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The
Star Wars Trilogy
Last Tuesday I felt a great disturbance
in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out
in terror and were suddenly silenced.
The
disturbance I refer to, of course, is the latest in the
ever persistent tinkering by Lucas on his beloved trilogy
of Star Wars films, this time for the anticipated
release of the trilogy DVD set, the voices being the hardcore
fans, crying out for the release of these films in their
original theatrical cut, without the meddlesome “enhancements”
of subsequent special editions.
So,
you ask, how do the DVD’s stack up?
It’s probably best to start off by
saying that this release does serve a purpose, and the word
“release” is suiting here. Those wishing to
see the series on DVD, special edition or not, will be satisfied,
so let’s all exhale collectively.
A
New Hope
Yes,
the majority of the changes still occur in A New Hope,
and it’s true that the special edition changes are
still present, although each has been altered subtly and
comes across a touch better than the previous special edition
release. This
is not to say that the abhorrent crime of “Greedo
shooting first” has been entirely redeemed, but instead
the sequence was greeted with a tinge of acceptance. Han
now ducks Greedo’s shot and returns fire much quicker
than he did in the previous version of the scene.
No wait, this addition still causes me to
cringe.
The
first noticeable difference in the film is the lack of matte
lines in space. These are welcomed additions, as space is
now a clean slate of star-scattered black as cruisers and
fighters slide cleanly across the canvas.
Immediately
into the disc it occurred to me how much I wish Lucas would
have realized the benefits of using miniature spacecraft
in the prequels to these films. Not only does the texture
outperform their CG counterparts, but also the stylistic
choice alone should be retained throughout the series.
The
sheer audacity of using inanimate objects to tell a story
was not only a leap in style, but also a risk of outrageous
scope. Throughout the opening scenes of A New Hope,
we are greeted with maybe a baker’s dozen worth of
characters that aren’t either wearing a mask or a
shroud of some sort, hiding their human faces behind inert
plastic or metal for the purpose of creating a character.
Looking
back at the original films, the ingenuity used to get around
technological roadblocks is what made these films so endearing.
Just
because you can, doesn’t mean you always should and
Jabba’s presence in A New Hope was one of
those cases where you probably shouldn’t. Admittedly
this sequence benefits from the recent improvements. Jabba’s
animation is reworked, and Mr. Hutt actually looks more
like the slothful gangster we grew disgusted with in Jedi.
I originally
questioned why Lucas didn’t just cut away from Jabba
and Han during Han’s awkward cross behind Jabba, and
this idea still seems resonant here. Cut to an Ewok or a
Gungan for all I care; the tail-crushing crossover is awkward
no matter what.
Another
touch-up worth noting was work done in the light-saber sequences.
These now resemble the sabers of the sequels and prequels
without losing the thrill felt when they first buzzed onto
celluloid all those years ago. I still get chills.
There’s
been a mixed bag of reviews regarding the sound quality
on A New Hope, and I think it all comes down to
the original mix. The discs include both an English Dolby
Digital 5.1 EX track and a subsequent English Dolby 2.0
Surround mix, as well as varied language tracks as well.
The
work to establish a 5.1 mix of any kind is impressive to
say the least. The 5.1 track pops in all the right ways,
although it is sometimes a bit too aggressive causing big
explosions to sometimes force dialogue levels to wane here
and there. Jockey the remote for the neighbors’ sake
as needed if you are screening it late at night.
The
funniest quirk here is that close attention to the sound
mix will reveal a variance in recording quality of dialogue
in certain scenes. You can hear the slight fuzz from certain
cuts in the Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru breakfast scene, and
slightly in Luke’s first conversation with ole’
Ben Kenobi. It’s discreet, but present nonetheless.
A
New Hope survives its first DVD incarnation, despite
some minor edge enhancement transfer-wise and whatever personal
qualms you may have with the additional scenes. Overall,
I came away pleased with the release.
