Clips (both video and audio) from the Blu Ray have started appearing today. What does everyone think of the new additions? There are quite a few already confirmed.
What is the new Star Wars? A new movie or are they adding things into the movies and re-releasing them(ACK!).
I imagine it's the latter case. They did the same thing during the VHS->DVD transition. It's just another way for LucasArts to keep milking the Star Wars franchise (without ever actually making the final trilogy in which Luke joins his father's example and goes over to the dark side).
Vaders says "NO!". A lot.
http://t.co/0e0zJwU
I will, of course, be buying the Blu-ray set when it's available, however... I'm not happy that even though it's something like 9 discs he STILL isn't including the pre-special edition original trilogy that so many of us grew up with and love and want!!
I've seen most of the "new" footage already. Some of it seems pretty cool (from the original trilogy at least) and some just seems like fluff to me (mostly the prequel stuff which I don't really care about... I didn't 'hate' them but to me star wars remains the first three films made).
I'm curious about some of the added scenes I've heard rumors about (not going to post spoilers).
Also I really, really, really, really, REALLY hope he takes out Greedo shooting first.
A lot of the other shit he added with the special editions I could cope with but Greedo shooting first 100% absolutely RUINS the character of Han Solo.
The only Star Wars movies I own are the original trilogy in the fancy VHS box set*. I was done with Lucas after the crappy prequels. :P
* Turns out I also own the Ewok movies and Hardware Wars on VHS too. I had forgotten I had them until the "guess the movie" thread forced me to dig out all my old tapes. Thanks, AGS Community! Hardware Wars was a delightful blast of nostalgia.
Quote from: Ponch on Wed 31/08/2011 03:58:45
* Turns out I also own the Ewok movies and Hardware Wars on VHS too.
Ah yes, Ewoks... They now have CG eyes.
I'm sorry, I can take Tusken (tuskan?) riders, I can handle giant worm Godfather, one really weak point on a DeathSTAR (seriously, just put a lid on that hole), I even don't really mind JarJar that much (I guess I just ignore him) but that whole part about little teddy bears defeating an Empire that holds planets in it's grasp? I call bollocks on that.
Now, mind you, as a kid I loooved the Ewoks cartoon, it even freaked me out a few times (with the witch and the trolls etc. it gets really tense more than once).
There are some good things to redoing SW films, I like how they added more houses on Tattoine, ekstra creatures, better lasers etc., but they clearly showed they don't know when to stop, Han shoots first phenomena being the obvious one and the lightsabers changes being another.
Why does everyone hate JarJar? Or Episode I, that was my favorite. :'(
Quote from: anian on Wed 31/08/2011 06:09:24
There are some good things to redoing SW films, I like how they added more houses on Tattoine, ekstra creatures, better lasers etc., but they clearly showed they don't know when to stop, Han shoots first phenomena being the obvious one and the lightsabers changes being another.
This, a thousand times. Seriously, Star Wars is
over. This constant tinkering and re-re-re-re-redoing is just... undignified. Yeah, the original versions can't compete with modern movies on terms of special effects, but... so what? These are old movies. They have a right to look old.
Quote from: Akatosh on Wed 31/08/2011 09:31:11
This, a thousand times. Seriously, Star Wars is over. This constant tinkering and re-re-re-re-redoing is just... undignified.
+1 to that.
Why would anyone buy this crap? (I'm looking at you Darth ;)) Sure, I'd love to have Star Wars on Blu-ray but it's not Star Wars anymore!
Quote from: Chicky on Wed 31/08/2011 14:37:11Why would anyone buy this crap? (I'm looking at you Darth ;)) Sure, I'd love to have Star Wars on Blu-ray but it's not Star Wars anymore!
I don't mind most of the stuff added into the special editions (with the exception of Greedo shooting first) so if that's removed I would like to have the OT (though it's not technically "original") in 1080p glory!
I find this "Greedo shooting first" business very confusing.
If Greedo shoots first, Han Solo is defending himself
If Han Solo Shoots first, he's an arsehole who kills people to get what he wants.
Which one is the good one?
You have to ask yourself, which one is the cool one?
HAN SOLO SHOT FIRST. END OF STORY.
Quote from: Zooty on Wed 31/08/2011 16:24:48
I find this "Greedo shooting first" business very confusing.
