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View Full Version : Star Wars to Blu Ray in 2011 PLUS Exclusive missing scene from Return of the Jedi



MasterShake
08-14-2010, 03:11 PM
The video may be pulled soon from Youtube, so I apologize. Heres the story from the NY Times:


Though nearly 35 years of “Star Wars” fandom have yielded all kinds of memorabilia inspired by George Lucas’s outer-space epic, including light saber lookalikes and wearable replicas of Princess Leia’s slave costume, one holy grail has lately eluded fans: a video version of the “Star Wars” films that takes the fullest advantage of their top-of-the-line home theater systems.

That’s a Death Star-sized void that Lucasfilm plans to fill shortly. On Saturday, the studio is to announce that it will release all six live-action “Star Wars” features on Blu-ray DVD in fall 2011. A boxed set containing the Blu-ray versions of the movies, spanning from 1977’s “Star Wars” through the final 2005 prequel, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” will mark the first time the films have been offered in a high-definition home format, and will include documentary features and previously unseen footage.

Given Mr. Lucas’s exacting standards for film presentations (he founded the THX company) and Lucasfilm’s embrace of digital movie technology (digital projection was used for the theatrical release of all three “Star Wars” prequels, and the last two prequels were shot digitally), many fans expected that high-definition versions of the “Star Wars” features would soon follow.

But in a telephone interview, Mr. Lucas said he had been waiting to see if the Blu-ray format would be widely accepted by home viewers.

“We’ve been wanting to do it as soon as we possibly could, but we just wanted to do it when enough people would be able to buy it and see it,” Mr. Lucas said on Friday from the Star Wars Celebration V convention in Orlando, Fla.

When the original “Star Wars” movies were released on VHS in the early 1980s (along with other short-lived home video formats), Mr. Lucas said sales were slow to take off at first.

“We came out with ‘Star Wars’ right at the beginning of VHS,” he said, “and we sold 300,000 copies.” Within a few years, he added, “They were selling 1 million, 2 million, 10 million. So we learned from that experience that if you’re too early in the marketplace, there’s just not enough demand for it.”

In the case of Blu-ray, at least the potential for galactic-scale sales exists: a recent report by the media firm DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group said that nearly 2 million Blu-ray players were sold in the first half of 2010, an increase of 103 percent over last year, for a total of 19.4 million such devices in the U.S.

Mr. Lucas said the versions of the first three “Star Wars” films – “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” – included in the Blu-ray boxed set will be the special-edition releases that were shown theatrically in 1997 and digitally restored for a 2004 standard-definition DVD boxed set.

Perhaps bracing for the reactions of fans who decried some of the changes made to the special-edition films – like, say, an exchange of gunfire between Han Solo and a certain green-skinned bounty hunter – Mr. Lucas said that to release the original versions of these films on Blu-ray was “kind of an oxymoron because the quality of the original is not very good.”

“You have to go through and do a whole restoration on it, and you have to do that digitally,” he added. “It’s a very, very expensive process to do it. So when we did the transfer to digital, we only transferred really the upgraded version.”

And while some viewers might want the “Star Wars” Blu-ray release in time for this year’s Life Day – that is, the Wookiee holiday that roughly coincides with the start of the holiday shopping season – Mr. Lucas said a 2011 release was the earliest possible date. (The boxed set will be distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment; Lucasfilm did not give pricing information or indicate if the films will also be sold individually.)

That, he said, was partly due to continuing work on the additional Blu-ray features, and partly to factors beyond his control.

“We’ve been working on them for quite a while,” Mr. Lucas said, “but still, there are pipelines. Unfortunately, the recent releases get priority over what we call the classic versions of things.”

And the never before seen deleted scene:

UdJ0E7HbTKc

atwater27
08-14-2010, 03:30 PM
Awesome scene.

MasterShake
08-14-2010, 03:34 PM
Awesome scene.

I know. Apparently there is going to be a ton of footage they found in the special features from what I've read. I personally loved all six movies, warts and all, and can't wait to have a proper high def version of each.

I wish they could insert that Luke scene back into Return of the Jedi for the release. And thank god, from what I saw they replaced the weird looking Yoda puppet in Phantom Menace with the digital version.

atwater27
08-14-2010, 09:44 PM
Yeah. the only problem I had with the edited version was the stupid one with han stepping on Jabba's tail. That was retarded and unrealistic.

atwater27
08-14-2010, 09:49 PM
I know a guy who got all bent out of shape with the edited versions of the old films. Says it wasn't "authentic". I know I am a star wars nerd, but apperently there are different "degrees" of nerdsim I was unaware of.

Tned
08-14-2010, 09:49 PM
Only thing that ticks me off about Star Wars is the way they've slowly released them. I've got them on VHS, Laser Discs, and DVD and now I am going to get sucked into buying the HD versions.

Overtime
08-15-2010, 04:38 AM
it's about bloody time!


I know a guy who got all bent out of shape with the edited versions of the old films. Says it wasn't "authentic". I know I am a star wars nerd, but apperently there are different "degrees" of nerdsim I was unaware of.

i was one of those people. when Lucas released the "Special Editions", it really pissed me off. he tampered with the originals, and there's nothing more frustrating than watching a movie you remember seeing one way, and the 2nd time you see it, it's been altered. i hate the special editions, and it has nothing to do with nerdism. it's called being frustrated at Lucas for ******* with something that didn't need to be ****** with in the first place.

there's a big uproar about it over at

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/

i just hope Lucas releases the original first 3 (IV, V, VI) in their original unaltered formats.

EDIT: F MY LIFE!!! he's only releasing the Special Edition crap. George Lucas sucks ball sack!



Only thing that ticks me off about Star Wars is the way they've slowly released them. I've got them on VHS, Laser Discs, and DVD and now I am going to get sucked into buying the HD versions.

Lucas initially didn't even plan to release them on Blu-Ray. he kept insisting that he had no digital copies of the originals, in an unaltered state, and that was the reason why. now he's back tracking to try and save face.

MasterShake
08-15-2010, 11:09 AM
Yeah. the only problem I had with the edited version was the stupid one with han stepping on Jabba's tail. That was retarded and unrealistic.

Yes, that was my biggest problem with the Special Editions, too. Getting rid of the matte lines around the ships, the new shots (like the Bantha herd on Tatooine or the improved Wampa scene) were great.