The
Empire Strikes Back
Video
and sound in The Empire Strikes Back is astounding
in comparison to A New Hope. Not only are the dialogue
issues from the first disc completely vanquished, but edge
enhancement also seems less a factor in this transfer, for
whatever reason.
The
additions to the new transfer are not only simple, but logical.
Of the three films, The Empire Strikes Back suffers
the least drastic alterations. Most of these are the digital
facelifts to space, lightsabres, and other minutiae that
do not take front stage and step all over the originals.
Ian
McDiarmid, the actor who played both Senator Palpatine and
Darth Sidious in the prequels, now replaces the original
hologram of the Emperor, bringing symmetry to the series
of films. I always had issue with the change in appearance
with the Emperor from Empire to Jedi,
and now this issue is resolved.
The most dramatic shift to note is the alteration
of a conversation between Darth Vader and the Emperor in
which the Emperor straightforwardly acknowledges that Luke
is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker. This was merely implied
before.
Darth’s
response is “How can this be?” which suggests
that further explanation of this changes’ significance
will come in Revenge of the Sith. Was Darth’s
plan to overthrow the Emperor to include the help of a son
he was aware of all along? Who knows.
Return
of the Jedi
With
each disc, the technical quality in both audio and video
seems to jump profoundly. Return of the Jedi looks
beautiful here, and you will be able to kick back and watch
the Endor battle in all its splendor and glory.
The
final climactic duel between Vader and Luke is amazing.
The color alone will astound.
Changes?
It would seem that Lucas’ hand either grew tired with
this film, or perhaps it was the one film whose theatrical
cut most closely resembled Lucas’ vision from the
get-go. I
think the choice is obvious here.
And who could not be touched by the final
moments of the film, in which his mentors Obi Wan, Yoda,
and Hayden Christiansen visit the matured Jedi Luke?
Yup, Hayden is in and Sebastian Shaw is
out. Lucas’ surgical team even went as far as to remove
the eyebrows of Shaw in the mask removal scene before, just
so they match better with Christiansen.
How can this be explained? Well, it would
seem obvious that Lucas wishes to bookend his new trilogy
with the old, and hopefully hammer the Anakin thread home
to younger viewers.
Bonus
Disc
Whoa.
You may have your doubts about the rest of the set, the
changes to the films, and whether or not it Lucas deserves
any more of your lucre, but this disc alone will make you
feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s chock full of
featurettes ranging in theme from the birth and development
of the lightsabre to an inside look at the process of bring
Darth Vader back to life for Episode III.
All
of these are fun and interesting in their own regard, but
the real prize goes to Empire of Dreams: The Story of
the Star Wars Trilogy. This
documentary was originally aired, in a smaller runtime,
on A&E, but here it is in its entirety, and boy, does
it deliver.
Delving
into the content in the doc isn’t really going to
do it justice, so I won’t waste anymore web space
on it. I would like to make mention of the fact that this
isn’t just your run-of-the-mill press kit style suck
up material as the cast and crew discuss the making of the
Trilogy candidly, specifically A New Hope.
I’m
sure the most cynical and jaded of Star Wars fans
will moan about the absence of deleted scenes and whatnot,
but I figure we’re better off leaving abandoned story
arcs buried, lest Lucas start inserting Gungans and other
nonsense into the Trilogy.
In the
end, these DVDs pay off. The “enhancements”
made are less intrusive here and easier to stomach, and
any fan would love to be able to screen these films in their
homes, without regressing to the use of VHS (shudder).
Luckily,
I’m not as skilled a Jedi as I like to believe. My
sense of the force was wrong, and it seems the negative
hype is to blame. Let’s face it, we are at the mercy
of Lucas here, and he doesn’t seem to be changing
his mind any time soon. After all, he has been quoted stating
that he has no intent to revisit or rerelease the original
cut of A New Hope, as his budget had prevented
him from creating the film he desired to make all those
years ago.
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