By now, I’m sure that you’ve already gotten wind of the latest uproar from the ‘Star Wars’ universe, which exploded all over the internet yesterday. Despite the fact that, just the other week, representatives from Lucasfilm told Bleeding Cool that the new Blu-ray editions of the series would have no additional changes to the movies beyond those made for the 2004 DVD releases, early leaked copies are filled with all sorts of stupid, pointless little tweaks and alterations, such as more digital rocks for Artoo to hide behind and Ewoks that blink, all while genuine technical problems with the DVD masters (like lightsabers being the wrong color) have been blithely ignored. Honestly, I think that George Lucas is just screwing with his fans on purpose at this point.
Judge for yourself. Ask yourself what point any of these new changes serve. For example…
Jabba’s palace has a new, much larger digital door:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BoOsNnsfsk
Obi-Wan makes a crazier screaming noise:
Vader yells “NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” (to match that much-mocked scene in ‘Revenge of the Sith’) as he tosses the Emperor down the shaft:
The Ewoks have super-creepy digital blinking eyes:
A bunch of new digital rocks have been painted in front of Artoo:
(How did he ever get behind those rocks?)
I think it goes without saying that the original 1977, 1980 and 1983 theatrical cuts of the first trilogy have not been restored or provided, because George Lucas hates them and hates any of his fans who would like to see them again.
Sigh.
[via Topless Robot]
Jack Palanca
And if you buy this crap, YOU are part of the problem. I’ve been trying to understand why in hell Lucas just can’t release the original along with these atrocities.
Dail Whiteley
i’m glad that there is a new Yoda for ep. 1 . that old Yoda looked like he had a rough night. Lucas is a perfectionist. at this point i wouldn’t be surprised if the sock puppet from the family guy spoof of Jedi didn’t pop up.
Jeremy
Of all the changes to complain about: Blinking Ewoks. Really? If I hadn’t seen the video first, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. When Grandpa George dies, petition his kids. Maybe they’ll do the full restoration. Until then, move on.
William Henley
I actually thought the Ewoks blinked before. I will have to go check the HDTV versions and the DVDs and the Laserdiscs, but I honestly thought Wikkit always blinked at that part.
I guess I am also okay with the CGI Yoda. The other changes I have seen, though, are horrible.
That being said, I am the fan who will buy any crap Lucas throws my way.
Jason
I really get tired of the “director’s original intent” argument. If this were just a home movie made for the directors own amusement that’d be fine. massage it till it’s limp. but messing with films that are now 30 years old and refusing to release the films as they were theatrically released is just slapping the fans in the face. apparently George Lucas doesn’t know what a “timeless classic” is. All I can say is thank god Victor Fleming is dead. Can you imagine the CGI damage he could do to Oz or the burning of Atlanta?
Jane Morgan
Emo Darth Vader is just too much.
I was going to buy these blu-rays, as my kids have not yet seen any of the Star Wars films.
But now I’m not.
In fact, in our household, Star Wars will now be placed in the same category as pornography. When the kids are adults, they can decide for themselves if they want to give Lusas their money.
This IP is dead to me.
Jackie L. Anaya
That’s kind of ridiculous, but I guess that’s where you and I differ.
Jane Morgan
It’s not that ridiculous. I haven’t watched Star Wars since ’97.
I’ll just get the kids the Transformers trilogy instead.
Julian
Jane just likes controversy. That’s the way her cookie crumbles 🙂
Thulsadoom
I used to get really POed about the silly changes, as Star Wars is a big part of my life (Yes, that could easily be considered very sad lol!). But a friend’s daughter is heavily into all of the Star Wars universe, and I saw how much she was embracing it and enjoying the magic in the way only a kid really can. Then I realised that worrying about the revisions is just a “cutting off my nose to spite my face” situation. 😉
Sure, I’d like them back the way they were, with the only alterations being to perfect existing effects (e.g. Garbage mattes, wires, effects that were bad due to budget and time, etc.) but you know what? I’m not going to let that ruin my enjoyment! 😀 So when that big amazon box gets forced through the letter box, I’m going to tear it open, sit back, and enjoy the ride! 😀
Josh Zyber
AuthorThis just in: The opening prologue scroll of A New Hope has been removed. The movie now opens with a new scene on Tatoonie. Jar Jar walks into the frame, bends over, and farts to the tune of the original theme music.
But hey, they’re George’s movies. He can do whatever he wants with them and we are obligated to like every change.
Jonathan Doan
HAHAHA!! Thanks for the visual, Josh!
Jane Morgan
George Lucas is a registered sex offender, so naturally I’m hesitant to let my kids be exposed the molested trilogy.
However, my girlfriend made a good counter on me. No one likes ‘Return of the Jedi.’ A bad movie, made 3% worse, won’t affect the blu-ray sales.
So I’ll vote with my wallet the way I do with naughty video game companies. I’ll wait six months and buy it used. All profits to Amazon.
After all, I don’t want my kids to first experience these films in some strange basement, without someone around to explain all the flaws.
