Customer Reviews

Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) Ltd. Edition Film Cell [Blu-ray] [1977]

5 star:		(150)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

First and foremost, this is the best I've seen the original trilogy at home in terms of picture quality, which should be a given really with blu-ray. In Star Wars and Empire particularly there's a superb level of depth and detail which injects even more life into Lucas's idea of a 'used' universe. Jedi wavers a bit, but I've always found that it suffers in comparison, on whatever format - and it definitely picks up in the second half once all the smokey, dark interiors disappear. With the prequels, TPM perhaps isn't as good and appears a bit flat but, by the time you get to Sith, the image is fairly jaw-dropping.

The sound's the thing, though. If you've got the set up for it, they sound absolutely stunning. John Williams' marvellous scores sound better than ever (the chase through the asteroid field is demo material for the sound, I think). The dialogue is clear, the sound effects placed just about right in the mix. When the special editions were released I went to see them in a THX certified cinema, and I think these sound even better than that. During the attack on the Falcon the TIE fighters sound like they're flying around the room

As for the changes, well I understand anyone who's chosen not to buy the set and, in some ways, I wish I'd done so myself. In fact, I lost count of the number of times I ordered and cancelled it before finally caving in and going ahead. I first saw Star Wars in early '78 when my folks took me to Leicester Square to see it on my birthday, and that's the version I want to remember and own. I agree with much of the criticism of Lucas for his constant revisionism. He's messing with my fond childhood memories of these wonderful films, as he is doing so for many, many others, and we all have a right to say so. Having said all of that, the latest revisions (other than the colour timing and such) last barely a minute over the course of the six or so hours of the original films. For me, the more heinous changes had already happened in the special editions, so if you could handle them then you can probably handle this. Ben's new Krayt call didn't bother me in the slightest. Artoo hiding behind rocks - stupid, because the rocks are there in one shot then not in the next (and I suspect this was just added for the upcoming 3-D versions anyway). Vader's "Nooooo" I absolutely hate but, again, it lasts barely a second. Oh, and Han and Greedo now shoot simultaneously, and it still looks stupid.

I reckon most fans probably already know whether they want the blu-rays or not. I'm glad I've seen them and made up my own mind, and I'll definitely get some mileage out of them before returning to my old, unaltered VHS tapes and dvds. And it seems almost inevitable that Lucas will discover seamless branching one day and release the original versions. I hope so, anyway.

For me, this set is visually superb and aurally stunning, but it loses a point for not including the original versions, and another for not including all the previously available extras. It is what it is, and I think there is a lot of entertainment still to be found within. In my opinion, Lucas can tinker as much as he wants, but he should at least give the fans who've made him so rich the choice as to which version of the movies they want to watch. It is this lack of choice that grates with me more than anything else.

After salvaging all nine discs in a product that seems to have an ever-expanding waistline (requiring me to hibernate from 'real life' for the past two days!), I may find it particularly difficult to make valued judgements without the fear of "true fans" protesting bias through pure anarchy. And thats all the fuss has ever been. Anarchy against the principle of making changes to successful films.

None the less, this review is concerned with the product in question and to help potential customers make a choice; I'm not overly concerned with the validity of George Lucas' decision making. I also aim to compare these Blu-rays with the 1997 and 2004 'Special Edition' releases of Star Wars.

The Product:

Presented in an beautiful thick card box, we have a product that immediately feels special. The cover is matte, with a simple painting of Anakin and Luke choosing their fates in a vast open land. Some have criticised this imagery since it doesn't reflect the original promotions of each film, but I actually believe it to be a bold and sincere move that accurately reflects one of the primary themes of the film; realising ones destiny. It almost demonstrates maturity in comparison to the previous efforts.

The films are housed on separate Blu-ray discs in a chunky 'amaray' case that slides out. Inside, you'll find a 'Guide To The Galaxy' booklet (paintings and a map of the extras), and if you pre-ordered, a special Senitype 35mm cel from Revenge of The Sith. All cels have the same image, and they are limited to a specific amount.

