DVD review of The Phantom Menace.

The long awaited release of a digital formatted Star Wars is finally within arms reach, but was it what we anticipated?

Upon my vast collections of VHS and DVD videos, you will notice all of them are tightly aligned, and in mint condition. Many visitors to my abode, will skim through my library and always abruptly stop at my "Star Wars SE Trilogy". Ragged, beaten and worn, my Trilogy case looks like it has gone through several World Wars and desperate for repair. Played at least weekly, I value this set as a living artifact.

Three years ago, when I first breached the hull of DVD, I was left empty without the omnipresence SW produces. My instinctive devious nature brought me to Ebay where I purchased the black market versions of the Trilogy. While, quality was shaky, and subtitles in Chinese plagued the screen; my drug-like addiction was subdued, but not satisfied.

October 16, 2001, Lucas stepped down from his throne and opened the floodgates; releasing Episode I.

I will be taking an in depth look at the quality and extras on the DVD. I will not venture into the storyline, plot or acting, hesitant to taint such brilliance (save Jar Jar).

MENUS

The menu section at first start is simply breathtaking. Beautifully modeled planets and scenes are scattered randomly throughout the menu sequences.

The chapter selection is like none other than you have ever seen. While most movies are broken down to about 20 scenes; TPM is broken down into 50 . This makes it great to pinpoint your destination.

As with many newer DVD menus, slowdown and loading times are bothersome. This is no different. So don't expect to zip around the menus with a few quick button presses.

VISUALS

When you first enter the flight deck on the peace conveying starship you will immediately notice that this is no normal DVD. The clarity and sharpness of the disk is far superior to anything I have ever seen. Colors were bright and vivid, and the CGI was sharp and realistic.

You are not given a viewing option, and are forced to watch the film in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. While this may disappoint many casual viewers, fans of movie quality video will highly appreciate the formatting.

Other than the absolute quality of the video, you will also notice that the movie is not identical to the original theatrical release. There are a few subtle additions that are brought into the movie, which are also listed in the "deleted scenes" section of the extras.

These additions are very noticeable to those who have seen the film numerous times. The most obvious addition is the "Podrace" scene. The introductions of the racers has a few new scenes and new characters that really set the tone for the adrenalin filled podrace. Probably the best addition is the extended footage of the second lap of the podrace. While I question why Lucas cut it out of the original, you will simply love this huge extra.

There are a few other small additions such as; a new Coruscant taxi scene and a few new scenes within Tatooine. The sharp eye will catch various scenes throughout the movie, and is really an Easter egg hunt for fans.

AUDIO

With George Lucas at the helm, you can expect the very best sound available. If you are an audiophile like myself, prepare to be literally "blown away". Lucas's side project, THX, has never been better. We are surrounded in digital brilliance of Dolby 5.1 EX. I personally have never heard of the "EX" after the 5.1, but all I know is that it is superb.

For home audiophiles, the audio in this disk is the new benchmark to test your system. Shelve your copy of The Matrix , and ready yourself for audio bliss. Lasers wiz by your head, huge starships seemingly groan over head and the roar of the crowd makes you feel as you are right there in the stands.

What rivals the "lobby scene" in the Matrix, you will drool during the podrace as the thumping of Sebulbas podracer is seemingly behind your couch.

Without hesitation, I believe the audio to be far superior to anything I have ever heard.

Surprised as I was there is no DTS option for the audio. While many skeptics might question THX over DTS, I believe you DTS supporters will be pleasantly surprised.

Oh, and I can't forget to mention the new THX logo introduction screen! Totally rad!

EXTRAS

Commentary: George Lucas, Scott Squries and others give us a full-length informative commentary from start to finish. As with most good commentaries, we hear them "narrating" the film as it is being watched. It is amazing to actually hear what the mindset was and what they were thinking as the movie progressed. We really get a detailed perspective from the inside. In addition to the "start to finish" commentary, we are given another commentary labeled "The Beginning". This shows the progression of Episode I, from the start of sketches to the time consuming process of the DVD finale. By far this is the most impressive section on the DVD. From over 600 hours of footage, compiled nicely into a 60 minute jam packed commentary.

Deleted Scenes: For many fans, the sole purpose of the purchase was to see what was not included in the theatrical version of TPM. This was my first stop once I cracked open the clamshell. There are seven new sequences that were included in this "DVD ONLY" extra.

Multi Angles: My next stop was the multi angle section on the extras disk. I have yet to experience the "multi angle" function on a DVD and was excited to check it out. I was a bit disappointed and it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. This is an "extra disk" feature and is not available in the actual movie. The multi angle simply took two scenes (the podrace and the submarine voyage) and allowed you to flip through different perspectives. While I was not initially impressed, it is still encouraging to see that someone is trying to take advantage of this DVD player feature.

Other Goodies: I only pointed out the major extras, but there are quite a few of neatly distributed goodies for the true fan. There is a five featurette that explore the storyline, special effects and costuming. We are also given the original trailers and special promotional photos. John Williams treat us to his spectacular music video of the "Duel of Fates". Other not-so-great extras such as; a "commercial" for the upcoming "Starfighter" video game are thrown into the mix as filler.

OVERALL

I highly urge you to plop down your $20 on a piece of history. Video and audio lovers will truly appreciate the greatness in quality of the disk, and SW fans will be subdued until Episode II comes out in the theatre.

After viewing the VHS version and then the DVD version, this is a great example on why DVD is so far superior to the antiquated VHS.

The only disappointment I had for the disks, was that we weren't treated to an "Episode II" trailer. How sweet would it have been to catch a glimpse of the upcoming movie? However, rumor has it, that there are dozens of "Easter eggs" within the DVD just waiting to be found. Maybe hidden deep within the silvery/gold layers lies a gem of the next monument.