Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (US - DVD R1)
Chris Gould reviews the third and final chapter of the original Star Wars trilogy
Here we are again for this, the sixth and (possibly) final of my Star Wars reviews for DVDActive, and in this instalment I’m going to be looking at the ‘lame duck’ of the original trilogy, the oft-maligned Return of the Jedi. As with the previous review (of The Empire Strikes Back) I’m going to concentrate more on the technical aspects of the release, rather than kicking up a storm over its shortcomings.
A year has passed since Luke Skywalker’s fateful confrontation with Darth Vader, and the young Jedi has journeyed to Tatooine to free Han Solo from the clutches of the vile gangster, Jabba the Hutt. With the aid of Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and the faithful droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, he succeeds in rescuing his friend and putting an end to the crime lord’s reign of terror. Upon their return to the Rebel fleet our heroes learn of the construction of a second, more powerful Death Star, the final stages of which are being supervised by the Emperor himself. In order to destroy the Death Star’s defence systems, Han leads a small team to the forest moon of Endor, while Lando heads up the Rebel fleet, leaving Luke to face Vader and the Emperor alone…
My earlier ‘lame duck’ comment was partially tongue in check, as although Return of the Jedi is generally considered to be the weakest of the original Star Wars movies, I’m actually quite fond of it. It’s easily the most action-packed of the films in the original trilogy, with an exciting opening act and a multi-layered finale that delivers both action and drama. The special effects work is superior to anything seen in the previous films, we are introduced to a variety of new and interesting characters (specifically Jabba and the Emperor), and it serves as a satisfying resolution to the events of the preceding movies. So why does it have such a bad reputation?
There have been many theories put forward to explain Jedi’s supposed inferiority, raging from directorial interference to lack of interest by the actors. The story goes that George Lucas was not happy with director Richard Marquand’s performance, and that Lucas himself actually directed much of the film. There has also been a fair bit made of Harrison Ford’s reluctance to be involved with the project, and some feel that he all-but phoned in his performance. Others are against the inclusion of the second Death Star, citing it as nothing more than a rehash of the first movie’s plot (ex-producer Gary Kurtz is among the detractors). However, perhaps the biggest criticism is of the furry little Ewoks, the presence of which is seen by many as nothing more than a marketing gimmick to sell toys to kids, rather than a genuine plot device.
However, while I can see where people are coming from with these comments, I don’t necessarily agree with all of them. I do agree that there’s a bit of a slump in the middle of the film, but I think this is made all the more obvious because of the tremendous amount of action that surrounds it. I also agree with the comments about Ford—at least to a certain extent—as he’s nowhere near his wise-cracking best. Still, much of this can be explained by the hardships he endures and his character arc—he’s gone from rogue smuggler to self-sacrificing hero. Other than that, I think the film hangs together rather well: there’s plenty of character progression, the performances are no less ‘hammy’ than the previous films and our own history has taught us that it is possible for a technologically inferior people to overcome a technologically superior force.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I really don’t feel that Return of the Jedi deserves half of the flack it gets. Sure there are flaws, but it retains all of the charm, action and excitement that made the other films so great. This is especially true of the original version of the film, which escapes the full-on CGI dance number, Sarlacc beak, Gungans yelling ‘wessa free’ and a demonic looking Hayden Christensen, and I firmly believe this is the third best film in the saga as a whole.
Return of the Jedi is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen at its theatrical ratio of 2.35:1. The rest will be familiar to anyone who has read the previous reviews, as the transfer is plagued by the same issues: lack of resolution, excessive grain, film and digital artefacts, aliasing, telecinie wobble and inconsistent levels. Of the three, Jedi is possibly the most visually impressive, although this probably has more to do with its relative youth than anything else. Unfortunately the film has more alien-language dialogue than either of its predecessors, so viewing using a ‘cinema’ mode on a widescreen display causes some problems. The bottom half of the text is cropped off, and while this probably won’t cause a problem for die-hard fans, it is an annoyance. It’s also a potential deal-breaker for anyone that relies on subtitles to enjoy the film.
The Special Edition is much sharper and more detailed than the original version, and once again this is all down to Lowry’s restoration work and the additional 25% of resolution afforded by the anamorphic enhancement. On the whole things are very impressive, but there are still a few niggles that prevent the transfer from attaining ‘reference quality’ status. For one thing colour rendition is still off in many scenes, particularly in the deserts of Tatooine, where everything seems to have a magenta tint to it (just look at the screen cap). Lightsaber consistency is also the worst in the entire trilogy, with at least one instance where sabers lack their cores and seems to pass through one-another (again shown in a screen cap). I’ve read plenty of speculation about the reasons for this, and the general consensus seems to be that it’s a result of Lucasfilm colour-correcting the film before shipping it off to Lowry for restoration. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an impressive transfer, but the silly little problems prevent it from attaining true greatness.