Loading the Blu-rays is quick and, thankfully, there are NO adverts before you reach the menus. Terrific! Loading times vary between different players, although I've noted that as has been the case with many Blu-rays, a Playstation 3 almost by-passes any 'loading' screen.

The Big Picture:

Whilst I still prefer the Original Trilogy as individual films, their is no denying that Episodes 2 and 3 stand out the most on Blu-ray. They are for the most part 'immensely' beautiful, making it quite obvious how digital filmmaking offers so much more freedom to explore emotional response, and this is exemplified by the colours of the environments that appear to have endured so much control, precision. So far I haven't been convinced of Digital presentation in theatres, but at home, presentations like this are jaw-dropping. Even Episode 1, which was shot on traditional film, has been enhanced to look akin to Episodes 2 and 3 and thus provide better continuity. The only downside to this continuity however is that, in order to preserve a 'digital' look, it has suffered from digital noise reduction which has removed almost all of the natural film grain and given the movie a smoother, slightly waxier look. On a larger-than-average TV this will stand out more, but I can't say it ruined my enjoyment of the film - its just a pity that Lucasfilm chose not to preserve the films natural state.

Its also good to see that the problems with the original Episode 1 DVD have been completely ironed out, and as such the presentation exceeds how I remember it even theatrically (although sometimes prone to 'Edge Enhancement'). Episodes 1 to 3 won't look any better than this. At least until a new format comes out...

For the Original Trilogy however, things are quite different. Focusing on improvements, these Blu-rays are a 'major' step-up from the 2004 DVD's, with crushed blacks no longer present (and no lost detail in dark scenes or areas of the frame), no irregular enhancements, and of course, re-worked lightsaber effects. Although the work that ILM did is only for select shots, the important thing is that consistency is now present.

Studio shots and outdoor shots work together with more consistency in lighting. The fact that they are so much brighter reveals details i've never seen before and breathed new life into darker scenes such as 'The Battle of Yavin', in which the cockpit control panels pop with primary colours, and the star fields in space are more detailed. Vader's costumes also springs amazing detail, from hurried workmanship on his helmet in Episode 4, to immaculate reflections in Episode 6. Primary colours are sometimes over-saturated in the reds (particularly with any 'fire'/explosions), so I'm guessing this is one of Lucas's current "creative decisions".

And sure, because of digital editing these films are now lesser products of the era to which they were made, but this should be seen from a positive point of view and not lethargically wagged away. The studio shots are the most impressive improvement since they appear so atmospheric, leaving the original lighting effects looking somewhat poor and dated in comparison. The films could never have looked this good originally, so credit to Lucasfilm for embracing this technology in a descent manner. It should be taken as a compliment that the films gain so much attention and that enhancements have been worthy enough in the first place.

'But' downfalls do exist, although I am referring mainly to those who care deeply about picture quality here. Since the original films have not had a fresh scan since the work done for the 2004 DVDs, the restoration work looks positively dated at times, and this is certainly not nit-picking. The only way to analyse such is to view the Blu-ray's on two different sized TV's - an average living room one at 32", and a more up market model at 50" or over. Having had the opportunity to compare both, it becomes blatantly obvious that the restoration was done at a low resolution, since digital artefacts are constantly present on a larger TV. Detail becomes smudged and 'swirly'. Grain levels are inconsistent. Those over-saturated colours become blocky and flat. Conversely, these flaws aren't as obvious on a smaller TV, so the question is just how will you be watching these films? My guess is that most families won't take notice of the topic, but for others who are more aware of the Blu-ray world, the quality of these Star Wars transfers do not justify value for money in my honest opinion. The upgrade to 1080p however does, as do the products other features...

