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My first impression of the new boxset...for what it's worth. (2004 OT DVD SE release)

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Just got the new boxset last night (yeah, yeah, I know…Lucas got more money from me ), and after running through EP4 once, I was left happy and sad. The picture quality is jawdropping compared to what has been available until now. I did notice little things throughout that seem to have been added (extra laser shots here and there) that I’m not sure were on the SE tapes. The worst thing I noticed, IMO, was a lot of what I can only describe as ‘flaring’ (being the non-specialist that I am). The first scene is right at the beginning with the 2 large spaceships fighting.

When the Imperial ships engines come into view, I noticed that not only did the engines glow brightly, but the surface of the planet below also glowed brightly all-of-a-sudden. Weird. I checked a OT version today and this didn’t happen on his. It also seemed to me that many colors were over-saturated (unless my TV needs to be recalibrated…which may be the case).

Also, the reflections of the sun on Tatooine throughout the movie is annoying as there are big, glaring starbursts everytime this happens…like someone overusing one of those lens filters to achieve a cross wherever there is a point of light. I’ll have to go back to the originals and check that as well to see if that’s a new thing. Never noticed it that much before.

Hated the Greedo scene, still. Really, the guy is almost at point-blank range and he STILL missed Solo?? I aso thought that the Jabba the Hut scene was still poorly done. I thought it funny that lots of foley mistakes that I’ve always noticed on the film were not corrected (why not…he’s changing everything else?). Some water splashes in the trash compactor were still missing for instance.

In all, it just seemed that some of the colors were too ‘pumped out’ and some places (like when the stormtroopers and Vader start blasting the door of the Princess Leias ship at the beginning) were almost washed out. In ending, the box is flimsy like others had said. So for my initial impression, I liked the added color, just seemed like too much in parts. The sharpness and detail are impressive. The added stuff is still bogus. At least there are the originals to watch

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yeah! i noticed the little crosses too. maybe a symbol of GL's convert to christianity? (or maybe he's just gone totally insane).

i was please to see that the storm trooper hitting his head was still in there. that actually gave me a little smile.
though if it were my movie and i had the itching desire to "fix" things, i'd probably fix that right after the mat lines.

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Originally posted by: Look Sir. Droids!
yeah! i noticed the little crosses too. maybe a symbol of GL's convert to christianity?


Oh don't even joke about that. We all know people of religion are typically caring and compassionate. Like Georgie has either quality. P'shaw.

"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
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Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
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As far as color, I too think it is too saturated. It is not my TV because I just had it calibrated 2 weeks ago. I also thought the overall "look" of ANH was too dark. And what's with the green light sabre? The first shot of Luke training on the falcon, his sabre is green! Anyone else notice this?
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Well. I watched it last night too, and I have to say it's really Greedo that bothers me.

First of all, let me say that i'm a fanatic just like the rest of you. I'm all for the original trilogy and hate that lucas had to mess with it. On the other hand, I like to be entertained, and if with all these changes he can still entertain me, then i'm happy to own the DVD.

That being said, lets get back to the greedo scene! OK, so he wanted to make Han less of a cold blooded killer and needed to make Greedo shoot first. I disagree, but ok. I can deal with it. He makes them shoot almost at the same time so it looks like Han has better reflexes. FINE. Looks a little off, but FINE. They want to make Han move out of the way so that Greedo missing from 3' away is more realistic. GREAT! That's what we want. The major PROBLEM here is that with all the equipment at their disposal, they didn't get it to look realistic. Don't get me wrong, i can't even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to make Han look as though he was NATURALLY moving out of the way. The result, though, looked like my DVD skipped. It was as Han teleported positions. I watched it 20 times before I finally called in one of my roomates to look at it. I figured maybe i was biased because I know Star Wars. She, on the other hand, does not.

Me: "Tell me what you think of this scene"
(we watch it)
Roomate: "What was I looking for?"
Me: "Anything"
Roomate: "You mean how the disc skipped?"
Me: "The disc skipped? Show me"
(I play it again. . .right as we get to the shooting part. . .)
Roomate: "THERE. . .the disc skipped. . .right? Is that what you're asking?"

There you have it. Someone who had never seen the movie before. She saw that scene. . .Han moving was SO jumpy that she thought the DVD skipped.

THAT's what bothers me. I hope the rest of the discs don't have things that annoying on them!

-James
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Forgot to say that some of the Tie fighters still had very visible 'squares' (mat lines?) around them in a few places. The most disconcerting thing for me, though, is still at the beginning where the planet below the Imperial ship looks like it catches fire with blue flames when the ships engines pass overhead. Actually, I found that I couldn't enjoy the movie at all because I kept wondering if what had just appeared on the screen was something new, or something old, or whether I was just imagining it! Thanks alot, George.

