeated the demon who slayed his mentor, in order to become a Jedi. In contemporary terms, its like Gandalf besting the Balrog and ascending a level in the wizard order.

I know this was obvious to most people in here, but I thought that I'd share this because it further enhanced my appreciation for how wonderful a film TPM is.

 

I still find parts of it fairly dull. It slows down way way too much during the Couruscant scenes, with only the senate bits really livening it up much. Theres too much dragging exposition between that and the end battles. Planning the attack on the palace etc. is plodding, and the end battles suffer from bad, clastophobic direction esp. the gungan/droid battle, which Binks destroys (even though I liked him until then). However, the first hour 15 mins are up to the standard of any of the others. The Tatooine scenes are smooth and brilliant, theres so much to admire there. Its no where near up to the level of Clones though.

 

So you like it? Love it? Dislike it? Like it more or less than in 1999?

 

"I don't know if I would exactly call Jar Jar Binks's actions on Naboo and Tatooine hilarious, but instead, amusing."

Alright, my post was written minutes after watching Episode I and I was caught up in the excitement and happiness. I found him amusing most of the time though. Can you blame me?

 

Well, I'll tell ya.

My father decided to watch Episode I TPM with us last night, so I went to watch it with him and my sister and I was sitting there thinking how much better this was then AOTC. It was better in so much ways it's not even funny. The effects were better, the story line was better, the acting was better, for petes sake everything was better even the music.

I can honestly say that George didn't spend half as much time as he did on TPM then he did with AOTC. It's pretty upsetting too, I just hope that he does a really good job with Episode III, and I can't wait to see what really happens to everybody.

 

Like all STAR WARS movies, I love it just as much as the day I first saw it. I can still remember getting goosebumps and giggling like a kid when I first saw the words, "STAR WARS: EPISODE I" crawl up the screen. It was a magical moment, and time has not diminished that magic in the least.

 

I didn't watch the whole thing last night, say from the return to Naboo and on. This is the first time i've watched ANYTHING since I saw AOTC in Imax, which spoiled me by the way. I've become more sensitive to dialouge issues since Aotc and i began to notice them a little more, and i'm beginning to hear where some of my friends are coming from when they say it's babyish The bottom line is, the story is engrained in my head from watching it so many times that the movie itself doesn't matter anymore, as one would analyze another movie. The story is there, and it will be forever.
I also try to make a point of trying to watch it again for the very first time. Once again, i know the movie by heart, and trying to watch again for the first time adds to the experience, and makes it a whole lot better.
I do this with all the movies. My dad happened to put on episode IV after episode one was over, and i came down, once again, for the final battle. It's hard, cause you know exactly what's going to happen when where and even why sometimes, but if you can put yourself in the right mindframe, it's really worth it.

 

I've always loved it... I always will.

 

The scenes in Episode I are enhanced and have deeper meaning now because of Episode II. I wonder what the final Prequel Episode will do?

 

My feelings towards The Phantom Menace have changed greatly over time. When I first saw it, I thought it was utterly fantastic. I had one or two criticisms of the plot, but I kept on telling myself, "This is the first Star Wars film in ages, don't be so hard on it!", but as I watched it again, the flaws became more and more distracting, to the point where I had little love for the Saga at all. Infact, I seemed to recall watching American Graffiti and THX-1138, and asking to myself why on Earth George is bothering with that Star Wars nonsense when he can make a film as brilliant as that. However, over time, my feelings towards the film mellowed, and while I think it's the weakest film in the Saga, and has a huge amount of flaws floating around in it, it's still a fairly entertaining film, and I'd much rather watching it over something like 1941 or ET!

 

I cannot make it through THX or American Graffitti... Boooring.