The Sound:

... such as this. To call John Williams a genius is somewhat an understatement; the man is a legend. Part of the success of Star Wars stylistically is the classic marriage between sight and sound (Leitmotif in particular), and these Blu-rays offer a massive jump in definition over the DVD's and VHS. It was said before the release that the original individual soundtrack tapes were used to remaster the entirety of the Original Trilogies, and if thats the case then it clearly shows. Cues that were lost in the 2004 DVD are restored, the final mix is absolutely spot on (listen out for the 'fanfare' as the X-Wings Fighters swoop down during The Battle for Yavin) and the clarity is stunning - even better than my re-re-re-remastered 'Soundtracks' on CD.

I'm simply overwhelmed by the definition. The Prequels obviously benefit from digital recordings, and the final output is expectedly a leap over the DVDs, but its the Original Trilogy that benefits from this release. This is a topic that I fear will be, and already has been, gravely overlooked. Just outstanding.

The Final Edit:

These films are neither the '1997' versions, nor are they the '2004'. Instead, the product combines edits that were made from both, as well as new edits for 2011. Interestingly, the Original Trilogy have two 20th Century Fox fanfares before each film; one from 2011, and then one restored from 1997. A bit daft, as if they were going to include a 'modern' version anyway, why not just use the films original titles?

I managed to spot little under a dozen small alterations (both in editing and 'additions'), though I shall refrain from getting bogged down with these and encouraging new arguments. In short however, the edits this year are very basic in nature and certainly don't detract from the final enjoyment of the film. Vader now shouting "Noooo" in Return of The Jedi? Blinking Ewoks? R2-D2 hiding behind new rocks? These are about as big as they get this time round, and I honestly can't understand the fuss. I have no problem with fans enjoying any particular version of Star Wars, but the behaviour that some demonstrate to make their 'arguments' apparent can be downright childish. The only change between 1997 and 2011 that the family and myself have cringed at is the replacement of Sebastian Shaw's head (when he's ghost at the end of Episode 6) with that of 'Young Anakin' actor Hayden Christensen. If Luke is able to see these ghosts based on his own memories, then how would he have known what Anakin looked like as a teenager? Yeesh.

The Special Features:

In a word, 'Wow'. Discs 7 and 8 - the interactive bonus content - are for Episodes 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 respectively, and the menus are ordered in a Film > Area/Scene > Category of Extra > Feature fashion. This is very intuitive and make navigating the material interesting. I simply can't list everything thats on offer, but highlights include the spectacular 360-degree models (in which you can see just how R2-D2 was built in a rather scrappy manner), matte paintings and very intriguing Deleted Scenes. They range from short scenes - such as a woman telling Luke to slow down on his Landspeeder - to very long scenes - such as Luke meeting Biggs and the rest of his friends on his home planet. And the schematic artwork of the ships.... Mind boggling, to say the least.

The only problem I have found on Discs 7 and 8 are that before you play a Deleted Scene, the caption outlining what is going to happen leaves far to quick to read fully.

Disc 9 contains an array of brilliant archival documentaries (most are a stretched 16:9 aspect ratio and in SD) as well as a few newer bits and pieces; the most disappointing being 'Star Wars Spoofs' which, sadly, I shall not watch again it was that poor. 'The Empire of Dreams' is sadly not included, but the ones included, such as 'Classic Creatures', last around an hour/hour and a half and are very insightful.

The Downsides:

To access any Bonus Features apart from two commentaries per film (in essence, the 'hours' of extra footage) you MUST buy this Complete Saga, rather than the separate Episodes 1-3 and 4-6 products. This is an unfortunate marketing tool, and means that should you only be a fan of either Episodes 1-3 or 4-6 but still want the excellent Bonus Features, you're very much compromised. The truth is that the products have been produced this way not just to get more money from customers, but to tie the Prequel and Original trilogy together even further.

The price is also an issue for me in comparison to the, aforementioned, Alien Anthology which is similarly a bulky product. Sure, that product only has 4 films, but its retailing a 'third' of the Star Wars Complete Saga, and has far more bonus features (if less intuitive). Why does a franchise like Star Wars require a higher sales value, just because its a more successful brand?

