Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Bobbyjoe766

Return it. I only bought my copy for the supplements - the original trilogy deleted scenes - most of which you can find on the net.

THE PHANTOM MENACE: DNR.

ATTACK OF THE CLONES: Teal & orange cast and some revised editing done to it (scenes re-arranged). The opening speeder chase with Zam Wesell and Dooku's escape.

You already know about the issues with episodes IV -VI.

REVENGE OF THE SITH has been best served by this set - restoring the wipe - as Anakin crawls up the ash slope after being immolated.

I've just picked up the prequel set because I wanna revisit these three and their flaws are less glaring than those of the original trilogy BDs. Yes, Menace has dat DNR but the DVD version makes it look like the movie was filmed with a potato. Clones has that annoying re-editing but you do at least get Shmi's cries overlaid on Anakin's sweaty nightmare (a scene which I recall drew nervous chuckles from the audience I was with in 2002) and I'm not bothered about the colour timing too much. Sith is the best video presentation in the entire 'Complete Saga' set, never mind the prequel box, and I really like the movie too.

For the OT I'm not going near the official Blu-rays again, I've got a 1080p version of Star Wars here that seems to be the HD transfer with adjusted colour timing and no stoopid 2011 alterations, and for Empire and Jedi I'll be very happy with the 2004 DVDs not least because Jedi doesn't have those ghastly 2011 changes. I spun some of it last night upscaled to 4K thru the OPPO and it looked pretty damned good.

[steel_breeze]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

and for Empire and Jedi I'll be very happy with the 2004 DVDs not least because Jedi doesn't have those ghastly 2011 changes. I spun some of it last night upscaled to 4K thru the OPPO and it looked pretty damned good.

I'm curious as to why you'd prefer the 2004 dvd of EMPIRE over the 2011 blu-ray? I feel the blu-ray is a solid upgrade with no additional Lucas annoyances, like in A NEW HOPE and JEDI.

[Geoff D]

It's more that I can't buy it cheaply on its own, they're only separately available as steels which cost almost as much as the trilogy set - and I just don't want those discs for Star Wars and Jedi anywhere near me. I could sell 'em off I suppose but I can't be arsed, so the DVD of Empire will do me fine. Makes that rancid frozen grain harder to spot

[steel_breeze]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

It's more that I can't buy it cheaply on its own, they're only separately available as steels which cost almost as much as the trilogy set - and I just don't want those discs for Star Wars and Jedi anywhere near me. I could sell 'em off I suppose but I can't be arsed, so the DVD of Empire will do me fine. Makes that rancid frozen grain harder to spot

Me no likey frozen grain. Just about my biggest pet peeve -- and the most distracting -- of all the compression evils. Luckily, EMPIRE is the least offensive of the three originals in that regard. The Hoth battle is my go-to demo scene for newcomers to my home theater.

[Geoff D]

That's the thing, I still see plenty of it on the tundra of Hoth (big expanses of nothing much are the worst for this artefact) so I'm not gonna go chasing that disc down unless I can get it for peanuts.

[poke smot]

Stumbled on attack of the clones on satellite tonight. I realized that wen i saw tjis in the theater, it was that opening chase that draws the view in. Although rather duffy, attack of the clones isnt the horror i remember it. Fun.

[happydood]

Originally Posted by poke smot

Stumbled on attack of the clones on satellite tonight. I realized that wen i saw tjis in the theater, it was that opening chase that draws the view in. Although rather duffy, attack of the clones isnt the horror i remember it. Fun.

Yeah, I like it, too, giant warts and all. I think it and Sith at least have aged better than expected.

[Megalith]

Does anyone remember Return of the Jedi having audio issues? I am getting popping when the sail barge explodes.

[Geoff D]

That's just the mix, it's been mastered with too little headroom in the dynamic range so it clips quite noticeably whenever there's a really loud moment like a 'splosion. Empire is much the same. These mixes were engineered to sound really loud and 'hot' for the DVD era and it shows, they need an overhaul as much as the picture does.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

That's just the mix, it's been mastered with too little headroom in the dynamic range so it clips quite noticeably whenever there's a really loud moment like a 'splosion. Empire is much the same. These mixes were engineered to sound really loud and 'hot' for the DVD era and it shows, they need an overhaul as much as the picture does.

Dammit, John Williams, you had one job!

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Has anybody else had trouble with The Force Awakens Blu-ray freezing and skipping?

When I bought this Blu-ray on the day of its release, back in April of 2016, it played fine. I haven't watched it since then, though.

During tonight's viewing, the picture froze around the 51:20 mark, when the Millennium Falcon is flying through hyperspace, and Rey moves the compressor. It pauses, and then skips forward a few seconds. When I skip back, it pauses at roughly the same time, but in slightly different ways.