Lucas initially didn't even plan to release them on Blu-Ray. he kept insisting that he had no digital copies of the originals, in an unaltered state, and that was the reason why. now he's back tracking to try and save face.

I think you are thinking of the DVDs. Until 2004 when they released the originals on DVD for the first time, the did not have digital copies until then. The 1997 Special Editions were just a clean up and transfer to another stock of film to get rid of the aging and matte lines. And you are correct, some of the changes were jarring and stupid (like me and Atwater pointed out), but cleaning up some of the special effects like the new shots of the X-Wings flying off of Yavin I thought enhanced the look of the films. At least Empire was left mostly unchanged, which is a testament to how great that film was.

I think the only way to get the true originals are on the 2 disc special editions that came out for the 30th Anniversary. If you haven't got those, you should pick them up. They are pretty cheaply priced. They contain some really crisp LaserDisc transfers of the unaltered original trilogy and are about as good as your gonna get. If you play them in a BluRay player they upscale to 1080i and look fantastic.

They have used copies for around $6: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Episode-IV-Widescreen/dp/B000FQJAIW/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1281888405&sr=8-14

I have those versions and watch them frequently for nostalgia.

MasterShake
08-15-2010, 11:13 AM
Only thing that ticks me off about Star Wars is the way they've slowly released them. I've got them on VHS, Laser Discs, and DVD and now I am going to get sucked into buying the HD versions.

:lol: I said the same thing, and my wife said, "You don't HAVE to buy them."

I can't blame Lucas, I can only blame awesome new technology for improving sound and audio quality. At least he waited. They were originally going to release Lord of the Rings on HD-DVD thinking it would win the hi-def war and had to redo the whole project for BluRay.

atwater27
08-15-2010, 11:52 AM
Yes, that was my biggest problem with the Special Editions, too. Getting rid of the matte lines around the ships, the new shots (like the Bantha herd on Tatooine or the improved Wampa scene) were great.
.

ooh I forgot... the added singing scene in return of the jedi with that stupid screaming alien chick. Talk about annoying. I fast forward through that part every time.

Overtime
08-15-2010, 12:35 PM
I think you are thinking of the DVDs. Until 2004 when they released the originals on DVD for the first time, the did not have digital copies until then. The 1997 Special Editions were just a clean up and transfer to another stock of film to get rid of the aging and matte lines. And you are correct, some of the changes were jarring and stupid (like me and Atwater pointed out), but cleaning up some of the special effects like the new shots of the X-Wings flying off of Yavin I thought enhanced the look of the films. At least Empire was left mostly unchanged, which is a testament to how great that film was.

no im not thinking of the DVD's. at one point a few years ago Lucas said he had NO PLANS to release anything on Blu-Ray.

the originals that were released on DVD, were not cleaned up, they were anamorphic, really grainy, and of poor quality.

the issue with Lucas is he doesn't want to spend the money to copy the anamorphic originals to digital quality and then put them on regular DVD or Blu-Ray, he's a freakin' cheap skate and he's pissing a lot of Star Wars fans off.

he should have never ever altered scenes or lines. if he wanted to enhance a light saber or something, that woulda been fine with me.


I think the only way to get the true originals are on the 2 disc special editions that came out for the 30th Anniversary. If you haven't got those, you should pick them up. They are pretty cheaply priced. They contain some really crisp LaserDisc transfers of the unaltered original trilogy and are about as good as your gonna get. If you play them in a BluRay player they upscale to 1080i and look fantastic.

They have used copies for around $6: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Episode-IV-Widescreen/dp/B000FQJAIW/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1281888405&sr=8-14they're still not as good as if they had been converted to all digital and re-mastered.


the special edition versions suck! what has happened to Star Wars is awful. Just imagine if Christopher Nolan took the Dark Knight, and altered a bunch of scenes and lines, but you've already seen the original? So Nolan alters the Dark Knight, and puts the Special Edition out on DVD but never releases the original, how would you feel? It wouldn't feel right. It would be really awkward to watch, because you were expecting what you've already seen before, but instead you get something completely different.

It won't matter to those who never saw the originals, because they dont know what they're missing, but to diehards like me, who saw the originals, the Special Edition versions are a disgrace and a sacrilege!

MasterShake
08-15-2010, 04:20 PM
It won't matter to those who never saw the originals, because they dont know what they're missing, but to diehards like me, who saw the originals, the Special Edition versions are a disgrace and a sacrilege!

Well, I grew up with the originals (saw Empire and Jedi in theaters) and I understand were you are coming from. The one he messed with the most was A New Hope as it was the most incomplete when he filmed it. Aside from the added scenes, most of the Special Edition stuff was just enhanced lightsabers and getting rid of the transparent boxes around the spaceships. I think my biggest issues with the special editions are:

Star Wars:
-The Jabba and Han scene. Unnecessary and horribly rendered.
-Greedo shooting first. Looked weird and didn't need to happen.

Empire Strikes Back:
I actually thought all of this was done great. The only things they added like the new Wampa scene and the establishing shots of Bespin were neat.

Return of the Jedi:
-The New Jabba's palace dance number. Stupid.

Other than that, its the same story with a little CG added and cleaned up matte lines. I agree that if they had the option to watch a cleaned up version minus the added scenes and maybe just the clean ups, that would be a nice fan service.

LordTrychon
08-15-2010, 05:11 PM
The video may be pulled soon from Youtube, so I apologize. Heres the story from the NY Times:



And the never before seen deleted scene:

UdJ0E7HbTKc


Well, I grew up with the originals (saw Empire and Jedi in theaters) and I understand were you are coming from. The one he messed with the most was A New Hope as it was the most incomplete when he filmed it. Aside from the added scenes, most of the Special Edition stuff was just enhanced lightsabers and getting rid of the transparent boxes around the spaceships. I think my biggest issues with the special editions are:

Star Wars:
-The Jabba and Han scene. Unnecessary and horribly rendered.
-Greedo shooting first. Looked weird and didn't need to happen.

Empire Strikes Back:
I actually thought all of this was done great. The only things they added like the new Wampa scene and the establishing shots of Bespin were neat.

Return of the Jedi:
-The New Jabba's palace dance number. Stupid.

Other than that, its the same story with a little CG added and cleaned up matte lines. I agree that if they had the option to watch a cleaned up version minus the added scenes and maybe just the clean ups, that would be a nice fan service.

I also didn't like the additional sarlaac footage... but that's just me.