In short:

The legacy only continues from 2011. The reaction my nephews gave from little more than exploring the box was a wonderful reminder of my own intrigue and excitement at receiving the original trilogy on VHS in the early 1990's and, again, in 1997. The improvement that is reaped from this product is significant and even brought a tear to my eye during key such scenes, such as finale to the The Battle of Yavin, and the celebration at the end of Return of The Jedi. These emotions were not through reminiscing of how I originally watched the films - they were from the fact that we can finally watch these films in the comfort of our home in such a fidelity.

+ Flawless audio tracks that are on par, if not better than Avatar's.
+ Picture definition a major leap across the saga.
+ Almost all glaring errors from past releases fixed.
+ Bonus Material sets a new standard for Blu-ray, easily.

- LucasFilm were too tight to re-scan the Original Trilogy. Hey, its just a fact...
- Bonus Material only available with The Complete Saga.
- 'That' change at the end of Episode 6.

Since you've seen the films, you know wether you should or want to buy these or not. Instead, this is a review of the discs, and not the films. Overall each film is presented flawlessly - though not at reference standard. The transfers for these BD's are taken from the 2004 transfers which are barely above the existing BR standard of 1080dpi.

PHANTOM MENACE / ATTACK OF THE CLONES / REVENGE OF THE SITH

"Menace" is a poor film presented well, with a new CGI Yoda and film-transfer presentation. "Clones" is probably the least impressive transfer of the films. "Sith" is absolutely flawless - shot on the highest resolution possible and state of the art.

A NEW HOPE / EMPIRE / RETURN OF THE JEDI

There have been tweaks to effects, some good, some bad (magical rocks, for The Force's sake!), but all, mostly pointless. On a technical level, "Empire" is the film that has been tampered with the least since release in 1980, and it has never looked so vibrant. Changes for "Jedi" are relatively major for the Blu Ray : an extra creature here, a larger door there, and perhaps most disturbing of all NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Of course, had they been made now, and made this way, nobody would complain. These films would be eagerly awaited. They would be hailed as visionary masterpieces. And, "Return Of The Jedi" would still be two summers away. But these films are modern myths. As big as any grand story, epic in scale, brazen in ambition and large in vision, the Star Wars films : taken as six, or three, are still, and always, tales of the type of shameless size that not enough film makers would dare to consider.

I-III BONUS MATERIAL

A frustrating ragbag of offcuts and leftovers excluded from the original 2001-2005 DVD releases, these extras discs are much akin to never seeing the full picture. The core narrative of making the prequels is only ever touched upon obliquely. There are deleted scenes, but these are unfinished and as sloppy as a bag of defrosted oven chips. The menu navigation is also frustratingly intricate and awkward. The option, for example, to "play all deleted scenes", is absent. You have to navigate to a film, then a 'world', then pick out each scene seperately : at least nine separate top menus to view all the deleted scenes, some of which take longer to load than they do to play. Thankfully there is a "Play All" option - if you have five hours spare.

IV-VI BONUS MATERIAL

As with the I-III bonus disc, this is a frustrating ragbag of unfocused bonus material : five hours in total, but missing the central overview.A veritable assortment of video junk that expands and complements the original DVD releases. About the only extra that is truly essential are the 40 or so deleted / unfinished scenes from the original trilogy presented here ; but they are in no way complete - many are not in full colour, temp-tracked, full of scratches and marks, and lacking music. Fascinating glimpses of what could have been, and, certainly some would've made useful, and unforgettable additions to the films as they are, they also represent less than the sum of the parts because despite the width and weight there is little in the way of any gravitas.

EXTRA DOCUMENTARIES

The ninth disc is mostly boring. There's 90 minutes of spoofs which are largely watch-once-and-never-again : though Kevin Spacey as Christopher Walken as Han Solo is genius. There's a 90 minute documentary on the guys who dress as Stormtroopers in their spare time. And you wonder why William Shatner ordered his fans to "Get A Life." 1997's "Anatomy Of A Dewback" is a pointless discussion of now obselete CGI technology in adding effects to the 1997 Special Editions : which are not on this set.

