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What Special Edition changes (if any) did people like? — Page 8

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Hmmm. I never thought Starwars looked cheap. I don't entirely buy the whole "this is how I wanted them to be" thing as well. I get that Mr.Lucas probably notices "flaws" or things he wanted to do differently but I'm not sure that it was such a wise thing to completely redo the films in such a tasteless way. Mainly because multiple people had a hand in creating all aspects of the movies and these timeless pieces of art are like lightning in a bottle. Dusting off and restoring that lightning is great but trying to "improve" it, adding things, taking things out, makes some of the magic fall out. The whole debacle always reminds me of Fred Astaire pushing around a Dirt Devil.

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hairy_hen said:

If you spare me the revisionist nonsense and dare to imagine that everyone on that film might have worked hard to do a good job on it, even if some of them thought it was a bit silly, then I'll do you the courtesy of believing you are simply misinformed, and that your slight of the original crew was unintentional.

Otherwise, I'll be forced to assume you have no idea what you're talking about, and will be inclined to think it not worth hearing in the first place.

Wow, now that you showed me the truth I feel illuminated.

Stop being cocky because I still see no evidence of what you're trying to validate.

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@IamLam: as I said I agree not all he did succeded in improving the flaws, he clearly exceeded in some details. But I do not find the result "tasteless".

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I dunno man. Can you really go back to the year 1977 and screw around with stuff and not have it stick out like a sore thumb? Sadly these changes zap you out of the movies because they just don't work. Not to get into them too much, but those two scenes really screw up the film the way they were handled. As soon as Han starts getting moved around like a digital puppet and a CGI Jabba starts running around 1977 it's like the guy next to you in the theater starts farting really bad and the smell just lingers.

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Many of them work fine, mostly because they are on the background.

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IamLam said:

it's like the guy next to you in the theater starts farting really bad and the smell just lingers.

 How poetic and accurate. 

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While I am a purist that prefer things left alone I'll give a few examples that I could 'live with'. Matte line removal (blends objects into the scenery better), Lightsaber adjustments (when done right), and I suppose the updated Landspeeder. Sorry if this is a short list for you Special Edition fans, there's not much that was done that really made me feel it improved the films. Thats strictly my opinion of course. Expanding Mos Eisley and Cloud City is nice but also I feel its more of a 'do it because we can' as opposed to 'do it because we should'. I feel that especially with the changes they made in 2011 like the pointless rocks they added in front of R2-D2, expansion of the front gate to Jabba's palace, or Vader's 'NOOOO'. 

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I don't mind "do it because we cans" provided they mesh with the original material, and they don't replace the original work. A good part of Star Wars' greatness is due to the visuals, so I have no problem with making them look better, as long as they actually improve the original visuals, mesh with the film, and don't overdo it, in a way that makes the rest of the film pale in comparison. I don't, however, appreciate not having access to the original effects, with the creator pretending that the labouriously created visuals of the original were "incomplete."

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I agree. I don't mind the 'do it cause we cans' to an extent. I don't mind if it's to give an alternate spin on what could have been but when it's done to replace a part of history is when I draw the line. As long as the original product is still available to the public I don't mind changes to any film. But if it's the case of it replacing the original like it is with Star Wars I won't have that. It's an insult to the fans and those who helped make the original into the groundbreaking saga it was.

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The worst part about the special editions is that they were considered cheap r&d  for the prequels and Lucas was able to get Fox to pay for it.

That expensive  research which Lucas did not pay for produced cheap looking 90's cgi.

Lucas original vision version circa 1997 was changed twice more,and got worse all the time.  I believe Lucasfilm always intended to no longer make the original versions available again as early as 1994.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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skyjedi2005 said:

I believe Lucasfilm always intended to no longer make the original versions available again as early as 1994.

I agree. The whole "ONE LAST TIME" marketing campaign with the faces set certainly indicates to me that Lucas wasn't planning on re-releasing the OOT on any format after 1995. 

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skyjedi2005 said:

Lucas original vision version circa 1997 was changed twice more,and got worse all the time. 

 worse...?

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DuracellEnergizer said:

skyjedi2005 said:

I believe Lucasfilm always intended to no longer make the original versions available again as early as 1994.

I agree. The whole "ONE LAST TIME" marketing campaign with the faces set certainly indicates to me that Lucas wasn't planning on re-releasing the OOT on any format after 1995. 

 Even that was ultimately a lie, no matter how crappy the GOUT was. 

As for Lucas' vision, I think it had more to do with keeping them current and 'updated' rather than actually fixing anything.

The Person in Question

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moviefreakedmind said:

As for Lucas' vision, I think it had more to do with keeping them current and 'updated' rather than actually fixing anything.

 I'd say both.

