Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[cinemaphile]

I find it hilarious that people b!tch and moan about Lucas making changes and altering the movie, and then go on to complain that he didn't fix things they want fixed.

You can't have it both ways, folks. Quit yer b!tchin' and just be happy to have Star Wars on blu at all!

[miniroll32]

Originally Posted by cinemaphile

I find it hilarious that people b!tch and moan about Lucas making changes and altering the movie, and then go on to complain that he didn't fix things they want fixed.

Good call! A common one i've seen on the Amazon.com reviews is "I want these films FULLY RESTORED... remove the matte lines and clean up the effects while you're at it George!"

errr??

[goodluckchuck]

Originally Posted by miniroll32

Good call! A common one i've seen on the Amazon.com reviews is "I want these films FULLY RESTORED... remove the matte lines and clean up the effects while you're at it George!"

errr??

LOL... yes, people debate the Yoda puppet and CGI as wel, but are expecting it to be changed in the BR

[octagon]

Originally Posted by cinemaphile

Quit yer b!tchin' and just be happy to have Star Wars on blu at all!

And we're supposed to be the fanboys???

[Lincoln6Echo]

Originally Posted by cinemaphile

I find it hilarious that people b!tch and moan about Lucas making changes and altering the movie, and then go on to complain that he didn't fix things they want fixed.

You can't have it both ways, folks. Quit yer b!tchin' and just be happy to have Star Wars on blu at all!

I don't ***** at the changes, and I do want more stuff fixed. If the whole idea behind doing the SEs to begin with was bringing them more up to date with the then unfilmed and unseen PT, then he didn't go far enough with the changes. The biggest thing that I want fixed is the laser blaster bolts. In ANH, they are generally just red smears. They need to have white cores with a gradual gradiant red to orange glow around them, like they are in TPM.

[miniroll32]

Unity, I sense. Forum members unite

[Sunrise]

Originally Posted by miniroll32

My stance at the moment is that we'll see the 2004 'transfers'...

It seems pretty likely, at least. Lowry restored everything to 2K, because Lucas(film) requested it that way. It wouldn´t make any sense (also in George´s mind) to alter his "vision" again. And even tough Lowry themselves said that the 2004 master should only be used for SD releases, Lucas(film) didn´t want to go back and do it all over again. Probably he felt that since his prequels (Episode 2 and Episode 3) were shot in 1080p, the original trilogy shouldn´t be treated differently (but this is just a guess).

They may have re-timed some scenes and altered the gamma, because of the black crush problems, but it´s almost 100% sure that we will see the 2004 master being used for the Blu-Rays.

Here´s pretty good write-up from 2009. It´s the most accurate write-up I´ve read in years and it even has all of the speculation (WRT to the 2004 master) in it, way before it was announced for Blu-Ray:

http://secrethistoryofstarwars.com/savingstarwars.html
Further Changes and into the Digital Realm

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by adywan

The stardestroyer NEVER looked like it was filmed in a studio and anyone who actually saw it in the cinemas would know that.

That's probably because of increased resolution. This is also what happens when people view films on HDTVs that are set to "soap opera mode". You can see this all the time when in a documentary about a film, the action looks totally fake. Then you see the finished film and it's totally believable. I've seen this myself when I've been on a set and watched a scene being shot and thought to myself, "this will never work", yet it does.

There's a psychological effect that film at 24fps has that sometimes (and surprisingly) gets lost at higher resolutions and frame rates. Sometimes, increased sharpness is actually a bad thing. It's why Hollywood actresses of the 1930s and 40s were frequently shot through a stocking.

Back in the 1980s, I produced a teleconference in SD. I went to see the finished sets and freaked out because there were all kinds of imperfections. But the director assured me that we'd never see them on camera and we didn't because SD resolution couldn't pick up those defects. Today the opposite is true. HD picks up everything from set defects to pores in the skin. Many TV actresses actually hate what HD does to them.

