Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by motorheadache95

I bought them so I could watch the movies in HD on my projector, but yeah, its definitely a middle of the road release. Versions of the films aside, the classics are struck from okay but outdated masters, and The Phantom Menace has a pretty crappy DNR'd transfer. I couldn't possibly imagine that Disney and Lucasfilm don't have plans for better releases of all 6 movies down the road, although whether thats sooner or later is still TBD.

Personally if I were in your position I'd stick it out with the DVDs of the prequels and look into the wonders of Harmy for all your OT needs, until that 4K-restored uber set that we're all waiting for finally comes out.

Disney takes very good care of their IP...they're fanatics about it. Mastering, on the other hand, is a very different story. It wouldn't surprise me if archivists showed up Day One to start the process of finding all the film elements in the LucasFilm archives to make sure they were preserved in optimal conditions.

[Nicolawicz]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

It's interesting as the original comic book had Jabba as an alien. I'm not sure if this was based on the storyboards or not.

Attachment 156370

That's actually a cantina alien called Mosep Binneed. I don't know why they made him into Jabba in the comic.

[TheHutt]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

It's interesting as the original comic book had Jabba as an alien. I'm not sure if this was based on the storyboards or not.

In the Star Wars novelization (Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker) from 1976, Jabba is still a man.

[kemcha]

Frankly, I would have preferred Lucas including the scene with Luke and Biggs on Tatooine before the shit hit the fan. Since Biggs' appearance was later included in the film with the Special Edition release. His appearance later in the film made no sense unless you knew the context of why he was there. I'm referring to the scene in the Yavin IV hangar bay, just before they launch off to attack the Death Star.

The original theatrical version of the film only included Biggs in the film during the original theatrical release in 1977, if I'm not mistaken. It's been a long time since I watched the unaltered version of the films.

Someone asked earlier, but I was referring to the THX versions of the films that were released to VHS. I recall seeing a single retailer selling laserdisks but that was a format that wasn't very widely received and I don't remember anyone I know ever buying into the format. But, I do remember the complaints that fans had when the films were given when fans found out about the upgrade in the special effects and the upgrade to THX audio. This was well before the blu-ray format took off and before DVDs started to saturate the industry.

[Arawn]

Originally Posted by kemcha

The original theatrical version of the film only included Biggs in the film during the original theatrical release in 1977, if I'm not mistaken.

I don't understand what you mean by this. Biggs is always in the film.

[captveg]

I think the added Biggs scene helps understand why Luke and him have the easy rapport during the Death Star attack. Yeah, he mentions his name briefly to his Uncle Owen early in the film, but seeing them have that brief catch up scene in the hanger is a nice way to cement the emotion of that relationship and what occurs in the attack.

One of the few SE changes I like, mostly because it's free of modern adjustments (though they did have to do a little snipping of the scene in order to eliminate dialogue that contradicted the sequels).

[Martoto]

I don't recall anyone complaining about upgraded special effects for the THX remastered VHS and laserdisc versions when they "found out about" them.

And that's because there were no special effects upgrades until the Special Editions.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

I can't decide if I want the Complete Saga on Blu-ray. I prefer the original unaltered versions and think they're way better than the prequels, although I can still enjoy the prequels. I have the 2004 DVDs that came with the theatrical versions on "bonus discs" and I also have the original DVDs of the prequels. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to brainwash myself into liking the special editions of the OT and appreciate them for what they are even though my entire being is resistant to it. I feel like accepting them is tantamount to joining the dark side!

I guess it depends what you grew up with. Im almost positive I saw the OT on VHS as a kid but don't remember anything from them. Ive seen the special editions way more times so for me that's how ill always remember the OT. The prequels I honestly love & rate them above every other film in the saga except Empire Strikes Back.

[badfingerboogie]

Originally Posted by darkness2918

I guess it depends what you grew up with. Im almost positive I saw the OT on VHS as a kid but don't remember anything from them. Ive seen the special editions way more times so for me that's how ill always remember the OT. The prequels I honestly love & rate them above every other film in the saga except Empire Strikes Back.

Hook us up with a full seven-film ranking - this is a really interesting perspective.