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moviefreakedmind said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

skyjedi2005 said:

I believe Lucasfilm always intended to no longer make the original versions available again as early as 1994.

I agree. The whole "ONE LAST TIME" marketing campaign with the faces set certainly indicates to me that Lucas wasn't planning on re-releasing the OOT on any format after 1995. 

 Even that was ultimately a lie, no matter how crappy the GOUT was. 

As for Lucas' vision, I think it had more to do with keeping them current and 'updated' rather than actually fixing anything.

 Lucas might have been a better business mogul than filmmaker but even he made investments into projects with little or no returns.  In fact  the Indiana Jones films and the star wars films are the exception and not the rule everything else was a commercial failure.  And the plastic toys made way more money than any of the movies ever did.

The only exception outside of Star Wars and Indiana Jones is American Grafitti the original one not the sequel.

How much capital he put into the unmade star wars tv series and the unmade Lucas sequel episodes and the planning we shall most likely never know.  How much of that investment in dollars he got back from the sale to Disney, and also how much he stands to lose in terms of Disney stock if the new films tank.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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The funny thing is that old Lucas sold his company to Disney - a company that represents everything that young Lucas hated and rebelled against.

But also young Lucas tried to release good movies. Old Lucas tried to release profitable products.

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slask said:

skyjedi2005 said:

Lucas original vision version circa 1997 was changed twice more,and got worse all the time. 

 worse...?

Well sticking PT parasites into OT really can't be considered anything but worse. For a sane person that is.

真実

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imperialscum said: Well sticking PT parasites into OT really can't be considered anything but worse. For a sane person that is.

 We accept your opinion.

You instead should accept the fact that it doesn't necessarily reflects the truth.

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Of course the movies are getting worse with every new release. Instead of fixing old errors they create new continuity errors, they f**k up the colours, they f**k up the sound mix...

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slask said:

imperialscum said: Well sticking PT parasites into OT really can't be considered anything but worse. For a sane person that is.

 We accept your opinion.

You instead should accept the fact that it doesn't necessarily reflects the truth.

 Your Majesty, you really ought to pay better attention to your grammar! Remember that there is a whole host of people calling proper British English "the Queen's English," so it is desirable that your English be proper.

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That was an oversight. I bet you didn't see other similar mistakes in my posts.

Otherwise your majesty, don't be so cocky, try to learn my language, then you can talk about grammar with an Italian guy with a modest English education.

pittrek said:

Of course the movies are getting worse with every new release. Instead of fixing old errors they create new continuity errors, they f**k up the colours, they f**k up the sound mix...

Actually old errors were fixed.
As for the colors, it's true they're not as good as they should be, but the 2011 blu-ray versions have the best color timing since 1997 special editions..

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slask said:

imperialscum said: Well sticking PT parasites into OT really can't be considered anything but worse. For a sane person that is.

 We accept your opinion.

You instead should accept the fact that it doesn't necessarily reflects the truth.

I don't give opinions, only facts.

真実

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slask said:

That was an oversight. I bet you didn't see other similar mistakes in my posts.

Otherwise your majesty, don't be so cocky, try to learn my language, then you can talk about grammar with an Italian guy with a modest English education.

 Sorry, you used the Royal We and I assumed you were the Queen.

Kidding aside, and in case you don't get the above sentence, not being a native speaker, I assure you I wasn't really making fun of your grammar, but rather teasing your use of "we" when you seem to be the only one holding your position around here. No hard feelings. ;)

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I didn't mean to take it too seriously, sorry if i gave that impression...

I guess fans are destined to argue again and again over this goddamn saga :)

I don't like every choice taken by Lucas, but after so many viewings I learnt to enjoy all six movies, in every form, without too much complaints. I just love too much this mythology.

2011 blu-rays are fine to me, and clearly the best we got by now. I just hope new transfers will be done as soon as possible.

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I apologize for not making it clear that what i stated was an opinion and not an absolute fact 

But it is pretty much clear as day a fact at least to me, as long as the original movies no longer exist.  I would not have a problem with the special edition if it did not replace the real films i grew up with.

Lucas is of the opinion that allowing choice is bad and that multiple versions should not compete with each other, not based on his words but based on his actions.

Ridley Scott had a final definitive vision of blade runner but it did not stop him and the studio from releasing the other versions of that film.

Return of the Jedi is the worst by far the picture quality of the blu ray looks worse than the spike tv broadcasts, even though those were not oar.

The lightsaber colors are still wrong, Vader yells nooooooooo!

He did not do that even in the horrid 2004 version.  And of course Hayden is still posted over Shaw for some insane reason.

The stupid cgi ewok eyes and the  Sebulga like Dug in Jabba's palace are not as bad but still unnecessary.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.