I think all this debating about how these are going to look is silly until they're actually released. Then I'm sure the fans will think they're fine and the Lucas haters will think they're crap. I have not placed a pre-order for these. I have a "wait-and-see" attitude. One thing I will say is if those three screen caps of the Luke/Vader battle from three different versions are accurate, it looks to me that each time these were remastered, some technician thought the scene should be brightened. That is a bad sign. Not that anyone would notice if they weren't doing a direct comparison.

Coppola complained about that after the initial release of "The Godfather". Every time they went back to make a new run of prints, the technicians lightened all the dark scenes. He supposedly corrected all that when they released the "authorized" versions on DVD and later, BD, although people complain about those as well. But having said that, it's also disingenuous to claim they don't look like the way they looked in the theatre because a) while one can get a general impression, I refuse to believe that anyone can remember exactly how a film looked over 30 years ago; b) most theatres don't put enough light on the screen anyway; and c) because especially after the initial run, lab prints vary quite a bit. And back in those days, NY and Los Angeles first run theatres tended to get better prints then the rest of the country.

[hipster.doofus7]

Have people already forgotten how long it took for the Star Wars original trilogy to appear on DVD? The wait was excruciating. The DVD era was already on its last legs in 2004 when the the original trilogy finally showed up. No doubt it was a case of Lucasfilm trying to maximize its profits. Milking every last drop out of those VHS sales, then releasing the DVDs shortly before the worldwide transition to HD format.

Yes, Lucasfilms is milking fans for maximum profits again. This blu-ray release is clearly not the definitive version. When the entire saga completes its 3D transformation, we will probably see an ultimate super duper box set with updated special edition and unaltered theatrical versions. Maybe 5 years from now, maybe 10 years.

I don't care. I'm just glad Star Wars is appearing on Blu-Ray at a reasonable time frame. Honestly, I wasn't expecting this on Blu-Ray so quickly.

[dcowboy7]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

This is also what happens when people view films on HDTVs that are set to "soap opera mode". You can see this all the time when in a documentary about a film, the action looks totally fake. Then you see the finished film and it's totally believable.

To me soap opera looks more real like im looking thru a window at action happening right now in the moment & puts me there.
Watching a movie without it feels just that, like im only watching a movie, something that has already happened & is past.

The making ofs are different because they havent been adjusted with lighting etc....the scenes look better in the actually movie after theyve gone thru the entire process.

Yea i know im the only person in the world that likes it blah blah blah.

Its actually fun being in the minority sometimes.

[kenkraly2004]

Complaining again about the blu-ray box set as usual it. Just be happy the box set is coming out instead of complaining about it. This is getting old. If your that upset about it then don't buy it. I will buy it regardless what is being said by fans who wine about it.

[HylianBowcaster]

So now that we know what image will be used to represent A New Hope in the box set (the shot of Luke, Leia, and Han on the Death Star), what do you guys think will be used to represent the other five movies?

[phatrat1982]

Originally Posted by nmycon

This will be the best that Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith can ever possibly look. They were shot at 1920 x 1080 resolution with a Panavision HD-900F and Sony HDC-950 (respectively). That's the downside to all-digital films. For theatres and DVDs at the time of release, this were fine.

Sooner or later (probably later rather than sooner), there will be a better hi-def format. The original trilogy and Phantom Menace will be able to be scanned at 4K resolution (4096 x 1743 at a 2.35:1 AR), a significant upgrade. AOTC and ROTS will only ever have a resolution of 1920 x 817, whereas the "film" films will be able to be scanned at increasingly higher resolutions, revealing more subtle detail (although obviously film will reach a "limit" at which there won't be any real benefit to a higher resolution in terms of detail)

.

I disagree with this assessment of the situation. True the live action parts of Episode II and III were shot digitally using those camera, but honestly how much live action is there? Seriously if everything else is digitally rendered in the computer why can't they go back to the original elements and render the new frames at a higher resolution? At worst you are stuck with 1080p shots of just the actors which is more than enough resolution to get 4k detail out of if they rebuilt the films from the digital elements rather than use a 1080p master right? Correct me if I am wrong but would that not be at all possible?

