Star Wars DVD reviews
Product: Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 1/5
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 1/5
Just like he's done on VHS, he'll keep re-releasing different versions, trying to suck out as much $ as he can. I bought the original movies on VHS. Then, I bought the widescreen versions when they were available. Then, I bought the new edition's in widescreen (not sure why I felt compelled other than the influence the originals had on my childhood).
Well, I won't play any more. I'm not even going fork over cash to see the finale of the pot-boiler prequels. I'll buy when the original versions come out on DVD (in widescreen), but not 'till then. Hear that George?
-- a disillusioned fan
Product: Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 1/5
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 1/5
Too bad that you have to give one star - I would love to give this release zero stars.
There's no way I'm going to buy the so-called "Special Editions" of these movies. I could live with a set that included both the original and the bastardized versions - but if Lucas insists that the "SEs" are the only versions that will be released I'll have take very good care of my VHS copies of the Original Trilogy. It looks like they are going to be the only copies of these movies that I'll ever own.
Product: Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Full Screen Edition)
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 1/5
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 1/5
The fact that the first three films were a overly simplistic is understandable because Lucas was new to film making and had a limited budget. They had potential but ultimately Lucas didn't expand the Star Wars Universe to satisfy people who want some depth in their movie experience.
So what's his excuse now? Rather than grow up with his audience and create a prequel that would stimulate some brain cells he simply created a movie as an excuse to sell more toys. I mean come on, doesn't he have enough money to get some real writers and pay for some special effects that don't look like special effects?
When I saw all the Star Wars fans getting so excited over the coming of this movie, (many of them going so far as to actually buy tickets for Meet Joe Black just to see the coming attractions for the Phantom Menace and then walk out) I was almost certain that Lucas wouldn't let them down.
At this point if the next two movies are even remotely interesting I'll be very surprised.
Product: Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Full Screen Edition)
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 1/5
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 1/5
This film is a textbook example of what Robert Redford once said: "They don't make movies in Hollywood anymore. They market them." This bland, childish film overwhelms with special effects to hide the lack of an intelligent script. Toy-tie ins and over-kill marketing showed that Lucas didn't care about entertaining people as much as he wanted to make money! But we can probably look forward to more with 'Clone' toy tie-ins in Episode 2. Oh, yeah...did anybody say anything about a script for this one?
Product: Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones (Full Screen Edition)
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 4/5
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 4/5
Thankfully, AOTC is a great fun ride, and one heck of a Star Wars movie. You can almost rate it as 2 things, one as an individual piece, which proves somewhat hard to do and then as a piece of the bigger Star Wars epic and how it compares to the other films and their individual places in the series.Yeah, I'm sure by now you've heard the 'wooden' acting complaints, which is kind of weird as when you compare the acting here to the other movies, it's well above Episode I (lucas learned something) and just about at the levels of the original trilogy.The galaxy is in disarray. Systems are pulling out of the Senate and the threat of war hangs over all. Senator Padme Amidala, former queen of Naboo, is hurrying back to vote on the army creation act, which she strongly opposes. She's under a seemingly constant death threat and is assigned Jedi protectors Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan Anakin Skywalker to keep her safe. Needless to say, adventure spreads like wild fire and Obi-Wan is off to play Sherlock Holmes while Anakin is left to assist Padme into seclusion to keep her safe. Needless to say, romance ensues when the public servants are left to themselves and Obi-Wan finds more than he bargained for. The romance is workable at worst and Obi-Wan's run-ins with the bounty hunter Fetts are things that fanboy dreams are made of. The final half hour or so really demonstrates the vast world that digital film and effects has and will offer us in the future.Maybe Lucas uses too much CGI, but it's his film and luckily the picture is visually breathtaking. I only wish I could see it digitally projected to get the full experience. And, to his and his ILM team's credit, the digital characters and surroundings do become one with the real things when you don't keep telling yourself to try to find the CG additions. I think Lucas also realizes that someone had to make a film like this and almost formally kick off the digital film age.Star Wars fans (forget Episode I) will absolutely love this one and it also probably might have more appeal to the 'outsider' or 'general' audience than any other Star Wars film. Superb popcorn flick sure to be a summer favorite.
