nodeerforamonth

uh... it's obvious he was joking.

No one doesn't buy a dvd because of artwork. It's not like people are buying dvds and not watching them and only sitting there looking at the covers!

Terrell

Sounds like a plan. The things people bitch about never cease to amaze me. But this is Star Wars. There are things to bitch about, within reason, but some of this other stuff is beyond the pale.

dan30oly

I really am cancelling my amazon pre-order.

However, not because of the artwork.

Not entirely at least.

Mr. Cinema

I think the HD Room had a video comparison of the puppet Yoda and the new CGI Yoda in Phantom Menace. Looks so much better. And reminded me of how creepy the puppet version looked before. Huge improvement.

GoldenJCJ

<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eOqzHTWK8B4?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eOqzHTWK8B4?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>

Guru Askew

That's the main problem with the UOT nuts right there: they don't realize they're a small minority, albeit a vocal one. Lucas gave them what they wanted on DVD and the individual DVD releases didn't set any sales records.

I'm all for an archival release like "Blade Runner" and "Close Encounters" but in reallity most people either don't care about the original versions or actually want the "new improved" versions.

Doctorossi

No, he didn't; he gave them the packaged media equivalent of the gum off the bottom of his shoe.

Guru Askew

Actually he gave them more than he owed them considering there was no guarantee that what people saw in theaters in '77, '80 and '83 would be available to own on home video years and years later.

AnonomusBob15

those "bonus" discs were the most pathetic release of blockbuster films i've ever seen.

The amount of people waiting for the theatrical versions of the OT is more than enough to warrant a remaster and standalone release.

Doctorossi

Sure- he didn't owe them anything. You said he gave them "what they wanted" and that's not true at all. They wanted the Star Wars trilogy presented on DVD in a way that takes reasonable advantage of the benefits of the format; he gave them the movies on DVD in a way that slightly improves upon a years-old LD release.

milo bloom

Precisely.

And...

Double precisely.

I mean seriously, no offense, but I look at some of the horror schlock that gets DVD and now even Bluray releases, and to think people actually believe George Lucas when he says it would be too hard and too expensive to do proper presentations of the originals just makes me question the general common sense of humanity.

Mike86

Yeah it is pretty pathetic of Lucas to still use the excuse that it would be too expensive to remaster the original trilogy for a proper release. Not only is it one of the most profitable franchises in the history of film but like others have said considering all the smaller releases and low budget movies that get remastered you'd have to be an idiot to actually believe the shit he spews. Fuck George Lucas and fuck Star Wars.

yoshimi

There was a .00003 % chance that I would cave and buy the box set but I found the widescreen vhs box set of all three original movies for $9 today so now that is down to 0%.

Bluelitespecial

The closer we get to the release date, it has got me thinking. The world we live in today is starting to resemble the world of Star Wars?

pinata242

Never tell me the odds.

Josh-da-man

I often wonder what would have happened had, in 1997, Francis Ford Coppola decided that he thought Michael Corleone's assassination of Sollozzo and McCluskey made Michael too unsympathetic, so he used CGI to clumsily insert shots of Sollozzo and McCluskey pulling guns and firing first, then declare that this was how the saw the movies now, and that the original versions of The Godfather would never be available again.

Then he went back to Godfather II and had Fredo drop his fishing pole and pull a gun on Al Neri while he was saying that Hail Mary.

How many Godfather fanboys would jump to Coppola's defense?

Nick Martin

There is always a Lucas apologist in every Star Wars thread who scoffs at people wanting a higher-than-laserdisc quality version of the unaltered original films. They just like to be 'that' guy.

This thread and "The Dark Knight Rises" thread over in Movie Talk have something in common.

Drop

I really hate comparisons like that because they only muddle any point trying to be made. Focus on what is, not some imaginary situation. Anyone can do a what if.

Coppola has gone and re-edited films. We can all look at Apocalypse Now. Not too many people like Redux, and he includes the original in every release. You would have access to the version you loved.

But we can also look at Coppola's Dracula high-def release and how people got upset at the possible color-timing changes (which I believe people also claim over The Godfather as well).

But still comparing your scenario to what Lucas done is silly in another way. Star Wars isn't has serious a story as Godfather and the Greedo and Han firing their guns at the same time aren't anywhere near as big as what you suggest. In the 04 Edition Han still shows his intent to use his gun. And he still kills Greedo and still leaves like a boss. There's even an argument to be made about how he keeps his cool with a blast inches from his head. He is essentially the same Han.

And as for what I think of Lucas and his revisions. I don't care. Star Wars is still Star Wars. I still get that same feeling watching the 04 Edition as I did watching my full screen VHS boxset. Yea I still wince at some of the changes, but I forget about them pretty quick and get sucked right back into the story. And I've also come to the feeling that ESB is the only really great movie in the Saga and that the other five really aren't that far off quality wise. And I'm fine with that. I watch those movies for certain reasons and for the rest of my life, and through whatever changes are still to come, I'll probably still feel like I did when I was 5 sitting in front of the TV. If he does a proper restoration to the original theatrical editions, I'll also be really happy, but I don't really care anymore.

The Valeyard

BuckNaked2k

Sure....and we should all bow down and kiss his boots for deigning to bestow such wondrous gifts upon us.

AnonomusBob15

If the changes weren't so drastic, I might actually be able to warm up to them. But given that Lucas constantly makes changes with every new release, the films aren't recognizable anymore. I grew up watching the original Star Wars trilogy. I've seen them more than fifty times, and each time I tried to watch one of his new edits, it wasn't the same. It's not the same film. I also can't stand the prequel trilogy. I depsise Hayden Christiansan, and can't stand one second of his presence on screen (except Shattered Glass, his one decent film).

It's certainly a tired topic, and George isn't going to change his mind. He is going to squeeze every last penny he can possibly muster out of his fanbase. His unwillingness to give the fans what the want actually make me think less of him. I imagine one day, when there is nothing left to squeeze out of the films, he'll unleashed the theatrical versions, but until then, i'm not buying shit from him. It's a matter of principle, and i'm a patient s.o.b.


p.s. - If the bonus discs would have at least been anamorphic, I'd probably be satisfied. Remaster or not. That was a deliberate decision on Lucas' part, and after that, how can you keep eating the shit he's dishing out. I'm done playing games with re-releases. If it's not done right the first time, i'm going to wait. It will happen one day.

/rant.

AmityBoatTours

Actually the average movie owner isnt bothered if the original unaltered films are being released or not. Its only people on the net who beat the issue like a dead horse.

AmityBoatTours

You got it right, the average person doesnt care one way or the other.

Nick Martin

Which is why I said Star Wars thread, and not average consumer who doesn't read these things on the internet. Regardless of who pays attention to these things, we all still lose out.

Jedi Master 33

I honestly could care less what versions he puts on there. And no, I'm not a "Lucas apologist". I grew up with the original versions.