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Your first words of reaction after watching one of the PT movies for the first time. — Page 2

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Originally posted by: Anchorhead
I looked at the link you posted. That's not something I would be interested in.

Star Wars doesn't need to be fixed.


As much as I love and cherish the original, to say that there is not stuff in Star Wars that could be polished and fixed is a monumental missight of the truth. I am not basing my thoughts on your oppinion or mine I am just looking at this from a quality stand point. The story is perfectly fine and does not need to be adjusted to fit the PT, however the visuals are a mess in both the OOT and in the SE. The OOT of Star Wars needs a lot of fixing just not the way George wants it to be fixed. The matte boxes need to be taken care of, the grain needs to be cleaned off of the film, the soundtrack needs to be cleaned up to reduce hiss and pops and crackels wherever they might be, the lightsabers could do with re-rotoscoping in some spots for consistency ( especially on the Falcon ), model shots need to be cleaned up in some cases ( not all of them, because some are pure genius), matte painting backgrounds need to be blended better with the forground visuals in some spots, the orange blob under the landspeeder as it enters Mos Eisley needs to be removed, continuity errors that have been caused by flipping shots in post-production need to be fixed, and the list could go on and on. Now does this mean I think the originals need to be replaced, no. They should exist also, for those who love them, but the films can and need to be cleaned up. Adywan has set out to do this, while preserving the original. He has taken Jabba out of Star Wars, Han shoots first again, nad any slap shtick humor that was added to the SE has been removed. All he has done is cleaned up the visuals, fixed the color issues caused by the restoration process, and updated effects in the SE that looked like crapt. I fully respect your descision to not watch Adywan's edit, but here is a full list of his changes if you did not see it:

1. Recoloured the Tantive troopers shirts to match from shot to shot. Now a grey/ blue instead of the over saturated blue in a lot of shots.
2. Changed 3P0's line from " there will be no escape for the princess this time" to " there will be no escape this time". Fixes an error when Luke sees the hologram but 3PO has no idea who she is but hasn't had his memory wiped.
3. Re-Edited the Tantive troops battle to fix continuity issues with troopers dying more than once.
4. Re-rotoscoped all lasers to closer match the PT
5. Added blast flashes to all troopers throughout the movie that get hit but originally had no blast flashes.
6. Fixed the jump cut where 3PO & R2 cross the corridor on the Tantive IV & the doorway explodes.
7. When Vader enters the Tantive IV a stormtrooper lets go of the head of a dead trooper but that you can see that the actor slowly lowers his head. This has been fixed and the troopers head now drops at speed more like a dead body.
8. Added blinking lights to Vader's chest plate
9. Vader's eyes recoloured to remove the red tint.
10.When 3PO is looking for R2 a trooper falls to the floor behind him as if he has been shot but there is no laser fire. Added some lasers & a flash as the trooper is hit.
11. Smoothed / fixed the jump cut as R2 extends his third leg and heads for 3PO & the one where he leaves 3PO
12. In the scene where Vader is strangling Antilles the trooper in the background changes position in one shot. His legas are closed and his blaster is in a totally different position. Fixed this error.
13. Recoloured the interior of the escape pod to blue due to continuity issues in this scene.
14. On Tatooine the escape pod canopy has been recoloured to remove the odd blue colour.
15. In the same scenes the sky has been changed to match other shots
16. Added a new sandcrawler to the shots where 3PO thinks he is rescued
17.Completely new canyon wipe so the rocky surroundings that R2 travels through matches closer to what Tatooine looks like in the PT.
18. Fixed a placement continuity error with the restraining bolt that the Jawas fix to R2
19. Added a battle droid to the scrap inside the Sandcrawler.
20. Fixed R2's eye dome in the shot inside the sandcrawler where it looks like you can see Kenny Baker inside.
21. Inside the sandcrawler 3PO's eyes blink as he stands. Fixed
22. When Beru calls to Luke as they are about to inspect the droids, bushes appear & disappear from shot to shot. Removed the bushes from the shots of Luke to fix this error.
23. Removed the wire from the back of 3PO's neck when Owen calls Luke over.
24. Removed the repeated shot of R2 & the red R5 unit to fix a continuity error. Replaced with a new shot.
25. Fixed the pink sky effect just before this scene fades out.
26. Added the missing glow from R2's holo light in the garage.
27. Re synced Leia's " help me Obi-Wan" lines so this now matches each shot.
28. Brightened & desaturated the sunset scene.
29. Fixed the colour problem in the shot where 3PO jumps as Luke activates the restraining bolt in the garage. In the 2004 DVDs this shot was sepia. An example of some very bad colour problems with these DVDs .
30. As Luke races out of the Garage to use his macro binoculars i have added 3PO running out of the doorway to fix an error that he suddenly appears out of nowhere.
31. New macrobinocular graphics that add in 3PO. All other macro binocular graphics changed too
32. Removed the droids tracks from a previous take make it look like it is being pulled along by a cord.
33. When Owen shouts Luke the treadwell droid is in a totally different place than the previous shot and a fly lands on the camera lens. Fixed both issues.
34. Re-edited the music where we first see the Tusken Raiders to fix a horrible music edit.
35. Added Obi-wans' original scream to frighten the Tusken Raiders instead of that horrible whistle.
36. Smoothed the jump cut where Luke ignites the sabre in Obi-Wan's hut
37. Added the missing ornament on Ben's table in the shot of Leias hologram.
38. New Death Star reveal sequence.
39. Fixed the music track drop-out as Vader approaches the detention cell
40. Changed the torture droids syringe arm. Removed the writings and added a laser effect.
41. Mos eisley approach re-edited. Removed some of the creatures on the first shot & completely removed the Ronto/ Jawa sequence.
42. Removed both Rontos from the checkpoint scene.
43. Removed the probe droid from this scene also.
44. Fixed the ship that flies in front of the vaporator making it look tiny.
45. When Luke looks over to the cantina it is heavily cast in shadow but as they approach there are no shadows. This has been fixed.
46. Added facial movements to some cantina creatures.
47. In the shot where you see Ponda Babba's severed arm I have removed the blod & replaced the hand with the hoof like one we see him with in other shots.
48. More facial movements & blinks for Greedo
49. Han is now the only one that shoots.
50. Removed the Jabba scene
51. Fixed the sync issue with bens line "If the ship is as fast.."
52. Re-added the fade wipe as they approach the falcon.
53. Added the falcons dish in the docking bay shot and expanded the docking bay.
54. Re-edited the docking bay shoot-out to fix some continuity issues
55. Added the missing middle strut to all the Falcons cokpit window scenes.
56. Added the blue glow back to the Falcons engines.
57. New Alderaan for all the view screen shots
58. New Alderaan explosion
59. Re-rotoscoped all lightsabres and fixed lukes wobbly sabre during the training session.
60. Re-composited the holo chess character so they look more like holograms now.
61. In close-up shots of R2 the background has the control light from the Death Star interior. These shots now have the correct background.
62. Fixed the jump cut as Luke turns off his sabre.
63. Added the colour to the remotes laser that was missing from the 2004 DVD's
64. In the scene where Vader says "I told you she would never...." he gestures after he has stopped talking. This has been fixed.
65. More asteroids when the Falcon reaches the Alderaan system
66. New docking bays for exterior shots to match the new interior ones.
67. Removed the blue screen pole that is visible as the Falcon enters the docking bay
68. Added a glow to the shield light to all shots of the docking bay interior.
69. Added the censored shot of the officer being hit as they break into the control room.
70. Fixed the tractor bean display graphics so they now fill the display screen.
71. The Death Star's interiors are now metallic grey instead of the horrible blue.
72. When Han, Luke & chewy wait at the elevator a trooper walks past them wearing a light coloured uniform but in the next shot it is a dark uniform. Recoloured the light uniform to fix this.
73. Added the censored shot of the officer being hit in the detention cell shoot-out.
74. In the final shots of this sequence a trooper falls down the stairs but only the scenery was hit. The trooper now gets hit.
75. In the scene where the stormtroopers are about to blast their way into the detention cell, the elevator door has visible signs that it has been rigged for to blast apart and looks a mess. Fixed this issue.
76. New tractor beam matte shots.
77. New wider shot of Luke & leia as they swing across the chasm. They now look to be a lot higher up.
78. Re-edited the ligtsabre duel to give it a faster pace & added music.
79. Removed the visible power cable from the lightsabre up Ben's sleeve.
80. As Han & chewy reach the docking bay you can see the shadows of Luke & leia awaiting their cue. Removed the shadows.
81. Replaced the dummy of Ben as Vader kills him. You now see his face and Vader actually slices through him and you see him disappear.
82. When Luke blasts the control panel the door blast door closes, but in the next shot it closes again. This has been fixed.
83. As the Falcon leaves the docking bay it originally left very slowly even though the engines ignite and it should have accelerated faster. It does now.
84. Removed the horribly bad motion from the shots of Luke & Han in the gun port as the TIEs approach
85. Redone the TIE battle sequence so the falcon no longer appears to be just sitting there.
86. Added a moving starfiled to all interior window shots of the gun port.
87. When 3PO is entangled in the wires after the battle, again the close up of R2 has the death star interior background. It now has the correct Falcon corridor background.
88. After the battle you now see the falcon enter hyperspace.
89. Added he Hyperspace wormhole to the following cockpit sequence.
90. The Falcon now can be seen exiting hyperspace as it approaches Yavin.
91. In the shot of the Falcon as it flies over the trees on Yavin IV the clouds have been changed to matched the rest of the sequence. I've also added the falcons shadow on the trees as it flies over.
92. New interior shot of the Hanger bay. Removed the cardboard fighters and given the hanger greater depth.
93. Fixed the following flip shots as they step off the transport vehicle.
94. New Death Star schematics.
95. Darkened the rebel briefing scene and once it is over the lighting becomes brighter.
96. A lot of the Rebel pilots have Blue insignias on their helmets but there is no blue squadron in the final draft. Recoloured all blue insignias to red.
97. Fixed the horrible jump cut of R2 as he is loaded into the X-Wing while Luke talks to Biggs & Red Leader.
98. As the X-wing lifts off it now flies forward and not just straight up.
99. As Luke leaves the temple you can now see the exterior of the temple from the rear cockpit window.
100. Re-edited all Rebel command centre shots to fix issues where the image has been flipped ( you can tell because 3PO's dent on his head keeps swapping sides) Also leia keeps changing position.
101. Added Yavin to the rear cockpit windows of the fighters as they report in.
102. Recoloured R2 so his dome is now blue and not black in all space shots.
103. Fixed few flip shots of various pilots during the battle (the microphone keeps swapping sides)

