Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[MrE26]

Originally Posted by a.tait85

Ok now I'm confused! Just received an email from dvdworldusa stating that the US version of the complete trilogy is the full uncut version and should not be compared to the inferior UK version!? I was told the UK version contained the extended cut of TPM!? What else would be missing from the UK version!?

The discs are identical. Literally exactly the same, content-wise.
Play the UK discs in a US player & you even get an FBI warning & MPAA ratings before the movie.

[Rizor]

Originally Posted by Beast

Yeah, outside that one shot of Qui-Gon that has become a rallying point for hate... TPM doesn't look bad at all from the images that have been posted. And that Qui-Gon shot looks terrible on the original DVD as well. It looks to have a heavy filter on the camera or something. So there's a very weird look to it, which got carried over and intensified by the process they used on the Blu-ray. Most of TPM looks a lot like Aliens, which also had a similar De-Graining job done to it without destroying the fine detail. Can't wait for my copy of the Complete Saga as that's the first film I'll be watching.

Actually, wasn't the scene where Qui-Gon tests Anakin's midichlorians one of the scenes Lucas tested digital cameras with? It's possible the older digital cameras led to a noisy image and it was further degrained.

[Mavrick]

As was stated in the UK thread. dvdworldusa talk a whole load of sh!t.

[Jay444]

Originally Posted by aiman04

Ah, thanks! That's a relief. Because I would rate Predator UHE 2/5 the most. I can accept a 3.5/5, just what I expected from the screenshots I've seen. The only one that looked really bad was that Qui-Gon shot, others looked nice with good details.

Thanks for your replies!

Ratings on PQ really varies from eye to eye for what I have read, and most don't take context of your review into the debate. It would be very easy for me to give TPM a 4.5 if I just compared it to the DVD/HD broadcast, but it drops to a 3.5 if I compare it to other top blu ray releases from around the same time (The Matrix, Toy Story 2, and Fight Club as examples). Is it on par with those three films' presentations? No. But it is the best the film has ever looked on home video. There are weak moments, but nothing to freak out about. I think we'll see it get a 4 from most reviewers.

I have only seen TPM and ANH thus far (friend got the set early and there is only so much Star Wars I can take during the weekend of the NFL kick off).

[RodChester]

So do any mods or site people have any info on when a review will be up? I'm really hoping we get to see an "import" review tomorrow to coincide with the foreign release date.

[Colonel Kurtz]

Originally Posted by MrE26

The discs are identical. Literally exactly the same, content-wise.
Play the UK discs in a US player & you even get an FBI warning & MPAA ratings before the movie.

And if there is any doubt left, here is the offical new rating from the bbfc:

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/GVF172768/

Note the "previous cuts waived" remark.

[kingkong650]

Originally Posted by Merlinpants

Seriously, don't bother. I could pull up some individual frames highlighting the DNR without any problem. The issue is your overall stance. In motion, this is not a DNR mess by any stretch. Check out Jay444 above. He has a good take on it. I marked higher but that is personal opinion. Check out CRS who got the set first. He says the same, soft in places but not a DNR mess and aintitcool call it excellent which is a bit of an over exaggeration. I am not debating this anymore because it is pointless and adds nothing. You were never getting the PT which highlights your agenda. You have convinced yourself why your decision was right. Let's move on now.

It is going to be Armageddon in here in a few days time. I am stepping aside.

And you have clearly wanted to believe and everybody else to believe that the whole set is going to be great, as you have been repeating again and again here ad infinitum. Your agenda has been plain to see from the very beginning, that this set will be perfect, so nothing was going to sway you from what you wanted to believe. Anybody disagrees with you and you label then haters with ulterior motives and hidden agendas.

Unlike you, I have been objective in every post i´ve made regarding this set and came in with no preconceptions about the Prequel and Original Trilogy in terms of PQ. Every single post of yours has been a repetition of the same thing, ´this set is going to be great´, ´I can´t wait to see this set´ and once you have it, unsurprisingly you think ´This set is reference´. Seeing a common theme here? You want to believe something hard enough and you can often make it true. And you accuse me of having an agenda?

No worries, I will be posting screencaps taken directly from The Phantom Menace blu-ray because they are clearly a lot more objective than you seem to be capable of being. People can then make up their own minds as to whether it will be visible in motion or not. Patton, the Predator ultimate edition and the original Gladiator release had the DNR clearly visible in screencaps and surprise surprise, it was visible in motion, but I have no wish to argue with you further, it really is an exercise in futility.

[MrE26]

I've now gone through films I-V, & they've been a mixed bag PQ-wise. Clones & Sith look great to me, which is to be expected, given that they were shot digitally.

TPM was a mixed bag i thought. Sharp & detailed one minute, quite soft the next. Likewise ANH & ESB. They're not a complete trainwreck by any stretch of the imagination, & this is by far the best they've ever looked. Compared to transfers like Blade Runner or Alien though, they fall short.

The sound is mind-blowing though.

[Merlinpants]

Originally Posted by Jay444

Ratings on PQ really varies from eye to eye for what I have read, and most don't take context of your review into the debate. It would be very easy for me to give TPM a 4.5 if I just compared it to the DVD/HD broadcast, but it drops to a 3.5 if I compare it to other top blu ray releases from around the same time (The Matrix, Toy Story 2, and Fight Club as examples). Is it on par with those three films' presentations? No. But it is the best the film has ever looked on home video. There are weak moments, but nothing to freak out about. I think we'll see it get a 4 from most reviewers.I have only seen TPM and ANH thus far (friend got the set early and there is only so much Star Wars I can take during the weekend of the NFL kick off).

Thank you Jay for being the voice of reason. My original post even said that I expect the reviews on AQ and PQ to be etc etc, but then it became my opinion that was completely flawed, I was misleading etc etc.

