Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[chip75]

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

I'm just wondering why they would want to stir up such talk.

Originally Posted by stvn1974

Why doesn't Kathleen Kennedy just send someone from Lucasfilm to kick me in the balls.

I'm sure they thought it was just a funny paraphrasing of Poe's and Kylo's exchange in The Force Awakens, completely oblivious that people felt snubbed that the original versions weren't mentioned at Celebration (40 years of "what", Kennedy? 40 years of "what"?").

[bobbyh64]

Originally Posted by Michael24

I'll never forget stumbling across that "Anthology" box set at Costco in 1993. At the time, I only had cassette copies of my dad's SW and ESB LPs since our record player no longer worked. It was great to find expanded versions of those scores and get ROTJ for the first time, and I played the heck out of them over the next few years. I haven't really listened to them since getting the 1997 two-disc releases that had even more music but I've held onto that "Anthology" set because it's still a thing of beauty.

I bought the Star Wars Soundtrack Anthology about a year ago and I love it. I like how there's a bonus disc that has a bunch of extra music, some of which I don't think is on any of the other releases.

[bobbyh64]

Originally Posted by ElvisForever

http://images.eil.com/large_image/ST...OGY-272204.jpg

Is it this one? I live this box set because they are the original unedited mixes.

They aren't the original mixes. Some of the tracks used alternate takes that were different from the original releases because they weren't able to find the original sequencing information. Still a great set though.

[bobbyh64]

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

The special editions add some of the same type of humor found in the prequels, such as the arrival at Mos Eisley. That type of humor isn't found in the Unaltered Original Trilogy or the new movies. I am guessing that is why some people who have grown to love the prequels and special editions think the new movies don't feel like the same universe, and some people who grew up on the Unaltered Original Trilogy kinda like the new ones and think the prequels are the ones that feel different.

I think there is room for everyone to like whatever they want. I'd just like to the the Unaltered Original Trilogy brought back and included. I think it is an important piece of history.

To me Rogue One feels the least like Star Wars out of all the movies. There's nothing really fun about it, which is something all the others have. I also thought it was pretty boring. I used to rag on the prequels but after having seen Rogue One twice (I watched it again just to see if I'd like it better watching it again), I'd rather watch the prequels 1,000 times more than Rogue One. I can't picture myself watching it ever again. Here is my ranking of the films:

1. Star Wars
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Return of the Jedi
4. The Force Awakens
5. Revenge of the Sith
6. The Phantom Menace
7. Attack of the Clones
8. Rogue One

It's hard for me to pick between Star Wars and Empire for the number 1 spot, but I think I slightly prefer Star Wars.

[Mefan101]

My list:

1: Return Of The Jedi
2: The Empire Strikes Back
3: Star Wars (A New Hope)
4: The Force Awakens/Rogue One (A Tie)
5: Revenge Of The Sith
6: The Phantom Menace
7: Attack Of The Clones

It's not everyday you see a fan pick Jedi over Empire, is it?
Return Of The Jedi is not only my favorite in the Star Wars Saga. It's also my favorite movie of all time. This goes for both the Unaltered & Special Edition, but I give the Unaltered Version the edge over the Special Edition.

[Early Memphis]

Originally Posted by Mefan101

My list:

1: Return Of The Jedi
2: The Empire Strikes Back
3: Star Wars (A New Hope)
4: The Force Awakens/Rogue One (A Tie)
5: Revenge Of The Sith
6: The Phantom Menace
7: Attack Of The Clones

It's not everyday you see a fan pick Jedi over Empire, is it?
Return Of The Jedi is not only my favorite in the Star Wars Saga. It's also my favorite movie of all time. This goes for both the Unaltered & Special Edition, but I give the Unaltered Version the edge over the Special Edition.

Thanks for adding "(A New Hope)" to Star Wars. I always thought of it as just A New Hope and couldn't fathom what film that was in these lists.

[Michael24]

What the heck . . .

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. Star Wars (I still refer to it as such instead of "A New Hope")
3. Return of the Jedi
4. Rogue One
5. The Phantom Menace
6. The Force Awakens
7. Attack of the Clones
8. Revenge of the Sith

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

I bought the Star Wars Soundtrack Anthology about a year ago and I love it. I like how there's a bonus disc that has a bunch of extra music, some of which I don't think is on any of the other releases.

Hmmm. I'm pretty sure the 1997 releases have everything from the "Anthology" discs and more. For example, the music when the Millennium Falcon escapes from inside the space slug in ESB is missing from the "Anthology" but included on the expanded release. Of course, the original Ewok celebration music is missing from the expanded version, as is "Lapti Nek."

[ElvisForever]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

They aren't the original mixes. Some of the tracks used alternate takes that were different from the original releases because they weren't able to find the original sequencing information. Still a great set though.

I always heard it was the opposite. They actually list in the book where the cue's went and how John Williams scored, and they they cut and pasted from his work as seen fit.

