Normally here I'd provide the details of what I'm going to talk about in the review, such as its runtime or its cast, but I don't need to as I am talking about Star Wars, and by that I mean the original 1977 classic that I've seen in its many forms many times now. From the 1990 VHS release of the first three in the franchise in a box set that my parents got (and I watched those three tapes often) to seeing the 1997 theatrical re-release of this movie but with “enhanced effects” and “added material” (including the nonsense changes with Greedo shooting first and before they fixed it the horrible effect of early CGI Jabba the Hutt), to the DVD and then the Blu-Ray release of the alleged “new and improved” versions, I have seen the movie too many times to count and it's great.
But, the original movie as seen in 1977 is the best version, I say. It is the version that many have fallen in love with and I am sure that most would agree with me in preferring to see the theatrical versions of what is now known as Episodes IV through VI on Blu-Ray along with the alleged “better” versions but for some reason that didn't happen and even with Disney now owning everything who knows for certain if they'll do that, even if it makes the most sense to do so.
That's why it has taken random people online to try and create a pristine version of Episodes IV through VI as seen in their original theatre releases rather than all the other versions out there that officially got a better release. Of course there's a DVD release that had the original print of the films... but they just looked bad (apparently from the laserdisc release) and and they weren't even anamorphic widescreen; I haven't seen that but I imagine it looked like crap. I am not sure how they did it but someone created a “despecialized” version of the movies to try and make it HD quality as it should have been released. Not that I dropped a hint by mentioning it's “despecialized” or tell you it's from a Czech dude named Harmy or that there's a few versions and it's now to version 2.5...
Anyhow, I've only “acquired” the 1977 movie and not the other two yet. But I can tell you that it looks and sounds great. It is indeed HD quality. While I can borrow someone's Blu-Rays to see the episodes that way, it is indeed a treat to be able to see the OG versions not via fullscreen nor by the cool but antiquated laserdisc prints but instead in high quality. It is the first time I got to see it in widescreen like my parents did; oh they saw all of them on the big screen and I remember them telling me that they paid to see it loved it, and then were able to convince the manager for them to stick around in order to watch the movie again until after the cantina scene, as they thought that scene was awesome and they wanted to check out all the unique creatures again. True story.
I don't need to tell you what the story is about. So, let me say that even in 2014 it's still awesome entertainment. I know it's not the most complex story and you can make fun of various things (like the acting or the dialogue) and some of it you can tell it did not have the highest budget or the best sets. It doesn't matter when the story is so entrancing and you care about all the characters and you want the rebels to take down the evil empire. It's familiar tropes and storytelling but that's why it works: it's basic concepts that have existed and worked since the art of storytelling began thousands of years ago and it has such things as The Hero's Journey and plottwists along the way, a scoundrel showing his good side, etc. Those movies are still classics and it's a damn shame how Episodes I through III turned out. But, the Red Letter Media reviews of those motion pictures (aside from the needless off-putting bizarre material they unfortunately put in there) do a great job in explaining why they don't work and why Episodes IV through VI do work, and work so well.
I'll return Sunday night.
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