I'm already regretting admitting to this here, but I watched the official blu rays this week for the first time in a while because A.) with TFA this close at hand I figured I might take a break from considering the OT in isolation and at least attempt to make peace with the "saga" versions of the movies, and B.) I had this weird populist urge to take another look at the Star Wars that the vast majority of people accept without thinking twice. I've got to say, I didn't hate it. The unaltered cuts are certainly better films and almost none of the changes are improvements, but those changes didn't torpedo the entire experience of watching the movie like I remembered them doing. I'll still be sticking with the OOT nine viewings out of ten, methinks, but with new movies on the horizon, alternate versions that blend in with the other ones a little more smoothly have a place. With that preamble, there were a handful of things I actually liked.
-All the goofy creature stuff in the Mos Eisley approach sucks pretty hard, but I really dig the rusted out ESB-style transport ship in the background.
-Aurebesh labeling on the tractor beam thing.
-Rotoscoping Vader's saber in that one shot.
-Replacing the cardboard cutout people at the medal ceremony.
-As janky as it is in ANH, the color timing in ESB kind of appeals to me.
-The digitally composited model shots in the Battle of Hoth are glorious.
-Switching Piett's and that other guy's badges to the proper side at the end of the film.
-The blinking ewoks aren't nearly as jarring as they were in my memory. I thought this was actually one of the more convincing effects.
So yeah, that's where I'm at. The OOT has my heart, and I still think it's insane and deplorable that it isn't available through official channels, but setting all that real world baggage aside, if the blu ray is the canonical version going into the sequels, I'm willing to play ball and not gripe about it (too much).