The final, half hour interview with Irwin Kershner as he discusses for the last time "Empire" is riveting viewing. It's worth every penny.

The real meat are standard def dupes of the the of-their-time respective 1977,1980, and 1983 documentaries. These were once available on the Executor VHS mega box set and are here represented in SD. They are curios, being basic puffpieces that are very much of their time.

There are some key omissions on this set. The 1983 overview - "From Star Wars To Jedi" - is missing. As is the 1983 video tour of the Lucasfilm archives. These two were also on the Executor, so their omission here is inexcusable.

Also missing? The short documentaries that preceded the 1997 VHS re-releases. 2004's superlative, definitive "Empire Of Dreams". Every extra on the DVD releases of the Prequels. The 1999 BBC Omnibus Documentary. 1999's "Mythology" interview. Warwick Davies "Return of The Ewok". 2005's largely essential History Channel "Star Wars : The Legacy Revealed" which engages the six films in historical echoes. That's at least 17 hours of geek cat nip.

The relatively low-res 2006 480dpi DVD transfers of the original theatrical cuts are also missing. Data is cheap and those three theatrical cuts could easily be released in Standard Def taking up barely half the capacity of one BR disc. In fact, you could easily capture the 17 hours of missing material - alongside the theatrical cuts - with three extra BD discs.

Anyone who thinks that this set allows you to 'own every moment' is clearly fibbing. It's neither complete, nor definitive. But then again, the extras are enormous in girth, with around 12 hours of new commentaries, and 15 hours of new video. However, see these are complements to the original DVD issues of the films, and, in order to keep everything, both the 2004 and 2006 issues of the original trilogy and the contemporary DVD releases of the prequels need to be kept to retain all the material. You have been warned.

So we've all seen the films many times before, but here's the chance to see them in the best definition yet.

Firstly, the prequel trilogy looks and feels amazing; despite what some star wars fans may think, and if you do you're looking at the wrong product. The visuals are crisp and so is the sound is also great. Things of note are the digital Yoda in episode 1, which ties in nicely with the latter two.

The original trilogy looks a lot different; you can see all the bumps and scratches on everything like never before. But this is part of cinema history and it gives a sense of rustic charm. There are also changes here (which you may have heard about), such as blinking ewoks and Vader's Noooooo. They weren't necessary but i at least accept what Mr Lucas has done.

There are lots of extras, it being a 9 disc set, and I haven't got through all of the documentaries yet. But from what I've seen so far it is well worth it for any star wars fan. It only looses a star for the silly cardboard bit on the packaging which is sooo unnecessary and just gets dogeared and in the way.

Overall though a great buy with many hours of viewing pleasure

Having not seen any....of course I have and unless you've been living in the kessel spice mines, so have you.

The picture and sound are excellent, people seem divided, with some saying the first three aren't as good looking as the last three and vica verca. I think they all look pretty darn good, but don't expect anything you haven't seen before, as these are basically the same films you know and love/hate.

I even found I enjoyed The Phantom Menace, you can too if you block Jar Jar out when he's on screen. I wish the Lucas team had taken out his awful lines like "exqueeze me" and "meeza in big doo doo". Poo jokes were never what Star Wars was about, it was mainly adult themes in a sci-fi setting where we followed and routed for a brilliant band of brothers...and Sister.

I haven't watched all the extras, but the making of A New Hope is good fun and shows the quality of these films before remastering. It makes you glad they have been labour of love for Lucas and that he's kept them up to date and looking great, although some of the Phantom Menace CGI can look a bit ropey in places, but only for brief moments. Also, the New Hope making of doc was made before Episode 5 and 6 were written. It's great to listen to Harrison and Mark Hamil argue over who should get the princess. Mark even says Leia would be a complete doosh to not go for Luke. Oh if only they knew what Lucas had up his sleeve.

