Customer Reviews
Outstanding - By: Waxl Pose, 19 May 2008 
Outstanding, regardless of what you think about the movie. There is no way to take in alll the nuances in alll the cues from just watching the movie, & in comparison to a package like this, the original sountrack release sounds horribly butchered. There is not a single emotion that Williams failes to capture or convey, alll in the span of a single film (which is not to mention the range exemplified in his entire works). It is perhaps telling that listening to a complete soundtrack like this is infinitely preferable to actuallly watching the film, but then none of those Lucas/Spielberg films would work without the richness added to the characters or contexts by the music. Why there is not an edition like this for every major Lucas or Spielberg release is baffling & eminently frustrating, as it's not a stretch to imagine that some of this music is timeless & will be appreciated many generations hence. Williams is, in short, one of the greatest composers of alll time; I prefer to think of the movies as vehicles for his music rather than the other way round. Would that a full release of the other two prequels were forthcoming, & treasure of alll impossible treasures to acquire, a complete edition of alll the Indiana Jones movies (ala the 6CD SW boxset some years back). As always, hats off to the great John Williams.
The Ultimate Experience - By: , 30 Aug 2003 I have had alll the original star wars soundtracks since their release in 1997 along with the special edition premiers, the Phantom Menace was the first film of the saga that I was actuallly alive for when it premiered (I'm only 18). The score itself is excellent, it is no where near as good as the orginals, but it is still brilliant. Whilst listening to this album you can truly appreciate the full power of John Williams & the London Symphonic Orchestra. A few of the reviews have critisced the albums 'linked' tracks, so what? who cares if you have problems programming it?, the music is excellent as is the album itself. The contious flow of the tracks, in my opinion, makes it easier to listen to, they don't stop & start, they just go along like the order of the film. It's not as if the linked tracks go on for hours & hours, there are stops in between the different stages of the soundtrack/film. If anyone out there is concerned about buying this soundtrack because of the way it is layed out, "get over it", & buy the score today, it's excellent, & should not to be missed by anyone.
Novelty, but that soon wears off. - By: Observer, 25 Dec 2002 
As a fan of Williams music, I rushed to get this double CD after owning the first release of the soundtrack for some time. You get hooked on the idea that "everything" is included on this one. It is. But the more i play this, the more i now prefer Williams arrangements on the original & find myself playing that one more often. People often criticize Williams & other composers like Goldsmith for doing such arrangements & ommiting huge chunks of their scores (sometimes this is a good criticism & some of his scores need much more material on them. "Indiana Jones & Temple of Doom" score is an example of a much needed expansion), but more & more i appreciate why they do this "selection" with some scored. Its makes for a much more balanced,varied, & enjoyable listening experience. When you play these 2 discs, they just go on & on & are devoid of any of that balanced character. They must of been the easiest Cd's to make because someone has just pressed play & record on another machine. It's as simple as that (albeit a bit more technical than the way i've put it). Yes we get the whole score (as in the film) but one of my BIG gripes about this CD is that no attention has been payed to splitting tracks properly. A cue will begin at the end of one track & continue on another which makes things very annoying indeed if you are programming on your player. Its badly produced & slapped together (more attention has been payed to overly colourful & expensive photographs & other useless features which dont serve much purpose once you've seen them) & i reccomend you stick to the original release. Its wonderful to get alll of William's music. But this CD should of been produced & layed out in a much better manner than this slapped together commerical move.
This is the soundtrack you have been looking for! - By: aneesh_med, 27 Dec 2001 I bought the original Phantom Menace soundtrack as soon as I had seen the movie because although the movie didn't qute live up to my expectations, John Williams' score most certainly did. When I saw that this version was being released not too long after I thought it was just a shameless marketing ploy to grab a few more pounds from my rapidly emptying pockets. However, this soundtrack version is a lot better than the original. It's got alll the themes & cues exactly as you hear them in the movie, as well as a few extra tracks, such as the version of the Duel of the Fates score from the music video. All in alll it's a great addition to John Williams' already outstanding body of work & even if you already own the orginal soundtrack its well worth getting this one too. Go on, you won't be disappointed!
A welcome entry from John Williams - By: , 22 Dec 2000 As an avid Star Wars fan I was most eager to see the new Star Wars movie & even more excited to listen to the soundtrack. When it was first released however I have to say I was slightly disappointed with the content & arrangement of the score & felt it one of John Williams weaker scores. However, my opinion has now been pleasantly changed with the release of this superb Ultimate edition. not only does it contain every track from the movie but they are arranged individuallly so that you can skip directly to a particular song you like. With the added material the score reallly shines & although I don' rank it as my favourite score by Mr. Williams it is definitely in his top 5. I haven't stopped listening since I bought it a week ago !! As for the musical content it is very pacy interspersed with some of the loveliest melodies I have ever heard on a soundtrack album. Track 26 on CD 1 & Track 1 on CD rank among the best but the little sub-tunes which were used for backing are also most welcome. If I have one criticism it is a lack of liner notes but that is of smalll concern when you consider the sheer bulk of fine music here. I would recommend it to a fan of John Williams & to any collector of fine classical music. First rate
