A couple of interesting tidbits from Hunt's review....
I think most fans wouldn't mind the changes at all as long as the original versions were available on the Blu-rays as well (perhaps via seamless branching). But Lucas seems determined to erase them from history, going to far as to outright lie in claiming that the negatives were destroyed when he made the Special Editions - a claim so outrageous and blatantly false to anyone who understands how films are edited and preserved in the modern era that for me... well, that was the last straw.
I know a lot of people think Hunt says whatever he has to so that he can stay in Lucas' good graces, but he did just call him a liar/lair.
A number of fans have complained about the fact that the original theatrical versions of the classic films are not included in this Blu-ray set. While it's true and is certainly a legitimate complaint, no fan in their right mind could seriously have expected them to be included, given Lucas' attitude in the past. Still, I have a sneaking suspicion that Lucas is going to have to release the original versions of the films at some point in the future. The reason I've started to believe that is because of the deleted scenes that WERE included on these Blu-rays. This is material that Lucas has been reluctant to make available in the past, but they were needed for this Blu-ray set simply to give fans a compelling reason to buy the films again. After this Blu-ray release, I just don't see ANYONE buying these films again for any reason (certainly not for 3D!) unless those original versions are part of the package. Regardless, even if there's never an authorized release, rest assured that so many prints of those original films exist in the hands of film archives (and even private collectors) around the world that, sooner or later, someone is going to throw them up on an HD scanner, make high-quality HD masters and release them as bootlegs - either for free online, or on BD-R or other digital media sold at conventions. How do I know that? Well, I've actually had bootleg HD copies of the "special edition" Star Wars films for a couple years now, mastered from European HD satellite broadcasts, made available online and burned to BD-R media. Trust me, the original versions WILL be available eventually in HD, legally or not. Frankly, the sooner Lucas realizes this and takes proactive steps to release them himself the better.
Interesting theory about having to release the OOT if he wants to sell another set. I hope he's right.
You also get the new Star Wars Spoofs compilation (98 mins), which includes clips from scores of fun, funny and infamous spoofs of the Star Wars films. Included are clips from Saturday Night Live, Family Guy, Robot Chicken, The Muppet Show and many more. This gets major points for including Bill Murray singing a lounge version of the Star Wars theme on classic SNL
Oh man, I spent a couple bucks to download the Robert Klein SNL episode this is on so I could put the song in my edit, and I could have just spent $80 on the Blu set instead! ;-)