Product: Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones (Full Screen Edition)
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 5/5
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 5/5
This is the best movie George Lucas has ever made. There is a lot more fighting , chasing, and loving in this film. The parts I like is when Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker)chase Zam all across the planet Couriscant. The other best part is when Padme Amidala Neberre (Natalie Portman), Anakin Skywalker, and all of the Jedi fight in the arena. This is also a very well put together scene. This is the best Star Wars cast ever since Star Wars Episode VI Return Of the Jedi. Thank You so much George For the very well made films. YOU RULE GEORGE!!
Product: Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 2/5
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 2/5
I see so many reviews claiming these dvds look spectacular, when nothing could be further from the truth. It's the worst I've ever seen these films! I've spent the day going back and forth between a "bootleg" edition of the original un-tampered with theatrical editions and the new official dvd releases. The bootlegs, while a tad blurry, look way better.
First there's the issue of artificial "crispness". The new official discs are overly sharp to the point of creating jagged edges around everything, and there's also a bizarre "ghosting" effect that creates a double-image at times. The opening shots of Empire and Jedi, with their star destroyer fly-bys, are revised to include new and heavy-contrast lines and shading. The new detailing shimmers in a very annoying fashion. When I put the old versions in my player, the ships were not so detailed or shaded, and there was no shimmering. This shimmering is also particularly bad when the Jawas capture R2.
Far worse, however, is the brightness and contrast. I've never had a problem with brightness and contrast on previous editions of these films, but the new dvds are absolutely atrocious. Scenes in Yoda's hut, the trash compactor, the Jawa sandcrawler, the Rancor pit, the Ewok village, and any darker scene have had the contrast turned so far up that tons of detail is lost. When the Jawas capture R2D2 and when Luke and Leia talk about their mother at the Ewok village, the background falls completely into blackness. In somewhat brighter scenes, like inside Yoda's hut, the contrast is even uglier - black becomes brown and white becomes yellow, creating an ugly muddy image that also lacks in detail. I don't know how these errors could have been allowed.
There are also color problems. Some shots on the Death Star and in the Rebel Cruiser at the beginning of A New Hope appear bluish, and Cloud City's intro is now so red that it bleeds profusely.
The only time these new discs look spectacular is in bright scenes, like the Sail Barge assault exterior shots (the interiors are among the muddy-looking shots).
I was already disappointed that Lucas wasn't releasing the original theatrical editions. I hate the silly "Jedi Rocks" number so much that I literally cannot watch it. I hate Greedo shooting first, and the all-new digital tinkering Lucas has done to make Han "dodge" the bullet is so poorly executed. I hate seeing Jabba in A New Hope. He looks better than in the 1997 special edition, but he still looks bad.
Whenever I've wanted to watch the films, I've watched my bootlegs of the original theatrical editions. I was hoping the new "official" dvds, while marred by Lucas' ridiculous changes and enhanced effects, would be the end-all of transfers, but laserdiscs and even past VHS releases have exhibited brighter colors and better overall image quality. So the only reason to buy this new DVD box set is for the bonus material, which is only marginally exciting.
I wish you could sit here with me looking at the difference between these nice, official, allegedly "spectacular" dvd transfers, and some cheap laser-disc imported bootleg dvds from somewhere in Asia. I've calibrated my TV. I'm not out of my mind. The bootleg is the better quality disc. And there's no embarrassing musical number. And Han shoots first!
Product: Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 5/5
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 5/5
Don't buy any DVD's if you don't buy this one! ITS A MUST!!!
It also includes the prewiew of Revenge Of The Sith along with TONZ of other extras any DVD hasn't seen before! What more could you want?
Product: Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 4/5
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 4/5
I am one of those fans who loves it all. From the corny 1970's Christmas Special to the lame cop-out of Greedo shooting first in the special edition of 'New Hope'. I can even stomach Jar Jar & Anakin in 'Phantom' and the over-dramatic dialogue in 'Clones' between Hayden and Natalie. Why? Because I simply love Star Wars!
