The Science Fiction Review Movies Star Wars – The Original Trilogy Bonus Discs – Widescreen DVD

Star Wars – The Original Trilogy Bonus Discs – Widescreen DVD

September 25, 2006September 25, 2006| StettinStettin| 0 Comment| 11:55 pm
Categories:

Released September 12, 2006

I can’t tell you how sad I was when George Lucas said that the original theatrical versions of the Star Wars Trilogy would never be released on DVD. This statement was the only reason I purchased the SE DVD box set. I figured I could ignore most of the stupid changes that were made. Low and behold George Lucas changed his mind and decided to release it this year. I was ready to buy them until I realized it would only be released as a “Bonus” disk to the Re-Release of the SE DVDs. Not only would I have to re-purchase DVDs I already owned, I would be getting a sub-par Laserdisc transfer that was only 4×3 Letterboxed (non-anamorphic). I personally hate the SE version. I thought Lucas had lost his mind when he took away Han Solo shooting first and removing my favorite Ewok song just to name a few things. There was no way in hell I was going to buy those again just to get the bonus disks. Luckily, I noticed Netflix was offering them as rentals so I popped them in my queue and did a visual comparison and was surprised by the results. I didn’t really compare the audio.

Equipment Used

  • Toshiba CZ36V61 36″ TV (Old style tube approx 7 years old)
  • RJ-Tech RJ-800DVX DVD Player
  • Toshiba M754 6 Head VCR with V3 Technology
  • Star Wars Special Letterbox Collector’s Edition (THX Re-mastered)- 1992 Release
  • Laserdisc Transfer Original Trilogy DVD 2006 Release

The opening text crawl showed a bit more crispness in resolution and a bit deeper color on the DVD. The DVD seemed to show more artifacts such as film dirt/spots than the VHS. I am not sure if the VHS had most of them removed because of the THX mastering, or because the age of the tape and the fact that the resolution was lower and gave it a bit more smoothed over look. I skipped to a few scenes of the Death Star in Return of the Jedi and could notice the difference in detail when flipping back and forth between the DVD and VHS. I can’t say that anyone watching the movies at different times could say there was a “big” difference.

Looking back I have to say that the film artifacts are VERY noticeable in the DVD version. If anything the clarity of the transfer seems to actually make it look worse. It seems that Lucas is actually trying to discourage people from watching the trilogy as they remember it. It is pretty obvious that the theatrical versions are dead to him and he could care less about his fans. I for one will NOT be spending another dime on another version of Star Wars. What I have now is good enough. It is very sad when a 14 year old VHS copy is almost as good as a DVD.

There are several reasons why someone might want to buy the new SE DVDs with the OT bonus disks though.

  1. You are a collector
  2. You like to give money to George Lucas
  3. You don’t have any versions of the OT already
  4. You want a portable version of the OT (Hard to take VHS on a plane)
  5. You’ve managed to sell your 2004 SE DVD set to some sucker on Ebay

This completes my review for now. For a complete history of Star Wars saga releases, visit TheForce.net and read the editorial there.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please prove you are a human * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Post

Isaac Asimov would have been 90 todayIsaac Asimov would have been 90 today

January 2, 2010January 2, 2010| StettinStettin| 0 Comments| 1:00 am

Nobody is sure when exactly Isaac Asimov was born due to poor record keeping. January 2nd, 1920 was the day Isaac Asimov decided to celebrate his birthday. Along with creating the Three Laws of Robotics, Asimov also unintentionally coined the term robotics. It was first used in print when his short story “Liar!” was published in 1941. He was constantly writing in just about every area of literature. I have primarily read his Science Fiction, but he has done textbooks, humor, mystery, non-fiction, and more.

My first exposure to Asimov’s writing was when my father gave me an old worn out copy of I, Robot. I tucked the book away for a few years and eventually got around to reading it. I was so enthralled with the robots that I eventually read every robot book by him and other authors. This naturally led me to read the Foundation series which I also enjoyed, but I’ve always preferred the robot series. The Robot and Foundation books make up the biggest reading project I have ever completed. Aside from those, I’ve read a bit of his autobiography and plan on sampling some of his other writing in the near future.

By the time I discovered Asimov, he had already died. I wonder how much more he could have written had he not contracted HIV from a blood transfusion he received during heart surgery. He died of myocardial and renal complications on April 6, 1992, but the true cause of his death wasn’t publicized due to the stigma of HIV/AIDS at the time. His work has greatly influenced my love of Science Fiction, and for that I am thankful.

For more information on the life of Isaac Asimov, please visit the official Wikipedia post

Read MoreRead More

Blade Runner – Director’s Cut DVD (1997) Directed by Ridley ScottBlade Runner – Director’s Cut DVD (1997) Directed by Ridley Scott

December 18, 2007December 18, 2007| StettinStettin| 0 Comment| 11:50 pm

Blade Runner Director's Cut 1997 DVD Cover

Today marks the release of Blade Runner – The Final Cut, directed by Ridley Scott. Blade Runner is loosely based on the novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Phillip K. Dick. Blade Runner has been one of my favorite Sci-Fi movies since I saw the original Director’s Cut at a friend’s house while in high school. He and his brother insisted that it was the only version worth watching. Consequently, I have never seen the original theatrical release with the happy ending and Deckard’s voiceover narration. From what I’ve read, the studio executives were the main influence for those changes.

To commemorate the release of The Final Cut, which I hope to review sometime soon, I will share my thoughts on the Director’s Cut DVD released back in 1997. I had only seen Blade Runner on VHS back in 1995, and was anxious to see it in the higher resolution and sound quality that DVD had to offer. The video is of poor resolution and visibly shakes slightly, which is annoying. The soundtrack is in just 2 channels, failing to utilize the 5.1 Dolby Digital that DVD offered. I’ve watched it several times over on DVD, and again this weekend, and every time the poor transfer sticks out like a sore thumb. This was one of the first DVD releases, so was barebones with no extra features other than a chapter selection. (more…)

Read MoreRead More

Monsters (2010) Directed by Gareth EdwardsMonsters (2010) Directed by Gareth Edwards

April 27, 2011April 27, 2011| StettinStettin| 0 Comment| 9:03 pm

Book Cover

A friend of mine recommended that I watch Monsters. It was available on Netflix streaming, so I added it to my queue.  The premise is that a survey mission to investigate extraterrestrial life burned up on reentry to Earth over Latin America. The “Monsters” appear later on, for what seems to be a seasonal basis. They terrorize the locals, and the main character is visiting to try and capture some photographs of the destruction. There is an invasion coming and Andrew, the photographer, is anxious to get some pictures so he can cash in. His plans get interrupted by a demand from the publisher to escort his daughter out of the country. She’s engaged to be married, but the fiancé has already made hit home. Why? Probably some type of fight. The movie came across as being a suspense, romance, and science fiction flick all at the same time. I usually like it when I see genres mixed, but Monsters was spread too thin. Nothing made me think, “this is a good movie.” The action scenes were rather intense, but I didn’t really get scared or startled. The awkward romance that blossomed between the photographer and the girl was predictable. The mystery behind the nature of the Monster invasions was interesting, but not enough to carry the rest of the movie. It wasn’t a bad movie, but not one that I’d recommend someone spend money on to see.

Read MoreRead More