[octagon]

Originally Posted by kenkraly2004

Look if people don't want to be happy about the blu-ray box set that's their own problem.

I want to be happy with the box set but that's not entirely up to me.

The set itself will have a say in that and what it will say is still up in the air.

[kenkraly2004]

Originally Posted by m_burlock

Do you really think saying that will stop them from continuing arguing?

No but they do it just to get people to join their side and rip on GL in forums , blogs and comment sections every time the subject of the films comes up , and about the pt , the se's and the 3-D releases.

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by phatrat1982

I disagree with this assessment of the situation. True the live action parts of Episode II and III were shot digitally using those camera, but honestly how much live action is there? Seriously if everything else is digitally rendered in the computer why can't they go back to the original elements and render the new frames at a higher resolution? At worst you are stuck with 1080p shots of just the actors which is more than enough resolution to get 4k detail out of if they rebuilt the films from the digital elements rather than use a 1080p master right? Correct me if I am wrong but would that not be at all possible?

100% correct, the worst of the OT quality wise will be Phantom if they use the digital cinema version, that film is in need of a 4k 35mm scan

[Cook]

So let me get this straight this forum is filled with whining, nitpicking, blathering posts at any given moment all complaining about one aspect or another of a release, but its wrong to be disappointed in a 7 year transfer that has problems that should have been fixed? I don't give a flying **** about the SE additions Lucas has put on these films. However, I can not stand laziness, and not fixing these problems is just that. I don't understand why its so much to ask for a new proper transfer. Perhaps Ben-Hur or Lawrence of Arabia did not deserve a new transfer. These double standards are retarded and are the reason why shoddy releases continue. Whether it be Star Wars, Ben-Hur, or The Ten Commandments they all deserve a proper release as they have been big moments in film history. Anyone who says otherwise must not appreciate quality. I'm sure this release will be crystal clear and shiny, but that isn't all that goes into a quality blu-ray.

I know people will say 'well, don't buy them' or 'you will buy them anyways'. Damn straight I'm going to buy them! It's Star Wars and I want these films on blu-ray. That doesn't mean, however, that I am going to pretend they look the best they could or Lucas did all he could to fix the problems that plagued the 2004 transfers.

On another note, I wonder if we will get early reviews for this after SDCC is finished or will there be an embargo?

[nmycon]

Originally Posted by phatrat1982

I disagree with this assessment of the situation. True the live action parts of Episode II and III were shot digitally using those camera, but honestly how much live action is there? Seriously if everything else is digitally rendered in the computer why can't they go back to the original elements and render the new frames at a higher resolution? At worst you are stuck with 1080p shots of just the actors which is more than enough resolution to get 4k detail out of if they rebuilt the films from the digital elements rather than use a 1080p master right? Correct me if I am wrong but would that not be at all possible?

a lot of the coruscant interiors were sets, I'm sure there were more sets built as well

The the difference between the 1080p and 4K elements will be equivalent to the difference we see now between HD and SD footage...

I guess this can be called an improvement, but I dont think I would rebuy the films for improved mattes, backgrounds and lightsaber effects. Guess it would mostly depend on extras though

[Sith]

Looks like I'll be having surgery right around the time these come out. Guess I know what my rehabilitation will consist of.

[georgec]

Originally Posted by Cook

I know people will say 'well, don't buy them' or 'you will buy them anyways'. Damn straight I'm going to buy them! It's Star Wars and I want these films on blu-ray. That doesn't mean, however, that I am going to pretend they look the best they could or Lucas did all he could to fix the problems that plagued the 2004 transfers.

This is why we fail.

If people spoke their discontent with their wallets, then we *might* be able to get the studio's attention. But 99% of people will buy the set because it's "Star Wars on blu-ray" and that's all that matters to them. Buying shoddy products encourages companies to put out more shoddy products.

Does everyone on here absolutely need Star Wars on blu-ray no matter what?