I feel we all have pretty valid complaints about what this set will potentially (likely) be. The blue cast over the films has been there since 1997. I still have both my original pan-and-scan VHS set, and the widescreen re-release. The blue colors are there. So, Lucas has been fine with that look for the last fourteen years (the same age as my car). However, where my car is a broken down piece of junk that I'm ready to excise from my life, I'm sure Lucas has no aversions to the current look of the original trilogy films. Yes, further color alterations were made for DVD, but that likely only further re-inforces the issue. Hell, he personally presented a screening of the 2004 print of "The Empire Strikes Back" in Chicago last year for the 30th anniversary. We all hope that this will be a proper restoration, giving the films their original brilliance back. However, LFL has yet to release anything about this set, in either video footage, stills, or tech spec details, to convince us that it will be anything but the same old thing.
Now, I have a 500+ DVD collection. That includes sets like the Alien Quadrilogy, Blade Runner 4-disc set, the Lord of the Rings Extended Editions, Dawn of the Dead Ultimate Edition, and two releases of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Aside from all of these titles having multiple cuts of each film available (either on the same release, or on a separate release), they are all very comprehensive in their special features. Commentaries, feature length documentaries, vintage galleries, featurettes, and more. "Empire of Dreams" was good, but proved a little light with the latter two films (especially ROTJ). Now, it's not even included here. There should be dedicated documentaries on both "Empire" & "Jedi." AOTC & ROTS never got that treatment, either.
I also have "From Star Wars to Jedi" on VHS. I had purchased the one with the "Faces" cover believing it would be digitally remastered like the 1995 releases, but it was not. I would indeed love to have that in a restored quality in HD. That's the only vintage documentary I've ever seen on the saga, and would indeed love to see more.
So, I do agree that the special features here are very underwhelming next to these other sets I mentioned, especially the Blade Runner and Alien sets. Both of which are as definitive as could possibly be imagined. You can tell that a huge amount of time, effort, and care went into those releases. I want to love this Star Wars set, but I'm not convinced of it being worth its price tag. Especially since I don't personally own an HDTV, Blu Ray player, or a home theatre system that is DTS compatible. So, they need to do a MASSIVE effort for me to even try to make that kind of upgrade/overhaul. Granted, Lucas needs all these multiple releases so he can continue to have a hefty income to continue funding his projects, but it's gotten real tired. After 30 years of constant re-releases and re-packagings with all kinds of digital restoration, manipulation, screw-ups, missteps, and so forth, we deserve something we can call "definitive." This Blu Ray set, so far, has not earned such a distinction. Maybe we can be proven wrong come September, but we shouldn't have wait that long to gain confidence in this release.
That's just my opinion. Agree or disagree as you desire.
-NJM
