Page 1 of Who has the phantom menace?

Who has this disc (region 2) at the moment? Where did you order it from and when did you get it? I was gonna order it and trying to find quickest place, cheers.

Well, yesterday at work I did unpack 200 (!) copies of the disc... all have to go by Christmas apparently...

I had r2 on order since it was announced... however, play247.com have r1 in stock now, so I ordered that one and deleted my r2 order, and the r1 started processing instantly...

I don`t think r2 is in stock anywhere online as of yet...

I received my R1 copy on Saturday from Movietyme (Surprising they were so fast conscidering how bad they have been with me just lately).
Its a fantastic DVD.The extras alone are worth buying the disc.If you are a Star Wars fan, you will not be disapointed!

Not me, that`s for sure and I wouldn`t even have it given to me.

I have this on, ahem (vhs)
I will not be purchasing the DVD.
The first 3 films in the saga will never be bettered effects are not the be all and end all, it helps to have a good script and not Jar Jar flippin binks!

This item was edited on Monday, 8th October 2001, 22:40

This is the best dvd ever in terms of picture quality and sound. Therefore it is a must buy. It still counts as star wars and the movie is ok. (not total cr*p) The extras i hear are very good. I have mine on order from dvd crave. cannot wait to get my hands on it.
Any comments on the region 1 packaging?

Hi all, for those who don`t want to know whats good or bad, as they say on the news-look away now!

Recieved my copy this morning (r1) and with my Mr Scrutiny eyes on (just ask Clayts!) have found that the picture is in no way the refernce standard which everyone is expecting. I`d read some reviews on some U.S sites which mention this, and after having first hand experience, i share the same view. The main problem lies in the amount of dirt and grain in some areas of the print-which considering the production values-is very disappointing. Also the edge enhancement makes the image look very hard and un-natural. Don`t get me wrong the image is well up to scratch most of the time, with excellent contrast and vivid colour, but i was expecting a lot more from Lucasfilm.
However the sound is simply sensational, offering unparralelled quality throughout the entire duration of the movie. Private Ryan DTS is still blessed with the best surround soundtrack in my eyes(and ears) but Gary Rydstrom and SkyWalker Sound have done a superb job on this, but no dts is a shame. Ah well, maybe when the entire movie series is out Lucas will get round to adding it!

Lastly im glad to say the film and extras do have a lot of replay value, especially the deleted scenes which have been lovingly completed with 5.1 sound-excellent.
As a film-so so
As a demo disc-unstoppable

Westy

I`ve heard that while the new EX sound mix is good, the picture quality ain`t all that it could be, despite being THX approved. So there are discs out there with better picture! I agree this is somewhat disappointing, but I guess the proof is in the watching of it for yourself. I`ve not seen it yet though.

Anil,

Top reviews on the site btw!
See my efforts at www.area450.co.uk under Home Cinema.

Indeed the soundtrack for Episode 1 is an utter savage, if your subwoofer isnt up to the job then i suggest rethinking your sound system!
The actual recording and quality of the mix is truly exceptional, it was the first thing i noticed when the main feature started-listen to the depth of the Fox logo fanfare as the drums roll, very slick indeed. And the different cycles of bass from the subwoofer in the pod race sequence has the jaw agape every time. My mate has just been round in his lunch break and his reaction to the dodgy picture was, "..its not as good looking as X Men is it...".And he`s right. Whilst Ep 1 looks good-Fox have done a far better job with other dvds than this, with the aforementioned superhero film being exceptional in this respect.

Hope you enjoy it, i`ll be posting my review next week when i can blag a copy of the r2 PAL release.

All the best

Westy

This item was edited on Tuesday, 9th October 2001, 13:16

Well I can`t let all this go without sticking my forepennth in myself. I have a promotional copy of TPM Region 2 which I am reviewing for the site - and all I can say is the picture quality of this disk is astounding. Yes, there is edge enhancement, but then there`s going to be on a film which is 15% live action, 85% CGI. That edge enhancement was apparent on prints in the cinema, so you can`t fault the DVD for recreating that.

Also, I believe TPM was filmed with digital stock and was the first film to be produced for E-cinema. Therefore, what you should have on the DVD is a direct digital copy, not a telecine transfer.

I can`t imagine they would have done anything less for the R1 copy, but I can assure you the R2 copy is stunning - sell R1 and buy R2, and look out for my review on the website in the next day or so.

Giles.
DVD Reviewer