Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[Merlinpants]

Originally Posted by sevb36

Is the Vader confronts Jerrjerod (Sp?) and the Royal Guards one of the Blu-Ray ROTJ deleted scenes?

Yes, I watched it and from memory he gets a bit of a force choking at the lift from Vader, flanked by two guards. I wasn't paying much attention but he was talking about the emperor commanding it or something???

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by JLTucker

This may have been posted, but is Best Buy going to price match Amazon for the Complete Saga? I ask because it's now $79.99 on Amazon.

Amz matched Target. Just have BB match Target.

[HDPlasma]

An experts review has been posted.

There has been a lot of prerelease controversy stemming from pirated rips hitting the net in respects to video and audio quality but in particular additional changes have been introduced into this 2011 edition.

First picture quality has been much maligned for quite sometime since the 2004 DVD edition, issues with color timing, crushed shadow detail, visual effects inconsistencies introduced by SEs along with errors that have been around since the beginning. The most noticeable issue by most has been the light sabers, in that the cores were considerably dulled in the 04 version. Let me assure those have all been meticulously fixed by Lucasfilm to their original intended brilliance.

Next and perhaps the most contested aspect is the origin of these transfers having been scanned at 1080P resolution by Lowery Digital nearly 8 years ago. Even though that maybe the case this in no way hinders the immense and amazing improvement in clarity of detail along with inky deep blacks and eye popping rich natural colors that these phenomenal Blu-Rays convey in my home theater.

Pixel peepers aka “Screen Shot Scientists” I am sure will continue to analyze these transfers under unrealistic conditions and find faults but thankfully the vast majority of fans will be unable to spot any possible flaws. If there are any issues those clearly go away once seen viewing the thousands of frames in splendid motion.

My display has been thoroughly self-calibrated with the amazing aide of new THX Optimizer and this alone maximizes the shear enthralling excitement of experiencing Star Wars in the home as though it were the first time. Once you pop these discs into your player you will indeed be taken into a galaxy far away and long ago with these sparkling and dare I say it flawless transfers. The very fact that the nearly imperceptible nice fine grain is present alone disproves any detrimental DNR has been applied to these films.

Color timing and crushed blacks have also been addressed. Evidently these transfers were so advanced for the DVD format that some visual issues occurred. Thankfully our cries have been heard and due to the amazing capabilities of the BR format all those color timing issues are gone.

Hoth does still have an ever so slight blue tinting but frankly this just reinforces the bone chilling environment an ice planet would be. Otherwise skins tones are accurate, spectacular whites such as in the corridors of the Tantive 4, mouthwatering deep inky blacks, and once more bright vibrant colors that may very well cause spontaneous combustion of the viewer’s enraptured eyes.

All the films have received brand new mixes and in particular the OT has been vastly improved. Lucasfilm, specifically Michael Wood, spent three years researching and restoring the original aging audio elements along with some tasteful contemporary audio effects to replace missing or far too deteriorated sources.

ANH remix is a revelation and corrects all the faults and errors that crept up over the years with prior mixes. The mix even addresses a perceived mistake with the trumpet fanfare at the beginning of the Rebel assault on the Death Star, rejoice because the Force is now strong with the trumpets which can be clearly heard.

Wood's magic for the aural senses are going leave all fans melting with euphoric bliss with new mixes. Audio special effects come across with crisp clarity and deep clear bass. Now the 04 mix had the audio effects a little too pronounced for some, well this has been addressed as well. With that said ASE still are prominent in the mix and drown out the still lower mixed music from time to time but this is Sci-Fi movie not a classical concert. John Williams fanatics are always welcome to grab the soundtracks if they really need to hear the music better.

One thing I do have an issue with is that the light sabers do not make my jibblets bounce around like kernels in a popcorn popper on the stove. Also I love how modern movies undermix the levels of dialogue in respects to the audio effects in order for them to really stand out but Wood mentioned in interviews that Lucas found it important to be able to hear the dialogue, this I find to be a missed opportunity to be more in line with modern sensibilities but probably a good call for most folks.