The same thing happens just after the 1:23:00 mark, when Leia is looking at BB-8's map section at the Resistance base. The screen freezes and skips ahead a few seconds, but the freeze and skips are somewhat different each time I go back.

Aside from that, the disc plays great.

It could be the way that my Sony Blu-ray player reads the disc, but this is the first time that my two year-old Sony has ever had a problem with a Blu-ray.

I bought the regular Blu-ray edition of The Force Awakens from Best Buy a couple of nights ago to replace my skippy two year-old one, and the new disc plays wonderfully.

This whole thing is sort of unsettling, because I'm now wondering if any other discs in my huge Blu-ray collection might be malfunctioning upon revisiting them later on. I'll cross that bridge when I get there, though.

[stvn1974]

Originally Posted by Megalith

Does anyone remember Return of the Jedi having audio issues? I am getting popping when the sail barge explodes.

When the Death Star explodes at the end of Jedi there is a crackling noise in the rear speakers from clipping.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Batman1980

Dammit, John Williams, you had one job!

Joking aside Williams has little say in how the final sound mix is done. It's kinda depressing to see him argue with Ben Burtt - and lose - in the DVD special features on Attack of the Clones. His music got absolutely hacked to pieces on that show, even more so on the slightly re-edited Blu-ray version.

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by ZeroFlame16

So why are people hating The Complete Saga set?

It's just a really mediocre effort. Everything about it is problematic to a certain degree. The Phantom Menace's DNR issues, Attack of the Clones had some bad re-editing in a couple of sequences, and the classics had really outdated remasters prepared for the DVD release. Then there's the random assortment of extras, some of which are of interest but hardly definitive.

It's pretty clear to me that even before the Disney buyout, this was a stop-gap release of the films that was cheap and convenient, but left a lot to be desired that fans would definitely pick up a better set down the line.

[The Great Owl]

I decided to revisit Return of the Jedi tonight, by way of my Complete Saga set.



Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi lacks the superb character development of its two predecessors, A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and the story loses points for a recycled Death Star plot element, but this movie nonetheless shines bright as one of the best entrees of the series due to its lightning fast pace, its outstanding special effects, and its eye candy appeal. I've always thought of this film as a victory lap that follows up on the momentum of the first two original trilogy features in a fun-spirited way that recalls the aesthetic of classic Errol Flynn swashbuckler movies, the black-and-white Flash Gordon movies and shows, and John Carter of Mars stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

I love the fact that Return of the Jedi places the Star Wars mythology into a full-tilt monster movie. When I first saw this film at the theater in 1983, the summer after my fifth grade year, I was awestruck by the marvelous creatures, namely Bib Fortuna, the Gamorrean guards, the Sarlacc, and Admiral Ackbar. Luke Skywalker's battle with the huge Rancor monster beneath Jabba's palace is still breathtaking by today's standards.

Jabba the Hutt steals the show in terms of the practical effects monsters, though. Crude puppetry and all, he remains one of my absolute favorite characters of the Star Wars universe. I like to think of Jabba as the Star Wars version of The Godfather, and I would love to see more stories about his adventures and his ascent in the intergalactic underworld.

Of course, I also applaud Jabba's impeccable taste in women, namely Leia herself, whom he takes in as his latest palace slave after her failed rescue of Han Solo. A million sexy cosplays have followed in this movie's wake, but nothing comes close to Carrie Fisher herself in the iconic slave outfit. It's a testament to Fisher's strong-willed Leia that she transcends a potentially exploitative turn in this film and ultimately emerges as one of the most self-assured and tough-as-nails female characters of all time.

Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker and Harrison Ford's Han Solo are wonderful in this film, and they usher in the fortuitous storytelling decision to steer the first hour of Return of the Jedi into a more comedic tone after the dark double-whammy ending of The Empire Strikes Back. The lightheartedness and levity continue throughout the film, but events take on a significantly more intense energy with Luke's battle with the Emperor and Vader on the new Death Star. I'll never forget the chill to the bone that I felt when my 11 year-old self was watching the Emperor attack Luke with lightning rays and when I watched Vader's heroic final choice.

I could nitpick about a few of the narrative shortcomings of this film. Why can't Jabba the Hutt and his visitors speak directly to each other in English instead of having C-3PO interpret their respective languages in English? Why does the droid in Jabba's place scream when its feet are burned/branded? Does the Ewok really say, “Eat your mama.”, to Leia. What's up with the Ewoks in the first place? In the end, though, these developments all add to the charm of the finished product.

Of all of the original trilogy Star Wars films, Return of the Jedi is the one that is the most adversely affected by George Lucas's Special Edition alterations. In comparison to the incredibly detailed practical effects creations in Jabba's palace, the computer-generated digital creatures stick out like a roach on a wedding cake. A spoken line from Darth Vader during his battle with the Emperor on the Blu-ray edition of this film is an outright disaster. These changes notwithstanding, this film still soars to greatness, regardless of which incarnation you choose to watch.

