George Lucas Making More Changes For Star Wars Blu-Ray Release

[anais.jude]

This is great news for Star Wars fans everywhere.  Now you'll have a whole new set of things to complain are terrible about the movies you purportedly love.

agreed with you on that one

In our defense, no one purportedly loves Episode 1

That's true, but 4, 5, and 6 were very popular, but retconned into being hated after episode 1 and 2 came out.

Not by me. I still ADORE 4,5, and 6. And I enjoy 1, 2, and 3 (as long as rifftrax is involved)

[Russell]

Not by me. I still ADORE 4,5, and 6. And I enjoy 1, 2, and 3 (as long as rifftrax is involved)

The end of Empire Strikes Back fills my mind with wonderment. I think about... will we ever even
see them again? Where? Can they even possibly defeat the Empire now? Was Vader lying? It
is definitely the best cliffhanger of all time.

[Rainbow Dash]

Not by me. I still ADORE 4,5, and 6. And I enjoy 1, 2, and 3 (as long as rifftrax is involved)

The end of Empire Strikes Back fills my mind with wonderment. I think about... will we ever even
see them again? Where? Can they even possibly defeat the Empire now? Was Vader lying? It
is definitely the best cliffhanger of all time.

I can honestly say that Vader Lying was one part that never crossed my mind when i was a kid.  I just accepted that part.

[Pak-Man]

I read something somwhere about how whether you suspected Vader of lying or not has a lot to do with how old you were when you were watching Empire the first time. I was young enough to take him at face value myself.


I'm also one of those rare Star Wars fans who likes the whole Kit and Kaboodle. While I wouldn't say Episode 1 is as good as the original trilogy, it's really a looong way from being a bad movie in my eyes. The 20 year Star Wars drought was just going to create expectations no movie could have ever lived up to. Just because it didn't meet those expectations doesn't mean it was a bad movie.Worst of the 6, but not bad, and Episode 2 was pretty darned good, and I actually think Ep. 3 belongs up there with the OT. It opened with the coolest space battle of the whole series, IMHO, and kept on delivering more fun from there.

[Russell]

and I actually think Ep. 3 belongs up there with the OT. It opened with the coolest space battle of the whole series, IMHO, and kept on delivering more fun from there.

Yes, it was so cool, how it had... no tension at all because we know Anakin and Obi-wan aren't going to
die... and it was so cool how you couldn't even tell the goddamn ships apart. And it was so cool how it
was... non-stop CGI. It was so cool the part where Anakin told this one droid to attack another droid, that
was so cool huh? Well, actually I guess it was so cool that Lucas decided it wasn't worth focusing on the
space battle anymore in favor of some mundane bullshit going on on the hull of somebody's ship.

There is no way in hell you or anybody else could make a convincing argument that Revenge of the sith
belongs up there with the original trilogy. Oh, maybe it's the part where Padme talks about making up
the baby's bedroom? Maybe it's the way that every character got less done in this one
movie then any of the others did in five minutes of the original trilogy.

I'm sorry but I feel extremely strongly and angrily about this.

[daltysmilth]

and I actually think Ep. 3 belongs up there with the OT. It opened with the coolest space battle of the whole series, IMHO, and kept on delivering more fun from there.

Yes, it was so cool, how it had... no tension at all because we know Anakin and Obi-wan aren't going to
die... and it was so cool how you couldn't even tell the goddamn ships apart. And it was so cool how it
was... non-stop CGI. It was so cool the part where Anakin told this one droid to attack another droid, that
was so cool huh? Well, actually I guess it was so cool that Lucas decided it wasn't worth focusing on the
space battle anymore in favor of some mundane bullshit going on on the hull of somebody's ship.

There is no way in hell you or anybody else could make a convincing argument that Revenge of the sith
belongs up there with the original trilogy. Oh, maybe it's the part where Padme talks about making up
the baby's bedroom? Maybe it's the way that every character got less done in this one
movie then any of the others did in five minutes of the original trilogy.

I'm sorry but I feel extremely strongly and angrily about this.

Yow!  Some of that sarcasm actually flew off the screen and hit me over the head. 

[Russell]

and I actually think Ep. 3 belongs up there with the OT. It opened with the coolest space battle of the whole series, IMHO, and kept on delivering more fun from there.

Yes, it was so cool, how it had... no tension at all because we know Anakin and Obi-wan aren't going to
die... and it was so cool how you couldn't even tell the goddamn ships apart. And it was so cool how it
was... non-stop CGI. It was so cool the part where Anakin told this one droid to attack another droid, that
was so cool huh? Well, actually I guess it was so cool that Lucas decided it wasn't worth focusing on the
space battle anymore in favor of some mundane bullshit going on on the hull of somebody's ship.

There is no way in hell you or anybody else could make a convincing argument that Revenge of the sith
belongs up there with the original trilogy. Oh, maybe it's the part where Padme talks about making up
the baby's bedroom? Maybe it's the way that every character got less done in this one
movie then any of the others did in five minutes of the original trilogy.

I'm sorry but I feel extremely strongly and angrily about this.

Yow!  Some of that sarcasm actually flew off the screen and hit me over the head. 

A necessary evil.

[CrowTeeRobot]

I want a diamond cane and big ol' pimp hat digitally inserted on Billy Dee Williams. Also, Chewbacca.

In the scene in Echo Base where Leia kisses Luke, the ghost of Obi Wan should appear faintly in the background, staring. Just staring.

Remove the CGI for Boss Nass and just have Brian Blessed in his mo-cap suit there.

All the Clone Troopers should be created using Jar Jar Binks's DNA.

