There are times you lower expectations, which is wise, because you don't end up disappointed. But then there are times where you can't lower them enough. This is one of them. At $90.00 (from Amazon, so that means after the 30% discount), I can safely say that the upcoming Star Wars blu-ray set is nothing more than a contrived, corporate cash-grab designed to take advantage of fans.
Yep, I said it, and it's something I never thought I would say. Disgruntled fans have been claiming this for years, so the charge is nothing new. But I never really saw it until now. If you haven't seen the "specs" for this set, head over to the official site, then come back to my rant. (Note: This review is a discussion of the recently released specs of this set so that fans can better judge whether they want to buy it)
1. I wasn't expecting the original version of the classic trilogy. That it wouldn't be included was made clear early on. Frankly, while I understand fans' ire that it's not been made available in anamorphic widescreen, I've always thought the Special Edition versions, particularly the 2004 version, had more going for them than not. So I can't in good conscience say that I'm missing them. But I am disappointed for those fans who are, and that this isn't the Ultimate Edition box set that so many had been hoping for, and expecting, which, like the Blade Runner (or Aliens) set, contained different versions of the film via branching technology. That would've been the worth the price.
2. No mention of a new HD transfer means one thing. This set is the inferior 2004 transfer. THAT is disappointing. It means the films will not be presented in the best high-definition quality that's currently available and in use by practically every film that's been released on blu-ray for the last few years. Lucas is again going with the "it's good enough" motto that he's been touting since The Empire Strikes Back (only with that film, the producer and director wisely ignored him and created a masterpiece). I predicted this would be the case, so I can't say I'm shocked. But for the price-tag, it's unacceptable. What does it mean to most people? Probably not much. It will likely look better than the DVD versions. But not like it should. It could and should've looked spectacular. But, taking advantage of the fact that only the videophiles know what it means to do a proper 4k transfer, it wasn't done.
3. Based on the wording of the press release, the deleted scenes, alternate scenes, and extended scenes are NOT incorporated into the films, but available only on separate discs. This is my major bone of contention, as the films should've been reworked into extended editions (ala the hugely popular The Lord of the Rings EEs). For fans who had been looking forward to the "ultimate editions" even before 2004, this is disappointing. As it stands, these as-yet unseen scenes represent the only value-related content on this set. But the fact that they'll show up on Youtube in a matter of a day after the set's released definitely diminishes their value. And why isn't there a detailed listing of the scenes? Or even how many? You gotta love how this press release that's supposed to "reveal all" leaves out pertinent information.
4. There is no word on whether or not they corrected the many errors that appeared on the 2004 DVD editions. We don't even know if he replaced puppet Yoda in TPM with a digital version, which was assumed would be the case for some time. But, as we can see, it would be foolish to assume anything with this release. What's aggravating is the fact that this information hasn't been put out there. Again, this press-release was promoted as a "reveal all," not a "reveal a little bit more."
5. But the surprisingly worst feature of this set is the documentaries. At the very least, I expected SOME of the 100 hours of new documentary footage that Rick MaCullum excitedly talked about in 2007. But aside from 25 minutes about TESB, there's nothing. Frankly, that's absurd, as it implies that it's being held back for a future release. And to add insult to injury, they've instead included very niche documentaries, 84 minutes about the 501st (the group that dresses like stormtroopers and other armored characters from the films). No offence to those guys, and this would've been a cute documentary had there been proper docs about the films on here, but as one of the primary special features, that's not enough. The other one is a fluff piece called "Spoofs" and it's 91 minutes of clips from some of the spoofs that have been available online for years! Why is this needed when so many things that should've been put on here weren't? The other two useless documentaries are "Anatomy of a Dewback," which, believe it or not, is about the special effects that went into making the '97 Special Editions. Considering that some of those effects were later redone for the 2004 version (Jabba specifically), is this not the most pointless thing ever? "Here's a documentary about how we did bad CGI back in 1996." The other documentary is Star Wars Tech, which is the shorter of the two History Channel specials that aired a few years back. Oddly enough, the lengthier and far more interesting one (The Legacy Revealed) isn't included.
On the positive side (and, yes, this will be a short list), we are getting:
1. The original documentaries from '78, '80 and '83, namely The Making of Star Wars; The Empire Strikes Back: SPFX, and Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi. If you're like me, these hold a special place in your heart. I'm glad to see them confirmed on here, as they'd been expected. I just didn't think they'd be the sole documentaries (not counting the new short on TESB) of the films. Also (as pointed out by several fans), there's no From Star Wars to Jedi doc, no Empire of Dreams, no The Beginning. I guess they're being held back too, though it would be nice if we were informed what Lucas' plans are so that we don't have to keep triple and quadruple dipping on these sets.
2. The deleted, alternate, extended scenes. This is really the only thing that would tempt me to pick up this set. But I'm nowhere near convinced they're alone worth the price, especially as I suspect that: a) in too many years time, there will be another set that features extended editions of the films, which is how I want to see these scenes; b) some genius will do what Lucas should've done and insert them into bootleg versions of the films.
3. DTS 6.1. Great to finally have DTS, but to nitpick, it should've been 7.1. (Does anyone else remember when Lucas was on the cutting edge of technology?)
Unless I find out that they did a ton of work on the 2004 transfers, what this set currently represents to me is mediocrity, laziness and greed. I personally feel that instead of screwing around with The Clone Wars animated series, Lucas should've been preparing the blu-ray set to end all blu-ray sets. There was certainly plenty of time to do this one right. The prequels can stand improvement, and Return of the Jedi needs work. A re-edited, extended version of these films with some of the "lost" scenes would've made for a real EVENT! Surprisingly, though, the biggest bone of contention I have is the fact that he held back on the new documentary footage for a yet-undisclosed future set. And that just makes me mad. It means that in another five to seven years, they'll release another expensive box-set, probably a 3D one, that will include part or all of that footage, using it--as they are the deleted scenes on this set--as a lure to suck in fans yet again.
Multi-tiered releases have become the rule rather than the exception in this industry. But in the current financial climate we're in, to price this set at a list of $140.00 is obscene because there's nothing here worth that, and frankly, it's not even worth what Amazon's charging. No way, no how! I can deal with multi-tiered releases if the price is reasonable, and there's some bang for your buck. But not for films that have been out there for years (decades in the case of the OT), released multiple times, and now with little added value from the last set.
IF it turns out that the films have been significantly improved from the 2004 versions, it might be a worthwhile purchase. But a poor HD transfer, old documentaries that have been available as bootlegs for years, and an unknown amount of out-of-context deleted scenes does not a $90.00 price tag make. Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray]'
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