This DVD set is very nice. The documentaries alone make it worth picking up. And at a reasonably affordable price for 4 DVD's,($44 or so) these versions will do for now until the next release of the trilogy arrives.
WHAT NEXT RELEASE YOU ASK?
The one with (in my opinion) two changes that would have made this first set PERFECT. (1) The original versions of all three films included. (2) Deleted scenes.
Everyone knows the controversy surrounding the original versions vs. the new versions. I don't really care that much about it because I like them both (except for that Greedo thing...why, George, why?) so I won't go into that biz. However, I was really looking forward to seeing some deleted scenes from the first trilogy. They have plenty available on the dvd's of 'Phantom' and 'Clones' so I thought, naturally, they'd have them for these films as well.
However, aside from a plethora of never-before-seen footage in the documentaries which was interesting in it's own, no luck.
I wanted whole deleted scenes. Cutting room floor type stuff. For example, ever since I was a kid, I noticed the difference in the openings of the 'Star Wars: New Hope' script, novel and comic book to the actual theatrical release. There's a scene where Luke see's the opening battle through his electrobinoculars while on Tatooine and then races to Anchorhead to report his findings and runs into Biggs. I have this scene and others like it as stills on bubble gum cards so I know they must exsist somewhere. Not to mention the various other shots taken out of 'Empire' and 'Jedi' I've been dying to see since I was 12. Well, now I'm 33 and a little let down. But hopefull. I'd love a section of organized deleted scenes and commentary on them. That would make the 'circle complete' for this die-hard fan.
Looking at how well this trilogy's release has been put together and it's incredible attention to detail, makes me almost certain that Lucas will heed the cries of the millions of fans about the original versions and one day release them on dvd too. When that day comes, maybe I'll get my deleted scenes and a PERFECT collection. Overall I love these films and look forward to 'Revenge of the Sith' next summmer.
Also, don't forget to check out the hidden easter eggs in this trilogy's release at http://www.dvdtalk.com/eggs/read.php?ID= 473
<br />for some outakes and bloopers.
Product: Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Full Screen Edition)
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 4/5
Productgroup: DVD
Rating: 4/5
May 19th 1999, you saw it on Theaters. January 2000, you enjoyed it on VHS with a production featurette. But this is the most complete Star Wars video release ever, thanks to the power of DVD technology. George Lucas has embedded so much material in the two discs, that even die-hard Star Wars fans will be delighted for hours and hours. In fact, no other DVD I own has blown me away like this. Where to start?Disc One obviously contains the feature; subtitles, anamorphic widescreen and commentary by George Lucas and company included -the standard stuff, if you may. Non-standard, however, is the fact that you can link to hidden StarWars.com material by having the DVD on your computer's DVD-ROM tray, namely access to large-screen versions of a couple of already-released trailers of Episode II, and exclusive (until the time of this writing) access to yet another trailer for the upcoming continuation of the saga.Disc 2, though, is where most of the really cool material in the DVD is to be found, for those who like and those who dislike the movie, as well. To begin with, a full documentary containing all deleted scenes (some of them will actually make you hate the movie's editor!) along with interviews with Francis Ford-Coppola and a couple more great Directors/Editors, to hear the opinions about the whole process of editing a movie once it's been filmed in its entirety. The best part of Disc 2, however, is an all-new hour-long documentary shot during the production of the movie, that will captivate everyone. Complementing it are a 12-part award-winning Web documentary and five featurettes that go over more details about the pre-production/production of the movie. Some of its parts also made it to the full-length documentary, but essentially they're different pieces. Among the interesting things you get to see are what the crew had to go through when a desert storm blew away all their stuff, what Lucas called "bad droid karma" (all the history of technical complications around R2-D2) and how the brilliant final duel between Darth Maul and the Jedis was staged.Altogether George Lucas has opened up like never before, offering the movie within the movie, and showing why he is, in Liam Neeson's words "one of the world's greatest storytellers." Get a copy of this DVD: it has to be part of your movie collection, if not for the movie itself (which most people tend to agree as not being the best SW movie), for all the hours of pre-production and production material you can enjoy on it.
