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Feature
Overview
Star Wars: The Complete Blu-ray Saga will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation.
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
(32 Years Before Episode IV) Stranded on the desert planet Tatooine after rescuing young Queen Amidala from the impending invasion of Naboo, Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Jedi Master discover nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, a young slave unusually strong in the Force. Anakin wins a thrilling Podrace and with it his freedom as he leaves his home to be trained as a Jedi. The heroes return to Naboo where Anakin and the Queen face massive invasion forces while the two Jedi contend with a deadly foe named Darth Maul. Only then do they realize the invasion is merely the first step in a sinister scheme by the re-emergent forces of darkness known as the Sith.
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
(22 Years Before Episode IV) Ten years after the events of the Battle of Naboo, not only has the galaxy undergone significant change, but so have Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padm茅 Amidala, and Anakin Skywalker as they are thrown together again for the first time since the Trade Federation invasion of Naboo. Anakin has grown into the accomplished Jedi apprentice of Obi-Wan, who himself has transitioned from student to teacher. The two Jedi are assigned to protect Padm茅 whose life is threatened by a faction of political separatists. As relationships form and powerful forces collide, these heroes face choices that will impact not only their own fates, but the destiny of the Republic.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
(19 Years before Episode IV) Three years after the onset of the Clone Wars, the noble Jedi Knights have been leading a massive clone army into a galaxy-wide battle against the Separatists. When the sinister Sith unveil a thousand-year-old plot to rule the galaxy, the Republic crumbles and from its ashes rises the evil Galactic Empire. Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker is seduced by the dark side of the Force to become the Emperor’s new apprentice–Darth Vader. The Jedi are decimated, as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Master Yoda are forced into hiding. The only hope for the galaxy are Anakin’s own offspring.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Nineteen years after the formation of the Empire, Luke Skywalker is thrust into the struggle of the Rebel Alliance when he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has lived for years in seclusion on the desert planet of Tatooine. Obi-Wan begins Luke’s Jedi training as Luke joins him on a daring mission to rescue the beautiful Rebel leader Princess Leia from the clutches of the evil Empire.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Luke Skywalker and his friends have set up a new base on the ice planet of Hoth, but it is not long before their secret location is discovered by the evil Empire. After narrowly escaping, Luke splits off from his friends to seek out a Jedi Master called Yoda. Meanwhile, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and C-3PO seek sanctuary at a city in the Clouds run by Lando Calrissian, an old friend of Han鈥檚. But little do they realize that Darth Vader already awaits them.
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
(4 years after Episode IV) In the epic conclusion of the saga, the Empire prepares to crush the Rebellion with a more powerful Death Star while the Rebel fleet mounts a massive attack on the space station. Luke Skywalker confronts Darth Vader in a final climactic duel before the evil Emperor. Episode I, The Phantom Menace “I have a bad feeling about this,” says the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace as he steps off a spaceship and into the most anticipated cinematic event… well, ever. He might as well be speaking for the legions of fans of the original episodes in the Star Wars saga who can’t help but secretly ask themselves: Sure, this is Star Wars, but is it my Star Wars? The original elevated moviegoers’ expectations so high that it would have been impossible for any subsequent film to meet them. And as with all the Star Wars movies, The Phantom Menace features inexplicable plot twists, a fistful of loose threads, and some cheek-chewing dialogue. Han Solo’s swagger is sorely missed, as is the pervading menace of heavy-breather Darth Vader. There is still way too much quasi-mystical mumbo jumbo, and some of what was fresh about Star Wars 22 years earlier feels formulaic. Yet there’s much to admire. The special effects are stupendous; three worlds are populated with a m茅lange of creatures, flora, and horizons rendered in absolute detail. The action and battle scenes are breathtaking in their complexity. And one particular sequence of the film–the adrenaline-infused pod race through the Tatooine desert–makes the chariot race in Ben-Hur look like a Sunday stroll through the park.
Among the host of new characters, there are a few familiar walk-ons. We witness the first meeting between R2-D2 and C-3PO, Jabba the Hutt looks younger and slimmer (but not young and slim), and Yoda is as crabby as ever. Natalie Portman’s stately Queen Amidala sports hairdos that make Princess Leia look dowdy and wields a mean laser. We never bond with Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Obi-Wan’s day is yet to come. Jar Jar Binks, a cross between a Muppet, a frog, and a hippie, provides many of the movie’s lighter moments, while Sith Lord Darth Maul is a formidable force. Baby-faced Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) looks too young and innocent to command the powers of the Force or wield a lightsaber (much less transmute into the future Darth Vader), but his boyish exuberance wins over skeptics.