What a nasty place this has become.

I agree with you 100%

[bmk1138]

Originally Posted by mzupeman

i think what just happened in this thread to merlin is a prime example of why lucas cares so little about the opinions of the rabid fan base. He knows there's no pleasing them. Thanks for your opinions and time, merlin.

+1

[beckmen]

Originally Posted by Jay444

Not wanting to get into this argument at all, but I saw TPM on Blu and I agree with you. Its a bit soft and it seems some DNR has been applied (I noticed Liam Neeson's hair seemed waxy at times, not all the time just every so often). I also don't think the HD has treated Jar Jar and most of the CGI characters well, they look more fake now to my eye...

Well, DNR could be to blame for fake-looking CGI. From what I have seen, battle droids and Jar-Jar look smooth, with less fine detail and sharpness. This is consistent with what DNR does to an image. You'd have to find high-res promotional material from around the film's release date to compare, but I recall things looking quite a bit better.

Still not going to land on a firm opinion until I see the actual product for myself. This isn't meant to be a knock against Merlinpants or an attack on anybody's credibility. It's just that people have different opinions, and the only logical thing to do IMO is to form your own.

Originally Posted by mzupeman

I think what just happened in this thread to Merlin is a prime example of why Lucas cares so little about the opinions of the rabid fan base. He knows there's no pleasing them. Thanks for your opinions and time, Merlin.

That's a pretty defeatist attitude. There is such a thing as consensus.

[kingkong650]

Originally Posted by Jay444

Ratings on PQ really varies from eye to eye for what I have read, and most don't take context of your review into the debate. It would be very easy for me to give TPM a 4.5 if I just compared it to the DVD/HD broadcast, but it drops to a 3.5 if I compare it to other top blu ray releases from around the same time (The Matrix, Toy Story 2, and Fight Club as examples). Is it on par with those three films' presentations? No. But it is the best the film has ever looked on home video. There are weak moments, but nothing to freak out about. I think we'll see it get a 4 from most reviewers.

The hdtv version of The Phantom Menace is famous for being awful so saying the blu-ray is better is hardly a glowing endorsement. I should point out that I am personally very sensitive to DNR and like grain being clearly visible, the finer the better. If I was more relaxed about such things like i´m sure the majority of the general public are, i´d rate The Phantom Menace a 3 to 3.5/5 in terms of PQ just like you.

I thought i´d just add that to give my previous rating of 2/5 for The Phantom Menace a little more context. The 2/5 is really for those that actually like film grain like myself (I know there are many out there that don´t).

[Todd Smith]

Did RotS get a new sound mix for the blu ray, or the same weak DVD mix? How about PM and AotC.........same mix there I hope?

[Jason520C]

Originally Posted by Todd Smith

Did RotS get a new sound mix for the blu ray, or the same weak DVD mix? How about PM and AotC.........same mix there I hope?

I know that all of the movies' audio have been worked on for sure, but I'm also wondering about the exact details. Can someone with the blus elaborate on this?

[nathan_393]

Originally Posted by Merlinpants

Thank you Jay for being the voice of reason. My original post even said that I expect the reviews on AQ and PQ to be etc etc, but then it became my opinion that was completely flawed, I was misleading etc etc.

What a nasty place this has become.

I agree with you 100%

Hey Merlinpants,

I'm sorry a few bad apples have ruined your time in this thread. That being said, I've been silently reading your reviews of the saga and was glad to do it - they've been informative and reassuring, not to mention balanced and clearly unbiased.

Cheers!

[MCT]

Originally Posted by elliotroad

I think we can definitely agree that opinions are opinions. What's up with that Endor joke too? Believe me, nobody would care if Coppola changed the Godfather, maybe you would, but not any young people today, they are more interested in Justin Beiber to care.

Wow. Just...wow.

[phansson]

Wow, I guess I started a snow storm.

My point with the comment about honest reviewers, was that this release shouldn't get a "pass" just because it is Star Wars. Yes, I am excited as most (maybe more) to have these on Blu Ray. I am not excited to see some of the posted screenshots (of the actual blu rays now). It does look like ton of the detail has been scrubbed away from Episode 1. The OT looks like it was DNR'd and then digital grain was added back to the image. A lot of people will not even see that as a problem. A lot of us will.

As for Merlin. If you would like to give your opinion, feel free to. If you are upset about the comments made, post screenshots to prove your point.

I was going to buy the set anyway, mistakes and all.

[kingkong650]

Originally Posted by phansson

As for Merlin. If you would like to give your opinion, feel free to. If you are upset about the comments made, post screenshots to prove your point.

Unfortunately he can´t do that because they will invalidate what he´s saying. It´s funny how the apologists never have the ability to post screencaps and whenever anybody disagrees with their opinions and post totally objective evidence like screencaps to back what they say, they´re labelled haters and ´bad apples´. Whatever. I´ve been called worse.

[nathan_393]

Originally Posted by kingkong650

Unfortunately he can´t do that because they will invalidate what he´s saying. It´s funny how the apologists never have the ability to post screencaps and whenever anybody disagrees with their opinions and post totally objective evidence like screencaps, they´re labelled haters and ´bad apples´. Whatever, I´ve been called worse.

I don't think Merlinpants is an apologist. He's simply a dude on the thread who's trying to help everybody else by being as honest as he possibly can about the PQ and AQ on the Blus. He's not a professional reviewer, but since he has the discs, I'm fairly certain he can be more authoritative on the matter than the screencap-loving people on the Internet.

[runnersdialzero]

Sorry if this has been answered but I couldn't find any pics. Will the OT set be in separate blu ray cases with artwork or in sleeves like the complete saga set?