Once again the original version of the film is accompanied by a solid Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround track. Dialogue remains relatively clear and consistent throughout (although not as crisp as more recent films), and although the quality and directionality of the matrixed surround channel is once again ‘limited’ in comparison to a fully-fledged discrete mix, there is plenty of rear activity (no sniggering). The exceptional John Williams score is an almost constant presence and there are plenty of neat effects to draw you into the action, with some of the more memorable moments including the breakneck speeder bike chases and the climactic Battle of Endor. Bass is still a little weak compared to what we’re used to nowadays, but it doesn’t really affect the viewing experience. As with the other films in the series, there are numerous aural differences between this version and the Special Edition. For me, one of the biggest selling points for this track is that it features the original Lapti Nek song from Jabba’s palace, rather than the execrable Jedi Rocks. We also get the Ewok’s Yub Nub song playing at the climax of the film, rather than the more laid back victory celebration of the Special Edition, and Han Solo’s ‘trust me’ line is there in place of his ‘I can see a lot better’ line from the SE.
The Special Edition’s Dolby Digital 5.1 EX track is probably the best of the original trilogy releases, as there’s a hell of a lot of action in the third flick. Once again, there are no huge problems to report, and it’s only the changes to the songs that really stand out. I really cannot stress how much I hate the new dance number in Jedi. No really, words fail me. The entire sequence is terrible (hey, lets put the movie on hold for a CGI song and dance routine), but the Jedi Rocks song itself is easily the most offensive part of the whole sorry affair. I’m not particularly troubled by the replacement of Yub Nub with the Victory Celebration music, as the latter fits the revised shots of the galactic celebrations better than a bunch of Ewoks singing about ‘celebrating the love’. The only dialogue change I noticed in this one was the aforementioned line about ‘seeing a lot better’, rather than the traditional ‘trust me’. I find both to be quite humorous given the situation that Han is in at the time.
As I’ve now covered this in two separate reviews, I'll keep things very brief. The menus for the 2004 edition are extremely well-rendered, and include footage from Tatooine, Endor and the Death Star II. Each of the sub-menus expands upon the theme of the main menus to create a pleasant navigational experience. The bonus disc is disappointing by comparison, with a short animation giving way to a bunch of static menus. Thankfully these are accompanied by a great selection of music from the film. This time, the main menu displays the ‘Revenge of the Jedi’ style poster art.
As with the previous releases, disc two contains the original, unaltered version of Return of the Jedi, along with a demo and trailer for the Xbox version of Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. The bonus material on disc one is again a direct port of the disc found in the boxed set releases, which means another dry commentary from George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Carrie Fisher and Denis Muren. The rest of the extras are again DVD-Rom oriented, and include links to the standard and DVD-specific Star Wars websites. Guess what? That DVD site still didn’t work…
Return of the Jedi is probably just about deserving of its reputation as the weakest of the original films, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching it again in its entirety after a long period away. The Special Edition all-but killed my enthusiasm for the film, with its needless CGI additions and changes intended to tie it into the prequels, so it was a real treat to see Sebastian Shaw’s warm, loving smile at the end of the movie (rather than the embarrassed, child molester look given by Hayden Christensen). If you happen to disagree with me on this point, you might want to check out Bryan Rickert’s review of the Special Edition from way back in 2004.
I was again disappointed by the quality of the original, unaltered release of the film on DVD, but I guess I should have expected it after three reviews. While the transfer is slightly cleaner than the other films, it’s still non-anamorphic and so inferior to pretty much every commercially available DVD on the market. The lack of extras is also a fairly large blow, and even the commentary track from the Laserdisc release would have helped bump up the score a little. I’ve still no real complaints about the audio, as it’s reasonably faithful to the track you would most likely have heard back in theatres in the early eighties, but this is not enough for me to recommend the disc based on its technical merits alone. Ultimately the decision whether or not to buy this release will come down to how much love you have for the film, Ewoks and all.
Review by Chris Gould
1983
2004
Feature
A year has passed since Luke Skywalker’s fateful confrontation with Darth Vader, and the young Jedi has journeyed to Tatooine to free Han Solo from the clutches of the vile gangster, Jabba the Hutt. With the aid of Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and the faithful droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, he succeeds in rescuing his friend and putting an end to the crime lord’s reign of terror. Upon their return to the Rebel fleet our heroes learn of the construction of a second, more powerful Death Star, the final stages of which are being supervised by the Emperor himself. In order to destroy the Death Star’s defence systems, Han leads a small team to the forest moon of Endor, while Lando heads up the Rebel fleet, leaving Luke to face Vader and the Emperor alone…
My earlier ‘lame duck’ comment was partially tongue in check, as although Return of the Jedi is generally considered to be the weakest of the original Star Wars movies, I’m actually quite fond of it. It’s easily the most action-packed of the films in the original trilogy, with an exciting opening act and a multi-layered finale that delivers both action and drama. The special effects work is superior to anything seen in the previous films, we are introduced to a variety of new and interesting characters (specifically Jabba and the Emperor), and it serves as a satisfying resolution to the events of the preceding movies. So why does it have such a bad reputation?