:)

MasterShake
08-15-2010, 06:03 PM
I also didn't like the additional sarlaac footage... but that's just me.

:)

Well, it helped me cope with Boba Fetts death a little more. Instead of falling into a sand vagina, at least a monster with a beak came and got him.

Overtime
08-15-2010, 06:23 PM
Well, I grew up with the originals (saw Empire and Jedi in theaters) and I understand were you are coming from. The one he messed with the most was A New Hope as it was the most incomplete when he filmed it. Aside from the added scenes, most of the Special Edition stuff was just enhanced lightsabers and getting rid of the transparent boxes around the spaceships. I think my biggest issues with the special editions are:

Star Wars:
-The Jabba and Han scene. Unnecessary and horribly rendered.
-Greedo shooting first. Looked weird and didn't need to happen.

Empire Strikes Back:
I actually thought all of this was done great. The only things they added like the new Wampa scene and the establishing shots of Bespin were neat.

Return of the Jedi:
-The New Jabba's palace dance number. Stupid.

Other than that, its the same story with a little CG added and cleaned up matte lines. I agree that if they had the option to watch a cleaned up version minus the added scenes and maybe just the clean ups, that would be a nice fan service.

i didn't like the modified Abominable snowman scene in Empire Strikes back. that really ruined it for me.

didn't like the modified celebration at the end of the Return of the Jedi.

i didnt care for any of the stuff he re-did in New Hope.

i think it was just awful how he went in and tampered with all that stuff. it was fine the way it was. if it was really that bad, then he should have postponed the movies until he got them the way he wanted, and then released them to the theatres.

no other director does this nonsense, not sure why Lucas thinks he has to be the exception to the rule.

:tsk:

MasterShake
08-15-2010, 07:07 PM
i didn't like the modified Abominable snowman scene in Empire Strikes back. that really ruined it for me.

didn't like the modified celebration at the end of the Return of the Jedi.

i didnt care for any of the stuff he re-did in New Hope.

i think it was just awful how he went in and tampered with all that stuff. it was fine the way it was. if it was really that bad, then he should have postponed the movies until he got them the way he wanted, and then released them to the theatres.

no other director does this nonsense, not sure why Lucas thinks he has to be the exception to the rule.

:tsk:

Yeah, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't mind seeing the originals in true hi-def either. I just don't mind the changes as much as some.

LordTrychon
08-15-2010, 08:38 PM
Well, it helped me cope with Boba Fetts death a little more. Instead of falling into a sand vagina, at least a monster with a beak came and got him.

Well, unless you believe he survived... as the Canon in the novels say.

sneakers
08-15-2010, 11:50 PM
Admiral Ackbar in HD!

sneakers
08-15-2010, 11:52 PM
Well, unless you believe he survived... as the Canon in the novels say.

No! That is definitely non-canon....and heresy to say such things. He is dead, and way over rated (Wes Janson is cooler than Boba Fett).

atwater27
08-16-2010, 12:31 AM
Well, it helped me cope with Boba Fetts death a little more. Instead of falling into a sand vagina, at least a monster with a beak came and got him.

JFC that's funny..... There is a book out there about boba fett that is basically about how he survived the sarlacc pit by crawling out, I guess his armor protected him, but the stomach acids burnt the hell out of his face and body. Some dude nurses him back to health and he continues being a bounty hunting badass...

atwater27
08-16-2010, 12:34 AM
Admiral Ackbar in HD!

http://www.ecoautoninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/admiralackbar.jpg

sneakers
08-16-2010, 03:04 AM
Yes, that was my biggest problem with the Special Editions, too. Getting rid of the matte lines around the ships, the new shots (like the Bantha herd on Tatooine or the improved Wampa scene) were great.



I think you are thinking of the DVDs. Until 2004 when they released the originals on DVD for the first time, the did not have digital copies until then. The 1997 Special Editions were just a clean up and transfer to another stock of film to get rid of the aging and matte lines. And you are correct, some of the changes were jarring and stupid (like me and Atwater pointed out), but cleaning up some of the special effects like the new shots of the X-Wings flying off of Yavin I thought enhanced the look of the films. At least Empire was left mostly unchanged, which is a testament to how great that film was.

I think the only way to get the true originals are on the 2 disc special editions that came out for the 30th Anniversary. If you haven't got those, you should pick them up. They are pretty cheaply priced. They contain some really crisp LaserDisc transfers of the unaltered original trilogy and are about as good as your gonna get. If you play them in a BluRay player they upscale to 1080i and look fantastic.

They have used copies for around $6: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Episode-IV-Widescreen/dp/B000FQJAIW/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1281888405&sr=8-14

I have those versions and watch them frequently for nostalgia.

Greedo shot first!

MasterShake
08-16-2010, 07:58 AM
JFC that's funny..... There is a book out there about boba fett that is basically about how he survived the sarlacc pit by crawling out, I guess his armor protected him, but the stomach acids burnt the hell out of his face and body. Some dude nurses him back to health and he continues being a bounty hunting badass...

Yeah I remember. I think Dengar saved him.

LordTrychon
08-16-2010, 08:51 AM
No! That is definitely non-canon....and heresy to say such things. He is dead, and way over rated (Wes Janson is cooler than Boba Fett).

Wes Janson is badass. That doesn't change Cannon.


JFC that's funny..... There is a book out there about boba fett that is basically about how he survived the sarlacc pit by crawling out, I guess his armor protected him, but the stomach acids burnt the hell out of his face and body. Some dude nurses him back to health and he continues being a bounty hunting badass...

Well, it didn't hurt that he also had all his built in weaponry, including a thermal detonator he used to kill the Sarlaac.


Yeah I remember. I think Dengar saved him.

Yeah... I'd forgotten the details... but I'm pretty sure those stories are from 'Tales of the Bounty Hunter'. It's old enough (predates the sequels) that some of it is non-canon now, if not all of it. I consider it 'semi-canon' if there is such a thing.

For instance, Boba Fett's story also discusses who he was before he became Boba Fett and how he got into it... and even what his real name was when he was growing up. They had no idea when it was written that he'd be a clone of his father. lol.

That all said, Boba Fett takes on a fairly large role in some novels and the SW universe in general years down the line... becoming 'Mandalore' - the leader of his people... and being a pivotal character in the last completed series of novels.

Shazam!
08-16-2010, 09:42 PM
I don't like ANY of the new additions, especially the Wampa scene on Hoth. They ruin it for me.

