Topic: Star Wars goes Blu

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

There are three boxsets announced for Sept. 30th 2011

Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Star Wars: Trilogy I - III - The Beginning

Star Wars: Trilogy IV - VI

[kahless]

I'm eager to read something about the quality! September could become an expensive month... 

[Najemikon]

Apparently the Complete Saga one is going to be a mega set (probably trying to tempt people to buy the prequels!). As to quality, no idea, but apparently the films were recently broadcast in HD on TV here and most said they were impressed. In fact I saw a brilliant comment about these sets either on Amazon or Play, can't remember which. One guy was suspicious of the quality of these Blu-Rays because he had just seen the HD broadcast and said the Blu's couldn't be that good, because remember that "the broadcast was from source". 

Bless him.

[Antares]

Oh and the sheep line up for slaughter again. How much have any of you spent on the endless re-releases, re-masterings and out and out double dips that Lucas has ported out over the years? This man will never stop fleecing the masses. At some point, don't you feel used?

I know this fulfills a nostalgia emotion for your youth, but come on people, wake up.

Oh and by the way, this guy has done his long awaited critique of RotS...

http://blip.tv/play/AYKYsh8C


http://blip.tv/play/AYKYvXYC


http://blip.tv/play/AYKYuUQC

[Najemikon]

When you think about it, Lucas hasn't done much more than anyone else. I think the Lord Of The Rings releases are diabolical and shameless in comparison. I love the original Star Wars trilogy and like any other film, I'll buy the most consistent release, which will probably be this one. In terms of what I've bought in the past:

VHS original trilogy releases (I bought widescreen; not sure if there was a full-screen release out before that cycle).
VHS special edition releases (bought for me as a gift, but worth having for the much better quality and I sold the first set. Still have this one).
DVD boxset, later sold and re-purchased (actually at a slight profit!) out of curiosity when the original cuts were released as extras (under pressure of the fans; Lucas himself was bemused why anyone wanted them).

Now we have the Blu-Ray release, which is inevitable and worthwhile, because it's hi-def. The only question mark is over whether the original cuts will be included, but unless they remaster them, there will be no point.

So let's just quickly run through what "Luca$" has actually done:

 - Released the original trilogy between 77 and 83.
 - 15 years (a generation!) later and 20 for the original film, he tweaks them into the Special Editions. Whatever you think of them, it's hard to argue with him because he felt he was sprucing them up in time for the prequels and joining the plot-lines (Anakin, etc). Ok, he screwed that up! But bear in mind, he originally planned Star Wars to be nine episodes. Burned out after Jedi and already having to compromise some decisions, he didn't pull it off, so I can't blame him for trying to recapture his original plan and bring a new audience in.
 - Now, apparently he's working on a 3D revision. Pointless and of little interest to me, but again, bear in mind, Lucas has always been at the forefront of cinema technology. He's essentially using the trilogy as test for expanding on what James Cameron has started. And there is one curiosity in that his method for making the films actually allows the 3D to be potentially effective. We'll see.

Obviously, each of these fetches a truckload of cash, but he's made one, major revision and plans a second, outside of standard home-video re-releases that most films go through. And he couldn't do it if the audience wasn't genuinely there. He's possibly made more cash from licensing through the books and games than the films themselves, and again, it's not like those extensions aren't worth having. Jedi Academy stands as one of my all-time favourite games.

Now compare with the Blu-Ray release of LotR without the extended versions, or Avatar, released on Blu mere months before the full release, and I don't see that his behaviour warrants the criticism to the extent he receives. It's also worth remembering that he isn't exactly talented! Creatively, he can claim Star Wars and a share in Indiana Jones. That's it. I can't blame him for stoking the fire!

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

In fact I don't really consider myself to be one of the sheep.

While I watched the original trilogy in the theaters (admittedly several times and not counting triple features), I didn't bother about the second trilogy enough to watch it until they were released on DVD, and even then only on rental DVDs.
So this time is the first that Lucas is really getting any money out of me since Star Wars III (new-speak: Episode VI) was in the cinemas.

[Dr. Hasslein]

Here we go again, more editions of Star Wars to buy. I think this time I'll just get the original trilogy. It will indeed be interesting to see how they come up in HD as the DVD's up scaled look amazing.

[Rogmeister]

The last Star Wars film I saw in the theaters was The Phantom Menace.  I skipped the next two and have not bought any Star Wars movie on DVD.  I did get the original trilogy on laserdisc (possibly the last home version before Lucas started fiddling with everything) and don't really plan to get thes new releases.  If the original trilogy does include the original versions, maybe...but I have big doubts that will happen.

[Achim]

I have no doubts that the quality of all films should be excellent. If not, he is really screwing it up.

I doubt the "original original trilogy" will be in there; of course I would prefer to have those. However, I am not an über-fan and accepted the modified versions for what they are. The one change that he cannot argue was made to connect to the other films is where Greedo shoots first...

I am torn. Like Jon already pointed out, it may be part of the plan, but getting three discs of extras and in trade having to accept the discs for the prequels may be worth it. I'll decide later.


In the past I have owned the LaserDisc set of the original trilogy, too (it found a new home with user MadAcid) and then the DVD set that came out. I also have the the prequels on their individual releases.

To be fair, Avatar was one of those releases, just like Lord of the Rings on DVD, where the special editions had been announced before the theatrical versions came out on home video. This is Star Wars' first release to Blu-ray and it seems like it will be an all-out affair. No vanilla releases first and then special editions later.

[Dragonfire]

I hadn't heard about there being 2 versions of Avatar until after I had gotten it on Blu. 

I might get one of these sets..I haven't decided yet.  I do like the movies...most of the changes didn't bother me. 

[Dr. Hasslein]

I thought it was pretty obvious when the first edition of Avatar came out that there would eventually being a special edition. Being that the first edition was almost bare bones except for a few trailers.

[Dragonfire]

I thought it was a possibility...but I hadn't heard for sure at that point...I went with an impulse.  Not always a good thing.

[Dr. Hasslein]

Yeah I still bought it too. It was only $20 and for the new release Blu-ray title that's unheard of in my part of the world. Plus I don't like it enough to want to own the special edition.

[Dragonfire]

I don't care about the special edition for it.  I liked the movie ok, but not that much really.  I wasn't even sure I was going to get it.

[Achim]

I guess it also depends how much you read about releases on the internet or inform yourself otherwise. I always look at blu-ray.com and additionally at theDigitalBits and highdefdigest.com. I also listen to a movie-related podcast (coolshite.net). Cameron had announced it beforehand and it was said to be happening this year; although he also expected the 3D to be out last year which obviously didn't happen.

Oh and by the way, this guy has done his long awaited critique of RotS...

http://blip.tv/play/AYKYsh8C


http://blip.tv/play/AYKYvXYC


http://blip.tv/play/AYKYuUQC

I just finished watching those (thanks for the reminder, Antares) and wonder if I should retract my statement. I might not even want the modified versions of the originals anymore. If we buy them we send the wrong message to Lucas... By the way, despite two repulsive moments within, this review of Attack of the Clones is the best of the three! Highly recommended, but bring time, they are around 2 hours total!