[bobbyh64]

I really don't understand why someone would prefer the special editions over the theatrical ones, no offense. If they were shot a couple decades later I would be able to understand it better, but in my opinion seeing all the CGI in those films looks so goddamn strange. Computer-generated jumping rats and dinosaurs along with Jim Henson-style puppets in the same film makes no sense in my opinion. I'd rather have the original creatures back like the werewolf in the cantina instead of the CGI pot-smoking Rastafarian lizard.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by badfingerboogie

Hook us up with a full seven-film ranking - this is a really interesting perspective.

Sure. I personally rank them like this:

Empire Strikes Back
Revenge of the Sith
Attack of the Clones
Phantom Menace
A New Hope
Return of the Jedi
Force Awakens

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

I really don't understand why someone would prefer the special editions over the theatrical ones, no offense. If they were shot a couple decades later I would be able to understand it better, but in my opinion seeing all the CGI in those films looks so goddamn strange. Computer-generated jumping rats and dinosaurs along with Jim Henson-style puppets in the same film makes no sense in my opinion. I'd rather have the original creatures back like the werewolf in the cantina instead of the CGI pot-smoking Rastafarian lizard.

Like I said I'm pretty sure I saw them on VHS as a kid but remember nothing of them. The special editions ive seen countless times over the yrs & were the only versions ive ever owned on DVD & now BD so for me thats how I know the OT & its likely that's how the newer generations will know them as well.

[kidglov3s]

Originally Posted by darkness2918

Sure. I personally rank them like this:

Empire Strikes Back
Revenge of the Sith
Attack of the Clones
Phantom Menace
A New Hope
Return of the Jedi
Force Awakens

Ha ha, I guess now fans who grew up with the PT will see the new bullshit pseudo-MCU Star Wars movies the same way that us who grew up with the OT saw the prequels, or worse depending on how lazy Disney gets with them.

[Nicolawicz]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

I'd rather have the original creatures back like the werewolf in the cantina instead of the CGI pot-smoking Rastafarian lizard.

Actually, I think that's a puppet. Still pretty stupid, since the werewolf is a million times more memorable (it's clear that Lucas just isn't very bright. A lot in Star Wars turned out so good thanks to the limitations. And a real director did The Empire Strikes Back).

[Bobbyjoe766]

Originally Posted by Nicolawicz

Actually, I think that's a puppet. Still pretty stupid, since the werewolf is a million times more memorable (it's clear that Lucas just isn't very bright. A lot in Star Wars turned out so good thanks to the limitations. And a real director did The Empire Strikes Back).

STAR WARS (1977) was a fluke and he almost ruined EMPIRE when he tried to edit it himself and JEDI has his fingerprints all over it.

[ChainsawJedi]

Originally Posted by Bobbyjoe766

STAR WARS (1977) was a fluke and he almost ruined EMPIRE when he tried to edit it himself and JEDI has his fingerprints all over it.

Apparently, George Lucas edited Empire using Once Upon A Time In The West as a template, feeling that the pace of the Leone classic was exactly what he was after in the second film. I'd be interested in reading why you think his editing "almost ruined" the film.

He ended up being more involved with Jedi as a matter of circumstance, not by choice. Keen to avoid the stresses that resulted in him having a nervous breakdown when he made the first film, he had been more than happy to hand the directorial role over to directors he respected. While Kershner's inexperience with special effects saw Lucas becoming more involved with Empire, Marquand insisted that Lucas be on set every day while filming Jedi and, when he turned in his edit, it was so bad that Lucas ended up having to make the film over.

It's well-known that, when it came to making the prequels, Lucas wanted to avoid the same troubles that beset him with the previous three films, especially considering that hiring Kershner and Marquand didn't really ease the pressure as much as he had hoped.

[WestMan]

I never understood the hate for the special editions. I grew up on Return of the Jedi on VHS. That was my go to Star Wars movies. I remember thinking that A New Hope looked primitive compared to ROTJ. So the special editions were a really nice way of making that movie look up to par with the rest of them.

I must be a strange Star Wars fan because not only did I like the Special Editions.... I liked the prequels even more then the OT. Revenge of the Sith is my favorite Star Wars movie by a wide margin.

