The Complete Star Wars Saga: A High Def Review
by MJG74, HSM Art Director
We all know the PS3 does everything; it is the premium home entertainment console on the market today.
Here at HSM, we devote most of our articles and reviews to the most awesome social gaming platform in existence, PlayStation Home. But we can’t ignore that the PS3 has wide range of engaging features.
Today I log off of Home and put down my Sixaxis controller to bring to you a first at HSM – a Blu-ray disc review.
We all know that the PS3 is not just the best gaming console on the market today, it’s also a top of the line Blu-ray disc player. Although this is not your typical “movie review” as many of you need no introduction, plot summary, or analysis of this iconic film series. I am referring to, of course, the Star Wars films. No other series of films in history have shaped pop culture and defined film making like the Star Wars films have. Star Wars is more than a film, it is an experience; a classic fable that will span generations to come.
Not that long ago, in a place not too far away, it was the early 1970s and a Californian filmmaker by the name of George Lucas started working on a outline for a story called “The Star Wars.” Inspired by the Flash Gordon space adventures, and from Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress, Lucas penned a short outline that – within a few years and numerous drafts later – became a larger-than-life, legendary story.
The iconic sci-fi story is a sweeping fantasy that includes an ancient religion devoted to an all-powerful Force, lightsaber toting warriors known as the Jedi, and a young hero—named Luke Skywalker—who would leave his outer-rim planet an orphan and embark on a quest to fulfill his destiny.
No other film in history has made such a huge impact on pop culture. Lucas fundamentally created a modern universal fable; one that has since spanned six main feature films, assorted TV spin-offs, animated movies, and an extensive series of books, video games, toys and countless merchandise, and of course we can not forget spaces and items in PlayStation Home.
There will never be a substitute for those who first experienced the Star Wars saga on the big screen; an occurrence that will go down in history as the Renaissance of modern film making. From the dead silence that would fill the darkened theater in anticipation of opening scroll and the goosebumps one got from the blast of the iconic John Williams score, to sitting on the edge of your seat in amazement of a compelling story, mixed with ground breaking effects, nothing can ever come close to your very first Star Wars theatrical experience. For many now in their thirties and forties, the original Star Wars trilogy was a rite of passage and influential part of their childhoods.
For many years, those “original” memories have been limited to VHS copies of the films. As advances in technology and film making progressed and the VHS tape was replaced by the DVD, Lucas since then has made numerous changes to Star Wars. Starting with the 1997 “Special Editions,” he added or altered several sequences in the original trilogy in order to bring them closer to his vision for how the films should be. And later, to give additional continuity between the original movies and the prequel trilogy, even more modifications were made for the 2004 DVD re-release, newly upsetting many fans.
Many of the changes were restorative and cosmetic—like fixing certain special effects that never really worked – but others consciously shifted the nature and mood of the films. The most infamous example is probably the “Han Shot First” fiasco, where Lucas went in and re-edited a scene in the Mos Eisley cantina to make it look like Han Solo shot the bounty hunter Greedo defensively, and not pre-emptively. Here, Lucas was trying to make Han more sympathetic, and less of a wayward badass, but fans like Han precisely because he was a badass, and he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot first.
On Friday, September 16th, Lucas Film released the Star Wars saga on Blu-ray. Upon doing so, Lucas film has successfully created an all-new magical experience that can be experienced in the comfort of ones home, and is one that should not be missed. The new Blu-rays are enhanced from the 1997 “Special Editions” including most of the additional changes from the 2004 re-release. Several new adjustments have been made, some of them seemingly uninformed and many not easily seen.
Some changes that are noticeable and as previewed on the Internet are: In Return of the Jedi, Wicket now blinks, Obi-Wan’s siren to scare off the Sand People in A New Hope has been switched to a more piercing, “Krayt Dragon Call.” The puppet Yoda from The Phantom Menace has been replaced with the more convincing CGI model that’s included in the Episodes 2 and 3.
Many of these modifications are modest, although just like the “”Han Shot First” fiasco, an outbreak of online controversy is brewing about one significant change to Return of the Jedi. The change is when Darth Vader grabs the Emperor to throw him over the railing, he now lets out a cry of “NO, NOOOOO,” mirroring a scene from Revenge of the Sith.
Regardless of the changes and controversies, don’t let that leave you indifferent to the whole idea of revisiting Star Wars. When I placed the first Star Wars Blu-ray disc into my PS3 and heard John William’s iconic score over that familiar yellow text crawl, it hit me – like it did the first time in the theater. I had a blast watching these films, had hours of entertainment revisiting a classic film collection now in high definition.