Overall colour correction and brighter image than the 2004 DVDs

I am sorry about the length of my post, but I wanted Anchorhead to see this list. Even if it still does not change his mind about the project.


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i haven't heard of this either, & it sounded interesting 'til i got to this:

4. Re-rotoscoped all lasers to closer match the PT

& then, i stopped reading after these:

8. Added blinking lights to Vader's chest plate
9. Vader's eyes recoloured to remove the red tint.

See, imo, that's exactly one of lucas's major problems. Going back & changing what was presented to the audience first to match what was presented later.... It's should be that things presented later either match with what cam before, or there's a resonable explanation for the change. As an example, Vader could easily go through multiple suits, that get upgraded over time, which explains the differences in his costume throughout the OOT. In ROTS, i really expected to see a proto-vader that was totally new. maybe something more resembling some of McQuarries original preproduction art. Something that would very clearly evolve into the vader suit we see in ANH, but something not quite there yet. more primitive. Instead we got what was essentially the most refined (in terms of sheer production quality) costume of any of the films, which makes no sense in chronological order of the stories.... Oddly enough, while it may have been the most refined, symmetrical suit; it totally lacked the soul of the oot suits...
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First thoughts:

TPM - [upon exiting the theatre] Man, I wanna go out and buy a lightsaber!... [5 min later] What the hell was up with Jar-Jar? Is Lucas on crack?

AOTC - Much better that TPM; liked the detective/film noir feel to it; liked the absence of Jar-Jar; I can't believe they made Yoda fight without it looking totally ridiculous... what the hell was up with that cheesy dialogue between Anakin and Padme?