As for the "Disney Era".... I was not impressed with Episode 7. It was too much of a rehash of Episode 4. Plus, it kind of ignored the ending from Episode 6 and told a story that didn't seem like a logical as the next chapter.

Hopefully Rogue One and Episode 8 are steps in the right direction....

[ElvisForever]

Originally Posted by Class316

First off it ruins the Jabba reveal. We hear the name Jabba throughout ANH and ESB yet we don't who Jabba is. Then we see that huge slug.

And besides that it further ruins Han's character as an outlaw. Without the scene we are under the impression he is in hot water with Jabba.

I think it ruins the "reveal" like the Darth father thing for fans of the old films who can't see anything different. Maybe just maybe our perception of Han wasn't what it was supposed to be and the deleted scene proves this?

For those that see them in chronological order and try to understand the full story, it doesn't matter. Duplicating childhood dreams isn't part of the bigger picture. The movies work in a different way once you see it in proper special edition order. I think they work quite well. I loved the original trilogy but only as a memory and not knowing the films were changed constantly throughout the years even before the special editions.

But to a new fan (or someone like myself who watched the films in order and tried to understand what the artist was conveying), I have seen how it emotionally impacted someone who didn't know the Anakin story and when I saw that person cry when the Anakin coming back as a ghost, I knew that this wasn't just from a jaded fan that can only see the films in one way, but someone who has taken the time to follow the story that was told all along.

I will never forget Darth Vader busting in the space freighter on the diplomatic mission, but most importantly, I will never forget how powerful that image really was FROM THE BEGINNING DOWN TO THE FIRST POSTER and deep down like so many of us, knew that Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker was the most powerful character in the whole saga and simply larger than life.

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

I really don't understand why someone would prefer the special editions over the theatrical ones, no offense. If they were shot a couple decades later I would be able to understand it better, but in my opinion seeing all the CGI in those films looks so goddamn strange. Computer-generated jumping rats and dinosaurs along with Jim Henson-style puppets in the same film makes no sense in my opinion. I'd rather have the original creatures back like the werewolf in the cantina instead of the CGI pot-smoking Rastafarian lizard.

I see the movies as two different entities.

#1 Star Wars as a stand alone movie and never meant to be episode IV, and no other films exist.

#2 Star Wars with every special edition add on as a series of 7+ films where there were things put in to make them more fluid.

What I have never fully appreciated is Empire Strikes Back being a full sequel that made any sense in the original form, and Return of the Jedi being even worse. There were so many inconsistencies (Han acting out of character as a love sick pup to the Emperor bug eyed thing...) and screamed of overrated sequels. Not so much that I didn't think that Empire Strikes back was a great film, but when truly dissected it was like the Godfather discussion earlier (not bringing that back if I can help it) if you really break it down to its elements, the follow-up just does not truly gel.

While I am not saying I love every digital change and no artist is ever truly perfect, I do think that the true story of Anakin has been told more closely to correct and is served by the little tweaks to make 7 films that work very well together.

To take it back to pre-special edition will make the prequels less, and for all their flaws, the films still have value for a bigger Star Wars universe.

Do they make a new experience YES, will it undo past perception if given a true chance YES.

I am sure that one day the original trilogy will be allowed to come back and we will once again get the "bug eyed" Emperor, and I hope those fans get what they want.

But what will really annoy me is that George Lucas vision will be lost and the changes that were made down to the last bluray will be jettisoned and it will be like the Abrams promotion brainwashing videos where he states the only way to watch the 6 films is IV-VI first. Sorry, but to get the proper experience, it just doesn't work correct that way. But of course one has to put away the prejudice, and with so many Star Wars fans, just like baby boomers, there is no way that kind of brainwash talk will ever be undone.

[WestMan]

I see parents doing that all the time with their kids. Making them start with Episode 4 because "that is the way I saw them".

Watching them in order is much more impactful as a complete story.

[Class316]

Watching them starting ep I is stupid because if nothing else it ruins the Darth Vader reveal. They are meant to be watched 4.5.6.1.2.3