Each triology is available individually, but I highly recommend the The Complete Saga. All six films of the Star Wars Saga (Episodes I-VI), each presented on one Blu-ray disc to ensure maximum picture and audio quality, plus three additional discs of extras, with more than thirty hours of in-depth bonus supplements and extensive special features, including never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes, and a look at the exclusive Star Wars archives. The cardboard pages in the box set are thick and have fixed, semi-circle slots for the discs, which are easy to slide out, but study enough to keep them falling out. Each page features painted artwork, and in the back you’ll find a “Guide to the Galaxy” booklet that provides a break-down of what special features are included.
The Specs
List price : $139.99 for the “Complete Saga.” Both trilogies sell individually for $69.99 each.
Worth to Note that Amazon has been selling the Complete Saga for $79.99 with free two-day shipping if you sign up for a free trail of their premium membership.
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Discs :50GB Blu-ray Disc, Nine-disc set (9 BDs)
Playback Region-free
The Films
You will notice instantly how much crisper and more detailed everything is on these discs. With Episodes 1 – 3, you will notice the impressive stuff, like the fabric of General Grievous’ cape, to the lines of Darth Vader’s shiny new helmet. Unforgettable are the wrinkles on Yoda’s battered, aged face, and just as striking is the brilliance of the film’s color. More noticeable in Episode III as it takes the vibrancy up a notch, with tighter contrast, darker blacks—and some gorgeously vivid hues.
But the real prize of the package is the “Original Trilogy.”
Unlike the prequels, which look quite different from one to the next. The “classic” Star Wars films are fairly consistent with one another and – in a word – astonishing. If you grew up watching these films on VHS, you’re going to be more than blown away. Just wait to you get your first great close-up of R2 in all his battle-scarred beauty—the scuff marks finely resolved in high definition. The level of detail inside the Millennium Falcon will wow you. The ripples of Jabba’s skin in Jedi will be in an unsettling awe. You’ll even notice background details you’ve never noticed before. So keep that finger on the pause button and enjoy a new look into the Star Wars universe.
The Extras
Time to get your geek on. This is a three disc collection of hours of extra Star Wars entertainment. This excludes the audio commentaries; those are attached to the six film discs. Discs one and two of the bonus content include English SDH, Spanish, French, Dutch, and Portuguese subtitles, while the features on disc three include subs in those languages, plus Brazilian Portuguese, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, and Greek
Audio Commentaries: Each film includes two audio commentaries, and these are the only bonus features actually on the discs for the films themselves, featuring George Lucas and various members of the cast and crew, all recorded separately—six all-new tracks have been created especially for this release.
Interviews: There’s a little over two hours of interview footage here. Each major setting in each film has an “overview,” where production staff discuss the challenges of creating props and shooting on location. Also included are several vintage interviews with other members of the cast and crew.
The Collection: In “The Collection” you’ll find hundreds of props, CGI models, prototype Marquette’s, costumes, matte paintings, and much more. Click on any item and you’ll be taken to a view of it that can be rotated 360 degrees. You’ll also be able view close-up details and a brief informative text for each piece. Better yet, most of these items are the subject of mini video segments that include interviews with multiple production staff members.
Concept Art Gallery: Here you’ll find a vast collection of pieces of first round artwork, covering character design, locations, vehicles, props, and more. You can view these individually or watch them as a slide show.
Archive Fly-Through: This is a visual tour through the LucasFilm archives. Each clip is almost four minutes long, and presented in 1080p high definition.
Easter Eggs: Are rumored. Keep an eye on the Internet on how to find them.
The Making of Star Wars (1977): A documentary that came out shortly after the first film’s release. Includes interviews with George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher.
The Empire Strikes Back: (1980): A documentary for Empire, that looks specifically at the making of and visual effects.
Classic Creatures: The Return of the Jedi (1983): An exploration of the Star Wars creatures, compared to and contrasted against the traditional movie monsters. Hosted by Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams.
Anatomy of a Dewback (1997): A look at the process of turning the puppet dewbacks of the original trilogy into moving CGI creatures for the special edition release of A New Hope.
Star Warriors (2007): A tribute to the 501st Legion, an international group of Star Wars enthusiasts who hold gatherings called “armor parties” and do volunteer work.
Star Wars Tech (2007): Exploring the plausibility of the science in Star Wars, including interviews with leading scientists in the fields of physics, prosthetics, lasers, engineering, and astronomy.
A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010): Interviews with George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan, and John Williams looking back on Empire.