ROTJ and TPM are my least favroites of the series. ESB still kicks ass.

sneakers
08-17-2010, 12:08 AM
Wes Janson is badass. That doesn't change Cannon.



Well, it didn't hurt that he also had all his built in weaponry, including a thermal detonator he used to kill the Sarlaac.



Yeah... I'd forgotten the details... but I'm pretty sure those stories are from 'Tales of the Bounty Hunter'. It's old enough (predates the sequels) that some of it is non-canon now, if not all of it. I consider it 'semi-canon' if there is such a thing.

For instance, Boba Fett's story also discusses who he was before he became Boba Fett and how he got into it... and even what his real name was when he was growing up. They had no idea when it was written that he'd be a clone of his father. lol.

That all said, Boba Fett takes on a fairly large role in some novels and the SW universe in general years down the line... becoming 'Mandalore' - the leader of his people... and being a pivotal character in the last completed series of novels.

Grand Admiral Thrawn > Any other expanded universe characters.

MasterShake
08-17-2010, 08:20 AM
Grand Admiral Thrawn > Any other expanded universe characters.

Best story line, not best character. The best characters are always the one that encourage girls to dress up like sluts at conventions. For example Darth Talon:

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u14/Kenobi1_bucket/sideshow-premium-format-darth-talon-statuejpg.jpg

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u14/Kenobi1_bucket/talon2jpg.jpg

LordTrychon
08-17-2010, 08:22 AM
Grand Admiral Thrawn > Any other expanded universe characters.

I think I agree. I'd have to look through the book listings to see if I'm forgetting anyone... but in general... yeah. Admiral Thrawn>all.

Maybe not Starkiller. :D

MasterShake
08-17-2010, 08:24 AM
I don't like ANY of the new additions, especially the Wampa scene on Hoth. They ruin it for me.

ROTJ and TPM are my least favroites of the series. ESB still kicks ass.

Its weird how my tastes have changed over the years. When I was younger Jedi was easily my favorite (the first one I really remember vividly seeing at the theater) but as I got older I think my favorites in order are:

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. Revenge of the Sith
3. A New Hope
4. Attack of the Clones
5. Return of the Jedi
6. The Phantom Menace

Overtime
08-28-2010, 07:51 PM
Yeah, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't mind seeing the originals in true hi-def either. I just don't mind the changes as much as some.

I finally bought the Limited Version, which has the edited versions on 1 disc, and then the Theatrical Originals on the 2nd disc, and watched all 3 of the originals, and while they didn't look terribly bad, i couldn't help but dream of how badass they would truly look in HD if they were ran through the computer and had the dirt, dust, and grain removed from them, and were put on Blu-Ray.

it's a shame that it'll probably never happen though, because Lucas is a selfish cheapskate *****.


A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back were kinda grainy, but Return of the Jedi looked pretty damn good in it's original format.

Overtime
09-01-2010, 03:20 AM
next time link your damn source! I was trying to find the actual link to the article and couldn't because you didn't include it and i had to go hunting on google for it. :mad:

i provided the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/movies/16lucas.html





The video may be pulled soon from Youtube, so I apologize. Heres the story from the NY Times:


Though nearly 35 years of “Star Wars” fandom have yielded all kinds of memorabilia inspired by George Lucas’s outer-space epic, including light saber lookalikes and wearable replicas of Princess Leia’s slave costume, one holy grail has lately eluded fans: a video version of the “Star Wars” films that takes the fullest advantage of their top-of-the-line home theater systems.

That’s a Death Star-sized void that Lucasfilm plans to fill shortly. On Saturday, the studio is to announce that it will release all six live-action “Star Wars” features on Blu-ray DVD in fall 2011. A boxed set containing the Blu-ray versions of the movies, spanning from 1977’s “Star Wars” through the final 2005 prequel, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” will mark the first time the films have been offered in a high-definition home format, and will include documentary features and previously unseen footage.

Given Mr. Lucas’s exacting standards for film presentations (he founded the THX company) and Lucasfilm’s embrace of digital movie technology (digital projection was used for the theatrical release of all three “Star Wars” prequels, and the last two prequels were shot digitally), many fans expected that high-definition versions of the “Star Wars” features would soon follow.

But in a telephone interview, Mr. Lucas said he had been waiting to see if the Blu-ray format would be widely accepted by home viewers.

“We’ve been wanting to do it as soon as we possibly could, but we just wanted to do it when enough people would be able to buy it and see it,” Mr. Lucas said on Friday from the Star Wars Celebration V convention in Orlando, Fla.

When the original “Star Wars” movies were released on VHS in the early 1980s (along with other short-lived home video formats), Mr. Lucas said sales were slow to take off at first.

“We came out with ‘Star Wars’ right at the beginning of VHS,” he said, “and we sold 300,000 copies.” Within a few years, he added, “They were selling 1 million, 2 million, 10 million. So we learned from that experience that if you’re too early in the marketplace, there’s just not enough demand for it.”

In the case of Blu-ray, at least the potential for galactic-scale sales exists: a recent report by the media firm DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group said that nearly 2 million Blu-ray players were sold in the first half of 2010, an increase of 103 percent over last year, for a total of 19.4 million such devices in the U.S.

Mr. Lucas said the versions of the first three “Star Wars” films – “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” – included in the Blu-ray boxed set will be the special-edition releases that were shown theatrically in 1997 and digitally restored for a 2004 standard-definition DVD boxed set.

Perhaps bracing for the reactions of fans who decried some of the changes made to the special-edition films – like, say, an exchange of gunfire between Han Solo and a certain green-skinned bounty hunter – Mr. Lucas said that to release the original versions of these films on Blu-ray was “kind of an oxymoron because the quality of the original is not very good.”

“You have to go through and do a whole restoration on it, and you have to do that digitally,” he added. “It’s a very, very expensive process to do it. So when we did the transfer to digital, we only transferred really the upgraded version.”

And while some viewers might want the “Star Wars” Blu-ray release in time for this year’s Life Day – that is, the Wookiee holiday that roughly coincides with the start of the holiday shopping season – Mr. Lucas said a 2011 release was the earliest possible date. (The boxed set will be distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment; Lucasfilm did not give pricing information or indicate if the films will also be sold individually.)

That, he said, was partly due to continuing work on the additional Blu-ray features, and partly to factors beyond his control.