It has been years since I owned it, so just going off of memory. Not saying you are wrong, just from what I understood.

XXXXXxxxxx

My ranking with annoying notes/gripes


1. STAR WARS (Not New Hope titled)

and at a very very distant 2nd

2. Empire Strikes Back Special Edition
3. Revenge of the Sith
4. Return of the Jedi Special Edition with proper Haydn ending...but that awful awful Jedi Rocks makes it tough...
5. Phantom Menace
6. Attack of the Clones
7. Rogue One
8. The Force Awakens (but this could rank higher as the story unfolds, I don't understand complete context yet).

Now my notes.

The holy trilogy unaltered has problems for me. It goes way back to when Empire came out. I for one had a stinging feeling and it never held the magic for me that others felt. Oh the ATAT's were awesome and Yoda brings the movie to a very high ranking indeed, and the darkness of Darth Vader is just great. However, when it comes to those movies the one string that always pulls it together is VADER/Anakin. The cave scene is surreal, and Vader choking out people left and right was just superb, and the music was just unreal.

That said, Han had turned into a love sick puppy and Luke was about the most crying little brat, I just cringe when I see that horrible acting (make no mistake, we are going to see more cheeseball Mark Hamil, you can guarantee it...). Case in point, when he cries to Yoda after saying he deals with the impossible. Man if I moved that ship I would be practicing that all day. Still, I understand, it is the confines of the movie, but then I say, couldn't that have been done just a little better? The same goes for a lot of parts in that movie, but then I at least have Vader to fall back on.

Which brings me to the cracks of Return of the Jedi. The acting was even worse, Vader is of course hobbled (sorta...but still better than his son), and the worst crime at all....Han has become this bonafide wimped out love whipped castrated...well you get it.

Back to Empire, when I saw the opening crawl of Star Wars on TV, I paid more attention and said, wait a minute...EPISODE IV?? HUH??? I was foolishly thinking, is there 3 more movies out there!!!

Fast forward to things I read up on and the talk of filming, I thought, YES now we get away from whiney Luke and get to the heart of the matter. BACK TO VADER! (little did I know how long I would be waiting)

I remember being star struck by Vader, and I still am. That is why I hate the Adywan crap because Vader has is saber drawn in Star Wars and is waiting for Obi Wan for a long time.

The prequels with all their faults got one thing right. Haydn played the character like the sociopath he should be. I felt he had that character down. He was incapable of real honesty feelings because he is a KILLER. This is why the "sand" part is so misinterpreted. It is supposed to sound cold and fake. This is not bad acting, this is the way I shudder when I think of him saying it. This is the dude that slashes up little kids and in the end is only saved by saving his son...and not caring about anyone else.

Now do the prequels have problems, hell yes. I hate Yoda break dancing. Man I wanted to see him force moving things around and putting an ass whooping on like some Lord of the Rings stuff by using thin air. I also disliked the whole side story of General Grievance and the whole lizard chase scene in Revenge. Even in the first movie, the whole Gunga stuff put me to sleep.

But still, when I state all these criticisms, it comes down to one thing. It is the ANAKIN/VADER story that keeps it all together. That looming figure is whatever everyone has came to see. I believe this, and that is why on just about every poster he is bigger than life.

Luke...eh. Like many offspring (Lisa Marie Presley, Sean Lennon, Frank Sintra Jr.) they just don't cut it.

[svenge]

Originally Posted by ElvisForever

But still, when I state all these criticisms, it comes down to one thing. It is the ANAKIN/VADER story that keeps it all together. That looming figure is whatever everyone has came to see. I believe this, and that is why on just about every poster he is bigger than life.

Luke...eh. Like many offspring (Lisa Marie Presley, Sean Lennon, Frank Sintra Jr.) they just don't cut it.

You've totally bought into the revisionist claptrap, haven't you? The Star Wars Trilogy was always about Luke. Don't believe me, then how about the opening of the official 1983 Lucasfilm documentary "From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga"?

Originally Posted by From Star Wars to Jedi

"Ten years ago in a galaxy very, very near, George Lucas had imagined a universe no one had ever seen. When he placed it on screen in Star Wars in 1977, he asked us to see it through the eyes of a restless and idealistic young man, Luke Skywalker. Through three films, Luke would travel to the furthest reaches of his galaxy, seeking adventure, manhood and wisdom.

It would be a perilous journey, for this was a universe in turmoil; the forces of light and darkness locked in mortal combat. The Dark Lord of the Sith, exemplar and symbol of all the evil that Luke would ultimately have to confront, Darth Vader. On his long journey to that final confrontation, Luke would take strength and wisdom from gentle, perfect knight and take knowledge from astounding sources. Along his way, he would discover that like everyone else he contained all the world's possibilities within himself, the Dark Side of the Force as well as the Light.

