These are not the blu-rays you're looking for
Star Wars fans can all at once rejoice and recoil in horror at the new Blu-ray release of the entire Star Wars saga.
In case you've been living under a rock since 1977, Star Wars tells the epic story of the Skywalker family; a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the family scattered, chose sides and went (unknowingly) to galactic war with one another. Planets are destroyed, ancient Jedi knights live in swamps and the man who made the Kessel run in 12 parsecs proves himself a hero. Wookies, Ewoks, Sith Lords and tauntauns-turned-sleeping-bags abound. If you have no idea what any of these things are, you can probably skip the rest of this review.
Let's look at this release in terms of the good as well as the bad. Let's start with the good.
The films look fantastic. No doubt about it, this is the best Star Wars has ever looked, as it is remastered to full high definition. You can now watch (more or less) all of your favorite scenes like you've never seen them before. Another great feature is the additional material included in the box set that includes over 30 hours of bonus features such as deleted scenes, rare footage and in-depth documentaries about the making of the films. There is enough Star Wars knowledge packed into these nine Blu-ray discs to keep any geek entertained for at least a day or two. For Star Wars fans that thirst for knowledge and rare footage, or for hardcore collectors, this set is absolutely worth buying.
Now let's get to the bad. The biggest problems with this edition of Star Wars are the multiple changes; while they are seemingly minute to outsiders, they are enraging for fans to behold. Creator George Lucas has made his opinion more than well known that he feels no remorse in changing integral details within his films. The more notable changes are Darth Vader yelling a cheesy, overdone "Nooooo" as he overtakes the Emperor at the saga's conclusion; computer-generated eyelids on the now-creepy-looking Ewoks; and numerous computer-generated effects and objects.
The truly disappointing thing about this newest release is that Lucas is seemingly oblivious to the fact that changing scenes — most notably the aforementioned cheesy Vader yell — more than upsets the fans, it changes the way the scene is understood. Another move many fans will take as a snub is the absence of the theatrical cuts of the flicks, which means that there is no choice but to watch the altered scenes. Additionally, Greedo still shoots first. If you're a lover of the films the way they were originally seen, this set is probably not worth your time or money.
It can be assumed that Mr. Lucas is somewhere thinking, "The films have been altered; pray I do not alter them further," and let's hope for the Ewoks' sake that he doesn't.
Let's look at this release in terms of the good as well as the bad. Let's start with the good.
The films look fantastic. No doubt about it, this is the best Star Wars has ever looked, as it is remastered to full high definition. You can now watch (more or less) all of your favorite scenes like you've never seen them before. Another great feature is the additional material included in the box set that includes over 30 hours of bonus features such as deleted scenes, rare footage and in-depth documentaries about the making of the films. There is enough Star Wars knowledge packed into these nine Blu-ray discs to keep any geek entertained for at least a day or two. For Star Wars fans that thirst for knowledge and rare footage, or for hardcore collectors, this set is absolutely worth buying.
Now let's get to the bad. The biggest problems with this edition of Star Wars are the multiple changes; while they are seemingly minute to outsiders, they are enraging for fans to behold. Creator George Lucas has made his opinion more than well known that he feels no remorse in changing integral details within his films. The more notable changes are Darth Vader yelling a cheesy, overdone "Nooooo" as he overtakes the Emperor at the saga's conclusion; computer-generated eyelids on the now-creepy-looking Ewoks; and numerous computer-generated effects and objects.
The truly disappointing thing about this newest release is that Lucas is seemingly oblivious to the fact that changing scenes — most notably the aforementioned cheesy Vader yell — more than upsets the fans, it changes the way the scene is understood. Another move many fans will take as a snub is the absence of the theatrical cuts of the flicks, which means that there is no choice but to watch the altered scenes. Additionally, Greedo still shoots first. If you're a lover of the films the way they were originally seen, this set is probably not worth your time or money.
It can be assumed that Mr. Lucas is somewhere thinking, "The films have been altered; pray I do not alter them further," and let's hope for the Ewoks' sake that he doesn't.