The Spoofs extra was a complete let down. It's just a bunch of clips from shows like saturday night live, some ads and a few other bits, none of which were all that funny. They really missed a trick on this one because there are some genuinely funny spoofs out there like 'Pink 5' and 'Chad Vader'.

Now - THE CONTROVERSY

Basically, the changes are all very very minor and don't change the films much at all. The net nerds will stomp their feet and claim their childhood has been soiled, but well balanced people who love Star Wars but have a life outside of it, will enjoy seeing Star Wars with a few fresh treats. Obi Wan's dragon call, which has been changed to an old man screaming was slated in many pre-release posts. It actually made me jump and was pretty eerie(I knew it was coming too), so I feel it was better than the sound it replaced. The Cantina has been changed, basically sped up so you have no clue who shoots first. Han does dodge but it really is so quick that unless you watched slowed down versions on youtube you won't really notice. I honsetly think all the changes i've seen so far are quite good.

I watched the original originals on VHS recently and they are poor beyond belief. They have a claustrophobic feel because all of the backgrounds are not fleshed out with CGI like in the newer releases. There's also goofs and gafs galore. I suggest most of the people complaining they want the Original Originals haven't watched them recently. 90% of what lucas has done makes the newer versions so much better. Nothing's perfect, so the 10% I don't love, like the song in Jabbas palace, I can ignore. It really is that easy.

Walt Disney first envisaged 'living' cinema in which a film is changed over time so that audiences can happily watch the same story with new twists over their life times. Lucas is the only person doing this and for me it makes watching a film i've seen a hundred times fun all over again.

Literally, for the 12+hour running time, there is a couple of minutes of changes you could even start quibbling over. The rest give new depth and flesh out the Star Wars universe so that it's a living breathing place.

Star Wars on blu ray is an absolute treat and half...

This is a review of the actual product, rather than whether I think it's a good idea about putting in more scenes, or whether these are the greatest movies of all time, etc. We were lucky enough to receive ours this morning, and my wife and son have had a good look round the discs.

First off, the picture quality is very good, as is the sound. The definition is fab - from Vader's shiny black helmet to the shadows cast from the lights, the ships look glorious against the background of black space and the lightsabers have cleaned up really well. Some haven't cleaned up well at all - for example - the Death Star does show up as being a model in certain scenes of Episode IV (it's a testament to those 70's model makers and special effects guys it took such a clean copy to make it look creaky 35 years later!). The sound is good too - with new subtle nuances that may have been added of are just clarified in the new mix. My son noticed a few new R2 beeps here and there, and some of the chatter is more discernable in crowd scenes.

I don't like all the new cleaned up bits. Tie Fighters exploding look like they've ben hit by a nuclear warhead being one that irks. But for all that, some of the little scenes interjected are good and add depth to bits of the film. In the rebel base control room in Episode IV, you get to see a little more of the backroom staff monitoring the battle - which I thought was quite fun.

We haven't got too far into the extras, but some of the deleted scenes are interesting, as well as the early rushes that were used to get things right for the proper edit.

For any Star Wars fan who wishes to see the films in their best quality - this is a must purchase. It would have been nice to see the cinematic originals as part of the collection, even if they were on DVD, but LucasFilm haven't included them. Instead, you get bucket loads of extras and this should be enough to keep most fans entertained for hours.

For those of you moaning about the new edits, just wait till you see the Han and Greedo scene in the Cantina!!!!

Rather than sift through the ashes of the technical qualities of this release (all six films with tons of extras on Blu-ray - fabulous), I sat down and watched all of them with my ten year old son to see how the whole saga stacked up. My verdict is that, despite huge flaws, Star Wars is a stunning achievement in the history of world cinema. Lucas created cinematic magic.