ROTS - THIS was the prequel I was waiting for! Excellent tragedy, epic, overall believable acting... LOVE the scene where there's no dialogue and Anakin and Padme just stare across the city at each other (excellent score here)... can't wait to go home and watch ANH

Overall - We could've skipped the TPM as a film unto itself, and started the PT with AOTC. ROTS would've made an excellent 2nd film, and there should've been a new 3rd film to more closely tie in with the OT (a 19 year gap is a little much)


* * *

Marvolo, concerning your post to Anchorhead, while I agree that Adywan's work is amazing (he actually put me back on to possibly liking a SE of Star Wars after I'd pretty much sworn off it), your persuasive argument is a bit flawed: it presupposes that someone would WANT to "improve" the technical aspects of the film. While I personally agree with you (hell, anything that makes Star Wars crisper, cleaner, and clearer is a good thing in my books), I can totally see why others would like to preserve the '70s feel of the film (which is what I'm assuming Anchorhead feels). It was made in that time period and it should be remembered as being a film in that time period.

I must admit, despite wanting the best version (visually) of Star Wars to watch at home, a part of me sympathizes with Anchorhead... I kind of long for the days when it was just some cool '70s space movie with its own little, as-yet-to-be-over-analyzed characters, universe, and story. The last time I got that feeling was when I came across an old Star Wars LP in a record store; looking at the jacket, with its old production stills, thinking about when this would've still been new, totally took me back 30 years.

“It’s a lot of fun… it’s a lot of fun to watch Star Wars.” – Bill Moyers

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Originally posted by: canofhumdingers
i haven't heard of this either, & it sounded interesting 'til i got to this:

4. Re-rotoscoped all lasers to closer match the PT

& then, i stopped reading after these:

8. Added blinking lights to Vader's chest plate
9. Vader's eyes recoloured to remove the red tint.

See, imo, that's exactly one of lucas's major problems. Going back & changing what was presented to the audience first to match what was presented later.... It's should be that things presented later either match with what cam before, or there's a resonable explanation for the change. As an example, Vader could easily go through multiple suits, that get upgraded over time, which explains the differences in his costume throughout the OOT. In ROTS, i really expected to see a proto-vader that was totally new. maybe something more resembling some of McQuarries original preproduction art. Something that would very clearly evolve into the vader suit we see in ANH, but something not quite there yet. more primitive. Instead we got what was essentially the most refined (in terms of sheer production quality) costume of any of the films, which makes no sense in chronological order of the stories.... Oddly enough, while it may have been the most refined, symmetrical suit; it totally lacked the soul of the oot suits...



Totally agree with you. Another example of how something could've been made to appear "earlier" than the OT were the ships: I would've loved to see dinkier versions of X-wings and TIE fighters; something to show that the ships progressively became more advanced as time went on. Instead, we seem to get Flash Gordon (which, if memory serves, flies completely in the face of what was so innovative in the first Star Wars -- namely, the idea of USED-looking ships).

“It’s a lot of fun… it’s a lot of fun to watch Star Wars.” – Bill Moyers

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But it's supposed to be the golden age, when everything was peaceful and good - so to speak. 'Before the dark times, before the Empire'


Oh and Marvolo pretty much summed up Adywans project. But please lets not start a slagging war of which is better.
It's not better, it's not worst...It's just a different take on a classic

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I remember turning to my friend after watching TPM and asking, "Did that feel like Star Wars to you?" And he shook his head "no." And I wanted to like the film.

After watching AOTC, I was gobsmacked. Again, I remember asking my friend if it "felt" like Star Wars to him, and again, he said, "no." I was very disappointed.

ROTS I didn't watch until it was video. I just couldn't shake the cartoony-digity aura about it. Again, disappointed. Again, did not feel like Star Wars. I wanted to like this one, especially after reading posts of those hated the first two, but liked this one.
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Originally posted by: Marvolo
Originally posted by: Anchorhead
Star Wars doesn't need to be fixed.


... to say that there is not stuff in Star Wars that could be polished and fixed is a monumental missight of the truth.

(Followed by 103 things Anchorhead doesn't give thought to while watching the story - as opposed to a scene by scene breakdown of the film.)