“We’ve been working on them for quite a while,” Mr. Lucas said, “but still, there are pipelines. Unfortunately, the recent releases get priority over what we call the classic versions of things.” And the never before seen deleted scene:

UdJ0E7HbTKc

MasterShake
09-01-2010, 07:06 AM
My bad. Was it really that hard to copy and paste the first sentence in Google? :lol:

In the future, I will post the link. We are supposed to do that anyway.

Overtime
09-03-2010, 04:03 PM
well that's how I found it, but you get my drift, ya knucklehead. :D

The Glue Factory
10-29-2010, 11:12 AM
I think my biggest issues with the special editions are:

Star Wars:
-The Jabba and Han scene. Unnecessary and horribly rendered.


You do realize that Lucas actually filmed that scene for the original release in '77? No? Oh dear.

Originally Jabba was a scruffy, rotund human, but during editing Lucas decided he wanted something more alien than he could put in the movie with the tech of the time; so he dropped that scene.

MasterShake
10-29-2010, 01:16 PM
You do realize that Lucas actually filmed that scene for the original release in '77? No? Oh dear.

Originally Jabba was a scruffy, rotund human, but during editing Lucas decided he wanted something more alien than he could put in the movie with the tech of the time; so he dropped that scene.

I am the biggest Star Wars Geek here, so yes actually I did know that. Thats why it looked so awful when Han stepped on Jabba's tail because he was originally walking around and behind the actor who played him. And yes, I consider both the 1997 CG Jabba in the scene AND the 2004 redo of the Jabba bad renders. He should of just left that particular scene cut, maybe added in the sandstorm scene or Biggs Darklighter stuff if it was still usable.

EDIT: Make that SECOND biggest Star Wars Geek. Lord Trychon actually writes fan fiction. :)

LordTrychon
10-29-2010, 03:38 PM
In my defense, it's very mediocre fan fiction.

Wait... what?

Ravage!!!
10-29-2010, 03:49 PM
I am the biggest Star Wars Geek here, so yes actually I did know that. Thats why it looked so awful when Han stepped on Jabba's tail because he was originally walking around and behind the actor who played him. And yes, I consider both the 1997 CG Jabba in the scene AND the 2004 redo of the Jabba bad renders. He should of just left that particular scene cut, maybe added in the sandstorm scene or Biggs Darklighter stuff if it was still usable.

EDIT: Make that SECOND biggest Star Wars Geek. Lord Trychon actually writes fan fiction. :)

I know. I absolutely HATED that scene when they added it in. It looks terrible, it makes the movie that much cheesier, and really contributes nothing to the film. Should have been left out, and NEVER edited back in. Other than Binks, one of the worst choices in the star wars sextuplet.

G_Money
10-29-2010, 04:57 PM
I'm a pretty big Star Wars geek too, I have to say. Was one of the first 100 people to beta Star Wars Galaxies. Spent a couple of years on those boards pre-release just trying to make sure it felt like Star Wars. My first memory of a movie in a theater is the AT-AT dropping a large foot on Luke's speeder. I was 5.

I still don't know if I'll drop the cash for these, though. Or rather, I'm sure I WILL drop the cash for them, but maybe not right when they're released. It's not like I can't see them already. They're just less pretty. I'll pretend I'm hung over when I watch em and that's why the picture's not all shiny, yeah...

And Han will always shoot first, no matter how many times Lucas redoes the scene.

~G

sneakers
10-30-2010, 01:05 AM
I'm a pretty big Star Wars geek too, I have to say. Was one of the first 100 people to beta Star Wars Galaxies. Spent a couple of years on those boards pre-release just trying to make sure it felt like Star Wars. My first memory of a movie in a theater is the AT-AT dropping a large foot on Luke's speeder. I was 5.

I still don't know if I'll drop the cash for these, though. Or rather, I'm sure I WILL drop the cash for them, but maybe not right when they're released. It's not like I can't see them already. They're just less pretty. I'll pretend I'm hung over when I watch em and that's why the picture's not all shiny, yeah...

And Han will always shoot first, no matter how many times Lucas redoes the scene.

~G

How did they get the AT-ATs through the planetary shields? I never could figure that one out.

LordTrychon
10-31-2010, 11:15 AM
How did they get the AT-ATs through the planetary shields? I never could figure that one out.

Must've just been an energy shield.

Remember they couldn't attack the vent on the Death Star with lasers?

MasterShake
10-31-2010, 03:33 PM
Must've just been an energy shield.

Remember they couldn't attack the vent on the Death Star with lasers?

Same reason they just didn't bomb the shield bunker from orbit in Return of the Jedi.

Canmore
09-23-2011, 11:23 PM
Well I dropped the $80 at Amazon for the Blu-Ray collection and I love it. I'm watching them in order I-VI. I just finished Episode V and the picture and sound are stunning. I love Star Wars, bet you never would have guessed. :D

sneakers
09-24-2011, 12:20 AM
I got it from my birthday.

Tned
09-24-2011, 10:56 AM
So, this is worth getting?

MasterShake
09-24-2011, 12:47 PM
So, this is worth getting?

I'd say so. I picked mine up at Best Buy for $80, and when you figure the movies alone would be around $25 each in Blu Ray its already a great deal, then you throw in 40+ hours of deleted scenes and bonus footage (with documentaries) its a steal.

I started with the bonus discs, the deleted scenes are really interesting especially for the original trilogy. Stuff I had only ever seen pictures of, like the Sand Storm scene in Return of the Jedi. All of the deleted scenes have scratches, unfinished effects, and some are even in black and white giving them a retro charm. The documentaries are great (all original documentaries from the 70's and 80's, plus a few new ones including Star Warriors about the charity work the 501st Legion does and their inclusion in the Rose Bowl Parade in 2007).

Each movie looks fantastic and they really cleaned up the color on the original films. Each film also features two commentary tracks (one regular commentary track, and one with archived interviews from actors and people who worked on the films). I've watched almost all of them with my son and he is loving them, especially Attack of the Clones because Yoda is his favorite. Started with the originals and am actually watching Revenge of the Sith right now. I think if you like Star Wars, you will like this set.

Nomad
09-24-2011, 02:24 PM
Funny that Star Wars is still so popular among kids. I had the toys when I was a kid in the late 70s/early 80s and my kids was into Star Wars for a while when they made those movies in the early 2000s. And we went to our friend's kids birthday party the other day (I believe he's 6) but he's all about Star Wars right now.