[ROSS.T.G.]

I’m planning on revisiting the original 3 next month once I get through all the 4K goodies I have coming.

[Bobbyjoe766]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I decided to revisit Return of the Jedi tonight, by way of my Complete Saga set.



Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi lacks the superb character development of its two predecessors, A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and the story loses points for a recycled Death Star plot element, but this movie nonetheless shines bright as one of the best entrees of the series due to its lightning fast pace, its outstanding special effects, and its eye candy appeal. I've always thought of this film as a victory lap that follows up on the momentum of the first two original trilogy features in a fun-spirited way that recalls the aesthetic of classic Errol Flynn swashbuckler movies, the black-and-white Flash Gordon movies and shows, and John Carter of Mars stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

I love the fact that Return of the Jedi places the Star Wars mythology into a full-tilt monster movie. When I first saw this film at the theater in 1983, the summer after my fifth grade year, I was awestruck by the marvelous creatures, namely Bib Fortuna, the Gamorrean guards, the Sarlacc, and Admiral Ackbar. Luke Skywalker's battle with the huge Rancor monster beneath Jabba's palace is still breathtaking by today's standards.

Jabba the Hutt steals the show in terms of the practical effects monsters, though. Crude puppetry and all, he remains one of my absolute favorite characters of the Star Wars universe. I like to think of Jabba as the Star Wars version of The Godfather, and I would love to see more stories about his adventures and his ascent in the intergalactic underworld.

Of course, I also applaud Jabba's impeccable taste in women, namely Leia herself, whom he takes in as his latest palace slave after her failed rescue of Han Solo. A million sexy cosplays have followed in this movie's wake, but nothing comes close to Carrie Fisher herself in the iconic slave outfit. It's a testament to Fisher's strong-willed Leia that she transcends a potentially exploitative turn in this film and ultimately emerges as one of the most self-assured and tough-as-nails female characters of all time.

Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker and Harrison Ford's Han Solo are wonderful in this film, and they usher in the fortuitous storytelling decision to steer the first hour of Return of the Jedi into a more comedic tone after the dark double-whammy ending of The Empire Strikes Back. The lightheartedness and levity continue throughout the film, but events take on a significantly more intense energy with Luke's battle with the Emperor and Vader on the new Death Star. I'll never forget the chill to the bone that I felt when my 11 year-old self was watching the Emperor attack Luke with lightning rays and when I watched Vader's heroic final choice.

I could nitpick about a few of the narrative shortcomings of this film. Why can't Jabba the Hutt and his visitors speak directly to each other in English instead of having C-3PO interpret their respective languages in English? Why does the droid in Jabba's place scream when its feet are burned/branded? Does the Ewok really say, “Eat your mama.”, to Leia. What's up with the Ewoks in the first place? In the end, though, these developments all add to the charm of the finished product.

Of all of the original trilogy Star Wars films, Return of the Jedi is the one that is the most adversely affected by George Lucas's Special Edition alterations. In comparison to the incredibly detailed practical effects creations in Jabba's palace, the computer-generated digital creatures stick out like a roach on a wedding cake. A spoken line from Darth Vader during his battle with the Emperor on the Blu-ray edition of this film is an outright disaster. These changes notwithstanding, this film still soars to greatness, regardless of which incarnation you choose to watch.

My third favourite - after EMPIRE and STAR WARS.

The full-size Jabba puppet used in JEDI still looks impressive. The CGI versions seen since are woeful. I’m dreading a Jabba Disney stand-alone film, knowing Jabba will be rendered in pixels and not latex and rubber.

The Rancor monster is my favourite beast from the OT. The green-skinned, porcine snack it greedily devours, is still a highlight for me - one of the more gruesome moments from the OT.

“Eat your mama.” Bib Fortuna had some strange lines, too. Weird.

[Falaskan]

Originally Posted by Bobbyjoe766

“Eat your mama.” Bib Fortuna had some strange lines, too. Weird.

I don’t think he was speaking English there

[Bobbyjoe766]

Originally Posted by Falaskan

I don’t think he was speaking English there

I know.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by motorheadache95

It's just a really mediocre effort. Everything about it is problematic to a certain degree. The Phantom Menace's DNR issues, Attack of the Clones had some bad re-editing in a couple of sequences, and the classics had really outdated remasters prepared for the DVD release. Then there's the random assortment of extras, some of which are of interest but hardly definitive.

It's pretty clear to me that even before the Disney buyout, this was a stop-gap release of the films that was cheap and convenient, but left a lot to be desired that fans would definitely pick up a better set down the line.

Heh. Lucasfilm has been pulling this kind of shit for decades and the half-assed "complete" set which lacked virtually all of the DVD extras (aside from the commentaries) was just another one for the fire.