Qui-Gon Jinn, alive and well, should randomly stumble into scenes wearing a bathrobe and drinking from a carton of milk. When he notices other people who never notice him, he should quickly scurry off-screen.

No less than twelve sex scenes between Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman should be added to The Phantom Menace, but only if they are both in full-on Amidala garb the entire time.

Whenever an ewok attacks a Stormtrooper with a rock or a stick or a log, it should cause an intense explosion.

This whole post is full of win.

And the Brian Blessed thing? You have no idea how much I'd enjoy that.

part of me wants an alternate audio track for the original trilogy where Mark Hamill redubbs all of Luke's lines in Joker voice.

Hold on, I'm gonna go work on this.

While they're at it, what about another alternate audio track where Maurice LaMarche redubs all of Darth Vader's lines as Orson Welles, since supposedly Orson Welles was who George Lucas originally wanted to do Vader's voice.

Do you want young Orson Welles, or old Orson Welles?

[SJP]

Actually, I caught an article the other day on at least something positive coming out on the Blu-ray Releases, that IS a change for the better.  Apparently they are finally going to include a handful of deleted scenes from the original movies...not integrated back in or anything, but as special features.  Reportedly, this include a number of the ones that were mentioned when they made the audio plays way back on public radio, like Luke rebuilding his lightsaber, as well as long known about scenes that Lucasfilm has never seen fit to include in their entirety, like Biggs on Tatooine and the Wampa attack on Hoth.

There is a trailer for them here.  Even if you don't like the prequels or the changes in the Special Editions, these alone might be reason to pick up the IV-V-VI box set.

[daltysmilth]

The inclusion of the deleted scenes has been known about since, I believe, the last Star Wars Celebration.

[Russell]

I prefer Ep. 3 to Jedi, myself.  Even in 1983 I knew Jedi kinda sucked.

At least in ROTJ there isn't 14 scenes of people talking in shot/reverse shot
while sitting down on a couch discussing things. Oh yeah, and the story of
Anakin's redemption is much more interesting than his "fall" to the dark side.

[gbeenie]

Qui-Gon Jinn, alive and well, should randomly stumble into scenes wearing a bathrobe and drinking from a carton of milk. When he notices other people who never notice him, he should quickly scurry off-screen.

You're forgetting the obligatory spit-take. Every single time.

[Russell]

No it isn't.

Well, I guess there's no arguing with that! I wouldn't dare ask you to explain
further beyond that.

[mrbasehart]

I prefer Ep. 3 to Jedi, myself.  Even in 1983 I knew Jedi kinda sucked.

I think they both are affected by the films that came before them. The Empire Strikes Back is a genuinely great film, artistically a huge step up from A New Hope, and which contained a great cliffhanger ending.  Return of the Jedi then sort of dropped the ball in several key areas: it recycled the Death Star, it had Ewoks, it made Luke & Leia brother and sister, it also neutered Han Solo quite a bit. 

Revenge of the Sith's predecessor was Attack of the Clones, a terrible movie with basically no redeeming features whatsoever and so RotS really had nowhere to go but up.  It also paid off on things we knew were going to happen (it paid them off badly, but at least we didn't have to see whiny Annakin any more). 

In conclusion! Jedi was disappointing because of Empire, while Sith was flattered by its predecessor's ineptitude.  I still think Jedi is better, taken completely out of context without the others to support it, because its most important moments don't rely on the CGI that Lucas has so slavishly devoted himself to ever since. 

[Russell]

Whereas Sith had the Blockade Runner, and stormtroopers appearing, and Obi-Wan looking like he could actually turn into Alec Guinness.  Sure, it still had Padme, but she was relegated to a more minor part.  And while there were some lame parts with the Emperor ("Unliiiiiiimited pooooower"), I rather liked watching him manipulate Anakin.  I also think the music was better, and it was just a more evocative story.  

Really? What kind of argument is that? If you want to talk evocative, let's talk
about characters. Nothing about the characters in ROTS reminds me of the original Star
Wars, least of all Jimmy fucking Smits!!! The CGI clusterfuck isn't the least bit evocative
of the original either. Now if you're talking imagery, any moron can do that... and that
moron did in fact do that. He thought "oh, well by reminding people of certain pieces of
imagery in the original Star Wars maybe I can get some foolish people to rationalize to
themselves and everybody else that this movie is more like it!!"....

And he did. The music... oh God, this movie with the possible exception of Crystal skull
is John Williams at his absolute WORST. instead of an orchestra we get choruses of people
chanting endlessly with the blandest, vaguest, most forgettable music in all of Star
Wars. Hey, it's not just an opinion, there's just no definable melody to any of it!!! In fact,
in all of the music from the prequels, the only time John Williams wrote something memorable
(not good) but memorable, was the pathetically overrated Duel of the fates, and whatever
the theme was from Attack of the clones. But even then, the music sounds very uninspired,
you know how sometimes the music reflects the quality of the movie? It wasn't any better
here then it was in the other two prequels. Only other memorable music was melodies recycled
from the original trilogy. And I still fail to see how Ewan Macgregor will eventually turn into
Obi-Wan, since he let his "good friend" burn to fucking death as he reminisced to Luke
how Anakin was "A good friend". Do you really think if you let your friend burn to death who
just murdered his wife and tried to kill you you'd ever be thinking about him in that light
again?! Again, it doesn't evoke the original Star Wars, if anything it completely fucks up
the continuity. And you raised the issue of Palpatine manipulating Anakin, that was great? Yeah,
it really takes a lot to manipulate a complete idiot, doesn't it?

You know Im, just because you have Stormtroopers and some interior sets of a Blockade
runner doesn't make it Star Wars, without a great story, it makes it a hollow visual
representation of that.