Tim Tringle
Conterversy aside, I’m tired of George going back and slowly making these movies more and more like the prequels. There are literally now only a handful of scenes that are watchable in the prequels and they are only heavy CGI scenes to show off ones Home Theater.
But Vader was the ultimate bad ass Villain for over 30 years, I still remember the first time I saw him when I was 8. He remained so until George decided to make him a whiny little bitch in the prequels.
But now he’s committed the ultimate insult to the fans of the original movies, he’s made Vader that whiny little bitch here as well. It’s not like Jedi was the best Star Wars movie, we all know TESB holds that crown. But at least Vader was untouched by Lucas current psychological problems until now.
And so I purchased the movies in the past, but no longer.
I urge any of you that do not appreciate these changes in the slightest to vote with your wallet. Even if it’s only for 6 months. I know what I’m asking and I feel for you but George needs to get the message and the only thing that will work is for all of us to not BUY THIS CRAP, let him know that if he keeps messing with the movies they will not be the cash cow they have been in the past.
We all went to the prequels hoping against hope that they would get better, even Revenge which should have been the greatest Star Wars movie of all sucks in comparison to the original movies.
It’s time to put an end to it, and create our own rebellion of a sorts, only now George is the bad guy.
I have no intention of ever buying this set unless George releases the original movies as they were intended, remastered to look and sound as much like the originals as they once did in theaters.
THATS IT!!! No greedo shot first, no digital rocks, no BATSHIT INSANE krayt dragon call, NO BLINKING EWOKS, and absolutely NO CRY BABY WHINY BITCH VADER!!!!
And to all of you who think we are overreacting to these, I say. You clearly had no respect for the material before this point anyway and simply won’t get what’s happening here.
But I’m done until George wakes up or someone convinces him that he’s hurting the brand by considering us “fringe” or not a big enough segment of his fanbase that he can not only ignore us but do things that are seemingly aimed at pissing us off.
Good luck, but I won’t be buying this and I suggest you all do the same.
Super-VHS
http://nooooooooooooooo.com/
Chad Lawless
Super-VHS for the win!
Jonathan Doan
The blinking Ewok thing is a tad disturbing, yes.
Vader’s new NOOOOOO as he throws the Emperor down the shaft is enough to make me drive from Dallas, Texas, all the way to California, find George, and punch him in the face with all my strength. Many times. Consequences be damned!!
Eric Hulen
I’ve come to the “zen” place that George Lucas’ revisionism is as much a part of film history as his movies are.
Kevin K.
How did you manage that? If you’re open to teaching a course on the matter, I’d be your first student lol.
RollTide1017
In the youtube clip of the new Obi-wan scream, there are no added rocks in front of R2. So which is real, the youtube clip or the added rocks screenshot? They both can’t be real unless the rocks appear and disappear through out the scene. I think one is a fan made joke and I hope it is the scream because it sounds horrible.
Charles Oosterhouse
It wasn’t explained correctly. The clip with Kenobi’s new scream was the original clip, as the guy who made the vid only had the leaked audio track. He then simply synched it up with the clip in the movie.
But then one wonders how he got the audio track for one movie, then has actual clips from the others (the blinking ewoks, the cgi door on Jabba’s palace). And this makes me hope that some of these are jokes. I’m sick of George.
William Henley
I agree. I mean, how can you have the audio, but not have the video? Maybe the guy just doesn’t know how to rip a Blu-Ray. But, as you said, he has other videos, like Jabba’s door. The growl and the NOOOOO are SO bad, it HAS to be an internet joke.
Thulsadoom
These weird inconsistencies really make you wonder… I think we’ll just have to wait and see! 😉
Kevin K.
Wow. It’s just pointless – even more pointless than I’d ever imagined. I understand touching a scene up (such as the rough patches underneath the Landspeeder in A New Hope) but its when things are pointlessly ADDED that I get annoyed. Why can’t we have two versions, like the ET dvd release? One that George can call his own and one that the oldschool fans can call their own.
I recently wrote a little piece with my views on the Special Edition alterations, but it looks like its outdated now. Thanks George.
http://www.media-feed.com/why-i-will-not-be-purchasing-the-upcoming-star-wars-blu-ray-release/
There’s the address if anyone wants to read my thoughts (or add their own.)
Drew
I just want to add that at least HDD was wrong about the colors of the lightsabers not being corrected. I’m sure many of you have, just like me, read numerous reports that the color timing for many of the lightsaber shots has been corrected from the DVD release.
At least that’s one good change. Right?
Josh Zyber
AuthorWhat I’ve read today is that only a couple of the lightsaber color errors have been fixed. Many others were not corrected. Here is one report:
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/10908395-post2121.html
Quoting:
-On board the Falcon, Luke’s saber is inconsistent. It starts off blue-tinted instead of green, but it’s sort of a turquoise since it wasn’t a full-on fix. Occasionally it’s white, occasionally it’s slightly green-tinted. Nothing was done to the blade itself in terms of new effects.