Canmore
09-24-2011, 05:26 PM
So, this is worth getting?

If you love Star Wars, I'd say it is a must have. I'm loving it. I'm watching with my oldest son. He's in college. We're having a blast.

Nomad
09-24-2011, 05:32 PM
one question I should of asked before.....what's the difference with blue ray and the other dvds?

MasterShake
09-24-2011, 06:56 PM
one question I should of asked before.....what's the difference with blue ray and the other dvds?

In regards to quality or changes in the movie? Quality is double that of a DVD (720p resolution vs. 1080p). The changes from the last DVD set are still in play here, the only notable new inclusions would be a digital Yoda replacing the dead eyed puppet in The Phantom Menace and Darth Vader yelling "No!" to the Emperor as he throws him into the abyss (which is not as jarring as the fanboys were making it out to be, actually fits the scene IMO.) They also fixed some minor flaws, like the lightsaber colors in the originals and some matte line cleanup around the models.

Nomad
09-24-2011, 07:05 PM
In regards to quality or changes in the movie? Quality is double that of a DVD (720p resolution vs. 1080p). The changes from the last DVD set are still in play here, the only notable new inclusions would be a digital Yoda replacing the dead eyed puppet in The Phantom Menace and Darth Vader yelling "No!" to the Emperor as he throws him into the abyss (which is not as jarring as the fanboys were making it out to be, actually fits the scene IMO.) They also fixed some minor flaws, like the lightsaber colors in the originals and some matte line cleanup around the models.

Forgive me for my stupidity, MS, but do these blu rays work with a regular dvd player.

MasterShake
09-24-2011, 08:24 PM
Forgive me for my stupidity, MS, but do these blu rays work with a regular dvd player.

Nope, only on Blu Ray players. But you can get one for under $100 pretty easily:Blu Ray Players (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_14?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=blu+ray+player&sprefix=blu+ray+player#/ref=sr_st?keywords=blu+ray+player&qid=1316913701&rh=n%3A172282%2Ck%3Ablu+ray+player&sort=price)

Its only really worth it if you have an HDTV though. The Blu Ray player I have is hooked up to my internet and I can stream Netflix and order new movies off Cinemanow. Its pretty neat, I think I paid $120 for it.

Nomad
09-24-2011, 08:30 PM
Nope, only on Blu Ray players. But you can get one for under $100 pretty easily:Blu Ray Players (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_14?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=blu+ray+player&sprefix=blu+ray+player#/ref=sr_st?keywords=blu+ray+player&qid=1316913701&rh=n%3A172282%2Ck%3Ablu+ray+player&sort=price)

Its only really worth it if you have an HDTV though. The Blu Ray player I have is hooked up to my internet and I can stream Netflix and order new movies off Cinemanow. Its pretty neat, I think I paid $120 for it.

Thanks! I didn't know this! We still pop in VHS for my little girl...the movies my sons use to watch and we have a DVD player. I'll have to talk to my wife about this blu-ray. I bet Finding Nemo and some of those other movies look awesome. Again thanks MS!

MasterShake
09-24-2011, 08:52 PM
Thanks! I didn't know this! We still pop in VHS for my little girl...the movies my sons use to watch and we have a DVD player. I'll have to talk to my wife about this blu-ray. I bet Finding Nemo and some of those other movies look awesome. Again thanks MS!

Yeah, all the Pixar movies look incredible. Like I said, invest in a good HDTV as well. The whole setup could cost you less than $4-500 if you look for good deals. Another good thing about Bluray is that sometimes they come with a digital copy which you can play on your computer or smartphone. This is a lifesaver for me when Broncos games are on, I just play Toy Story 3 for my son while I watch the game.

EDIT: It will also up-convert your current DVDS to nearly HD as well, so you don't have to re-buy all your movies.

Tned
09-25-2011, 06:23 AM
In regards to quality or changes in the movie? Quality is double that of a DVD (720p resolution vs. 1080p). The changes from the last DVD set are still in play here, the only notable new inclusions would be a digital Yoda replacing the dead eyed puppet in The Phantom Menace and Darth Vader yelling "No!" to the Emperor as he throws him into the abyss (which is not as jarring as the fanboys were making it out to be, actually fits the scene IMO.) They also fixed some minor flaws, like the lightsaber colors in the originals and some matte line cleanup around the models.

A note on resolution. A standard DVD is 480p, not 720p. NTSC is actually 480i, but the DVD standard is 480p. A lot of DVD players will upconvert a stadard DVD to 720p or even 1080p, but that is no different than sending the 480p signal to the TV and letting it upconvert to the native resolution (720p or 1080p). Sometimes the DVD player has a better scaler, sometimes the TV does. In tems of pixels, I think this means that a Blu Ray has about 6 tmes as many pixels as a standard DVD, but I'm not 100% about that.

On the new set. I ordered it from Amazon yeserday. I was amazed at all the bad reviews, and even more amazed that almost all of them were written weeks or months before the release of the set.

MOtorboat
09-25-2011, 06:49 AM
I've never wanted a Blu-Ray player until this came out.

Is a Blu-Ray player really worth it?

Tned
09-25-2011, 07:01 AM
I've never wanted a Blu-Ray player until this came out.

Is a Blu-Ray player really worth it?

Yes, no, maybe.

In theory, Blu Ray has by far the best sound, with up to 7 channels of uncompressed audio. Having said that, the vast, vast majority of people's home theater setups, not to mention their ears, can't take advantage of/tell the difference.

There is definitely more resolution, so if you have an HDTV, you will get more res out of a Blu Ray. So, that's a good thing. However, it's not the dramatic difference you get when comparing SD satellite or cable to HD versions. The reason is that a DVD is already a 480p, really clean image, where the SD cable stuff was 480i and often had broadcast artifacts to boot.

So, while people are often "wow" when going from SD TV to HDTV, the DVD to Blu Ray is a bit more subtle.

I've been watching primarily Blu Rays for a couple years now, and recently when there was nothing on to watch, and my Netflix queue was empty, we decided to watch some movies like the fugitive and gladiator which I still have only as regular DVDs and there was no watching it and saying, "man, this video quality sucks," which is exactly the reaction I had during preseason when I had to watch one of the Broncos games on SD cable.

So, it's a qualified yes. It's not as big a difference as going from SD TV to HDTV, but instead somewhere in between, in terms of perceived video quality. I would say perceived DVD quality is closer to Blu Ray than SD TV, meaning the 'wow' factor when switching to Blu Ray is less.

