Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by svenge

And no, I have never watched the PT discs from the set and most likely never will. It would take extreme measures to make that happen, to wit

Ok, I laughed. I admit it.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

Gotta say, it's been really funny watching certain people vacillate back and forth between saying the prequels are the worst thing to happen to western civilization, and admitting that 2/3 of them are watchable-to-good. It's even better than people who say they hate the prequels but still own them on Blu-ray, and rationalize it by saying they "had to have" the bonus discs.

I hate them.
I do not watch them.
I found them 85% unwatchable when I actually did see them.
I found each subsequent viewing back then made them even harder to watch.
I do not (and will not) own them.

I think the prequels and the revisionist OT destroyed what made SW special. As the SW universe stands now, it's a mediocre space opera with lots of cringe worthy moments sprinkled throughout. The prequels in particular are so flat and devoid of any of the fun that made the originals so great. The original three films are loaded with quotable lines and likable characters, the prequels have none of this. It's paint-by-the-numbers exposition. It's literally seven hours of exposition: This is how Vader came to be; this is how the Empire came to be.

Boring.

[StingingVelvet]

There is a huge grey area between "unwatchable trash" and "okay." Mocking people for watching the movies despite complaining about them is very internet style black and white thinking. Something is either terrible or awesome and nothing in-between is a common internet thought process but it's way out of whack.

Even Attack of the Clones, the worst of the six by far for me, has enough visual creativity to make it worth the occasional viewing for a sci-fi fan. That doesn't make it a good movie.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

I think the prequels and the revisionist OT destroyed what made SW special.

I agree.
SW should have ended in the original trilogy!
Now, it will only get worse and worse with all the new Star Wars films..
They take away from the uniqueness of the original films.

Fortunately there is still one E.T.! (which is my favourite film)

[Thomas Guycott]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Even Attack of the Clones, the worst of the six by far for me, has enough visual creativity to make it worth the occasional viewing for a sci-fi fan. That doesn't make it a good movie.

Honest truth: I haven't seen Attack of the Clones in ten years. Not since the week leading up to Revenge of the Sith's release.

I have certainly seen TPM and ROTS at least once or twice since then. I just have no desire to see AOTC again.

[Show spoiler](Because it's awful.)

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

SW should have ended in the original trilogy!

Don't forget, though, that the first film was Episode IV since before a second film was made. So regardless of Lucas' constant revisionism on what he "always intended", the story was more than just a trilogy from the very beginning.

The problem is not that the prequels exist, but that they're so bad. (And that they turned the franchise into a kiddie-wink.) As for the ones yet to come -- depending on the reviews, I'll give them a chance. But these days I have zero confidence in Disney.

[Gold Ranger]

Star Wars Episodes 4, 5 and 6 were also kiddie movies!

Sure, they had more "mature" themes in them, but they were always for the kids!

[svenge]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Don't forget, though, that the first film was Episode IV since before a second film was made. So regardless of Lucas' constant revisionism on what he "always intended", the story was more than just a trilogy from the very beginning.

The problem is not that the prequels exist, but that they're so bad. (And that they turned the franchise into a kiddie-wink.) As for the ones yet to come -- depending on the reviews, I'll give them a chance. But these days I have zero confidence in Disney.

1) The "Episode IV: A New Hope" title was added for the 1981 theatrical re-release, which is obviously a year after ESB was originally released.

2) The biggest problem is that Lucas refused to allow the original films to be released with any greater quality than a exceedingly-dated (circa 1993) non-anamorphic Laserdisc master with tons of baked-in DVNR. Assuming that Disney does the right thing and puts out high-quality BDs of the unmolested OT, we can buy those and finally wash our hands of anything Star Wars that's post-1983 (both the SE and PT).

Originally Posted by Gold Ranger

Star Wars Episodes 4, 5 and 6 were also kiddie movies!

Sure, they had more "mature" themes in them, but they were always for the kids!

I would say that of the OT films, only ROTJ would fit that bill. Of course that's after Lucas discovered how insanely profitable that marketing toys was, and readily explains the Ewoks and Salacious Crumb. In case you're wondering, ESB was thankfully too far along in pre-production by that point to overly kiddify it.

[Gold Ranger]

Originally Posted by svenge

1) The "Episode IV: A New Hope" title was added for the 1981 theatrical re-release, which is obviously a year after ESB was originally released.

2) The biggest problem is that Lucas refused to allow the original films to be released with any greater quality than a exceedingly-dated non-anamorphic Laserdisc master with tons of baked-in DVNR. Assuming that Disney does the right thing and puts out high-quality BDs of the unmolested OT, we can buy those and finally wash our hands of anything post-1983 (both the SE and PT).



I would say that of the OT films, only ROTJ would fit that bill. Of course that's after Lucas discovered how insanely profitable that marketing toys was, and readily explains the Ewoks and Salacious Crumb. In case you're wondering, ESB was thankfully too far along in pre-production by that point to overly kiddify it.

The toys were around since Episode 4!

[svenge]

Originally Posted by Gold Ranger

The toys were around since Episode 4!

Yes, but they were largely an after-thought (as otherwise Fox wouldn't have let Lucas keep the ancillary rights to the film in the deal to finance it). Before Star Wars, there was hardly any profit in film-based merchandising so it wouldn't have made sense to orient the film around toy sales. Only in late 1977 did it become apparent that Star Wars toys were a gold mine, and by then ESB was already too far along to overly kiddiefy.