Near the end of the movie, Palpatine, the new leader of the Republic, may be speaking for fans eagerly awaiting Episode II when he pats young Anakin on the head and says, “We will watch your career with great interest.” Indeed! –Tod Nelson
Episode II, Attack of the Clones If The Phantom Menace was the setup, then Attack of the Clones is the plot-progressing payoff, and devoted Star Wars fans are sure to be enthralled. Ten years after Episode I, Padm茅 Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a senator, resists the creation of a Republic Army to combat an evil separatist movement. The brooding Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is resentful of his stern Jedi mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), tormented by personal loss, and showing his emerging “dark side” while protecting his new love, Amidala, from would-be assassins. Youthful romance and solemn portent foreshadow the events of the original Star Wars as Count Dooku (a.k.a. Darth Tyranus, played by Christopher Lee) forges an alliance with the Dark Lord of the Sith, while lavish set pieces showcase George Lucas’s supreme command of all-digital filmmaking. All of this makes Episode II a technological milestone, savaged by some critics as a bloated, storyless spectacle, but still qualifying as a fan-approved precursor to the pivotal events of Episode III. –Jeff Shannon
Episode III, Revenge of the Sith Ending the most popular film epic in history, Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith is an exciting, uneven, but ultimately satisfying journey. Picking up the action from Episode II, Attack of the Clones as well as the animated Clone Wars series, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), pursue General Grievous into space after the droid kidnapped Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).
It’s just the latest maneuver in the ongoing Clone Wars between the Republic and the Separatist forces led by former Jedi turned Sith Lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). On another front, Master Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz) leads the Republic’s clone troops against a droid attack on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. All this is in the first half of Episode III, which feels a lot like Episodes I and II. That means spectacular scenery, dazzling dogfights in space, a new fearsome villain (the CGI-created Grievous can’t match up to either Darth Maul or the original Darth Vader, though), lightsaber duels, groan-worthy romantic dialogue, goofy humor (but at least it’s left to the droids instead of Jar-Jar Binks), and hordes of faceless clone troopers fighting hordes of faceless battle droids.
But then it all changes.
After setting up characters and situations for the first two and a half movies, Episode III finally comes to life. The Sith Lord in hiding unleashes his long-simmering plot to take over the Republic, and an integral part of that plan is to turn Anakin away from the Jedi and toward the Dark Side of the Force. Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last 10 years, you know that Anakin will transform into the dreaded Darth Vader and face an ultimate showdown with his mentor, but that doesn’t matter. In fact, a great part of the fun is knowing where things will wind up but finding out how they’ll get there. The end of this prequel trilogy also should inspire fans to want to see the original movies again, but this time not out of frustration at the new ones. Rather, because Episode III is a beginning as well as an end, it will trigger fond memories as it ties up threads to the originals in tidy little ways. But best of all, it seems like for the first time we actually care about what happens and who it happens to.
Episode III is easily the best of the new trilogy–OK, so that’s not saying much, but it might even jockey for third place among the six Star Wars films. It’s also the first one to be rated PG-13 for the intense battles and darker plot. It was probably impossible to live up to the decades’ worth of pent-up hype George Lucas faced for the Star Wars prequel trilogy (and he tried to lower it with the first two movies), but Episode III makes us once again glad to be “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.” –David Horiuchi
Star Wars: The Original Trilogy (Episodes IV – VI) The Star Wars trilogy had the rare distinction of becoming more than just a series of movies, but a cultural phenomenon, a life-defining event for its generation. On its surface, George Lucas’s original 1977 film is a rollicking and humorous space fantasy that owes debts to more influences than one can count on two hands, but filmgoers became entranced by its basic struggle of good vs. evil “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,” its dazzling special effects, and a mythology of Jedi Knights, the Force, and droids.
In the first film, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) gets to live out every boy’s dream: ditch the farm and rescue a princess (Carrie Fisher). Accompanied by the roguish Han Solo (Harrison Ford, the only principal who was able to cross over into stardom) and trained by Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), Luke finds himself involved in a galactic war against the Empire and the menacing Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones). The following film, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), takes a darker turn as the tiny rebellion faces an overwhelming onslaught. Directed by Irvin Kershner instead of Lucas, Empire is on the short list of Best Sequels Ever, marked by fantastic settings (the ice planet, the cloud city), the teachings of Yoda, a dash of grown-up romance, and a now-classic “revelation” ending. The final film of the trilogy, Return of the Jedi (1983, directed by Richard Marquand), is the most uneven. While the visual effects had taken quantum leaps over the years, resulting in thrilling speeder chases and space dogfights, the story is an uneasy mix of serious themes (Luke’s maturation as a Jedi, the end of the Empire-rebellion showdown) and the cuddly teddy bears known as the Ewoks.