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Still boxes (garbage mattes) around the ships eh? Just HOW can that slip past Lucas´s fullproof "quality" control?? Hmmmm....

Glad I´m not giving Lucas anymore of my money, HE DOESN´T DESERVE IT!!

peace,

Rebelscum
peace,

Rebelscum
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Anyone else find the flashes of the laser blasts too much? It hurt my eyes. I'd constantly see red envelope the screen for a split second, one after the other. Years from now, kids are going to watch it and pull a line like when the simpsons go to Japan and watch TV. "Hey, isn't this that movie that gives you seizures?"
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And now, back to Battling Siezure Robots!!!


yep, that bothered me too... but not so bad.
the crosses on everything bothered me more (not a religious statement on my part, i assure thee). but really, what was the point in that?

i like the greedo scene better now. it's slightly more believable.
still, han just blowing him away would be awesome. i wish he would have done that. oh wait... he did..

the new jabba seems more italian godfather to me now. i guess that's what he is though. except in jedi, so nevermind.
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My impression of the laser blasts was that the explosions when they hit something looked PINK! I think Lucas released these movies like this just to annoy the hardcore fanbase...

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Can anyone explain what you mean by the crosses? Can someone get a screen capture of such a scene?
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
-------------------------
Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
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i noticed it in new hope and (i think) jedi. if no one does it before i get home from work, i'll see if i can post something.
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how about in the sabre battle between darth and obi, whenever the sabres touch, there is a huge green flash
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I noticed that Mr. Coffee. It seems that there are many parts of the new trilogy that are overdone.

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hi again.

ok, about the crosses...

i took a screen cap (small, i know, i'm sorry.. new to this) of the special edition and a screen cap of the OT (crappy asian "import").
the crosses were kind there in the original, but not nearly as pronounced. I personally think that some were added. what a crappy effect.


in this first one, if you look on 3PO's right shoulder, you'll see one.



but it's very very faint in this one.



this cap has VERY pronounced crosses.



but this one doesn't.



... sorry for the crap quality of the OT, it's all i've got (for right now anyway). i wish i had the 1997 DVD of New Hope. NO idea what happened to that. would be nice to compare. never thought i'd actually miss that disc... odd...
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Look Sir. Droids!: Thanks for the vidcaps. I'd have done it if I had the capability. Still, the vidcaps don't fully show the extent of the crosses. They're REALLY glaring in places! Also, going back to the originals, to be fair, lots of laser explosions were faintly pink in color...although they're MUCH pinker in the new DVD. Also, the door exploding at the beginning of EP4 does get a little washed out on the originals as well, but much more so on the new DVD. The missing trumpet fanfare as the rebels start their attack on the Deathstar is a HUGE mistake.

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Yet the discs are still flying off the shelfs and a Costco rep asks, "You didn't get the Star Wars Trilogy, huh?". It's sad really. We seem to be getting new faces around here though.


Made for IE Forum's Episode III theme month - May 2005.

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yeah, i know it doesn't show the extent of them... dinner was ready! girlfriend was growing weary of the star wars excuse.
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Ahhh, so many new faces, so many new threads, I feel like I'm in a party where I don't know anyone... If this DVD set has accomplished anything at all, it brought some attention to originaltrilogy...

By the way, here's the Penny Arcade's guys view on the subject.
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
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I may be a new face, but my heart was here before this site was! I saw Starwars in the theater when it first came out (I was in junior high). Then I saw it at least 8 more times in the theater. It was stuff I'd never seen before and was so realistic to me that I felt transported to a different place...for about 2 hours When they released the short film reels of pieces of the movie, I bought that (mine was a scene in bens place and a fight between the Millenium Falcon and Tie Fighters...color, but no sound, just subtitles!). Still have it! Then I bought the VHS trilogy when it first came out and then the next 2 versions ending with the SE. For people like me, it was always me being disappointed by myself about the changes being made. More recently it was frustration at why the originals weren't available on DVD (greatest movies of all time not on DVD???). Now I have kids who are into Starwars and am trying to explain to them why I feel the way I do. I try to show them the changes between the movies...and they keep asking, "Why did Mr. Lucas do that for??" Just bought a Tie Fighter vehicle and X-wing the other day at TRU...for my kids I'll never outgrow Starwars. It's great that this place was so heavily advertised on other websites I visit or I might not be here. It's nice to know this place exists and that others share my passion about the OT.

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