Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[stvn1974]

Lucas didn't ruin my childhood but he did ruin Star Wars. I have the memories of seeing the original in the theater several times and playing with all of the toys with my little brother and neighbors. That will have to do I guess.

[YodasFootPowder]

Although, I did buy the set on Blu-ray and I'm not as hardcore as some people are about the changes, I did find most of them stupid, especially the major changes, added dialogue, adding people into the old movies who were in the newer movies. However, it is what it is, I still watch them.

But, I am getting rather tired of people quoting George Lucas' "They're my movies, not yours".

Actually, they aren't his movies. Personally, I believe, that the movies belong to the millions upon millions of fans who made his movies the smash hits that they are and the millions of people who bought his cheaply manufactured toys. It's because of fans that he made the money he did and was allowed to create sequel after sequel and garbage toys after garbage toys.

George Lucas is nothing more than an insecure man on a power trip. What has he done in the last 30 years that's been so outrageously successful as Star Wars? Not much. He clings to Star Wars because it's all he has. How about you go out on a limb, George, and make another movie, something that has nothing to do with Star Wars? Let's see if you're actually worth a damn, or is Star Wars, Star Wars spin offs and altering Star Wars movies all you have to hold onto? Yeah, Yeah, I know he's been involved in some other things during his career, but nothing that's brought him the notoriety of Star Wars. He's on a power trip and he does what he wishes with Star Wars to exert that power, nothing more. If someone made major, stupid changes to one of his favorite movies, he'd probably have a negative opinion about it and think that the director of said movie was being totally unreasonable. But, his millions of fans need to shut up and mind their own business? OK, Georgy.

Let me also add, there's dozens of other directors who have been director/executive producer and given all this control over creation and rights, etc... You don't see any of them stomping around, swinging their tiny peckers around proclaiming; "These are my movies, waaahhh!!!" George isn't the only person who made these movies come to life. One man doesn't make a successful movie franchise. He's basically discounted anyone else' involvement on a creative level, time and time again. A pompous ass, nothing more.

As I said, I'm not a die hard fan in the least, but watching what he's done over the last 15 years and comments he's made, the above is the personal opinion I have formed. I won't bash anyone that likes the movies though. I like them myself.

[RudyC]

i am upset with lucas but i completely understand why he did it. i just wish he would release original. but i guess when he dies he wants people to see what he really invisioned...not what he was limited to back in 1977.

[Bluyoda]

Originally Posted by joliefan

yes its very good but it could have been so much better

Well, I rather focus on what we DID get, than on what we DIDN'T get.

I just finished watching the entire Bonus disc 2, and I wouldn't have thought it could excite me, but it honestly did. Some of the deleted scenes were fantastic, and all those interviews with the model-makers, such as Bill George,...Dennis Muren, were terrific I thought.
Great stuff.

I also wished they had included all the DVD bonus features in HD, but I guess he doesn't like to repeat himself, and I respect that.

I am hoping for another special edition down the line, but I am honestly happy with this one.

The BOX set is my holy grail, and I have got it!

[Canuck21]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

Sadly, that's all too true. The prequels had some less than stellar moments, but so do the OT films (especially the musical number in "Jedi"). On the whole, I'd give all 6 films a collective score of 8.5/10, in terms of entertainment value.

Some people keep pointing out the the OT were also flawed. Of course they were, no one is saying the OT was perfect, but its flaws were less severe and much less distracting. The PT's flaws were too many and too big for me to even say they're good movies. They're only above average in term of production value, but everything else was sub par IMO.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by Canuck21

The PT's flaws were too many and too big for me to even say they're good movies. They're only above average in term of production value, but everything else was sub par IMO.

Care to offer some specific examples?

[supasmashbrotha76]

Originally Posted by EclipseSSD

I don't mind constructive criticism on the prequels, or SE's, in fact I even welcome it, however, I fail to see the logic in statements that suggest George ruined their childhood or fundamentally altered the films to such an extent that they are completely unrecognisable from their original state. To be sure, there are extensive (and quite a few unecessary additions) to the OT, however, IMO, the films are not ruined in such a way so as to detract me from the enjoyment of them. I'm not a Lucas basher or worshipper, and as I've said there are changes which I wholeheartedly disagree with, however, when it comes down to it, Star Wars is Star Wars, and I like Star Wars

What this guy said

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2

[al cos.]

Originally Posted by EclipseSSD

, I fail to see the logic in statements that suggest George ruined their childhood

I'm amazed this has to be said but: nobody actually means that. (when did the star wars fans become a super-literal Mr. Data?)

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by al cos.

I'm amazed this has to be said but: nobody actually means that. (when did the star wars fans become a super-literal Mr. Data?)

Some of them must mean it, or they wouldn't repeat it so often. I'd hate to hear someone accuse me of ruining or "raping" their childhood, just because I chose to update my work a bit. In total, all the changes are extremely minor, the biggest probably being these:

• Jabba meeting Han Solo in "A New Hope"
• The Emperor's hologram in "The Empire Strikes Back".
• The musical number in Jabba's palace for "Return of the Jedi"
• The beak of the Sarlaac at the Pit of Carkoon.
• John Williams' victory score for the saga's ending.

Everything else is very small by comparison, yet the bulk of this thread has been "consumed by the dark side" (pun completely intended). Some folks just love to complain, so people will pay more attention to them. Relax, young padawans.

[budious]

You missed two of the biggest. Han always shot first, period. Sebastian Shaw is etched into my memory as Anakin at the end of RotJ and seeing Christian Haydensen now in that scene nearly always throws me into a fit of dry heaving and losing all my stomach contents. He literally ruined my childhood by denying me the right to watch the version of the films I remember.