Now there have been some additional audio changes that have been making the rounds and have caused an uproar in the fan community, two specifically have received the most attention.

First is Obi-wan’s Kryrat Dragon screech. This has gone through several iterations over the decades and once more it has been changed. Now this newest rendition could be heard on the Sounds of Star Wars audio book several years ago but the majority of fans most likely never heard it. It definitely is a different take than before and at first I did not like it but after subsequent listens I have come to accept it and feel it is non-issue even though it sounds like a senile crazy auto-tuned old man.

Time to address the biggest and most debated audio change found in the end of ROTJ. Originally Emperor Palpatine is torturing Luke with Sith Force lightening and Vader stands by his master observing in silence until his internal conflict leads him to toss the Emperor into a shaft plummeting into a pyrotechnic death thus saving Luke. Vader’s decision to kill the Emperor has been for decades shrouded behind the raspy breathing of his inhuman mask yet through the combination of Vader’s movements and camera positions culminate in commutating this redemptive choice.

Lucas has chosen instead, of following one of the cardinal rules of cinema of showing rather than telling, to have Vader vocalize his decision by bellowing NO, not once but twice. This creative decision does have some precedence throughout the Saga and Lucas had made it clear these films are strongly inspired by B-movie serials which do follow a more hammy tenant of storytelling. Also Lucas has mentioned that the entire Saga should be seen as a poem with reoccurring themes and motifs, which reinforce this continuous tale of Anakin Skywalker, not Luke’s.

Upon reflection and with subsequent viewings I fully embrace this marvel choice which elevates the storytelling of Star Wars into a glorious epic journey of old. Truly Lucas is in a way harkening back to the oral traditions of sharing stories around the fire each retelling was not static and would never be exactly the same. So we as fans should also view Lucas’s new embellishments per subsequent release as an ever evolving oral story. It is humbling to be the beneficiaries of such a magnificent though often misunderstood and maligned storyteller.

I feel any fan would be remiss and foolish not to gladly embrace this glorious new incarnation of Lucas’s beloved Saga. Star Wars has never before been available in such stellar visual and aural quality as found on these Blu-Ray discs for the home market.

[jeffb66]

Originally Posted by Merlinpants

No, it is inconsistent but either bright blue or bright white. I never saw any green, but as I said previously, perhaps my TV is calibrated properly. I am no expert.

Actually this is overall good news, since the white or blue saber colors in those scenes are at least back to the original appearance going back to 1977 and the scene with the green color saber has been fixed. Hopefully, some of the inconsistent saber color issues in the OT films been addressed such as Darth Vader's pinkish saber color.

One concern I still have is the color timing issues from the 2004 DVDs. Based on the various reports, at least some of these color timing issues may have corrected in the BD versions. Can anyone who has watched the actual BDs notice color timing issues such as the odd bluish color in the early part of Episode IV?

Also, have the crushed blacks from 2004 DVDs still present in the BD versions? I found the so called crushed blacks to be a relatively minor issue in the 2004 DVDs. However, I wonder with the greater color depth of BD that this problem could be more noticeable.

[Merlinpants]

Originally Posted by HDPlasma

An experts review has been posted.

Lol, he has just taken all of my quotes throughout the day on this fourm and put them into one piece and claimed it as his own. I cry foul

[Merlinpants]

Originally Posted by jeffb66

Actually this is overall good news, since the white or blue saber colors in those scenes are at least back to the original appearance going back to 1977 and the scene with the green color saber has been fixed. Hopefully, some of the inconsistent saber color issues in the OT films been addressed such as Darth Vader's pinkish saber color.

One concern I still have is the color timing issues from the 2004 DVDs. Based on the various reports, at least some of these color timing issues may have corrected in the BD versions. Can anyone who has watched the actual BDs notice color timing issues such as the odd bluish color in the early part of Episode IV?
Also, have the crushed blacks from 2004 DVDs still present in the BD versions? I found the so called crushed blacks to be a relatively minor issue in the 2004 DVDs. However, I wonder with the greater color depth of BD that this problem could be more noticeable.