MasterShake
09-25-2011, 08:11 AM
A note on resolution. A standard DVD is 480p, not 720p. NTSC is actually 480i, but the DVD standard is 480p. A lot of DVD players will upconvert a stadard DVD to 720p or even 1080p, but that is no different than sending the 480p signal to the TV and letting it upconvert to the native resolution (720p or 1080p). Sometimes the DVD player has a better scaler, sometimes the TV does. In tems of pixels, I think this means that a Blu Ray has about 6 tmes as many pixels as a standard DVD, but I'm not 100% about that.

On the new set. I ordered it from Amazon yeserday. I was amazed at all the bad reviews, and even more amazed that almost all of them were written weeks or months before the release of the set.

The "bad" reviews are mostly fanboys complaining about the changes to the original saga. They want they "original" unaltered versions, but they also want it cleaned up and in HD. They released a nice Laserdisc to DVD transfer in 2006 which is really nice, not sure what the complaints are about.

And you are correct about the native DVD resolution, I was talking about the upconverting with the blu ray player but as you mentioned the quality is dependent on the scaling and refresh rate. My setup does this beautifully, movies like Casino Royale are nearly Blu Ray quality on DVD.

MOtorboat
09-25-2011, 08:17 AM
I've been told Blu-Ray will have little effect on my LCD/720, so I've never even looked at Blu-Ray, but then Lucas went and did this to me...

MasterShake
09-25-2011, 08:22 AM
I've been told Blu-Ray will have little effect on my LCD/720, so I've never even looked at Blu-Ray, but then Lucas went and did this to me...

Time to invest in a true HDTV then. :D

I don't even have cable anymore. Football on the over the air is incredible looking, and movies are even better. I bet the HD service from DirectTV would look great.

A little off topic Mo, but have you heard the new stuff from Liam and Noel's solo projects yet? I think you were the one other Oasis fan here. I'm just going to combine some of each of their songs on one CD and make a new Oasis album. :lol:

Tned
09-25-2011, 08:35 AM
I've been told Blu-Ray will have little effect on my LCD/720, so I've never even looked at Blu-Ray, but then Lucas went and did this to me...

That's not really true. 720p is still HD, and a regular DVD is never HD, only 480p. So, even with a 720p set, you will take advantage of the Blu Rays HD signal, just like when watching HD from cable or Direct/Dish, you see a better picture on your 720p HDTV than when watching SD signals.

There is a tremendous amount of misconception about 720 and 1080. To a very large extent, the only real difference is how closely you are to the TV. The 1080p image has more dots, and therefore less room between the dots, so you can sit closer to the TV without seeing the dots. However, that occurs closer than the ideal viewing distance anyway.

Check out this CNET FAQ on this, you can jump down to points 9 and 10: http://reviews.cnet.com/720p-vs-1080p-hdtv/

Bottom line, when some TV manufacturers, along with Sony relating to their Blu Ray, started using the term "True HD TV" with 1080p, they successfully perpetrated a false notion that there is a major difference between 720 and 1080 TV's, and as a result Blu Rays on 1080 sets. While that is technically true in the sense of higher resolution being better, it isn't anywhere near as practically true in terms of what our eyes can perceive (assuming you are far enough back to not see the individual pixels).

So, bottom line, whatever benefit there is of a Blu Ray over a DVD (and there are some) you will see on your 720p TV just like you would if you had a 1080p TV. 720 is HDTV, even though a few companies have successfully marketed us into thinking it isn't.

Tned
09-25-2011, 08:39 AM
Time to invest in a true HDTV then. :D



This is priceless. I spent the last 10-15 minutes putting together my last post to help MO out, including digging up the Cnet article, to address the fallacy of True HD and difference between 720 and 1080, and in the meantime you post a "true HDTV" comment. :D

MOtorboat
09-25-2011, 08:50 AM
Time to invest in a true HDTV then. :D

I don't even have cable anymore. Football on the over the air is incredible looking, and movies are even better. I bet the HD service from DirectTV would look great.

A little off topic Mo, but have you heard the new stuff from Liam and Noel's solo projects yet? I think you were the one other Oasis fan here. I'm just going to combine some of each of their songs on one CD and make a new Oasis album. :lol:

I am the other Oasis fan around. I haven't bought an album since Heathen Chemistry and that was six years ago I think. Still love to listen to Morning Glory and Be Here Now. Every other album has a few good songs and then a bunch of stuff that sounds the same, though the chances of you throwing on any random Oasis song from their first five albums or Mastermind and me knowing all the words is usually pretty good.

Noel was always the better song writer (Don't Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova) and he wrote the hooks for almost all the songs, and even played a lot of the instruments in the studio when they had pissed off various band members. So I'd be more likely to invest in an album by him than Liam, though I hadn't paid attention to either of them for a while, and was unaware of this. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the heads up.

And I don't think I'll be spending the money on a new TV anytime soon, though I might buy a Blu-Ray and see if its worth it or not. My DVD player is getting old anyway.

BroncoJoe
09-25-2011, 09:02 AM
And I don't think I'll be spending the money on a new TV anytime soon, though I might buy a Blu-Ray and see if its worth it or not. My DVD player is getting old anyway.

Just get a PS3, Mo. Two problems solved!

MasterShake
09-25-2011, 09:02 AM
I am the other Oasis fan around. I haven't bought an album since Heathen Chemistry and that was six years ago I think. Still love to listen to Morning Glory and Be Here Now. Every other album has a few good songs and then a bunch of stuff that sounds the same, though the chances of you throwing on any random Oasis song from their first five albums or Mastermind and me knowing all the words is usually pretty good.

Noel was always the better song writer (Don't Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova) and he wrote the hooks for almost all the songs, and even played a lot of the instruments in the studio when they had pissed off various band members. So I'd be more likely to invest in an album by him than Liam, though I hadn't paid attention to either of them for a while, and was unaware of this. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the heads up.

And I don't think I'll be spending the money on a new TV anytime soon, though I might buy a Blu-Ray and see if its worth it or not. My DVD player is getting old anyway.

Yeah, Liams band is called Beady Eye and Noel has an album coming out soon (some singles are already out).

