Rating: 
Summary: Are you kidding me?
Review: George Lucas is such a pompous you know what that it is amazing. He is releasing this collection, but only with his modified versions, and not even the ones he released in the theater for the 20th anniversary. They are modified yet again here and he refuses to provide true fans with the original versions that were released in the theater in the 70's and 80's. What is up with that? I can understand that he has a desire to add things he believed were missing, but considering that our money and devotion is what made the originals such a massive success, don't you think we deserve to at least have the choice of viewing and owning them if we want? Unfortunately, the only way to own the true originals is to buy the old laserdisc versions or find some old VHS versions somewhere. Both are woefully inadequate in picture quality and sound quality. Therefore, I cannot give this compilation more than 2 stars (and that is generous) because it is not a truly complete collection and just another way for a pompous director to make more money from his built-in fan base.
Rating: 
Summary: the really special special editions...w/ special sauce...
Review: Regarding the whole original versions vs special editions, I don't think anyone would argue that fixing "blue screen effects" would somehow detract from the cinema experience that compelled millions of people to pay money to see Star Wars over and over (thus giving it the place in cinema history it now has). Fixing a lightsaber glow here and there. Sure. Add a few more spaceships to the fleet. Hey, why not. It's "nifty new character and dialogue" ideas thought up by people apparently out of touch with reality (not to mention a colossal fan base) that take these films from "enhanced" to "sharp cheddar". You're watching your favorite movie, marveling at the improved color and sound quality, when all of the sudden it's like "what the crap??". Just as you recover from that one, there's another "what the crap??" moment. You know, that's what it is...too many "what the crap??" moments. Not enough, "oh cool, they fixed/added that" moments to make up for the "what the crap??" moments.
I mean come on. Why can't George Lucas stand by his own work? You didn't see Kubrick going back to "fix" the 2001 late 60's special effects? Now we hear rumors of an "Ultimate" edition with even more "what the crap??" moments coming some time in the future. Lucas made a classic. Nobody is going to revoke that from him just because we don't get to see Jabba until Return of the Jedi. In fact, most of us liked it that way...
But what does it matter? If there is one thing we can all be sure of it's that Lucas will do what he pleases...and I would guess that it would please him to have the original Star Wars trilogy (i.e. the reason people born in the 80's and 90's have heard of Star Wars) vanish from existence. In the words of the Emperor himself, "So be it." P.S. If we can't have the originals, can we at least have a "skip over the 'what the crap moments'" feature"?
Rating: 
Summary: George Lucas has gone too far!!!!!!
Review: I just finished viewing the final release to these new special edition DVD and I gotta say that this is George Lucas' vanity run amuck!!! the following are new scenes in the new special edition. 1. Bigg's X-wing fighter being digitally replaced with the Starship Enterprise in the battle to destroy the first death star. 2. The Ewoks now seem to be intelligent and have major speaking rolls. 3. Jar Jar Binks now is in the trilogy as the leader of the rebel forces. (Grand General Binks) 4. Gabe Kaplan has replaced Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian 5. Leia now has a hook hand and is played by Roseanne Barr. 6. Boba Fett has a 15 minute flash back about wanting to be in a show tune and Jango forbidding it. 7. The Death Star in Return of the Jedi looked more like a Borg cube. 8. Triumph the Insult Talking dog has a brief cameo. 9. Mark Hammill wardrobe has been replace with frilly pink lace and alot of silk. 10. Jabba the Hut's breakdance number. WTF!?(...) 11. Darth Vader's shocking announcement that Luke was adopted by him and his "soul mate." As you can see, these changes were made to get more "normal" people to wanna see it, but I say, to hell with normal people, I am a star wars nerd and I want things to remain the same for ever and ever and ever and ever (except for the "not meeting girls" thing). If Lucas wants to change the movies, let him do it in a galaxy far far away...
Rating:
Summary: Where is the "real" Star Wars???
Review: I was in the front row of the first showing of "Star Wars" when it premiered at the Stanley Warner in Paramus, NJ back in '77. There was no hype, no lines, and Lucas hadn't even imagined that there would even be a sequel at that point. Than being said - it truly was a landmark film. What bothers me is that the original masterpiece will never be seen by future generations. For whatever reason, Lucas decided that he would rework it with all the digital wizardry he could muster. Should other landmark film be re-worked? A revised Citizen Kane or 2001 perhaps? Beyond restoration techniques that are utilized to restore a film back to the closest approximation to it's original incarnation, there is no legitimate reason to tamper with a masterpiece, let alone refuse to let the original ever be seen again. The added digital effects and scenes add little if nothing to the story. If anything there is an incongruity with the rest of the film. I had really hoped that the DVD medium would be used to showcase different versions of the film, allowing newer generations to experience the original as well as subsequent interpretations. These DVDs will fit nicely with, but not replace my Laserdisc versions of the "originals"...
