Rating: 
Summary: Great but should have released original theatrical releases
Review: Spielberg did it right with E.T. He demanded that the
studio release the enhanced version of E.T. and the
original theatrical release ... giving viewers the option.
Lucas should have followed suit and what better format than
DVD to accomplish this. From what I've been reading from
Lucas's own mouth he has absolutely no intention of ever
releasing the originals which is a shame. Fortunately I
converted my laserdiscs to DVD so I have the originals preserved in a digital format.That being said I am extremely excited about the prospect
of these DVD's FINALLY being released. Unlike a few of the
reviews I didn't have a problem with any of the extra scenes
and touch ups EXCEPT for the the first film. Han solo
scene where he shoots Greedo unprovoked was never a problem
with me ... Han Solo is a bounty hunter he's not out to
be a true good guy .. having Greedo shoot first to justify
Han Solo shooting him doesn't cut it.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Space Opera!
Review: Pure and simple - it's just space opera. That's all G. Lucas ever wanted it to be. I remember an interview in which he said, "Instead of doing 'Isn't it terrible what's happening to society?' movies - which is where I began - I wanted to create a movie where people could escape for two hours." (I hope I got the quote right.) Individually, the movies might not be all that great (although The Empire Strikes Back stands out), the reason (IMHO) they're released as a set is because you need the whole trilogy (actually, both trilogies, but we'll have to wait for that) to see the whole story. It is the ultimate fantasy/escape movie series. It succeeds on every level in that respect. It's not meant to be as cerebral (or as "If it's not incomprehensible, it's not art") as, say 2001: A Space Odyssey. There's really nothing to be read into these stories. Just sit back and enjoy the action and the special effects. (And remember how many Oscars these movies won! The original "Star Wars" [now "Star Wars IV: A New Hope]" was nominated for Best Picture!) As for the Special Edition controversy: considering what Lucas had to work with in 1977, he literally worked miracles in optical and sound effects. But it still wasn't what he really wanted. With the SE, we finally got to see what Lucas fully intended from the start. (Okay, the new crowd scenes in ESB and ROTJ looked a bit forced - no pun intended.) If you don't like them, then stick with the old VHS versions. I'm looking forward to this set.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughts on The Classic Trilogy on DVD
Review: Like everyone who is a Star Wars fan I welcome the release date of the Classic Trilogy on DVD. I have built a home theater system in anticipation of that day when I can sit in my recliner and immerse my self in "A galaxy far, far away..." I plan on turning the volume up so the neighbors can here the lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader. But my excitement is, like a good Jedi, tempered. What about the famous Toshi Station scene? Or the Biggs on Tatooine conversation with Luke? These scenes (Well the Toshi Station scene does I am not sure about the Biggs scene still existing. There are still pictures in the original Star Wars storybook.) still exist. Why aren't these listed on the DVDs? I think Mr. Lucas could have done something that no one has. He could have asked the fans what they want to see on the DVDs. Maybe he could have advertised it as "Make your voice heard! Cast you vote at www.starwars.com to see what should be on the DVDs" I know that is unprecedented but so were the Star Wars films. I also have mixed emotions about only the Special Editions available on DVD. Sure these movies do belong to George Lucas and he can do what he wants with them but...not really. Sure he owns all legal rights and intellectual rights etc, etc, etc. The movies have been adopted by so many people that allowing us to see only the Special Editions is like only being able to see your children if they have been cleaned up. They are still a part of us no matter what they look like.
Rating:
Summary: STAR WARS ROCKS DVD'S
Review: Okay, I wasn't alive back when the original trilogy was released in theaters, but I have every version, and I love the Special Editions. People seem to not like the special editions, but both versions are perfect. So, I'm really looking forward to the DVD's. Fans have been waiting for years to get the original trilogy on DVD! Now, our dream comes true with THX quality Star Wars this September. The cast was great in these movies, (Harrison Ford and the most of the cast weren't big celebrities until this) especially James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader. People don't tend to like the new Prequel trilogy, but I think the new ones are almost as good. But the effects in STAR WARS, EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and RETURN OF THE JEDI, blew everything in that time back then away. The space battles were awesome, the sceneries were immense, and not all digital. Minus Ewoks, the Original Trilogy are the best movies ever made, and now they get to shine again on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS WHY I GOT THE DVD PLAYER!
Review: When I first bought DVD, I didn't know Star Wars was off the choices. My older brother told me the truth. More shocking than the truth of Vader. After buying loads of films, which could never compare, they released the first two films. Now, we get the last three. I'm over 21. I love Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. I love the Special Editions too. They are finishing the lightsabers for A New Hope. Luke's will be blue. Vader's will be red. If we're good enough, we my get Ian McDiarmid in Star Wars 5. I've seen in some reviews that the title: A New Hope came after Jedi. Not true! It came in the release around 79 or 80. I've also seen people state George Lucas didn't write Empire. Yes he did! He didn't give himself credit, because the one who turned the bad draft in died. Read the Annotated Screenplays people. There will be commentary tracks! Unlike Indy. If we'll good, we may get the Biggs Darklighter scene, Tatooine, on disc 4. The first two films had deleted scenes, so it's very possible we'll get the same. Dr. Nny(...)
Rating:
Summary: Finally.
