Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[aiman04]

Temple of Doom is much darker than Return of the Jedi.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by octagon

And you'd be right, pard.

Jedi and the prequels were disappointing in many of the same ways and for many of the same reasons.

I'm not sure how that helps with your defense of the prequels but it's spot on nevertheless.

You're right, I ain't gonna be convincing no-one that Jedi is as soulless as the prequels, but that wasn't my aim. The point was to address Billie's laundry list of reasons as to why I think the making of the prequels is a story worth telling.

Looking back through my prequel 'makings of' books the one for Sith was actually done by Rinzler anyway, and it's got the same structure as the OT books albeit in a much more slimmed down volume (the last chapter wasn't even in the book because it had to be completed before the film was, so they released it online instead). Laurent Bouzereau did the one for Phantom Menace so it isn't bad, but the one that Jody Duncan (who collaborated with Don Shay on several other decent 'making of' books like T2 and Jurassic Park) did for Ep II is very lightweight.

[HeavyHitter]

The bottom line is the true greatness and creativity of Star Wars lives off the first two made movies (Ep 4 and 5). The other four movies were "meh". I am not saying they are terrible or even bad, and I do re-watch them as there are some great moments in them....but as a big Star Wars fan, I'm just saying.

[stvn1974]

The versions of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi that I saw in the theater are all 5 out of 5 for me.

[HeavyHitter]

And it almost goes without saying, The Empire Strikes Back was truly "Star Wars" at its absolute best peak or pinnacle. As great, classic, and revolutionary as A New Hope was, Empire was more refined and truly expanded the Star Wars universe and creativity in an amazing way. It's all been fairly down hill since.

[jala12]

ROTJ I'd still consider decent but would have been more enjoyable for me if there was no dance number whatsoever in Jabba's palace and that the Ewoks were replaced by Wookiees on Kasshyyk. Would hae been more interesting too plot-wise. In ROTS they were enslaved/had the planet taken over and by ROTJ they would have been fighting for freedom and been liberated by the rebels.

[The Fallen Deity]

The scenes that take place in The Emperor's Throne Room more than make up for the flaws that are present in the movie imo.

[stvn1974]

I don't mind the Ewoks and the original dance number in Jabba's palace wasn't enough to knock anything off of my rating for Jedi. The changes done to the special edition are a travesty. Call it hyperbole all you want but adding the new Jedi Rocks and young Ghost Anakin is worse than adding eyebrows to the Mona Lisa or adding rappers to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

I don't mind the Ewoks and the original dance number in Jabba's palace wasn't enough to knock anything off of my rating for Jedi. The changes done to the special edition are a travesty. Call it hyperbole all you want but adding the new Jedi Rocks and young Ghost Anakin is worse than adding eyebrows to the Mona Lisa or adding rappers to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Nothing would be worse than that!

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

I don't mind the Ewoks and the original dance number in Jabba's palace wasn't enough to knock anything off of my rating for Jedi. The changes done to the special edition are a travesty. Call it hyperbole all you want but adding the new Jedi Rocks and young Ghost Anakin is worse than adding eyebrows to the Mona Lisa or adding rappers to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

[Norbie]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

Agreed, but have you watched the Blus on a properly ISF calibrated display? The color issues have been discussed ad nauseam. The skintones in those shots look far better than similar scenes on the blus...and not too mention the blue tint on the blu-rays.

Are you saying that this is how it looked when the original film was released in an approved print by Lucas?

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Norbie

Are you saying that this is how it looked when the original film was released in an approved print by Lucas?

Yes, the true original movies had a much different color timing and this has also been proven by other sources (including Harmy, etc.).

Now, I am not sure about the original released 1997 Special Edition movies that were in the theaters at that time.

But once they hit home video in 2004 and since, it hasn't been pretty. I would say the Blus slightly improved upon the 2004 in terms of color, but it's still wonky looking at times especially with skintones and especially in Ep 4 and 6. Ep 5 is not quite as bad.

[Himmel]

FROM ALL OF US...TO ALL OF YOU!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE SKYWALKERS..

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Norbie

Are you saying that this is how it looked when the original film was released in an approved print by Lucas?

Did Lucas approve the original DVD release of A New Hope with miscalibrated surround channels for the score and the screwed up Death Star explosion (in black and white with blue noise surrounding the explosion)?

Death Star Explosion Comparison - YouTube

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Did Lucas approve the original DVD release of A New Hope with miscalibrated surround channels for the score and the screwed up Death Star explosion (in black and white with blue noise surrounding the explosion)?

Death Star Explosion Comparison - YouTube

Reminds me of why I hate the Revisited versions. It's such a clunky change, ruining the framing to add in a larger death star and Yavin which dominate the frame so much that you can barely see the fighters flying away. That's the sort of shit that Lucas catches SO much hell for re: his SE changes, but some other mook does it and the fans go ga-ga.

If I want to see someone ruin Star Wars with a bunch of ill-advised alterations, I'll stick with the Lucas versions, thanks.

[HorrorBlu]

Has there ever been a good price on this? Like sub $50 preferably?

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Reminds me of why I hate the Revisited versions. It's such a clunky change, ruining the framing to add in a larger death star and Yavin which dominate the frame so much that you can barely see the fighters flying away. That's the sort of shit that Lucas catches SO much hell for re: his SE changes, but some other mook does it and the fans go ga-ga.

If I want to see someone ruin Star Wars with a bunch of ill-advised alterations, I'll stick with the Lucas versions, thanks.

I don't get the explosion on the revisited one either, if the Death Star is over there in the background why does the debris come in front of the planet (it looks like it hits the atmosphere too)? and that's the planet the Death Star was trying to move around to shoot the moon or the moon itself? I can't remember anymore!

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Reminds me of why I hate the Revisited versions. It's such a clunky change.

I'm not a fan of the Revisted thing, either. Don't get started on the "Duel of the Fates" music during the Obi-Wan/Vader duel.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by chip75

I don't get the explosion on the revisited one either, if the Death Star is over there in the background why does the debris come in front of the planet (it looks like it hits the atmosphere too)? and that's the planet the Death Star was trying to move around to shoot the moon or the moon itself? I can't remember anymore!

The whole of Revisited is like that, loads of "cool" shit added because that's what the author thinks should be happening, with no regard for aesthetics or the balance of the frame, like the numerous TIE Fighters cloned into one shot which is exactly what someone did with the hilarious "George Lucas Special Edition" of the Force Awakens trailer - only that was a piss-take. Blech.

[stvn1974]

For all of you that hate the Revisited editions why don't you just put on your beloved blu-rays instead of complaining about them in here?