I take issue with Worley’s blanket vilification of every fan who criticized the prequels or the Special Edition. He insists in the video that it would take a lot of money and effort to restore the original cuts, and that it wouldn’t be financially worthwhile because the only people who want the old cuts are just a small vocal group of butthurt fanboys who can’t accept change. And that’s just blatantly false. The demand for the original cuts, or at least for cuts that delete all the added CGI from 97 and restore the old practical effects, is very significant. Even execs at Lucasfilm have admitted that there’s a huge amount of fan interest in it, and you need only look at the huge bootleg industry on eBay for Despecialized and 4K77. Even the GOUTs still sell high and are sought after.
All of this adds up to that if Lucasfilm ever actually went through with it, it would be massively profitable move that would win them a lot of fan goodwill. So purely from a profit-seeking perspective, as well as a film preservation perspective, it’s overwhelmingly the right thing to do.
Creators have the right to revise their work, and there are plenty of well done director’s cuts of movies out there, but there’s a good reason the Special Editions are often held up as precisely how not to do a director’s cut. People may like specific changes made, but many changes take you out of the film, and ultimately, the theatrical cuts are a more cohesive, authentic experience of watching classic movies made in 77, 80, and 83. That’s why we’re here.
