Guess laserdisc isn't really dead with THX 1138 and Song of the South not on dvd. Yeah, I haven't been able to finish THX. I have the original on dvd and I have just not had the attention span. Even the camera work seems designed to alienate the viewer from connecting with it. There's already a 2 disc set of the film and releasing it again with the original cut would not be worth it, from a business standpoint. I hope Lucas considers putting the original cut on the blu-ray or hd discs because they certainly will have plenty of room for it with the new version and bonus features.
As for the prequels not having the used future look, well that's the point. It makes sense of how everything was all shiny and beautiful during the republic. The era during the empire was mechanical and soulless with so much of what we saw industrial and military. Generally, I prefer the pretty fantasy world over the gritty used future science fiction world. I think one of the biggest advancements in movies (not just Star Wars) from the 1977 to today is much more detailed set building and more realistic makeup. Maybe even more an advancement than special effects.