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THE REVIEW
Well, first things first: the versions of the films on
these discs are the exact same as the versions from the 2004 box
set. Even the disc art is the exact same, the only exception is that
the 2006 versions have a gold tint to the movie logos where the 2004
versions have a silver tint. That said, I’m not even going to bother
going into detail about these versions of the films here. I’m going
to concentrate on the “bonus discs” – which is the only real reason
to buy this set in the first place.
Well, the rumors are true. These “bonus discs” are nothing more than
a legit version of what many collectors (myself included) have had
in their DVD players for a long time already: LaserDisc transfers of
the original films. So while I applaud Lucasfilm and Fox for finally
listening to the fans, who have been screaming for a DVD release of
the Original Trilogy for years, I’ve just got to wonder why they
even bothered to release this in this format. I mean, I’ve had these
discs in my collection for ages. They can be found on eBay any day
of the week. And usually for a “reasonable” price – and when I say
reasonable, I’m using the comparison of $29.98 per film (which is
the MSRP of these new sets) and looking at a total of $90 for the
trilogy. My set only cost me around $35 when I purchased it, which
is less than half of what this costs. And the artwork was better
too.
The colors look flat. The backgrounds are all out of focus, to the
point where there is almost no detail to be found. The special
effects (blaster bolts, lightsabers, etc.) are all wonky looking.
And at some points, they’re not even present. And you know what? I
love it. THIS is the film I remember. No text of “Episode IV: A New
Hope” in the opening crawl. A Stormtrooper bumping his head on the
door. Han shoots first!! Greedo doesn’t even shoot at all!! If
you’re old enough to remember seeing these films in the theater
during their first runs (like I am… yeah, I’m old) then you’ll flip
for these discs.
That’s not to say that I didn’t like ANY of the changes that were
made, either in ’97 or to the 2004 versions. Some of the digital
changes were actually big improvements in my opinion. When Han is
running down the hall after the stormtroopers and they get to the
end, and there are like another 6 standing there? I love the fact
that they were able to digitally add another hundred or so. And
digitally adding extra X-Wings and Y-Wings to the Death Star attack
was another addition that I thought actually helped the film instead
of hurt it.
I just love the nostalgic feeling I get from watching a slightly
grainy version of these films. I almost want to say that I
appreciate the fact the Lucasfilm didn’t alter or improve the
picture and sound quality of these prints, because I think it may
take something away from them if/when they do. I’m sure I’ll love
them just the same, but for now I like these old school prints just
fine. They really take me back.
That said, here’s my vote for Lucasfilm to go back and do what the
fans really want. Fix up these original versions so that they will
look as crisp and clean as the 2004 set, only without all the silly
added changes. If it can be done on the prints for that release, why
not release these cleaned up versions of the films instead of
half-ass LaserDisc transfers?
Oh wait. I just remembered. Next year, 2007, is the 30th Anniversary
of Star Wars. Can you smell that new 30th Anniversary box set
cooking? With the digitally cleaned up versions of the original
films? Without all the silly extra footage? I can. And I don’t know
how much deeper my pockets can get.
PHOTO GALLERY
To see the photo gallery
containing 9 photos click
here.
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