Star Wars Spoofs (2011): A collection of Star Wars parodies that includes segments from SNL, Robot Chicken, Chad Vader, and more. (even that very popular Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial is included)
Deleted/Extended Scenes: There’s about an hour and a half of deleted footage, most have never been released before. The prequels are mostly in the form of rough animation and unfinished sequences, but the original trilogy includes several alternate cuts and scenes that will be a real treat to fans. Additionally, all the film footage has been scanned in 1080p.
Do note is that the deleted scenes included in the DVDs sets are not included on the Blu-Ray.
Here is a list of the deleted and extended scenes (Sorry no spoilers here, I encourage you to experience them for yourself):
Trash-Talking Droids
The Battle Is Over
Anakin’s Return
Battle on the Boarding Ramp
Extended Pod race Wager
Bail Organa of Alderaan
Extended Speeder Chase
The Lost Twenty
Anakin’s Nightmares
Anakin and Ruwee
Raid on the Droid Control Ship
Extended Arena Fight
Elevator Antics
Escape Through the Hangar
Changes to the Constitution
Utapau Chase Animatic
Mustafar Duel Animatic
Mustafar Duel/Lava River Animatic
Kashyyyk Attack
Order 66 Animatic
Anakin Kills Shaak Ti
Jedi Imposters at the Temple
Senate Duel Animatic
Yoda Communes with Qui-Gon
Tosche Station
Old Woman on Tatooine
Aunt Beru’s Blue Milk
Cantina Rough Cut
Stormtrooper Search
Darth Vader Widens the Search
Alternate Biggs and Luke Reunion
Han and Leia: Extended Echo Base Argument
Luke’s Recovery
Luke and Leia: Medical Center
Deleted Wampa Scenes
The Fate of General Veers
Yoda’s Test
Hiding in the Astroid
Alternate Han and Leia Kiss
Lobot’s Capture
Leia Tends to Luke
Vader’s Arrival and Reaching Out to Luke
Tatooine Sandstorm
Rebel Raid on the Bunker
Jerjerrod’s Conflict
Battle of Endor: The Lost Rebels
Unfortunately, the “untouched” original trilogy is not included. And there are some “questionable” new additions, but I don’t think anyone expected this release of The Complete Saga to be free of controversy. With Episode One in 3-D only months away, to be released theatrically on February 10, 2012, I imagine there will be more additions and more controversy over the next six years with the six films converted to 3-D.
But let’s not forget – this is Star Wars. On Blu-ray.
This is must-have box set that will compliment your living room, media room, den or home theater. For anyone (read: the very few) whom never experienced Star Wars before, this is the best introduction to the series since the original theatrical release in 1977. The films have never looked or sounded better, Episodes III-VI are particularly impressive and they come with a unbelievable collection of special features. I highly recommended this collection!
September 15th, 2011 by MJG74 | 9 comments
Michael Goss is the Art Director (emeritus) for HomeStation Magazine. In real life, is a normal member of the human species with some imperfections, but with a strength of ten as well, I kid ye not! He also has been know to exaggerate the details from time to time. His goal is to live fearlessly but finds that kinda difficult with current crop of republicans running for office.
Wow! what an awesome review. Thank you very much. Wish I could afford the blu ray set! grrr..
Heads up:
Best Buy has a promo going on today and Saturday -- Buy a Panasonic BD Player for $100, get Star Wars Collection for $40. Perfect if you need another BD player in another room.
I can still remember going into a theater to see a different movie and seeing the coming previews of the original Star Wars movie back in 1976 or 77. I remember thinking at the time that this was going to be something very different, something to look forward to and I was right. I was there to see it the the first day it came out, and I was amazed by its incredible special effects which were fairly revolutionary at the time. I am glad that they are continuing to upgrade these iconic movies for the next generations and they aren’t being allowed to pass into movie history forgotten as many films have before them. They were definitely the beginning of a whole new way to look at movie making and they started us down the long road of CGI to where we are today. Great review Mike!
Got it. Love it. Will also go see them when they are released in 3d. What I really wanna know is WHEN is Lucasarts going to put more content in Home?
I’ve paid enough for this crap. I’ll pass.
:waves hand:
This IS the blu-ray box set you’ve been looking for.
TY for this review.
Best Buy is currently selling the complete saga for $79.99 and the trilogies for $39.99 each. I’m not sure if that was just a promotion for the weekend or not.
I have the DVD box set for episodes IV-VI and the individual DVD’s for Episodes I-III. Do you know if the bonus features of all these DVDs are included in the blu-ray collection too? I was just wondering if the blu-ray can completely replace the DVDs as far as special features or is this all new stuff?
Nope this is a new crop of bonus features. Best to keep your DVD versions. SOME might be included on this newest release but for the most part its ‘new’ stuff.
The $80 is just a promotion.
O ok, ty Gideon.