-The lightsaber duel sees improvements to Obi-Wan’s saber blade for only a few shots, while Vader’s is unaltered. It’s not pink anymore, but does come a little close on occasion.
-When Obi-Wan’s saber completely fizzles out in one shot, just as before it has NOT been fixed.
-The glow-tipped rod of his prop saber blade is still there.
Jane Morgan
At least the lightsabers weren’t color-corrected to teal and orange.
Drew
Are you trying to make Josh’s head explode with this comment?
😉
Jane Morgan
Part of me wishes Lucas would have done that.
Just as a social experiment.
Drew
I feel the same way. Can you imagine the reaction in communities like the one here on HDD?
This community pales in comparison to some of the die-hard Star Wars ones. Just imagine their reaction!
I would be laughing my ass off right now if it was announced that all lightsabers that were previously blue or green, are now teal. And all lightsabers that were previously red, are now orange. Hahahaha!
Drew
“-When Obi-Wan’s saber completely fizzles out in one shot, just as before it has NOT been fixed.”
Maybe we can get some comments from some huge Star Wars fanboys, but I’ve never thought that this had anything to do with the color. I’ve always believed that Obi-Wan’s lightsaber completely fizzles out in that scene for two reasons: One, because it is an extremely old and outdated lightsaber. Two, the lightsaber fizzling out is meant as an analogy that Obi-Wan is also “fizzling out.”
I don’t think that it’s appropriate to include that particular scene when you talk about the lightsaber color timing. I’m almost certain that the lightsaber issues in this scene have nothing to do with the color of his saber.
Star Wars nuts and fanboys please chime in. Is the lightsaber problem in this particular scene color related? Or is it meant to show symmetry between the lightsaber “dying” and Obi-Wan dying?
Drew
I would also like it if the fanboys would chime in regarding this scene — “-On board the Falcon, Luke’s saber is inconsistent. It starts off blue-tinted instead of green, but it’s sort of a turquoise since it wasn’t a full-on fix. Occasionally it’s white, occasionally it’s slightly green-tinted. Nothing was done to the blade itself in terms of new effects.”
This is another scene in which I’ve never thought that any of these issues has anything to do with the color timing of the video releases. In this scene, Luke is using a, what? 25 year old lightsaber? And a lightsaber that hasn’t been turned on in a very long time no less. I think that the problems with it are indicative of the age of the lightsaber, and the fact that the power source (crystal) is dying. Essentially, this scene is showing us that the old lightsaber that old Ben introduces to Luke is a piece of crap.
Star Wars fanboys, let us know.
Josh Zyber
AuthorTo me, those sound like rationalizations for what were really production flubs. It sounds like you’re straining to win a No-Prize. 🙂
Personally, what I would like to see again are the ORIGINAL movies, flubs and all (so long as Lucas fixes the new errors that were introduced in the DVD masters). However, if all Lucas had done were to correct gaffes such as matte boxes and visible wires and so forth, I’d probably be OK with it. In fact, yes, I would be OK with it.
What I absolutely do not find acceptable are the constant CHANGES Lucas is making to the movies. Greedo shooting at Han, that assinine scene where Vader gets on his shuttle and flies all the way to the Star Destroyer, “Jedi Rocks,” anything CGI, etc. These are not flub corrections. They are substantive revisions to the content of the movies.
And what I just can’t understand at all, is if Lucas is determined to keep making these damned tweaks, why does he ignore actual things that deserve fixing (bad lightsaber effects) and waste so much time and effort on stupid things like making the Ewoks blink? I just cannot fathom his thought process on this.
Drew
They’re not rationalizations! You stay out of this! You’re not a Star Wars fanboy! You don’t know one way or the other! Let’s leave this open to the people “in the know.”
We’ve talked — and countless other people have as well — enough about the changes we don’t like.
Right now, we’re talking about those two scenes in particular. Leave this open to the die-hard Star Wars fanboys that actually KNOW one way or the other. We’ll find out who’s right that way.
Josh Zyber
AuthorExactly how are Star Wars fanboys “in the know”? Both of these scenes we’re talking about were clearly production gaffes, not intentional story points. Any attempt to explain them away as story points is just making excuses for the flub.
Once upon a time, I used to be a Star Wars fanboy. I just can’t stand the way Lucas has desecrated these films.
Drew
You know as well as I do, that somebody actually KNOWS, for a fact, whether the issues in these two scenes have anything to do with color.
It’s only a matter of time before we get someone posting the facts.
You can’t say that these are “clearly production gaffes”, because you don’t KNOW that.
I’m sorry but if these were production gaffes, Lucas would have fixed them by now. There must be something about them that was either intentional, or at least offered a certain quality that Lucas was happy with. He could have easily went in and made Obi-Wan’s lightsaber pefect for the entire Vader lightsaber duel. He could have easily made Luke’s lightsaber pefect for that entire scene on the Falcon.