If Greedo shoots first, Han Solo is defending himself
If Han Solo Shoots first, he's an arsehole who kills people to get what he wants.
Which one is the good one?
Well, while the Greedo shoots first version does make Han the hero in the typical sense (as in if a villain needs to be killed it will usually happen in one of two ways - villain will attack and hero has no other choice but to kill (that's the Greedo shoots first) or villain will decide to kill the hero for example when his life is spared but because of attempt at killing the hero, serendipity butts in, this is usually used for cartoons etc.).
And indeed in simple explanation Han then doesn't look like a hero, but there are again 2 things to consider:
- Han is really not a hero at this point - he's still an unknown character who might be a bad guy or a backstabber etc. and also he didn't really have his hero's journey yet (which btw by definition would make him a hero in OT) as in you can clearly see one of the first stages of the classical journey - he refuses to join the quest (to save the princess). Also Luke takes quickly and eagerly, and he basically skips the first steps, but it's okay because there's Han for contrast - not only does that Luke seem more "good" and pure and thus a character you want to cheer for, but makes Han look cooler (which is also needed because before that you see the coolness that is Darth Vader and you can't have the villiain be cooler than the protagonists...makes it less interesting).
- also...and this is maybe the point if you don't really like all the theory above - he shoots first but it's a preamtive strike because Greedo would shoot (so it's not really a bastard move, more a survivor one).
Now what fans really complain is that it takes out the edge from Han, making his transformation through the journey/movies less pronounced - if the hero has to change less then the payout is lesser - when the hero tryumphs it's more of a feeling you get when you read Superman comics and you're not that surprise that Superman wins...because...well it's Superman.
It's kind of interesting how OT has two heros at different stages of their hero's journies, better sense of dynamic I think and also the epicness of events more pronounced - more heros indicates that there's lots of people fighting the Empire with hero qualities.
Han was not a hero (at this point). He was a smuggler, a "scoundrel" and a shady character.
The incident with Greedo was the defining moment of Han's character. He knew Greedo intended to shoot him, so he killed him first. It's a tough galaxy out there!!
He further builds his "scoundrel" reputation by his actions for the rest of the film; "Better her than me" or "I'm in it for the money". You never really expect him to come to the rescue at the film's climax. It makes that final moment far more powerful/dramatic. I think people don't see this 'cause EVERYbody has seen Star Wars and they know Han Solo as Han Solo the Hero of the Galaxy Far Far Away!! But when Star Wars first came out you didn't know that!
That might be one of the reasons Lucas decided to have Greedo shoot first. I don't know (nor care) but I just want my scoundrel back!!
edit - Anian said basically the same thing while I was typing this up!!
I'm not bothered by the Greedo shot first change that much. The 2004 version makes it look like they both shoot at the same time and Greedo shoots only because he noticed what was coming to him.
That said, there was clearly an intention to completely change the original meaning of a scene here (20 years after the premiere!), and that is something that bothers me when directors do it. For example, Apocalypse Now by changing the original poignant ending completely ruined my connection to the film.
QuoteAlso I really, really, really, really, REALLY hope he takes out Greedo shooting first.
A lot of the other shit he added with the special editions I could cope with but Greedo shooting first 100% absolutely RUINS the character of Han Solo.
There's already a nice fancut that keeps all the 'proper' stuff from the originals while including the few well-made cgi added scenes (not that shitty Jabba sequence).
I would imagine there will also be a special BLU-RAY fancut of this that will work back in the old canon stuff whether or not Lucas capitulates.
I think in the future the OT will function as a kind of super-popular street art piece (actually we're almost there already). Everyone will have his own favorite (often self-made) cut and there will be millions of joke versions, retro versions, versions with added deleted scenes, versions with added fan-made scenes etc. In the end the importance of the original vision will be lost as even the creator was never happy with any single version.
It makes me somewhat sad to see what's become of one of my favorite movies from my childhood. CGI Ewok eyelids? Really? Adding a few extra "NOES!!!1!" to the Return of the Jedi finale? REALLY?!
I swear, 4chan has nothing on Lucas when it comes to trolling. :P
Haha, Lucas is such a hypocrite:
http://geektyrant.com/news/2011/8/31/in-1988-george-lucas-fought-against-altering-films.html