You can find a Bluray player for the cost of a DVD player, so I'd say its worth it. Then eventually when you invest in a better TV you will be all set with a nice little library of titles.

atwater27
09-25-2011, 11:15 AM
So what is the consensus, MS and TNED on updating your DVD collection with remastered Blurays? I personally don't have a problem with just keeping my DVD collection while buying current movies in bluray, and then maybe getting the star wars set. I can understand the difference between dvd and bluray with a movie made in the last 5 years. But is it worth buying movies like Terminator and close encounter of the 3rd kind on bluray? Can you really make a movie shot in the 80's or 90's into true 1080p, or is it just bullshit with shiny wrappings?

atwater27
09-25-2011, 11:23 AM
And does anybody know if the Matrix and LOTR blurays are worth getting... basically are they true 1080p or are they what an upconvert DVD player would do with my existing movies.

Tned
09-25-2011, 11:28 AM
So what is the consensus, MS and TNED on updating your DVD collection with remastered Blurays? I personally don't have a problem with just keeping my DVD collection while buying current movies in bluray, and then maybe getting the star wars set. I can understand the difference between dvd and bluray with a movie made in the last 5 years. But is it worth buying movies like Terminator and close encounter of the 3rd kind on bluray? Can you really make a movie shot in the 80's or 90's into true 1080p, or is it just bullshit with shiny wrappings?

There is huge debate on various home theater related forums about that. If you don't have a HIGH end audio setup to take advantage of the better audio (I doubt 1 in 30 people could tell difference in A/B testing), then in many cases it comes down to remastering. If a they've done a good remaster job, then that can be worth it in and of itself.

A friend of mine just spent BIG dollars building a home theater room in his new house (it's in the basement with his bowling alley), and he's been spending a lot of time on AV related sites. It seems to be a real mixed bag, but more than anything else, a disc by disc decision as to whether the Blu Ray disc is significantly better,a dn in some cases, whether the Blu Ray is a worse transfer.

For instance, the start of Gladiator standard DVD where they try and create the "fog of war" has some digital artifacting and isn't a very pleasant visual scene. In these DVD v. Blu Ray discussions, many say that the greater detail of the Blu Ray version makes that artifacting even worse, and therefore they recommend the DVD version.

:whoknows:

MasterShake
09-25-2011, 03:53 PM
And does anybody know if the Matrix and LOTR blurays are worth getting... basically are they true 1080p or are they what an upconvert DVD player would do with my existing movies.

For your first question, I don't go back and buy my old DVDs on Blu Ray except for all time favorites (Like Star Wars) or unless they have a good deal on them (picked up Blade Runner for $10 on Amazon).

And as Tned said, it all depends on the transfer for DVDS or Blu. 2k or 4k transfers are film quality and look absolutely incredible. One of the websites my company sells home theater equipment on (theaterseatstore.com SHAMELESS PLUG :lol:) had me put up a pretty neat link to this that shows how important a good transfer is in terms of artifacting:http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/68257/picture:3

Just hover over the image to see the BluRay transfer and how much better it looks.

MasterShake
09-26-2011, 09:11 PM
Well, I guess this is the place to post my review of the Star Wars Blu Rays after pouring over them the past few weeks.

Disc One: The Phantom Menace 7.5/10
Still the weakest of the prequels, but one that has really grown on me over the years. The opening reveal of the Jedis (along with Liam Neeson melting away a blast door with his lightsaber) is some of my favorite imagery of the series. There are stretches of plot I could do without on Tattooine and with the Gunguns (I won't even mention Jar Jar, my son loves him right now) but the Pod Race and final lightsaber duel remain some of the best action set pieces of the saga.

Disco Two: Attack of the Clones 8.2/10
The most unique entry in the entire saga in my opinion. I love how vivid the colors of the Coruscant chase and Geonosis arena pop in HD on this. My favorite character in the entire saga, Obi Wan, gets to flex his screen time a lot more in this with his own subplot on Kamino. The politics get a little interesting in this one finally, as we see how the emperor is pulling the strings of the Jedi, Separatists, and Senate. The corny love scenes I could do without, but the fight between Jango and Obi Wan and the final 30 minutes more than make up for it. People seem to really hate this one even more than Phantom, but I really dig the visual style and story here.

Disc Three: Revenge of the Sith 9.3/10
Easily the best of the Prequels and the only Star Wars movie to garner a PG-13 rating, and for good reason. One great set-piece after another and the best pacing of the saga. From the "waterfall" spaceship opening battle, to Luke being delivered to Beru and Owen under the twin suns of Tattooine this is the closest in quality to the original trilogy and ties the two together nicely.

Disc Four: A New Hope 9.5/10
The original and still the most imaginative of the bunch. The dumb Jabba and "Han Shot First" scenes aside, this is also the one that benefited the most from digital cleanup and additions. I especially like the new shots on the final X-Wing assault, and there is still satisfaction in seeing the Death Star get blowed the hell up.

Disc Five: The Empire Strikes Back 11/10
Bringing in Irvin Kirschner to direct was probably the smartest thing Lucas could have ever done. All the Star Wars movies are good, but this is the closest to being a true classic in the sense of movies like Citizen Kane. The perfect mix of mythological motifs and stunning visuals, there is a reason this is considered universally to be the best Star Wars movie. The Battle of Hoth is still my favorite scene in all of the Saga.

Disc Six: Return of the Jedi 8.3/10
It didn't strike me until after I watched these all back to back how much this has slid on my rankings since I was younger. Love the Jabba scenes and rescue, and the space battle is one of the best ever put to film. The whole ground battle on Endor just seems off the older I get though, but the stuff between the Emperor, Luke and Vader is still top notch.

Discs 7-9 Bonus Features: 10/10
Archival artwork, deleted scenes, vintage making of specials, parodies (including Robot Chicken and Family Guy) - the list of incredible nerdgasms offered on the extras discs is overwhelming. The highlight of this particular set would be the deleted scenes from the original trilogy and a new documentary called Conversations with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years later. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to see everything these discs have to offer, and I even found an easter egg of the Boba Fett cartoon from the Holiday Special.

Overall: 9.7/10
Great deal for Star Wars fans. The only drawback is that you have to buy the complete saga if you want the special features, so if you are not a fan of the prequels you are stuck with 3 movies you may not care for. I'm sure the Original and Prequel Trilogy boxsets are still fine, but it would have been nice to have the option to get the extras with them too. I'm not crazy about the artwork, but thats a minor complaint with the book-like setup of the inside of the packaging and how great these movies look.