If you really were a Star Wars fanboy once upon a time, I have a hard time believing that you never watched those two scenes and felt that the lightsaber problems were intentional. The problems, and the way they are manifesting themselves during these two scenes, make too much sense from a logical standpoint, for you to say that they are “clearly production gaffes.”
You’ve always just felt that Luke’s lightsaber on board the Falcon should have been perfect? You think that would be better now? Why? The issues that he’s having with it show us that he is working with an inferior piece of equipment. It’s an old piece of shit lightsaber from a previous generation. If it was perfect during this scene, it would lessen the impact of the scenes in ‘Empire’ where construction of a new lightsaber is discussed.
In Obi-Wan’s duel with Vader, he is using the same broken down piece of shit that Luke was using on the Falcon. You really think that the lightsaber shouldn’t be sputtering out during the duel? Vader is using a brand new lightsaber, which is why you don’t see it having any issues. Obi-Wan is using one from 20-25 years ago. You think that it should just be perfect during this scene? Once again, it would lessen the impact of any scene in which there are comments about a new lightsaber being constructed in the sequels.
Drew
By the way, I know you’re just going to come back and talk about how we’re trusting the same guy that — insert all of the many atrocities Lucas has inflicted on us here — to determine whether something has a certain quality to it that should be left untouched.
Well, don’t bother. Believe me. I know all about all of the many ways that Lucas has molested this film saga. I’m not saying that I trust him to make the right decision.
However, if there’s one thing he has proven, it is that he is a nitpicker. He will not leave production gaffes in these films. He’s not going to correct the pole showing with the snow monster on Hoth, and not correct a dying lightsaber. This is a man who goes in and digitally corrects the very smallest of mistakes on all of these films. If these lightsaber issues in the two scenes we are discussing were mistakes, he would have corrected them in a heartbeat.
He doesn’t care about artistic integrity. Even if I’m right, and some of the problems that we witness in these scenes actually serve a purpose in terms of storyline, he would still correct them to pefection, simply to make the lightsabers look shinier and better. That’s all he cares about.
Josh Zyber
AuthorThe thing about Lucas’s nit-picking is that he’s very inconsistent in the things that bother him as “flaws” and the things that don’t. It wasn’t until THIS release that he finally fixed that black squiggle in the Emperor’s hood in RotJ. That’s stood out as an obvious gaffe to viewers since 1983. He could have easily digitally painted that out in 1997 when he was busy adding the stupid “Jedi Rocks” musical number, but he didn’t. He then had another chance to fix it in 2004 when he was Photoshopping Hayden Christensen into the end of the movie, but again he didn’t. Only now is it (reportedly) fixed.
Lucas finds it absolutely critical to add a snapping CGI beak to the Sarlacc monster, yet hasn’t attempted to recomposite or digitally enhance the lousy blue-screen effects in the Rancor scene. WTF??
If Lucas were really obsessed with fixing all the production flubs in these movies, why do many of the spaceships STILL have obvious matte boxes around them? Those could be digitally painted out with no trouble at all.
THAT is one of the many things that is so infurating about George Lucas. There’s no rhyme or reason to his “fixes.” Had any viewer who ever watched ESB prior to 1997 EVER complained that they needed to see Vader get into a shuttle and fly to his Star Destroyer? Of course not; the editing of the scenes makes it perfectly clear how he got there. Yet apparently, it was absolutely killing George Lucas for years that this big hole existed in his movie.
Who ever watched RotJ and thought, “Gee, I really wish I could see these Ewoks blink more”? This is the sort of detail that George Lucas obsesses over, yet he doesn’t notice at all that the music surround channels were reversed in the first movie’s audio mix? (Oh wait, now that’s one is intentional too. Riiiight….) It’s completely baffling how he decides which errors to fix and which ones not to.
Drew
I agree with every word you say here.
However, I’ll ask you once again, did you really never think that the problems with the lightsabers served a purpose within the context of the storyline?
You never watched these movies as a kid or teenager (depending on how old you are), and thought that these problems with the lightsaber were meant to show us what an old piece of shit Obi-Wan still had after all of his time in seclusion?
“…yet he doesn’t notice at all that the music surround channels were reversed in the first movie’s audio mix? (Oh wait, now that’s one is intentional too. Riiiight….)”
Are you fucking kidding me? Of course that one is NOT INTENTIONAL! Don’t compare that to the lighsaber flickering/sputtering/fizzling!
Josh Zyber
AuthorNo, even as a kid, I recognized that as a dodgy special effect. If it had been an intentional effect to make the lightsabers appear old and broken, the shots would have been accompanied by some sort of sputtering sound effect to make this clear, much like how the Falcon makes a sound like an old car engine that won’t turn over. George Lucas is not a director known for his subtlety. If he wanted you to think that the lightsabers were broken, he’d emphasize that point.
A Lucasfilm representative recently made the excuse that the swapped music channels were done intentionally to make the back soundstage sound “bigger” or something. It was nonsense, of course. But that’s the way the company does business these days. When challenged on anything, they make excuses and pretend that every error is a deliberate part of George Lucas’s artistic vision for the films.
