As of now, the most recent version of ANH is v2.7, ESB is up to v2.0, and RotJ is at v2.5. Harmy is currently working on version 3.0 of the trilogy, but that will take quite a while to finish.
The more I think about RotJ, the more I think that this is actually believable, even if Jabba isn’t literally living with his parents. As far as we know, Jabba may not have any actual power in the galaxy. Maybe he’s just been set up for life by his wealthy family, who have given him his own desert hangout and enough spare money to give him the illusion of real power.
It’s hard to say goodbye to a legend like this. His performance helped make Vader the immortal icon he is today, and left a powerful impression on me as a child, and on many others. He had such immense presence everytime he was onscreen, so that every moment was memorable, and that no doubt led to Vader being my favorite character. Prowse was very often underappreciated for his role, sadly, so I hope he’ll now be given due honor as people say goodbye to him and remember how important he was to the trilogy.
That gif is terrifying, but…an apt visual description of Disney’s behavior. I wish Alan Dean Foster the best and I hope he gets his due as soon as possible. If Disney gets away with this, then that will set a dangerous precedent for companies going forward.
I second sade’s recommendation. The D+xx projects are your best option currently if you want a polished version of the trilogy that cuts out the most distracting changes while leaving in some of the subtle improvements (like the removal of the orange blob under the speeder, for example, or the cleaning up of matte lines and fixing of effects gaffes). They use the highest quality sources currently available,so while they’re not the pure authentic experience like Project 4Kxx is, and have been touched up visually, the editing seams should be much less noticeable compared to Despecialized.
I do think a lot of fans are overly harsh on RotJ. It’s my third favorite film in the franchise and will always be a personal favorite of mine when speaking about films in general.
People can always discuss what could’ve been done differently with the film and argue over the validity of different creative decisions, but when you get down to it, it’s a really good movie that does a great job of closing off the trilogy and wrapping up the overarching stories of both the OT and (in hindsight) the prequels.
I’m not a strict purist, so I don’t mind the idea of older films being tweaked or visually polished in small ways, but most of the SE changes are distracting and actively detrimental to the films, for no good reason. The added effects have aged poorly, for the most part, and are poorly integrated into the films. Not to mention, I resent the fact that they’ve been presented as the only, “true” versions of the films rather than just alternate variations.
I’m content with fan preservations from now on, for sure.
It looks fantastic. Colors are so much better, and the image clarity is great. I can’t wait to see how the first two movies turn out. You guys are doing amazing work.
Lapti nek is just so catchy to me. It’s a goofy scene, but it doesn’t take you out of the experience, while Jedi Rocks feels practically fourth-wall breaking. And Lapti nek is just plain a better-sounding, more believable song in the Star Wars setting. I can live with most other Special Edition changes, but Jedi Rocks is a deal-breaker for me. Lapti nek deserves to be preserved.
The radio drama adaptations are probably the closest we’ll ever get to what an “extended edition” of the trilogy would be like. It’s a neat concept to imagine those in movie form, but ultimately, the films are better off in their trimmed down state. ANH, in particular, is a very tightly paced film (except for the Jabba scene), and does an amazing job of telling a strong story in under 2 hours. Adding a lot of previously scrapped content into the film would likely only make it less effective.
I have the Despecialized Editions on Blu-ray, and love watching them as my go-to versions of the films. But I am also very impressed with D+77, and those new versions might replace the Despecialized as my default for future re-watches.
I almost always call it just A New Hope in discussions, regardless of which version I’m talking about, just for simplicity’s sake and to distinguish between the film and the franchise as a whole. Though sometimes, talking with my parents, I’ll call it “the first one” or “the original” since they grew up not knowing the subtitle.
I kind of like “A New Hope,” because of how the titles of the OT mirror the titles of the prequels. Episodes I and IV both have a title referring to an emerging individual who will bring about change in the galaxy. Episodes II and V both refer to an attacking army or military power. And Episodes III and VI both refer to the back-and-forth shift in power between Sith and Jedi.
I’m forever glad.
Meaning my childhood is locked in a happy - and not bittersweet - party on a forest moon.
Same, man. Same.
Kasdan seemed oddly intent on killing off characters. I know he also suggested killing off Luke and having Leia take his place. It seemed he was really after a darker vision of Star Wars than what Lucas wanted. I do think Han and Leia should’ve had more of their own story going on, but ultimately, it was the better choice to have the main cast survive. After all the struggles and character separation of ESB, it was satisfying to watch all the heroes coming together and succeeding.
I’m interested to see how this turns out. It’s a really neat idea that had never occurred to me before. All this time, Lucasfilm has been trying to “modernize” the aesthetic of the OT and scrub away any filmic qualities until it’s totally synthetic looking. But really, the better option might be adding a “retro” aesthetic to the PT. Best of luck on the project, if you’re continuing.
How prominent is the noise/grain with the upscale? Would you say it’s visually distracting? I was looking up the Topaz AI program, and the results seem impressive, so I was thinking of buying the software myself to upscale some of my old DVDs. Would you recommend it?
Looks great! Very official looking while still keeping a retro image. Just the sort of design I was looking for for my set.
Hi, there! I grew up with the OT and the prequels, and spent a large part of my childhood reading Star Wars books and Wookieepedia articles. Over the past ten years, I grew worn out with Star Wars, but thanks to the amazing work of preservationists such as Harmy, I’ve rediscovered my love for the series and its universe.
I’m always glad to find a place to have civil discussion about the series with people who have different opinions and perspectives, which I think are important to keep yourself open to. It also seems to be a great place to keep track of the latest updates on fan projects and to get advice and information on those projects. So, I’m happy to be here, and I want to express my appreciation for all the users on here who’s work has made these fan restorations possible.