Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[Nada]

Jedi Rocks just replaces those horribly stiff puppets. It's only slightly extended. I think it adds much more color to Jabba's Palace. Love it. Koo nee tang!

[Maggot]

Originally Posted by Nada

If anyone is butthurt, it's the petulant man-children who can't shut up about these movies 10-16 years later.

The only butt hurt man is the one who apparently can't change the channel when discussions and or arguments don't suite him. It's a forum......if you can't stand the heat, then stay out of the kitchen......

[Scorpion Soldier]

I think I'll keep my existing Complete Saga set, since the contents are the same anyway. As for the SteelBooks, I think I'll stick with the original trilogy. Since the artwork for them finally lacks the numbering I won't have to look at IV, V, VI on my shelf

[Nada]

Originally Posted by Maggot

The only butt hurt man is the one who apparently can't change the channel when discussions and or arguments don't suite him. It's a forum......if you can't stand the heat, then stay out of the kitchen......

You realize I replied to your rant, correct?

[Arawn]

Originally Posted by Nada

Jedi Rocks just replaces those horribly stiff puppets.

Lapti Nek was a much better song, though.

[Nada]

Originally Posted by Arawn

Lapti Nek was a much better song, though.

I like both.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by motorheadache95

I don't really agree because I don't feel like Anakin transforming into Darth Vader felt like a tragic fall of a hero. It doesn't feel like he goes through any kind of arc. He's just a teenager who whines and wants power, and then in RotS he still is just a whiny young man who wants power, and then he is sort of "duped" into turning evil at the end. It doesn't make for an interesting story, IMO.

Everyone complains about the whiny brat, "sense of entitlement" Anakin portrayal, but that's the kind of person who would become evil. What Lucas missed telling us is how the nice little boy transformed into the paranoid psychotic, but fans would have hated the prequels even worse if he had given more screen time to the boy. Maybe Lucas should have concentrated more on Anakin's psychology of "there needs to be order in the universe so that people aren't taken as slaves" or a deep-seeded resentment of not having a father or even that ultra-high midichlorian levels makes one insane (although if the Jedi were aware of that, he wouldn't have been chosen). Instead, we got his fear of losing his family, which works, but we also got his anger over not being "promoted", which comes across as an unintended joke.

Anakin also needed a bit more evil and a bit less brat. One of the things that really doesn't work is his "I hate you" brattiness to Obi-Wan during their final battle. Gezus, isn't Anakin already about 25 at this point? A line more like "You understand nothing Obi-Wan" (apologies to Game of Thrones) with the implication that Anakin already knows far more about the dark side than Obi-Wan does would have worked far better, IMO.

The problem with the end is that during most of the story, he's willing to turn to the dark side in order to save his family (similar to the rationale given by Michael Corleone in "The Godfather"). But once he learns that Padamé is dead, there's really no logical reason for him to follow Palpatine. You have to wonder if there had not already been the OT, when Vader finds out Padamé is dead whether he wouldn't have reached out and at least tried to kill Palpatine. With or without that, there should have been some bit where Palpatine controls the tech that keeps Vader alive. Otherwise, why does Vader follow Palpatine? Without the PT, we can decide the backstory for ourselves. But with the PT, we're still really left in the dark because it doesn't quite make much sense.

Or, the story would have made more sense if Padamé had lived, but went into hiding. She still could have given away the twins to hide their existence from Anakin. That would have given Vader a rationale to keep following Palpatine and it would have eliminated the inconsistency in Episode VI where Leia says she remembers her mother and the earlier line where Vader says that "your mother was wise to hide her from me". Or, she hides the kids, searches for Anakin, finds Vader and Vader kills her, which turns him totally evil. At least then, there would be some rationale for Vader's willingness to kill so many beings.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by deto

You know VADER is fictional, right?