Drew
You’re misunderstanding me. I’m not saying that I didn’t recognize it as a dodgy special effect as a kid (I wasn’t born until shortly ‘Jedi’ was released. I caught up on the first two when I was probably 7 or 8). I’m saying that even though I’ve always known that it was a second-rate special effect, it still seemed like it served a purpose. I just figured that the middling effects were all that were possible back then, if they wanted to show that a lightsaber was having issues.
Drew
I think our “back and forth” has, at the very least, proven that the two scenes in question have nothing to do with color. Middling special effects? Yes. Color? Not so much.
At least he corrected the color on the lightsaber shots that were massacred in the previous DVD release.
Tim Tringle
Josh,
This is the same man that obviously insisted that Spielberg put not one, not two but three (clearly CGI) groundhog reaction shots into Crystal Skull.
The man has clearly gone over the edge and probably has some kind of disorder that one day will be diagnosed explaining why he’s been so OCD about screwing up these movies.
Multiwizard
I have a couple of questions because I used to be, and I guess always will be a Star Wars fanboy: when exactly in “Empire” did they mention or show construction of a new lightsaber? (You mention it in your later comments, but I can’t reply to those for some reason). Vader does mention that Luke created a new lightsaber while holding it in “Jedi”. This is because his other saber (Anakin’s) went bye-bye with his hand in the “Empire” Vader duel. The lightsaber that Luke uses on the Falcon in the training sequence and in “Empire” are the same, but I saw no sputtering or fizzling of the saber in “Empire”. In fact, it did just fine against the Wampa, during Yoda’s training and fighting Vader, far more use than in “A New Hope”. According to your theory, the saber would have died before the end of Empire on its own. As far as I know, there has been no tinkering or reconstruction done to it.
You also mention that Obi-Wan uses the same lightsaber that Luke used on the Falcon when he fought Vader. That is incorrect. Obi-Wan used his own lightsaber when fighting Vader, not Anakin’s/Luke’s.
These technical issues that have been mentioned here are true technical issues as far as I know. I have to agree with Josh here, in that Luca’s priority is “adding” stuff to these films instead of “fixing” them.
You mention that George fixed the pole in the Wampa’s arm because he wants to fix technical errors. You fail to realize however that “pole” issue has plagued the film since the original theatrical release, as so many of the others have. I have the VHS widescreen releases before George started making his changes, and it’s all there. So, in spite of his mission to fix things, the Wampa pole-arm has made it through every iteration of these films despite other useless changes.
Finn Banks
I didn’t think it was the lightsaber “fizzing out” so much as the original lightsaber effect, which was reflective tape on a spinning rod, revealing itself. I never thought it was intentional. Which begs the question why wasn’t it fixed? I wonder if they’ve finally added a laser blast when Leia and Han take shelter at the base door after the Ewoks attack the stormtroopers in JEDI? You can clearly see the puff of smoke when Fisher pulled the trigger on the prop gun, and you can even hear the “poof”, but a laser blast has never been added.
Thulsadoom
Like you, I was always pretty sure that it was due to the original efforts at the effect, with the reflective surface… however, that doesn’t preclude it being left for the ‘fizzing out’ effect. Like many things in films, an unintentional moment can become something the creator likes and utilizes.
Not saying that’s definitely the case here, but I think it could easily be. I always thought it looked pretty cool, even though I knew why it was the way it was. I think if I was Lucas, I’d have left it that way as well. 😉
William Henley
This was my thought. The effect comes from the way it was originally filmed, and the fact the scene worked at all is amazing. The fact that it wasn’t changed, though, says that Lucas likes it, and felt that leaving it the way it was added something to the story. This seems to be consistant with the way that Lucas is meddling the films – he changes only what he wants to change, in hopes that it will enhance the story.
Not saying I support lucas’s changes at all. Some don’t bother me. Others are really bad.
Lucas probably watched this, saw the effect, liked how it went along with the story, and even though the effect was inferior, liked how it worked into the story and left it alone.
I honestly think its funny that we are complaining about Lucas NOT changing something. 😀
motorheadache
Honestly, most of the new alterations wouldn’t bother me. Yes, they are pointless, but its already not the original versions so whatever. I was prepared to buy the Blu-Ray set, despite not liking many of the alterations done to the films.
But that “Nooooo” change is an entirely different story. Lucas took one of the greatest and most emotional moments of the trilogy and completely destroyed it. I really don’t want to watch a Star Wars trilogy that ends that way.
Honestly, forget the technical details. This could be a whole new transfer taken from a brand new 8K scan with perfect colors and lightsabers looking perfect, but it still ends with Darth Vader yelling “Noooooooo!” So who cares? It’s crap and I for one am not buying it.
Shannon Nutt
None of these new alterations bother me. In comparison the new Blu-ray versions are MUCH better than the DVD special editions. Sure they add some unneccesary stuff, but they also correct a lot of the annoying things about the DVDs. They still pale in comparison to the originals, but they’re an improvement over the last “special editions”.
