'Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace 3D' Excites Moviegoers

George Lucas joins the 3D revolution with the conversion of "Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace." Instead of releasing the films in the same order they originally were, he decided to put them out in chronological order. This already had most fans of the sci-fi saga in an uproar. What did critics and moviegoers think about the 3D transfer?

First off, I thought it was great to see Darth Maul's fight scene, the pod race, and climactic space battle in 3D. If you're expecting scenes where lightsabers and lasers come out at you, you're going to be disappointed. The movie looks exactly how George Lucas and John Knoll described it would in interviews. The picture is layered and has more depth. I would recommend any fan of "Star Wars" go see it just for the experience.

Most critics were disappointed in "Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace 3D." Movieline's Alison Wilmore wrote, "'The Phantom Menace,' in any number of dimensions, is an exercise in disappointment, a film filled with enough callbacks to the first trilogy to remind you about what you loved about them without adding much of note in all the new material." Matt Maytum of Total Film reported, "The added visual depth does little to disguise quite how flat everything in between is." FILMINK's Jarrod Walker complained, "The under-utilized 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films."

A few reviewers thought the film looked great in 3D. 7M Pictures' Kevin Carr reported, "The 3D conversion on this film is one of the best I've ever seen... and that's what makes it worth paying some extra money to see it again in the theater." Brian Orndorf stated, "It's more of a 3D party for fans and admirers, playing to the convinced with a conversion." Katey Rich of Cinema Blend wrote, "The 3D conversion isn't going to change your opinion on the movie or give you a whole new moviegoing experience, but it's not bad either."

Many moviegoers were impressed with the new 3D conversion. Joshua M. stated, "Its special effects and visual effects changed movie making just like the originals did. The 3D just made it that much better." Alex S. admitted, "I've never seen any 'Star Wars' films before. The 3D effects were amazing, especially at the race part." Vanessa T. remarked, "Worth it for the pod race in 3D! Great backstory if you can handle more detail than action."

There were audience members that didn't enjoy the movie in 3D. Thomas A. said, "First off the 3D was mostly disappointing. It looked good at times but most of the movie it was barely noticeable. Seeing as this was the main reason for the re-release it seems odd." Eric L. stated, "The 3D in the re-release was very unimpressive." Nina D. complained, "3-D doesn't make it better."

Family entertainment website Movieguide.org reported, "'The Phantom Menace' is comfortable PG with many moral and some redemptive elements. What is threatening is the nominalistic New Age philosophy that creeps into this movie too frequently."

George Lucas directed "Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace 3D." It stars Liam Neeson, Jake Lloyd, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, and Samuel Jackson. The movie is rated PG for sci-fi action/violence. It was released through 20th Century Fox on February 10, 2012.

For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:

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Eric Shirey is the founder and former editor of Rondo Award nominated movie news websites MovieGeekFeed.com and TheSpectralRealm.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, and other entertainment websites. Eric has interviewed and worked with actors like Harrison Ford, Brooke Shields, Gerard Butler, Brendan Fraser, Selena Gomez, and many more.