[Coov]

People just like to complain, and some people just like to complain about people complaining. There would be absolutely NOTHING to gripe about if the Originals were released as well. There would not even be 1000 pages in this forum, and mods would not have to delete posts that got out of hand or made a good point that the BD's are garbage.

I grew up with a passion for Star Wars. I was just at the right age and it surrounded me constantly and completely.... Action figures, lunch boxes, bed sheets, t-shirts, you name it....

GL's new versions are unwatchable to me. If that irks you, frankly my dear I don't give a damn. Any change, to me, is altering history if the originals are simply thrown away. You are not going into old family vacation pictures and photoshop in whatever the hell you want and trash the originals just because that was the way you intended your vacation to go. What was once groundbreaking special effects is now CGI poo-doo. This is a passion for some of us, so there will be accusal of some stroking GL's magic wand if you proclaim GL can do what he wants. That is all there is to it.

[aiman04]

Old vacation photos. That makes me think Star Wars like an unscripted reality show.

[Coov]

Originally Posted by aiman04

Old vacation photos. That makes me think Star Wars like an unscripted reality show.

Old vacation photos are NOTHING like the Prequels. Oh, SNAP!!!

[budious]

Originally Posted by Coov

Old vacation photos are NOTHING like the Prequels. Oh, SNAP!!!

35mm SLR to iPhone camera... prequels are all about crappy resolution.

[stvn1974]

You know those old vacation photos your annoying relatives pull out and make you look at...still less boring than the Prequel Trilogy.

[klauswhereareyou]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

Sadly, that's all too true. The prequels had some less than stellar moments, but so do the OT films (especially the musical number in "Jedi"). On the whole, I'd give all 6 films a collective score of 8.5/10, in terms of entertainment value.

Are we refering to the dance number in Jedi as it was in 1983 where it was a few seconds of goofy puppetry and funky music, or the 10 times worse special edition version where we've got Sega Saturn era CGI aliens dancing and singing to the galaxy's worst pop song. When it comes to the original versions I'll say the OT has some real problems with matte lines and boxes, which Lucas' special edition teams did an excellent job of fixing, but most of the current major problems with the OT are actually problems created by the special editions (Jabba scene in a new hope that covers preaty much everything Greedo did in his scene, horrible editing in the Greedo/Han scene, terrible looking CGI in the new Mos Eisley, Unnessary scene of Vader landing his Shuttle on the super star destroyer using ROTJ outtakes at the end of Empire, new Wampa that doesn't match up with other shots of the wampa, Windows that appear and dissapear on Bespin, Bad crowd shot on outside of Bespin that looks like something from Star Trek Voyager, The horrible new dance number in Jabba's palace, the ending of Jedi that now shows us all the other planets that ends up taking away from the emotion of Luke and the gang and adds some truly bad obvious CGI crowd shots on Bespin, Naboo, Mos Eisley,ete. etc.....)......oh and that horrible Hayden Christenson insertion that where he's now a Jedi ghost and looks like he's going to go on some kind of killing spree! At a certain point Lucas has just got to let go, because by making certain fixes, he also ends up making things worse. It's like if you've got a tiny hole in your wall and you try to fix it, but then you end up burning your whole house down.

[Rambaldi47]

I think GL does it on purpose. It seems like another thing most Star Wars fans want is some kind of series depicting the events between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. And he seems determined NOT to give us that! I like The Clone Wars, but I'd rather see the rise of the Empire and Vader actually being a bada$$.

[Coov]

I wish we got a version of Anakin that actually likes sand! Sand is Awesome!

Now I watch Vader and think to myself.... he does not like sand.

[YodasFootPowder]

Originally Posted by Rambaldi47

I think GL does it on purpose. It seems like another thing most Star Wars fans want is some kind of series depicting the events between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. And he seems determined NOT to give us that! I like The Clone Wars, but I'd rather see the rise of the Empire and Vader actually being a bada$$.

This idea came to me a few years back. I started thinking he almost does it to make people mad. The more fanboys complain, the more he changes just to piss people off and prove he can do what he wants.

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

Some of them must mean it, or they wouldn't repeat it so often. I'd hate to hear someone accuse me of ruining or "raping" their childhood, just because I chose to update my work a bit. In total, all the changes are extremely minor, the biggest probably being these:

• Jabba meeting Han Solo in "A New Hope"
• The Emperor's hologram in "The Empire Strikes Back".
• The musical number in Jabba's palace for "Return of the Jedi"
• The beak of the Sarlaac at the Pit of Carkoon.
• John Williams' victory score for the saga's ending.

Everything else is very small by comparison, yet the bulk of this thread has been "consumed by the dark side" (pun completely intended). Some folks just love to complain, so people will pay more attention to them. Relax, young padawans.

While I disagree with your trivialization of the alterations, I do agree that Lucas ruining your childhood is a silly statement to make. Lucas can never take away your ability to see the UOT-- there are plenty of ways to see it-- in addition to the "bonus material" on the individual DVDs, there are fan preservations that are even better-- all you have to do is use google. Now, the quality isn't up to modern standards, but it still beats the full-screen VHS tapes I used to wear out when I was a teenager.

Now, that being said, I am still frustrated that they haven't been given the restoration treatment like we're seeing with Jaws, Indy, and E.T. The films easily rank up there with those other classics and it is a shame they haven't been treated as such. I would love to fire up a restored 1080p blu-ray of the UOT on my large projector screen, but until I can, I'd still rather watch my fan-made DVDs anyday over the current versions on Blu-Ray-- I still prioritize content over tech specs.