As for the first three films, I think we’re all in agreement that George can do whatever the hell he wants with those – we don’t care! 🙂
Eric Hulen
Ahem!!!
I can’t believe people care if he made the Ewoks blink. I mean come on, any change is better then they looked in the original cut. You can’t make them any worse.
omf
The original SW trilogy will not be safe until Lucas has gone to the great Jedi training camp in the sky.
At this rate, I fully expect Jar Jar Binks to be digitally placed into the original cantina scene when the trilogy is next re-released.
Deaditelord
I wouldn’t have noticed the new rocks that hide Artoo, the new door on Jabba’s palace, or the blinking Ewok eyes so those changes don’t bother me. Plus I’m actually am glad they swapped out creepy troll doll Yoda for his digital alter ego in Episode I and removed the Wampa gaffe on Empire. Having said that, while I’m not yet convinced the Kenobi dragon scream audio change is real, I do think the addition of Vader’s Nooo! is a terrible choice.
Is it a dealbreaker though? For me personally I’d say no, although I must admit to not understanding Lucas’ aversion to releasing the Original Trilogy unedited on Blu-ray. I thought Lucas was about making money?
Chad Lawless
In Jedi:
C-3PO: “Because he’s holding a thermal detonator!”
(quick edit to a REVERSED IMAGE of Boba Fett quick drawing his gun)
It’s so blatantly wrong, and I really hope they fix it. The range finder is on the right, not the left, and Boba is right handed. This one little scene has always bugged the crap out of me… every time I’ve seen it.
Here’s hoping……
7:53 mark on the video….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=069_JWs9Cqo&feature=fvst
that1guypictures
I get people are frustrated, but I personally like the films for the music, so unless they are cutting out John Williams I’ll still be buying these day one. I still have all the previous cuts too on DVD and Laserdisc, and that will do for me, though I understand why people are upset.
Shayne Blakeley
It bugs me in principle that they’re still fiddling with these films, but to be honest, with the exception of “NOOOOOOOOO!!!!” I wouldn’t have noticed or cared about these particular tweaks. I half expect to find that scene missing from Sith because he really wanted to end the series that way. As for Yoda, I’d say that change was sound.
Tim Tringle
Really have you heard the Krayt Dragon call that us supposedly in these Blu-Ray’s. It would be laughable if it’s a joke, and if it is a joke then bravo to whomever did it because that would be funny.
But if it’s serious, and there is nothing that makes me feel that it isn’t at this point then it shows that George just doesn’t care any more.
But he could take every change he’s ever made and leave just the “Noooo” from vader in and I would refuse to watch this. That ruins one of the greatest movie moments of the past 40 years for me.
Those movies are so much better because George did not have full control, and it’s proving that with the ability to do anything the Star Wars movies wouldn’t have been very good at all. They were a product of their time. Imagine DaVinci going back (not really comparing Star Wars to this painting BTW) and changing the Mona Lisa’s smile because he had the technology to do so, but in doing so he destroy’s the original painting and all we have is this new “messed up” version of the Mona Lisa. Sure, it’s his painting (not really) he should have the right to make it the way it should have been, right? WRONG!!!
Later all.
Rabbit503
It’s like George Lucas brought a really cute puppy over to my house. At first I’m like, “Hey George, what a great dog. You should be proud.” Then George starts making the dog do stupid tricks I don’t really care about but I’m like, “Cool, George. I guess you just improved the dog.” And now he pulls out the doggie-tuxedo costume and puts it on the dog.” And now I’m like, “Get out George. Get the flip out of my house… but leave the dog.”
Drew
An interesting read, and highly relevant to this blog post –
http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/09/01/return-jedi-nooo-george-lucas/2/
http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/09/01/return-jedi-nooo-george-lucas/
Brian H
There seems to be such a large, vocal community wishing/hoping/demanding versions of the first three Star Wars movies whose makeup matches what people watched in the 1980’s -just presented through the blu ray standard. Something like a Star Wars original recipe.
Debating specific scene changes, added fx, and other examples of “tinkering,” seems to illicit a sizable counter response that I don’t understand.
As a fan of Blade Runner, LOTR, Last of the Mohicans it just seems reasonable to want theatrical versions. “Dear Director X, and Studio Y, could I purchase a blu ray version of such and such film the way I saw it in theater/ or on home video for twenty years?”
I like extended/”director’s cuts,” but having the original release of a given movie seems entirely reasonable. I think that works well for Apocalypse Now and for Brazil. George Lucas has his reasons for not allowing unaltered versions, but I have to guess that comments that support this forbiddance are designed to antagonize Star Wars purist fans.
shwru980r
The bottom line here is that Lucas wants to repackage the material and sell it again. If the original versions were released, that would constitute another repackaging and more sales for Lucas. Releasing the original versions alongside these versions would also make it very easy to compare and contrast the changes that Lucas has made. It’s pretty clear that Lucas knows that he would receive significantly more criticism, if the original versions were released alongside the new versions. Lucas is willing to forego the additional revenue from sales of the original version to spare himself the embarrassment of additional criticism.