The biggest revelation is that the hero of the entire saga is Darth Vader - as well as one of the leading villains. Why this is so surprising stems from the ludicrous way the films were made and released. The 4th episode was the first made (New Hope), and in this episode, Darth Vader is the heartless murderer in a black mask. By the end of the 6th and final episode, the true nature of the supposed villain is revealed after he saves Luke Skywalker (his son) from death by killing the evil Emperor. But if you start at the 1st episode, it becomes clear that the true hero is Anniken Skywalker (who becomes Darth Vader in the 3rd episode). We see him progress from child prodigy, pod racing, to nascent Jedi Knight, then the duped defender of the Republic, taken in by the evil Chancellor, who is a Sith Lord in disguise. He turns to the 'dark side' in order to save his beloved wife from death (in visions, he sees a bleak future), and this backfires terribly as he becomes Darth Vader. Thus, the whole tenor of the original series changes before your eyes, and makes perfect sense. Anniken Skywalker does bring balance to the universe -as foretold - by killing the evil Sith Lord. It takes him 25 years to get around to it, and takes a wicked deflection, but in the end, he is the hero who saves the galaxy.

Critics generally panned the newer films, but they are stunningly beautiful to watch, and the Revenge of the Sith is easily one of the best Sci-Fi films ever made (the 3rd episode). It is amazing that the viewers watch to see HOW it happened, not what happened, as everyone knows that Anniken becomes Darth Vader. The technical skill of these newer films strikes you with spectacular CGI, but it is the seeming tragedy of Anniken that is most memorable. I don't know how I would feel about the series had it been released 1-6, instead of the inside out way - but as it is, it is a great tale, well told.

As a result of the strange order of these films being made, the earlier episodes look much more modern that the older ones. In story time, the earlier films (4-6) look more dated, stilted and cheap. But the acting is marginally better, the scripts (especially Empire and Return) better, and the stories more compelling. All 6 films have their set pieces, but the ones made at or after the 21st Century have a mind-blowing quality. Throughout all of the films, the dialog is stilted, some of the acting is poor, and there is simply too much detail to follow that is irrelevant to the progression of the story. I found myself fidgeting quite a bit in the middle of Episodes 1 and 2, but not so much in the other four.

My excuse for buying this is my 10 year old son, who sat with me throughout. He loved them all, and his favorite characters were the droids and Chewie. This is what Star Wars is about - getting young people excited by a mythical tale, and Lucas, steeped in his Joseph Campbell Hero Cycle, provides a good introduction to adventure storytelling. Next stop, the Greek myths.

A wonderful way to spend time with your family.

First things first, this is my opinion. That means it cant be wrong but feel free to disagree.

I first watched Star Wars as a 7 year old, therefore i viewed it with all the wonder of a 7 year old. I bought all the toys and played with them as a 7 year old. I watched TESB and ROTJ through a childs eyes as well.

Fast forward to 1999 and I'm watching TPM through the eyes of a world weary 30 something. It was never going to capture my imagination like SW did and it would have been unfair of me to have expected it to. It would be liking asking me to wake up on christmas morning and still believe it was Santa that had put the pressies under the tree.

But you know what? I really like TPM, AOTC and RevOTS and i wont apologize for liking them.

But the point im trying to make is that IMHO those 3 films get a hard time from SW fans because they are looking at them through adult eyes with 16 years of built up expectations.

I remember back when i was a kid and my Mum thought SW was poorly acted tosh (She loved the old classics) and if im being brutally honest the acting really is no great shakes in those first 3 films BUT they are our childhood memories. Thats why we go easy on them.

The first SW film my son saw was TPM and he loved it. He was 4 when he first saw it. People may slate Jar Jar Binks but i remember people slating the Ewoks back in 1983!

I know ive waffled a bit but i think if you step back a bit and look at them for what they are they aint bad . Its just that a helluva lot of people take SW far, far too seriously.

As for the Blu Rays? I love 'em. Its nice to have all those extras and i really dont care about the little tweaks George makes here and there, im not that precious about it all. The story remains the same, that hasnt been tampered with.