But does that make a difference as to how the story impacts a young kid? The fact is that we have this story that's pushed as a great, fun, adventure, suitable for children, in which a holocaust takes place. And we're supposed to think of Vader as this wonderful fun villain ("he's so evil - it's so cool"), even though he's responsible for a lot of it.

As I posted elsewhere, what are young kids supposed to think when they see the burnt skeletons of Luke's aunt and uncle? Does it really matter that we can say that it's "make-believe"? If the story is effective, isn't the emotional impact the same?

[Arawn]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

and the earlier line where Vader says that "your mother was wise to hide her from me".

Say what? The line is "Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me".

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by Sketchkid

I was hoping it'd go even further and we'd end with the Emperor looking down on him on Mustafar, walking away... leaving the audience presuming he's dead. Than in ANH is when we see Vader (in full costume) for the first time.

It just came across as a tacked on scene so they could use him in the marketing of the film imo. That's something a big studio would decide to do, and in the end Lucas wasn't much different than that.

I don't think Anakin needed to be that much different from Luke in the OT, the difference being that during the Emperor scenes, he (truly) gives in to the dark side. But he still should've been likable in the previous two films.

I definitely feel that the moment where the helmet is place onto his head and his breather clicks on is such a great moment I'd never want to lose it. In fact, by far the two best moments in that film are the ones without any dialog.

But I'd agree that the entire sequence with him popping off that table like Frankenstein's monster should have been completely removed. And not just for the cringey "Noooooo" bit, but it was just entirely an unnecessary sequence-- I would have liked Lucas to have kept the fully-formed Darth Vader as a brief glimpse until we see him in Episode IV.

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

Everyone complains about the whiny brat, "sense of entitlement" Anakin portrayal, but that's the kind of person who would become evil. What Lucas missed telling us is how the nice little boy transformed into the paranoid psychotic, but fans would have hated the prequels even worse if he had given more screen time to the boy. Maybe Lucas should have concentrated more on Anakin's psychology of "there needs to be order in the universe so that people aren't taken as slaves" or a deep-seeded resentment of not having a father or even that ultra-high midichlorian levels makes one insane (although if the Jedi were aware of that, he wouldn't have been chosen). Instead, we got his fear of losing his family, which works, but we also got his anger over not being "promoted", which comes across as an unintended joke.

Anakin also needed a bit more evil and a bit less brat. One of the things that really doesn't work is his "I hate you" brattiness to Obi-Wan during their final battle. Gezus, isn't Anakin already about 25 at this point? A line more like "You understand nothing Obi-Wan" (apologies to Game of Thrones) with the implication that Anakin already knows far more about the dark side than Obi-Wan does would have worked far better, IMO.

The problem with the end is that during most of the story, he's willing to turn to the dark side in order to save his family (similar to the rationale given by Michael Corleone in "The Godfather"). But once he learns that Padamé is dead, there's really no logical reason for him to follow Palpatine. You have to wonder if there had not already been the OT, when Vader finds out Padamé is dead whether he wouldn't have reached out and at least tried to kill Palpatine. With or without that, there should have been some bit where Palpatine controls the tech that keeps Vader alive. Otherwise, why does Vader follow Palpatine? Without the PT, we can decide the backstory for ourselves. But with the PT, we're still really left in the dark because it doesn't quite make much sense.

It was fine that the character had those traits (although Lucas shouldn't have started the prequel trilogy with him as a 10 year old) but all of the elements that are what shifted him to the dark side aren't really fleshed out in the films. It should've been the biggest non-surprise of the millennium to EVERYONE in those movies that Anakin turned against the Jedi.

You have a lot of great potential themes in the story that would make sense why a great Jedi would turn evil-- the council's draconian laws for the Jedi, the fact that they had lost their way and became puppet soldier in a phony war being propagated by the Sith, and we could have seen him go from a great Jedi to somebody who grows bitter and resentful towards the order and comes to truly believe that they deserve to go extinct and he must bring order and peace through use of force.