Tim Tringle
Except it’s been 10 years and he’s shown no interest in giving us the original versions, making statements like. “Those versions don’t exist any more” and “It would take too much money and time to restore those versions”.
Yet he has time and money to screw up the original trilogy more, right?
Just fix the movies and put them back the way they were but with the best possible video quality and audio quality.
I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen. George just thinks we are annoying pests that aren’t worth his time. Even when he gives us the blu-rays we get screwed.
Jane Morgan
Star Wars: The Original Trilogy (The Criterion Collection), released on blu-ray in 2012, would heal all wounds.
Chaz Dumbaugh
I’m a huge Star Wars fan, always have been, but it just doesnt affect me when he changes stuff like this, I see it as making all 6 movies a more complete saga, Vader saying No at the end of Jedi fits with the rest of the series, sure you may not like that change but really it does go with whats been done as a whole for the saga, when the original trilogy existed without the ideas that prequels were going to be filmed and now that they are part of the whole mythos, nothing was ever messed with, but now that he’s created a bigger story things just dont fit well between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. Again you may not like these changes but thats the way George sees things now.
Everyone has their own right to not buy this set and everyone can complain all they want to, nothing is wrong with that, sure I agree both version of the films should be made available (and he would probably make MORE money this way) but I’m not disappointed or completely upset about any of this stuff, I’m a tried and true Star Wars fan and will be till I’m dead and I cant wait to have the Bluray set show up on my door in another 10 days or so 🙂
What I would find extremely funny is if all this was fully produced but was fake, as up in arms as everyone gets, I would laugh my ass off if he did this on purpose to get everyone going, what better way to stir up hype for a new set than to do something like this, a week ago they confirm that no changes were going to be made to the new set, now they confirm that magically all these changes are going to happen, how does anyone know they are telling the truth, how easy would it be to actually produce 5 minutes of total footage with these changes and leak them themselves? Its been done before with various things and I would find it hilarious if none of this was true and those box sets are exactly like they were the last time they were released……good chance thats a no, but it would still be damn funny 🙂
Josh Zyber
AuthorChaz, even if that turned out to be the case, we’d still be stuck with all the changes Lucas already made to the films in 1997 and 2004. Those are bad enough of their own, even if he doesn’t change anything else.
I understand that Lucas believes he’s trying to make the original trilogy more “consistent” with the prequels so that it can all be one “complete saga.” He’s welcome to do that all he wants, but he also has a responsibility to preserve the original versions as they were originally created. People would be a lot more forgiving of Lucas’ tinkering if he had the decency to provide both versions of the movies side-by-side. It’s the fact that he’s trying to erase the original versions from history that is so fundamentally reprehensible.
Imagine if other artists had the audacity to permanently disfigure important works of art that they had created in the past. Think about what that would do to our cultural legacy.
Chaz Dumbaugh
Actually no he doesnt have a responsibility to preserve the original movies, only the people that are pissed off about the changes believes that he has a responsibility to do this, I have no personal issues with him or the fact that he changed a bunch of stuff, does it affect me in any way that I cant have the originals like I used to watch them as a kid, no it really doesnt, I dont get what this high horse belief is that he has some moral obligation to preserve the original movies because OTHER people want them to be preserved.
When it comes down to it, no he doesnt and its something you will just have to get over, he owns everything about Star Wars and he can do what he wants with his own intellectual property and really there is nothing anyone can do about it, some people just need to get on with their lives and quit worrying about it, there is a good chance you will never get new and proper versions of the originals and if thats the way Lucas wants it, well you’ll have to deal with that and do what you said you will, dont buy what he’s putting out, simple as that. And if someone believes I’m a complete moron and utterly stupid for giving George my money, fine I could give a shit, same as George could give a shit about all the bitching and whining he has probably heard for over 10 years now. They are his products and he will do what he wants with them, nothing is making you buy the new stuff he’s putting out and there isnt anything you can do to bring the originals back in an improved form, everyone just needs to move on with their lives here and either enjoy them as they are or dont, its really pretty simple.
That article about quit worrying about Star Wars and growing up is great stuff and I completely agree with it 🙂
Josh Zyber
AuthorChaz, suffice it to say that I disagree with everything you wrote here. Whether we like or dislike the changes Lucas has made is irrelevant. The movies as they were originally created were cuturally significant works of art that had a profound impact on filmmaking. I really find it shocking that you (or anyone) would so callously dismiss the importance of art preservation.
Beyond that, I’m tired of having this argument, here and elsewhere. I’ve got a post scheduled to run tomorrow that will debunk that bullshit Entertainment Weekly article.
Chaz Dumbaugh
Thats fine, you are fully allowed to disagree with me, just as I can fully agree or disagree with you, I have no problem with what George wants to do with HIS movies, he created Star Wars and owns everything about it, if he wants to change things, oh well, its his decision and he has no obligation to anyone else to keep things the way they USED to be.