I am sorry about the length of my post, but I wanted Anchorhead to see this list. Even if it still does not change his mind about the project.


With all due respect, if there are 103 scenes you'd like to see changed to make the movie more enjoyable for you - you might want to give some serious thought to watching a different movie.

Let me clarify my original post; Star Wars doesn't need to be polished and fixed for me to enjoy it.

In fact, I prefer it not be altered at all - which is why I'm a member of this board in the first place.

When I put the DVD in, I watch Star Wars, the story of Luke Skywalker - not the color of a helmet sticker on one of the extras in a scene - or whether of not the upper piece of someone's armor on their right arm matches the guy standing next to them in line, ten people back from the actors with speaking roles - or counted the number of times Greedo blinks. For fuck's sake, man - go outdoors occasionally.
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You know, am I the only one that LIKES Hayden's "hey-I'm-not-really-there" acting? It seems to fit the dark Anakin character that Lucas was going for (not that I like the PT that much...)

Ep 1: (5 years old) That was AWESOME!!!!!!

Ep 2: (8? 9?) I almost fell asleep during this one.

Ep 3: This was... actually good!

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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Originally posted by: Anchorhead
With all due respect, if there are 103 scenes you'd like to see changed to make the movie more enjoyable for you - you might want to give some serious thought to watching a different movie.

Let me clarify my original post; Star Wars doesn't need to be polished and fixed for me to enjoy it.

In fact, I prefer it not be altered at all - which is why I'm a member of this board in the first place.


Beautifully stated.

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Originally posted by: Anchorhead

With all due respect, if there are 103 scenes you'd like to see changed to make the movie more enjoyable for you - you might want to give some serious thought to watching a different movie.

Let me clarify my original post; Star Wars doesn't need to be polished and fixed for me to enjoy it.

In fact, I prefer it not be altered at all - which is why I'm a member of this board in the first place.


I love the OOT version of Star Wars, but I am always open to a new idea. There is always room to change something and try something different. Does this mean the OOT should not be preserved for me and others to enjoy when I want to, no. I do not want 103 things changed, because I do not like those 103 things. I want those 103 changes, because it creates a new way to watch the movie I love so dearly. I am, and I can not believe I am saying this, very much like George Lucas in many respects. I like experimental film making. I like to strip a film down to its simplest elements and rearrange it to creat a new story line. Now was the SE successful at this, no. But George tried it, and even though it failed, I admire him for trying. However, if he really wanted to go haywire with the originals and change them he should have released the OOT restored for those that did not want the SE, and the ones that wanted the SE could have had that version. Now, to say that you want except Adywan's project because he changed the laserbolts to look like the PT is ridiculous. They are red burst of light traveling across the screen for not even a second. Do you freeze frame every single laserbolt? Also, the reason for Vader's costume change between Star Wars and ESB is because George expanded Vader's background between the shooting of the two films. When Star Wars was being filmed George had written Vader as being a man being so mutilated ( as in disgusting looking, he could originally live without the suit he just used it to hide his scarred body), but by ESB George had thought up the Duel and how Vader had been injured so badly by falling in a Volcano that he could not live without the suit. George decided that Vader costume needed an update for ESB to follow this new development in the Vader story. So they moved the brestplate above the under cloak to make hime appear larger, they updated the lights and and mechanics on his belt and chest plate to be more mechanical looking, and they changed the eye which were red ( this was an idea by George, who originally wanted people to be able to get glimpses of Vader's face under the mask at certain angles) were changed to dark black to make hime more mysteries. Also, when ESB's sound was first being mixed Vader made a lot more racket. When he turned his head or moved a limbe, or made any kind of movement you could here pistons and gears rotating,and the breathing you hear when Vader is dieing in ROTJ was how Vader was going to breath, originally in ESB. However, when George and Ben set down and reviewed the mix they felt Vader was just too loud so they made him quieter like in Star Wars. All of these advancements to the suit, and different breath types were ways to make Vader seem like a walking iron lung. Vader's story changed drasticly between ESB and Star Wars, and his upgraded suit is an example of just how much.