Gone and gone.

[phansson]

First picture quality has been much maligned for quite sometime since the 2004 DVD edition, issues with color timing, crushed shadow detail, visual effects inconsistencies introduced by SEs along with errors that have been around since the beginning. The most noticeable issue by most has been the light sabers, in that the cores were considerably dulled in the 04 version. Let me assure those have all been meticulously fixed by Lucasfilm to their original intended brilliance.

Can I ask the name of the professional reviewer?

Also, we are all pretty sure that not all of the sabers have been fixed. Has he even watched the movies???

[Merlinpants]

Originally Posted by phansson

Can I ask the name of the professional reviewer?

Also, we are all pretty sure that not all of the sabers have been fixed. Has he even watched the movies???

You're not wrong, there are still moments of coloured cores on Darth's sabre in the carbon freeze chamber.

[crs]

Originally Posted by HDPlasma

An experts review has been posted.

Hmmm, right, flawless transfers. I think the reviewer is somewhat biased...

[Carcaridon]

Finally saw the "sandstorm" scene from ROTJ. I loved seeing something new from the movie, but I can see why this scene was cut. It was awkward at best. It works better with Luke in the X-Wing and the rest of the dialog OS. Loved the lightsaber construction scene. I've been wanting to see that since I was a kid.

[Dragon Lee]

so this out on friday sept 16th right? amazon just emailed me that theyve moved up my estimated delivery date from sept 27th to the 20th. whats going on???

[Merlinpants]

Originally Posted by Carcaridon

Finally saw the "sandstorm" scene from ROTJ. I loved seeing something new from the movie, but I can see why this scene was cut. It was awkward at best. It works better with Luke in the X-Wing and the rest of the dialog OS. Loved the lightsaber construction scene. I've been wanting to see that since I was a kid.

But you can't hear anything, it had to be subtitled?

[Merlinpants]

Originally Posted by crs

Hmmm, right, flawless transfers. I think the reviewer is somewhat biased...

Nothing wrong with my copies CRS, what is wrong with yours?

[Carcaridon]

Originally Posted by Merlinpants

But you can't hear anything, it had to be subtitled?

Yes, the dialog is poor but if you listen carefully with it loud, you can hear some dialog. But the looks and editing are just painfully awkward. I just couldn't get into that scene. Luke's "Think nothing of it" line was really bad.

[Merlinpants]

Originally Posted by Carcaridon

Yes, the dialog is poor but if you listen carefully with it loud, you can hear some dialog. But the looks and editing are just painfully awkward. I just couldn't get into that scene. Luke's "Think nothing of it" line was really bad.

I posted this earlier, as it was the first scene filmed according to the intro slide, he obviously hadn't found his rhythm yet. Very stilted and awkward in his delivery.

[crs]

Originally Posted by Merlinpants

Nothing wrong with my copies CRS, what is wrong with yours?

I wouldn't call the TPM transfer flawless. I've mentioned the softness that rears its ugly head on occasion, and so have you. The transfer is good, but not flawless.

[Carcaridon]

Originally Posted by Merlinpants

I posted this earlier, as it was the first scene filmed according to the intro slide, he obviously hadn't found his rhythm yet. Very stilted and awkward in his delivery.

Exactly. Glad they found a rhythm after that. The camera angles were odd too. Like they were trying to make Luke look like a hobbit or something.

[bboisvert]

Originally Posted by HDPlasma

An experts review has been posted.

Unsigned plagiarized review is unsigned and plagiarized.

[Merlinpants]

Jedi done. Thats the OT in one evening, PT tomorrow evening, bonus features Sunday.

Goodnight

[bkbluray]

Originally Posted by JLTucker

This may have been posted, but is Best Buy going to price match Amazon for the Complete Saga? I ask because it's now $79.99 on Amazon.

Amazon is price matching Target's price, so I assume yes on that one.