Review: There's nothing I can tell you about the trilogy that you don't already know/others haven't already said, so I'll skip that. But keep in mind that these ARE the Special Editions released in the late 90's. The demi-cool thing is that they're going to be redone. As in, the horrible CG Jabba in A New Hope will (hopefully) look better. And just for you people that freaked out about it: yes, Han will shoot first here. Though I never got what the big deal about that was. My only problem with this set is that it won't have tons of special features, but just a few big ones. If you know about the Indiana Jones/Alien box sets and how their extras are, then that's the case here. Here's what we're getting here: Disc 1: Star Wars: A New Hope
Commentary by George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher Disc 2: The Empire Strikes Back
Commentary by George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher Disc 3: Return of the Jedi Commentary by George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Carrie Fisher Disc 4: The bonus disc contents are unconfirmed at the moment, but according to information on Best Buy's e-commerce site, disc four will contain the feature-length documentary Star Wars: The Independent Films plus three production featurettes: The Evolution of Characters, The Influence of Star Wars and Lightsabers/Fights plus a 1977 "making of" featurette, a comprehensive gallery of posters and production artwork and a demo for Star Wars: Battlefront for Xbox. Yeah that's a good deal of features, but I don't know...I'd still like more. But we should be grateful that they're finally releasing this baby. Now the only problem is to decide which box to get: the one with Vader on the cover, or the one with Luke, Leia, Han, C-3P0 and R2-D2. Oh, and the full screen versions come in gold boxes. 'just thought you should know if you haven't heard yet.
Rating:
Summary: Best Series ever made
Review: I was born in 1977, the same year Star Wars first hit the theatres, while I was in the theatre when it was first released, I of course do not remember any of the movie. The first time I actually remember seeing the movie was in 1982. Since then I have been hooked. As far as this DVD package is concerned, I probally will wait until Lucas releases a box set with all episodes 1 - 6. There is really no need to rush and get this since this package does not contain the original movies that alot of us remember from the 80's (or even 70's for the older folks :-)). I don't think the original movies can be purchased anymore, and the only way I would purchase this set when it is released in September is if Lucas decided to put the original movies on the DVD as well as the "remastered" ones. As it stands though, I will wait for all 6 to be released before I purchase. With that out the way, I think it goes without saying that episodes IV - VI comprise the best trilogy ever to make it to the big screen.
Rating:
Summary: It's about time....
Review: I have been waiting for this for years. Any self respecting movie fan knows these movies and how good they are. Our fan would know how much they have influence the movie industry and the fantasy/adventure genre in general. This fan would also know the advantages to having them on DVD. I won't go into the long description other reviews have. Needless to say, you HAVE to own this as part of a complete DVD collection. These films are timeless! Without this triology, Lord of the Rings might not have been done. Buy it, but wait around for a good deal. You've waited so long already, a little longer won't kill you. "May the force be with you....."
Rating:
Summary: IF IT AINT BROKE, DONT FIX IT!
Review: There aren't any real words that I can say that can explain just how much the original Star Wars movies mean to me. Being able to see Star Wars in the theaters in 1977 as a 6-year old was one of the greatest and happiest times in my life. I am not one of the types that attend conventions or wait in lines to see the latest Star Wars films, but it made an impact on me, and I cherish the original Trilogy. With that being said, I am saddened that the original format of the Star Wars trilogy will not be released with the "special" editions that we will be getting. This is why I am only giving 4 stars. Why not? I wasn't that impressed with the special editions. So they cleaned up the screen and added some new effects and explosions. That's where the tinkering should have ended. The scene in the "Special Edition" of Star Wars where Han Solo shoots Greedo under the table in the Cantina was changed to where Greedo shoots first. Why? That was one of the funniest scenes in the original. It also looks TERRIBLE! It didn't add to the story at all. I went to each Special Edition back in 1997, and I did enjoy seeing Star Wars on the big screen again. It was fun. But as nitpicky as I might be, there is something about the originals that shouldn't be messed with. So what if there wasn't any computer animation? That's one of the best things about it. Good old fashioned models and puppets. At the time, it was state-of-the-art. When Ted Turner bought the rights to old black and white movie classics back in the 80's, he colorized them. That looked terrible, and there was no reason to do it. There are some things that do not require changing. I know that I will still buy the DVD trilogy coming out, and its not as if the original stories aren't still in place. But I just wish that we had the ability to CHOOSE what we want to see. Hopefully they will make a last minute decision and add the treasures we saw so long ago in their original versions.
Rating:
Summary: Let's put this "Special Edition" stuff in perspective
Review: First off, I would prefer that the original theatrical release versions of these 3 films be available on DVD. End of story. But it's not up to me, so there you have it. Secondly, it is FABULOUS that we are getting a DVD release at all! When you add up all the minutes of altered, added, or enhanced footage in the 1997 Special Editions, it amounts to just a few minutes per film. The overwhelming majority of each film is still intact. So we can probably all learn to live with it, no? So let's have some perspective. It is probably better to get Lucas' new versions (with even MORE changes) than to not have them at all. Never say never - he may change his mind and release the originals some day. But MOST CERTAINLY not until he has bled every buck he can out of his newer versions. That would just be bad business. If Lucas' intent is for us to see his films as he wish he could have shot them originally, few die-hard fans with the choice between buying the originals or the modified versions will opt for the latter. Thirdly, I agree with many fans who say that it is in bad taste and disrespectful to the millions of devoted fans who shelled out major bucks over the years ("It may be your Empire, George, but the fans paid for it", (...)) for Lucas to so crudely dismiss the original trilogy in favor of the doctored versions. Truly great films succeed despite any minor flaws, and that was certainly the case with Episodes 4-6. If Lucas wants to re-do his earlier films, then by all means let him. But he should be careful about doing it in such a way that he "erases" the history that means so much to so many. I love my children, flaws and all, but I'm not gonna trade them in for newer, better models just because I can (or to prove to the world that I could have produced "better" kids if only I'd had the time and money back in the day). And if my youngest child plays the piano well but not as well as I'd like him to, I'm not gonna make him undergo surgery to add a sixth finger to each hand so he can do more with his hands. ***That is my analogy of what Lucas has done/is doing****
| 
