Before I even write another word I would like to advise you that there are several spoilers in here so if you’re completely clueless about what the Star Wars Blu-ray collection is going to bring you then stay with me but I informed you in advance!
For lots of enthusiasts they had their hopes on Lucas finally giving the fans what they sought – an original new and uncut version of the movies along with the previously deleted scenes integrated. And to a certain extent that’s what has occurred. But to a more significant extent it’s more like Lucas is trying out the loyalty of the fans of the Star Wars arena. Lucas is a visionary – there isn’t any questioning that. He transformed how films were made and blazed a course that made sci-fi movies possible and profitable for movie studios to create. It’s just that at some point along his movie making quest he appears to have gotten thoroughly and absolutely lost. And I wish to share a few examples of exactly how lost he is.
I’m a huge Star Wars lover. Massive! And for me many of the most seminal events in movie making history were the ultimate few moments in Return of the Jedi that relied on hardly any dialogue and the incredible score of John Williams. The lightsaber duel involving Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader is one of the finest events in motion picture past up to the part where Vader finally sees the error of his ways and destroys the Emperor – all without uttering a solitary word.
Now in this cut we have now Vader shouting “Noooooooo!” as unconvincingly as he did at the end of Revenge of the Sith (probably the most cringe worthy moments outside of a Sex And the City movie). And he does this twice so we get to cringe twice as he feebly bellows (I know but that is the way it sounds) “Nooooooooo!” A travesty people….a complete travesty.
When it comes to “Greedo shooting first” edit words fail me. It was bad enough that political correctness meant Greedo is required to shoot first however the CGI used here to try to “correct” the previous footage is substandard at very best. Lucas isn’t even trying here and it really shows – the edit is careless and not persuasive in the slightest and is evidence of why that scene should be brought back to its original take where Han takes Greedo out.
But there are other events to compensate for this and my personal favorite amidst those is watching Luke construct his own lightsaber right before they visit Jabba’s palace to free Han Solo from his carbonite penitentiary. That left me with a big childish smile on my face that’s still kinda lingering there. And that is the kind of footage enthusiasts like me really, truly like to see. You can produce the same occasion for yourself with a Force FX lightsaber if you sought to.
With that said the Blu-Ray set is a mixed bag. You will find brilliant deleted scenes that enthusiasts have been patiently waiting a very long time to see. Then there are several CGI addendums to existing footage that have you sitting there thinking “Ummmmm that genuinely never mattered.” And then there are occasions like the Vader scene in which you want to find George Lucas and water board him to find out the reason why he thinks insulting his fans is a clever move to make.
Even if you wish the Blu-ray collection had more deleted scenes, you’ll still want it for your collection. There’s certainly some terrific stuff on it that you’ll HAVE to see and have in your collection. While you’re at it, be sure and pick up the FX lightsabers – you will need those for your collection too!
Are you looking for further information on FX lightsabers? There’s an excellent Force FX lightsaber website at forcefxlightsaber.org.