ROTJ was the first Star Wars film to be made with an eye to merchandising (Ewoks), and TPM was the logical conclusion to that aim (Jar-Jar, the Pod Race and its overly-long drivers' introduction, etc.) That impulse was actually dialed back a little for AOTC and ROTS.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

I agree.
SW should have ended in the original trilogy!
Now, it will only get worse and worse with all the new Star Wars films..
They take away from the uniqueness of the original films.

Fortunately there is still one E.T.! (which is my favourite film)

Just don't watch and/or buy any of the other films! Problem solved.

Meanwhile the legion of fans that do like all the other films can continue to watch and have the greatest time doing so.

Everybody wins.

[Guydowood]

Having come into the Star Wars Universe late in the game, Jedi was the first one I got to see on the big screen in 1983 and eventually would purchase the VHS copies of the entire trilogy when they came to the home video market. Like so many EMPIRE is the best of the original three. I excitedly revisited the trilogy when they all got their special edition re-releases and was OK with some of the changes made a least with A New Hope. Empire & Jedi not so much. The eventual 'final changes' made to mesh better with the prequels changing dialog, removing actor's to replace them with current actor's was a total distraction and horrible. The prequels are what they are. I was all about the hype leading up to Episode I and I thought the casting was decently done, but the script was really weak and the performances seemed forces by all, Even Liam Neeson. By the time Episode II & III came around, it's so obvious there was no chemistry between the main three leads. Hamill, Fisher & Ford clearly played well together but Portman, McGregor and Christiansen whoa! Now that we are a 10 months away from the sequel I never thought I would see, I am using caution but am pleased JJ Abrams is at the helm. I know he has his haters, but he at least can make good on his reputation. Sure this story is NOT about Luke, Han and Lea, but I for one am pumped just to see those three one last time perhaps, in their iconic roles. But at the end of the day I will always love Star Wars, I even liked the Ewok TV movies in all their glorious cheesiness, I've seen bootleg versions of the infamous Holiday Special and man that is terrible, and I do not always agree with whoring out of the characters for spoofs, commercials or what ever else they can milk the characters for, sure the integrity of the product no longer exists
with all the multibillion dollar tie in's, but there is no denying the nature of the beast that is Star Wars.....

[HomerThompson]

Originally Posted by svenge

Yes, but they were largely an after-thought (as otherwise Fox wouldn't have let Lucas keep the ancillary rights to the film in the deal to finance it). Before Star Wars, there was hardly any profit in film-based merchandising so it wouldn't have made sense to orient the film around toy sales. Only in late 1977 did it become apparent that Star Wars toys were a gold mine, and by then ESB was already too far along to overly kiddiefy.

ROTJ was the first Star Wars film to be made with an eye to merchandising (Ewoks), and TPM was the logical conclusion to that aim (Jar-Jar, the Pod Race and its overly-long drivers' introduction, etc.) That impulse was actually dialed back a little for AOTC and ROTS.

Newsflash: Star Wars is made for kids. Since 1977.

You discovered it when you were a kid *shock*

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

I agree.
SW should have ended in the original trilogy!
Now, it will only get worse and worse with all the new Star Wars films..
They take away from the uniqueness of the original films.

Fortunately there is still one E.T.! (which is my favourite film)

I'm pretty sure there's no way it will get worse. Based on my opinion of the prequels, there's nowhere to go but up.

Honestly, if you're a guy who loved the Timothy Zahn novels which continued the story anyway, and slowly watched the "EU" become an overly-convoluted mess with quality all over the place, the new films starting from scratch are a breath of fresh air.

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Don't forget, though, that the first film was Episode IV since before a second film was made. So regardless of Lucas' constant revisionism on what he "always intended", the story was more than just a trilogy from the very beginning.

The problem is not that the prequels exist, but that they're so bad. (And that they turned the franchise into a kiddie-wink.) As for the ones yet to come -- depending on the reviews, I'll give them a chance. But these days I have zero confidence in Disney.

Just out of curiosity, why the opinion about Disney? It's my understanding Lucasfilm is developing the film and Disney has a good reputation for being "hands off" based on how they work with Marvel Studios.

[stvn1974]

I just noticed that many toy stores and hobby sites have the Star Wars Digital Collection action figures up for preorder with a March release. I wonder when an actual announcement for digital releases of the films will be released and what they will include?

[MechaGodzilla]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

I just noticed that many toy stores and hobby sites have the Star Wars Digital Collection action figures up for preorder with a March release. I wonder when an actual announcement for digital releases of the films will be released and what they will include?

I just hope digital releases won't be all we get this year. That'd be such a disappointment, they release the UOT but only digitally.

[B72]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

I just noticed that many toy stores and hobby sites have the Star Wars Digital Collection action figures up for preorder with a March release. I wonder when an actual announcement for digital releases of the films will be released and what they will include?

What the H !?

Crazy tie in
- I mean , I'm glad they are finally being released digitally but ...

My guess would be a digital release of the 2011 Special Editions since they are also advertising the Prequel figures

They won't give us the UOT haphazardly
or without getting us to buy these Digital Editions first

[Gold Ranger]

I told you all last year that it was going to be a Digital Release.
It wasn't a guess either, I do have 2 sources left in the Industry...

[B72]

Originally Posted by Gold Ranger

I told you all last year that it was going to be a Digital Release.
It wasn't a guess either, I do have 2 sources left in the Industry...

Ah Crud .
I hate being wrong

Let me add this