The fact is the picture is amazing every smear on the droids can be seen, I find in parts the volume adjusts but stiil sounds great when luke looks across the desert at night and the sad music theme is played I swear I got goosebumps on my face knowing what was instore for him. I would recommend you watch them in the order they were created 4,5,6,1,2,3 by the end of episode five you will apreciate george lucas for what he as achieved in the story and you will wish it was the c3po and r2 telling the story you will understand if you are a true fan. The truth is this is a great release price for 6 bluray films of any standard and for such a classic movie it is worth adding to your collection of blurays wether you are a fan or not.

Having not seen any....of course I have and unless you've been living in the kessel spice mines, so have you.

The picture and sound are excellent, people seem divided, with some saying the first three aren't as good looking as the last three and vica verca. I think they all look pretty darn good, but don't expect anything you haven't seen before, as these are basically the same films you know and love/hate.

I even found I enjoyed The Phantom Menace, you can too if you block Jar Jar out when he's on screen. I wish the Lucas team had taken out his awful lines like "exqueeze me" and "meeza in big doo doo". Poo jokes were never what Star Wars was about, it was mainly adult themes in a sci-fi setting where we followed and routed for a brilliant band of brothers...and Sister.

I haven't watched all the extras, but the making of A New Hope is good fun and shows the quality of these films before remastering. It makes you glad they have been labour of love for Lucas and that he's kept them up to date and looking great, although some of the Phantom Menace CGI can look a bit ropey in places, but only for brief moments. Also, the New Hope making of doc was made before Episode 5 and 6 were written. It's great to listen to Harrison and Mark Hamil argue over who should get the princess. Mark even says Leia would be a complete doosh to not go for Luke. Oh if only they knew what Lucas had up his sleeve.

The Spoofs extra was a complete let down. It's just a bunch of clips from shows like saturday night live, some ads and a few other bits, none of which were all that funny. They really missed a trick on this one because there are some genuinely funny spoofs out there like 'Pink 5' and 'Chad Vader'.

Now - THE CONTROVERSY

Basically, the changes are all very very minor and don't change the films much at all. The net nerds will stomp their feet and claim their childhood has been soiled, but well balanced people who love Star Wars but have a life outside of it, will enjoy seeing Star Wars with a few fresh treats. Obi Wan's dragon call, which has been changed to an old man screaming was slated in many pre-release posts. It actually made me jump and was pretty eerie(I knew it was coming too), so I feel it was better than the sound it replaced. The Cantina has been changed, basically sped up so you have no clue who shoots first. Han does dodge but it really is so quick that unless you watch slowed down versions on youtube you won't really notice. I honsetly think all the changes I've seen so far are very good.

I watched the original originals on VHS recently and they are poor beyond belief. They have a claustrophobic feel because all of the backgrounds are not fleshed out with CGI as with the newer releases. There's also goofs and gafs galore. I suggest most of the people complaining they want the Original Originals haven't watched them recently. 90% of what lucas has done makes the newer versions so much better. Nothing's perfect, so the 10% I don't love, like the song in Jabbas palace, I can ignore. It really is that easy.

Walt Disney first envisaged 'living' cinema in which a film is changed over time so that audiences can happily watch the same story with new twists over their life times. Lucas is the only person doing this and for me it makes watching a film i've seen a hundred times fun all over again.

Our perception changes wildly as we get older and many of the films you loved as a kid don't cut it anymore. Goonies for one looks pretty tragic now and parts don't even make sense, like the dubloon that marks the entrance to Willie's cave. Unless you stood in the exact perfect spot on the clifftop the kids decided to stop their bikes and use it, it wouldn't work because the perspective would be out. I still like Goonies, but realise that with adult eyes the cracks are more visible than ever. It's the same with Star Wars. The changes being made keep them fresh and the controversial changes are so fleeting and minor they don't really take anything from the overall story. Literally, for the 12+hour running time, there is a couple of minutes of changes you could even start quibbling over. The rest give new depth and flesh out the Star Wars universe so that it really has become a living breathing place.

Star Wars on blu ray is an absolute treat and half...bring on 3D and I look forward to seeing the new new new changes. Hopefully some of the deleted scenes can be touched up and added in.