Years later, George Lucas transformed his films into “special editions” by adding new scenes and special effects, which were greeted mostly by shrugs from fans. They were perfectly happy with the films they had grown up with (who cares if Greedo shot first?), and thus disappointed by Lucas’s decision to make the special editions the only versions available. –David Horiuchi
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April 18th, 2011 on 10:15 pm
The Truth About Star Wars,
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I find it very hard to see so many folks give things that haven’t even been released a bad rating, as this very product has. Unless there is a serious technical issue or you don’t like the film at all, there is no reason to place a review, but don’t do that before you watch it. It may be one of the most familiar movie series ever, but that doesn’t mean if you’ve seen it you should be leaving a review here until you’ve watched this specific edition.
To clarify the special edition that this product is claiming to be, without the originals (1977 to 1983) to many peoples dismay, few seem to realize that George Lucas himself was never content with what he had available when he first made the original three films decades ago. He was very limited, and he hoped to one day make his imagination more of a reality. That dream came true in the late 90′s when he made the special editions and re-released them. After many complaints of people who were very attached to the originals, and to show how much he cared about the preservation of its cultural heritage, he had to release the originals alongside the specials. Frankly, I prefer the specials; they are what the original creator wanted to do in the first place, it’s more attractive, and makes the depiction of the Star Wars universe more vivid. But personal opinion aside, it’s not right to leave reviews for a product that has not come out yet. If it wasn’t for Star Wars, most of all other science fiction that followed wouldn’t exist, aside from a few classics. At the very least, sci-fi would be a lot different these days. If anything, the constant updates and the special editions have strengthened the franchise to show newer generations what true science fiction is, and can be.
That’s not to say George Lucas was without opinion about the alteration of original films. In a congressional speech in 1988, George Lucas himself, with other directions such as Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen, spoke out against the alteration of original art in film and how technology and the industry as a whole does not protect original works. This is a very powerful speech by George Lucas himself. Keep in mind while reading though that it’s not countering what he later did to Star Wars, as he himself, the creator, altered his own vision, and still had the dignity to release the originals alongside them, which many creators will not due if a film is altered or remade:
“My name is George Lucas. I am a writer, director, and producer of motion pictures and Chairman of the Board of Lucasfilm Ltd., a multi-faceted entertainment corporation.
I am not here today as a writer-director, or as a producer, or as the chairman of a corporation. I’ve come as a citizen of what I believe to be a great society that is in need of a moral anchor to help define and protect its intellectual and cultural heritage. It is not being protected.
The destruction of our film heritage, which is the focus of concern today, is only the tip of the iceberg. American law does not protect our painters, sculptors, recording artists, authors, or filmmakers from having their lifework distorted, and their reputation ruined. If something is not done now to clearly state the moral rights of artists, current and future technologies will alter, mutilate, and destroy for future generations the subtle human truths and highest human feeling that talented individuals within our society have created.
A copyright is held in trust by its owner until it ultimately reverts to public domain. American works of art belong to the American public; they are part of our cultural history.
People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society. The preservation of our cultural heritage may not seem to be as politically sensitive an issue as “when life begins” or “when it should be appropriately terminated,” but it is important because it goes to the heart of what sets mankind apart. Creative expression is at the core of our humanness. Art is a distinctly human endeavor. We must have respect for it if we are to have any respect for the human race.
These current defacements are just the beginning. Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder. Tommorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with “fresher faces,” or alter dialogue and change the movement of the actor’s lips to match. It will soon be possible to create a new “original” negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires. The copyright holders, so far, have not been completely diligent in…
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|April 18th, 2011 on 11:01 pm
Eh, it’s not really *that* bad… is it?,
As much as I respect everyone’s opinions and try to tolerate all of the quibbling reviews on here, this is just one ongoing debate/arguement that never ceases to end or stop annoying me. Do I think the originals should be included just to appease the die-hard & [really] old-schools fans? Yes. Do I care if they’re not included? No. No I don’t love every little thing that’s been added, however I do appreciate him cleaning up some of the special effects – so I don’t let those things bother me. I don’t agree that every change he made was for the better, but it’s a great saga – deal with it. Once he’s made up his mind he’s likely not going to change it over a bunch of negative amazon reviews.
To add onto what another reviewer wrote, if you prefer the originals in their ‘original’ state then you prefer their ‘original and poorer’ quality. And if that’s the case, why do you need these on bluray? They already exist on dvd, so just get those *and* save yourself some cash.
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|April 18th, 2011 on 11:49 pm
Are ratings are this point relevent?,
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I honestly can’t believe this many “ratings” for a product that hasn’t even been released yet. I also can’t believe all the experts KNOW exactly how this set will be released, and how bad it is.
I have read “reviews” saying it will be “fullscreen”????, what scenes will be included, what won’t, what version will be included, what won’t…. and the release is still 5 months away. Chill out. You know if it’s star Wars, and it’s Lucas….it will be good (whether it is version you dream about or not). You can also bet your bottom dollar that this will be the FIRST set of many. You will eventually get “Original” version, “Restored” version, “Ultimate” version, “Kosher” version, “Green” version, ect, ect, ect.
Lucas will be milking this cash cow until the udders crumble to powder.
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