[Section briefly introducing the other heroes]

But finally a man must confront his destiny alone. In Return of the Jedi Luke would reach the heart of darkness, with terrible temptations. The vision was unprecedented, so was the task of placing it on film. This is the saga behind the Saga.

[Documentary's opening credits begin]

I don't see all that much about Darth Vader or Anakin Skywalker being the focus of Star Wars, do you? Hell, Darth Vader wasn't even conceived to be Luke's father until during pre-production of The Empire Strikes Back for crying out loud! Before then he was just some mysterious but powerful goon for the Empire!

The entire thing about Star Wars revolving around Anakin was purely a desperate attempt by Lucas to make the abject failure that the Prequel Trilogy was somehow relevant to the original films. It's kinda like building a shanty adjacent to a old historic mansion and then claiming that the not only was the shanty always there, but also that it is impossible to properly understand the mansion without its presence.

[shinobipopcorn]

Naw man, it's all about the droids. Watch The Hidden Fortress.

[Ben Reilly]

Most of A New Hope is set up to be vastly different than what came after.
Novel: Obi-Wan and Luke: "The Clone Wars? But that was so long ago."
Movie: Tarkin and Vader: "Ancient Religion"
Han and Obi-Wan: "Hokey weapons and Ancient religions"

There are a few other examples...
17-20 years, no matter who you talk to is not in any way refered to as ancient!

It would have been so much better had Vader not been Luke's father as that crushed/condensed the timeline so much.

[svenge]

Originally Posted by Ben Reilly

It would have been so much better had Vader not been Luke's father as that crushed/condensed the timeline so much.

It made Obi-Wan look shifty with that "true from a certain point of view" excuse in ESB, didn't it? That really was the first indication of trouble for the franchise, in my opinion.

Of course let's not forget the ass-pull of Leia being Luke's sister, either!

[Ben Reilly]

I love all 6, but each movie has major flaws.
Which is why I seriously do not get all the prequel hate.

The sequel hate (TFA) I do get as I am one of them...lol

However, the one saving grace, accidental though it may be in A New Hope is Owen's line...
Owen and Beru: "He's got too much of his father in him."
"That's what I'm afraid of."

[Panama Jack]

Not sure how accurate or trustworthy this is, but...

http://movieweb.com/star-wars-classi...alter-restore/

[Ben Reilly]

Originally Posted by Panama Jack

Not sure how accurate or trustworthy this is, but...

http://movieweb.com/star-wars-classi...alter-restore/

It is MovieWeb.
I wouldn't put too much stock in anything they say.
They are nearly as bad as Collider!

[Mefan101]

Well, it is done.

For me, it doesn't matter. I have what I want (Both Despecialized & Special Editions).


Changing topics now..it is strange that while Lucasfilm was able to transfer the SEs to Blu Ray, Paramount could not for the Director's Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (which had enhanced effects). The new material in that particular film was created in 480p. That may have been the reason why. What did George Lucas do to have his enhancements transfer to HD?

[Ben Reilly]

Originally Posted by Mefan101

Well, it is done.

For me, it doesn't matter. I have what I want (Both Despecialized & Special Editions).


Changing topics now..it is strange that while Lucasfilm was able to transfer the SEs to Blu Ray, Paramount could not for the Director's Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (which had enhanced effects). The new material in that particular film was created in 480p. What did George Lucas do to have his enhancements transfer to HD?

Not much...
For the most part everything was upscaled.
The new BD additions were done at 1080p.
Star Wars is a Frankenstein Monster.

[Mefan101]

Originally Posted by Ben Reilly

Not much...
For the most part everything was upscaled.
The new BD additions were done at 1080p.
Star Wars is a Frankenstein Monster.

It's a shame. While I am grateful to have the Theatrical Cut of that Star Trek movie, like Star Wars, I would like to have both versions. My best bet is the DVD release. The Wrath of Khan has the Director's Cut on Blu Ray now. It's interesting that the currently current I have for that film (Theatrical Cut) was not the one I watched Khan as a kid. It was the DC on VHS.

I'm a fan of Extended/Director's Cuts (for the most part). Two of my favorites are for Kingdom of Heaven, and Troy.

Fun fact: I've never seen THX 1138. A George Lucas film Pre-Star Wars.

[shinobipopcorn]

Originally Posted by Panama Jack

Not sure how accurate or trustworthy this is, but...

http://movieweb.com/star-wars-classi...alter-restore/

Which will come first; the theatrical OT, Black Cauldron on blu-ray, or Sunflower restored in the Pastoral and/or Song of the South?

[Mefan101]

Originally Posted by shinobipopcorn

Which will come first; the theatrical OT, Black Cauldron on blu-ray, or Sunflower restored in the Pastoral and/or Song of the South?

It would be nice to have the Black Cauldron on BD. Still waiting for The War of the Worlds (the 1953 film) to be released on BD. The same goes for Titan A.E.