Rating: 
Summary: "The Force will be with you, always"
Review: Considering that the "Star Wars" trilogy is one of the best ever created, it seems strange that the three movies weren't given a DVD release earlier. But I'm pleased to see that Lucasfilm is finally going to release the trilogy on disc. I've seen the SE of "Star Wars" and own the SE versions of "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" and the restoration on all three videos wasn't too bad, but the DVD versions should be even better. I certainly hope to see a lot of documentaries on here, because there was so much that went into the creating of the original "Star Wars" saga. Episodes I and II (both of which are far inferior to the first movies) got a nice treatment so I guess it's a forgone conclusion that this set will be treated the same. But no matter what they do to this set, there is one thing that is not going to change: the magic that will be with the original "Star Wars" saga forever; the classic tale of the Rebellion's struggle to free the galaxy from the Empire, the world of the robots and droids, and the story of Luke Skywalker and his quest to become a Jedi Knight to fulfill his destiny. Whether you're a fan or nonfan, I think all can agree that this set will be a great tribute to one of the most famous sagas in movie history.
Rating:
Summary: Star Wars DVD Box Set (2004)
Review: I won't buy this for two reasons: 1) Fox is probably ripping us off again. After two Alien box sets, three versions of X-men, and many other examples where they released multiple editions; there is no way I'm going to fall for it again. I know that if I buy this box set, in four or five years Fox will release a better seven disc version, with both versions of the films and loaded with extras. Which leads to the other reason I won't buy this. 2) I want the original versions of these movies. I don't want to see Greedo awkwardly shooting the wall before Han fires. I don't want to see Boba Fett looking into the camera as he walks by. I don't want to hear the Storm Trooper say "oomph" as he bumps into the door. I don't want to see Han walk over jaba's tail. I don't want to watch the terrible re-edit of the end of Empire. I don't want to have Luke say "You're lucky to be alive" rather than "You're lucky you don't taste very good." Worst of all, I don't want Luke to make that goofy scream as he's falling at the end of empire. None of these things were in the original versions of the films. They are "special" additions. They wasted time putting in all those idiotic things, yet didn't fix the red boxes around the tie fighters and asteroids. George Lucas, who fought against the colorization of Black and White movies, ruined his own films by adding unnecessary baggage. I won't buy a Star Wars movie until I can purchase the original theatrical versions.
Rating:
Summary: Why the '97 Special Editions??
Review: With the progressively worsening prequel trilogy about to end, it seemed only fair to release the original trilogy masterpiece as it was released in 1977. Imagine the collective gasp of all true fans when the beloved trilogy was released twenty years later in a "special edition" that continued Lucas' penchant for overwhelming computer effects. Tampering with history and many peoples' beloved past and childhood memories.
The news gets worse now that the long-awaited DVD release of these movies comes ONLY with these special editions. I am sure I'm not alone in thinking that the special editions did very little to improve the movie, and actually did more damage than benefit: you might as well go back and re-touch "Gone With the Wind" or "Citizen Kane". It would seem trivial to many, but to huge fans of the movie that brightened up their Saturdays so long ago, it is close to criminal.
Apparently, the '97 editions were themselves works in progress, with huge changes expected for the rumoured "Ultimate Collection" or whatever it's called once the prequel trilogy is completed. If this is the case, I certainly won't be buying that box set: it's already bad enough to be subjected to the '97 editions as the only choice for a DVD purchase. The three stars I'm assigning this project are purely for the original trilogy's genius. George Lucas had captured lightning in a bottle in these three movies, and has gone to great lenghts to tear away at their legacy and brilliance. Terrible prequels that might as well have no real actors at all; increasingly wooden dialogue (even more than the original, that was their only minor flaw); tampering with the originals as the only options for a DVD purchase: stop screwing us over, Lucas.
Rating:
Summary: Represt after me: "It's just a movie..."
Review: People are complainaing about the changes to the movie as if George Lucas has made changes to the Bill of Rights, the Bible, or some other document that is actually of any significance whatsoever. This is an outer space MOVIE, just a MOVIE, full of monsters and ray guns and spaceships. The more ways Lucas finds to repackage it and make another fortune off of it, more power to him. The fact that many fans consider this practice blasphemous just proves what tools you are. It's just a movie, and movies arer made to make money. Either George Lucas is a great businessman, you people are all massive tools, or both. Why don't you go put your passion behind something that actually matters?
Rating:
Summary: *Original* Trilogy
Review: For anyone interested...there is an online petition to release the original trilogy on dvd. Personally, I'd gladly buy both versions. Just search for "original trilogy" on a search engine, it should come up. There are parts of the special editions that I like, but other parts I didn't. For instance, the song in Jabba's Palace in Return of the Jedi made no sense whatsoever, and was incredibly awkward and disturbing. Jabba may be amused by that sort of thing, but I'm not. Then again, everything added to The Empire Strikes Back worked perfectly...nothing was too big to distract from the film, only enhance it. I'd just like to see the movies the way I saw them growing up.
Rating:
Summary: Finally....but why only special edition?
Review: It's about time...but why are they only releasing the special editions? I'd like to have the *original* versions to be honest. They could have fit both. Most of the stuff they added in '97 seems out of place, but oh well. The box design for the UK release looks *much* better, by the way. This will be my 5th time buying this trilogy. I wonder how many times George will find it ncesessary for us to buy it in the future.
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