Originally posted by: Anchorhead
When I put the DVD in, I watch Star Wars, the story of Luke Skywalker - not the color of a helmet sticker on one of the extras in a scene - or whether of not the upper piece of someone's armor on their right arm matches the guy standing next to them in line, ten people back from the actors with speaking roles - or counted the number of times Greedo blinks. For fuck's sake, man - go outdoors occasionally.


So you do not appreciate the film enough for it to be consistent and the best it can be? As long as I have the OOT and am able to view the orignal versions if I want to, I have no problems wih the films being changed and updated to make them more consistent and better looking. The SE and the OOT exist as two seperate things to me. So as long as someone edits the SE and leaves the OOT alone I am fine with that.


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Marvolo, you're obviously very passionate about this (and that's admirable), but you have to respect Anchorhead's position as well.

Sometimes, it's those little "imperfections" that make a film so endearing. Would any sane person REALLY want to change the scene where the Stormtrooper hits his head on the door?! It was obviously a mistake, but I think most fans would miss it a lot if it weren't there (and I'm sorry, I didn't have the patience to see if that was among your 103 changes- )

corellian77 touched on this- but for many fans who were around in 1977, the film is not just a great movie, but also a sort of a snapshot in time representing that year. The imperfections are a reminder of the available technology at the time, and the wonderful solutions that came from sheer talent and creativity (which is why I prefer seeing the matte painting during the rebel ceremony scene, and the original tie-figher/x-wing models, etc).

When you start removing/changing stuff in the film, you're taking out little bits of the Summer of '77, and that means something to the people who remember it.

IMO, it's essentially sterilizing the film, and like Anchorhead, it's not my cup of tea, but then George Lucas probably agrees with you about a lot of that stuff, so there you go.

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To go back to topic :

E1 : What the f* was that ? The most chaoticly edited movie in the history ! So many important scenes droped and so much crap left in I actually never understood what was this movie about, it's a series of things which simply happen without any reason, but WHAT WAS THE MOVIE ABOUT ???

E2 : Finally a great prequel ! This is actually the only prequel that I actually like. A great fast action movie with a "heart and soul", just like the original trilogy. It's only problem are the last 30-40 minutes, it feels like somebody switched the TV chanel and we're suddenly watching a completely different movie.

E3 : The most boring intro I've ever seen in my life. And what's even worse, the intro lasted for a half an hour. This movie is simply unwatchable. I always felt like watching a trailer for a cheap videogame, and not a movie. Too much CG. What if the lazy bastards would move their fat asses and actually BUILD something ? Maybe the sets, the props, some miniatures, simply something which makes me feel like I'm watching a movie, and not Doom 2 Pure shit, even the story sucks. The transition from Anakin to Vader , the probably most waited scene in movie history is completely ruined ! And Padme ? Hey, my husband is a killer, what will I do with it ? Hey, I've got an idea, I'll die.
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TPM: I entered with expectations that it would not really have the old Star Wars feel to it, and knowing that there would be an annoying character, but I did not anticipate that the annoying character would be that bad. I left with a mild taste of disgust in my mouth.

AOTC: I had assimilated all spoilers to the movie completely, so was was not the least bit surprised about anything in the movie. I did feel that Lucas and McCallum was on the right track and if they continued like this, the next movie would be great.

ROTS: The "cartoon" feel started about five minutes into the movie... but the cartoonishness never ended. I was very disappointed and also angry, because I had entered with high expectations and not too many spoilers. I met and shaked hands with other haters after the movie ...
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Originally posted by: Marvolo
So you do not appreciate the film enough for it to be consistent and the best it can be?


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I envy you in a way Anchorhead.

If I’ve never seen the SE of Star Wars I'd be really excited about watching it for the first time, not only a special edition, but a special edition that has had so much love and attention put into it that in a way you are watching a completely new film. A whole new take on Star Wars. I would absolutely love that.

Each to their own I guess, just seems a shame, that's all.

But enough of all this - Back to the topic



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Originally posted by: HotRod

Each to their own I guess, just seems a shame, that's all.


Funny - that's exactly how I feel about people that need the movie fixed.

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We don't need it fixed. It's just another version to watch - If I want too - that's all.

