I can't get too excited about changes like that. In those cases, I would actually buy George's (Steven's, James') argument that he's fixing stuff that he wanted to fix way back when, but didn't have the resources or technology. In my opinion, that's a little like being able to eliminate typos and print from a computer-typeset master on nicer paper when releasing some Shakespeare play. The play itself isn't any different (plot, characters, pacing, etc.) but the delivery method is contemporized.

But start changing guns to walkie-talkies, changing the order in which events happen (or don't happen), and replacing characters wholesale, and I figure you're not just fixing stuff you couldn't fix -- because you could, somehow, even when the film was made. Now you're just messing with something that doesn't need messing with. Not cool.