The prequels to the saga changed everything, if those were never made and he never planned to show the story before Luke, my guess is that nothing would have changed in the original trilogy, but that didnt happen and lots of things, with almost 30 years in between the films, just werent consistent. So many things have been added and tweaked to pull off things he couldnt back then and for making all 6 movies better fit together, whether you agree with that is your decision, but I just dont have many issues with whats going on in the Star Wars universe, obviously you do and IMO it has nothing to do with “art preservation”
As I’ve already stated, I think both should be made available to offer these to every fan, he WOULD make more money this way and he would please everyone thats followed Star Wars since whenever they started to, BUT it most likely isnt going to happen, so move on and deal with it
Josh Zyber
AuthorNormally I would brush this off by saying that we’ll have to agree to disagree, but honestly the stakes are too high here. This is a situation where there is in fact a right and a wrong answer.
Let’s say for a moment that I get my way. The worst that can happen is that two versions of these movies continue to exist, and fans can choose which they prefer. The debate about which is “better” can carry on for future generations to discuss as we have.
But if George Lucas continues to get his way, an important work of art will be destroyed forever. Future generations will have no opportunity to see that work, judge it for themselves, or debate its merits. History will be rewritten.
Already, a generation of children is growing up with no exposure to a pre-CGI, pre-“Greedo shoots first” Star Wars. You and I remember the old version and can debate which we like better, but these kids don’t have that opportunity. This will only get worse as the old technology (VHS, Laserdisc and DVD) gets further obsolete, so that even second-hand, lower quality copies will be unavailable. There will be no Star Wars except the revisionist Star Wars. I’m sorry, but that is flat-out wrong, regardless of whether you like the old Star Wars or not.
There are people out there who would like to censor ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ to remove all mention of the n-word. Imagine if that happened and all old copies were destroyed, leaving no historical record of the book as it was written. That would be a goddamn tragedy and a huge loss to our cultural history. I’m sorry, but there is no valid argument otherwise.
The fact that in this case it’s the original author (Lucas) doing the censorship does not make it any less of a travesty and a shameful disgrace. If Mark Twain had wanted to publish a PC-friendly version of Huck Finn before he died, he would have that right. But it would still be imperative that the original work remain in print and circulation.
Chaz Dumbaugh
I fully understand what you are talking about, but I ask what exactly can be done? While I would love the originals to be fully restored it most likely isnt going to happen, so what is all this complaining going to do?
Unfortunately nothing, almost every fan has been extremely vocal about the hate for his new “additions”, me I can deal with them and dont hate them per say, but I know why people feel this way, but with everything that has already been flung toward him, nothing has worked. So again I ask, what can be done? Just because Lucas has decided he doesnt like his original work isnt going to make me hate Star Wars and completely abandon some of my favorite films of all time, with or without some dumb changes.
If he hasnt listened to anyone thus far, what makes anyone think he will listen ever? If all of these are true (which we will find out for sure once real reviews start coming in), then there is probably no hope of ever seeing a proper restored version of the original trilogy, so if thats the case I’m willing to still love my Star Wars even though some things are there I dont quite agree with and I honestly feel sorry for the people who are completely shunning George and Star Wars all together because he’s supposedly ruined their childhood (which is sad in and of itself if you feel that way), to deny even the current incarnation of Star Wars to the generation of kids who love all 6 films is ridiculous and I certainly wont deny these films to my unborn son when he’s old enough to enjoy them like I did even with the changes that I know are there
Chaz Dumbaugh
As I said though, I agree with the fact that both versions should be available, I would own the original movies for sure, but it isnt going to happen and these changes arent going to stop me from still loving Star Wars
Ryan
I’m just not sure why he didn’t just make the prequels more consistent with the original trilogy in the first place.
Chaz Dumbaugh
What I dont get is why would they get a definitive answer that nothing new had been added and only things from the 2004 DVDs had been fixed, only to have a week later all that turn out to be false and those guys are now liars? That really makes no sense to me, I cant believe anyone would have said anything about that if it wasnt true, so they blatantly went out and lied straight to people’s faces if all these clips turn out to be true, just surprises me that they would do that
Chaz Dumbaugh
Also the fact that all these clips have been allowed to stay online, not one of them has been taken down, usually stuff like this that leaks early are removed fairly quickly, why havent any of these been removed?
Watching the Vader Nooo, clip a few times has me puzzled to, the “leaked” audio thats supposedly attached to the new Bluray clip has a TON of static attached to ONLY when he speaks, the rest of the audio is perfectly fine, how did this person get this audio clip and how was it “added” to the film clip? Too much stuff just seems out of place with these early leaks of footage
Brian Haney
Breaking- Lucas actually replaced the entire series with cgi and marinetts(?) (think Team America World Police) and they de-aged Ford like Tron Legacy to reshoot Greedo. Yikes!!! hahahaha
Jon
I imagine Lucas will eventually replace Sir Alec Guiness with a digitally aged Ewan MacGregor…. And the Ewoks will all be replaced with digital characters that leap and twirl with grace……