See, I feel the same way about Empire. To me that is the greatest film ever. But after watching the SE I was gutted. They totally ruined the film. And then the bloody DVD came out and they pissed around with it even more. So I can totally see where you're coming from.
I just thought, from you're point of view having never seen a SE before, that it might have been an eye opener that's all. Just a new take on a classic. Not to replace it.
Man, I don't want to argue with you. Everyone’s entitled their own opinion, and I totally respect yours!

I've just realised that I've totally contradicted myself there.
Good job

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Originally posted by: HotRod
I just thought, from you're point of view having never seen a SE before, that it might have been an eye opener that's all.

I'm sure there are some parts of it that are really nice - color, clarity, etc. I was just lucky I found out ahead of time that there were added scenes and characters. I didn't want to worry with having to try to unsee them afterwards. So I never bothered with them.

Man, nearly 30 years later, I still have a scattering of images in my head from the original TV airing of The Holiday Special. The SE additions are the last thing I need in there with them.

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After standing in line for almost 24 hours, I was extremely, EXTREMELY disappointed by the outcome. Standing in line with a bunch of other Star Wars geeks and talking about the movie we were about to see and talking about old Star Wars memories and feeling the rush of adrenaline as showtime approached was actually better than the movie itself.

When I got home at about three in the morning, my wife groggily asked me: 'how was it?' to which I replied: 'eh... okay. I didn't really like it. Good night.'

Still ended up seeing it about 17 times in the theater though. Guess I'm a glutton for punishment.
"You don't know the power of the dark side!"
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TPM: I didn't think it was great, but I still liked it a lot (after repeated viewings) and thought the rest of the series would have promise (assuming George got some other directors to take over). It had a fun and fast story and I didn't initially mind the new take on some of the things (like midichlorians, overpowered jedi, or jar-jar-style humor) since I figured George could take the series where he wanted so long as it was actually watchable in some way. The acting wasn't good, but character drama wasn't the focus of the movie so I let that part slide.

AotC: I thought it was good. My initial impression of the acting was that is was absolutely awful (far worse than what we saw in TPM) and the dialogue the actors and actresses had to speak with was even worse, and yet I still strangely had the impression that the movie was fairly entertaining (though that battle at the end made no sense and seemed totally disconnected from the rest of the movie and Yoda's fight scene was silly and completely sensationalistic).

RotS: After my first viewing I thought it was perhaps the best film of the series [edit: the prequels] (though I think this was mostly wishful thinking). The acting was still bad (though only at TPM levels and not as bad as what we saw in AotC) and I knew the film was way too long and filled with useless crap, but I still managed to like it somehow. Looking back now I'm pretty sure that I was disoriented by the hyper pacing of the film.


Now I think that Phantom Menace isn't nearly as good as I initially had (particularly, the more boring DVD cut), but I still think it's the only prequel that has actual merit. Pittrek complained earlier that there was no story in TPM, but AotC and RotS have less of a story. At the most you could argue that AotC is a mystery and that RotS is about the origin of Vader, but that's really reaching for something as far as I'm concerned (since the first is barely significant and the second is not a unifying concept for the film in which it is placed). In TPM you had a war to liberate a planet from a corrupt political power; its very simple, self-contained, and fun (the only odd parts of the film's story deal with Anakin in the sense that they feel tacked on, but I consider that an interlude).

"Now all Lucas has to do is make a cgi version of himself.  It will be better than the original and fit his original vision." - skyjedi2005

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Ok, enough ranting. I will except Anchorhead's descision not to experience the SE.


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Originally posted by: Marvolo
Ok, enough ranting. I will except Anchorhead's descision not to experience the SE.


You mean "accept."

I guess I understand your point better, Marvolo, assuming you look at special edits of Star Wars only as alternative versions and not a supposedly "improved" replacement of the original. I still believe the original film is the best version to watch in a historical sense and in an authentic sense. Other than that, I think tasteful, alternative versions are a fun experience. Too bad George's edits were designed to replace the originals.

"Now all Lucas has to do is make a cgi version of himself.  It will be better than the original and fit his original vision." - skyjedi2005

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Originally posted by: Tiptup
Originally posted by: Marvolo
Ok, enough ranting. I will except Anchorhead's descision not to experience the SE.


You mean "accept."


He may not have.
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