But that doesn't happen-- when we first see him after Episode I he just whines about everything, throws fits, ignores orders, and then decides he's going to kill all of the Jedi and the children so Palpatine will teach him to use dark powers to save his wife. Which he doesn't even do in the end. Everyone is stupid in those movies-- Anakin, the Jedi order, and the Senate for blindly accepting the word of a guy who looks like Satan that the Jedi are trying to take over.

Again, there's so many great ideas and potential in the story and plot, but IMO it was all squandered.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

But once he learns that Padamé is dead, there's really no logical reason for him to follow Palpatine.

Once you start down the dark path, consume you it will.

[Arawn]

Originally Posted by motorheadache95

the fact that they had lost their way and became puppet soldier in a phony war being propagated by the Sith

That would be a direct result of two things: (1) the Jedi being attached at the hip to the Republic government; and (2) that Republic government, unbeknownst to the Jedi, being headed by a Sith. And you see that set of circumstances as justification for turning evil and wiping the Jedi out? If that logic was any more pretzel-like it would be salted and sold at ballparks!

Originally Posted by motorheadache95

Which he doesn't even do in the end.

As far as you know. In the end, there's no longer a wife to save.

[obscura]

Must pick up the 2011 set soon as I'm not really feeling it with the upcoming release. Of course, to each their own.

[BeatleJWOL]

Originally Posted by bubbafett73

We all know that the Star Wars movies are not about the Skywalkers, but the droids. C-3PO and R2-D2 are the true stars and are the only characters in all 6 of the movies. Anakin-smanakin , give me R2 any day.

You mock, but yet:

George Lucas/Leonard Maltin Interview Part 1 - YouTube

George Lucas/Leonard Maltin Interview Part 2 - YouTube

George Lucas/Leonard Maltin Interview Part 3 - YouTube

If I recall these interviews correctly, George does actually say at one point that the three movies are in fact the droids' story, or at least the story from the droids' point of view.

Can't review the videos at the moment but I'm pretty sure that's what was said at one point.

[Stinky-Dinkins]

The last interview video is actually him shitting into a bucket for 6 minutes straight. I didn't actually watch the video, I'm just 100% basing that on his facial expression in the still frame. The second video is him talking about how tall his daughter is.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by BeatleJWOL

If I recall these interviews correctly, George does actually say at one point that the three movies are in fact the droids' story, or at least the story from the droids' point of view.

Can't review the videos at the moment but I'm pretty sure that's what was said at one point.

It's funny cuz that's exactly what David Fincher said he thought the movies were initially about. (http://collider.com/david-fincher-star-wars-episode-7/)

“I always thought of Star Wars as the story of two slaves [C-3PO and R2-D2] who go from owner to owner, witnessing their masters’ folly, the ultimate folly of man… I thought it was an interesting idea in the first two, but it’s kind of gone by Return Of The Jedi.”

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

The last interview video is actually him shitting into a bucket for 6 minutes straight. I didn't actually watch the video, I'm just 100% basing that on his facial expression in the still frame. The second video is him talking about how tall his daughter is.

[Stinky-Dinkins]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

[iamsometal]

Originally Posted by robgmun

What frustrates me is just how far Lucus went, I actually liked some of the cheanges/clean ups but then it went far too far

I'm going to be showing my girlfriend the Star Wars Trilogy next week because of the up coming movies and this is what I'm going to do.

Star Wars = Despecialized Edition up until just before the MF leave Mos Eisley, then the rest the Blu-ray

ESB = Blu-Ray

ROTJ = Despecialized Edition all the way

With Desp. ANH v2.5 and ESB v2.0, no need to show her the blu-ray's. The Desp. Ed's are superior in every way (even if they are technically lower resolution, PQ and AQ are still much improved). If she's a keeper, best go 100% Despecialized. Then later you can show her the blu-ray's and she'll appreciate you waiting.