1983
2004
There have been many theories put forward to explain Jedi’s supposed inferiority, raging from directorial interference to lack of interest by the actors. The story goes that George Lucas was not happy with director Richard Marquand’s performance, and that Lucas himself actually directed much of the film. There has also been a fair bit made of Harrison Ford’s reluctance to be involved with the project, and some feel that he all-but phoned in his performance. Others are against the inclusion of the second Death Star, citing it as nothing more than a rehash of the first movie’s plot (ex-producer Gary Kurtz is among the detractors). However, perhaps the biggest criticism is of the furry little Ewoks, the presence of which is seen by many as nothing more than a marketing gimmick to sell toys to kids, rather than a genuine plot device.
However, while I can see where people are coming from with these comments, I don’t necessarily agree with all of them. I do agree that there’s a bit of a slump in the middle of the film, but I think this is made all the more obvious because of the tremendous amount of action that surrounds it. I also agree with the comments about Ford—at least to a certain extent—as he’s nowhere near his wise-cracking best. Still, much of this can be explained by the hardships he endures and his character arc—he’s gone from rogue smuggler to self-sacrificing hero. Other than that, I think the film hangs together rather well: there’s plenty of character progression, the performances are no less ‘hammy’ than the previous films and our own history has taught us that it is possible for a technologically inferior people to overcome a technologically superior force.
1983
2004
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I really don’t feel that Return of the Jedi deserves half of the flack it gets. Sure there are flaws, but it retains all of the charm, action and excitement that made the other films so great. This is especially true of the original version of the film, which escapes the full-on CGI dance number, Sarlacc beak, Gungans yelling ‘wessa free’ and a demonic looking Hayden Christensen, and I firmly believe this is the third best film in the saga as a whole.
Video
Return of the Jedi is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen at its theatrical ratio of 2.35:1. The rest will be familiar to anyone who has read the previous reviews, as the transfer is plagued by the same issues: lack of resolution, excessive grain, film and digital artefacts, aliasing, telecinie wobble and inconsistent levels. Of the three, Jedi is possibly the most visually impressive, although this probably has more to do with its relative youth than anything else. Unfortunately the film has more alien-language dialogue than either of its predecessors, so viewing using a ‘cinema’ mode on a widescreen display causes some problems. The bottom half of the text is cropped off, and while this probably won’t cause a problem for die-hard fans, it is an annoyance. It’s also a potential deal-breaker for anyone that relies on subtitles to enjoy the film.
1983
2004
The Special Edition is much sharper and more detailed than the original version, and once again this is all down to Lowry’s restoration work and the additional 25% of resolution afforded by the anamorphic enhancement. On the whole things are very impressive, but there are still a few niggles that prevent the transfer from attaining ‘reference quality’ status. For one thing colour rendition is still off in many scenes, particularly in the deserts of Tatooine, where everything seems to have a magenta tint to it (just look at the screen cap). Lightsaber consistency is also the worst in the entire trilogy, with at least one instance where sabers lack their cores and seems to pass through one-another (again shown in a screen cap). I’ve read plenty of speculation about the reasons for this, and the general consensus seems to be that it’s a result of Lucasfilm colour-correcting the film before shipping it off to Lowry for restoration. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an impressive transfer, but the silly little problems prevent it from attaining true greatness.
Audio
Once again the original version of the film is accompanied by a solid Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround track. Dialogue remains relatively clear and consistent throughout (although not as crisp as more recent films), and although the quality and directionality of the matrixed surround channel is once again ‘limited’ in comparison to a fully-fledged discrete mix, there is plenty of rear activity (no sniggering). The exceptional John Williams score is an almost constant presence and there are plenty of neat effects to draw you into the action, with some of the more memorable moments including the breakneck speeder bike chases and the climactic Battle of Endor. Bass is still a little weak compared to what we’re used to nowadays, but it doesn’t really affect the viewing experience. As with the other films in the series, there are numerous aural differences between this version and the Special Edition. For me, one of the biggest selling points for this track is that it features the original Lapti Nek song from Jabba’s palace, rather than the execrable Jedi Rocks. We also get the Ewok’s Yub Nub song playing at the climax of the film, rather than the more laid back victory celebration of the Special Edition, and Han Solo’s ‘trust me’ line is there in place of his ‘I can see a lot better’ line from the SE.
1983
2004
The Special Edition’s Dolby Digital 5.1 EX track is probably the best of the original trilogy releases, as there’s a hell of a lot of action in the third flick. Once again, there are no huge problems to report, and it’s only the changes to the songs that really stand out. I really cannot stress how much I hate the new dance number in Jedi. No really, words fail me. The entire sequence is terrible (hey, lets put the movie on hold for a CGI song and dance routine), but the Jedi Rocks song itself is easily the most offensive part of the whole sorry affair. I’m not particularly troubled by the replacement of Yub Nub with the Victory Celebration music, as the latter fits the revised shots of the galactic celebrations better than a bunch of Ewoks singing about ‘celebrating the love’. The only dialogue change I noticed in this one was the aforementioned line about ‘seeing a lot better’, rather than the traditional ‘trust me’. I find both to be quite humorous given the situation that Han is in at the time.
1983
2004
Extras
As I’ve now covered this in two separate reviews, I'll keep things very brief. The menus for the 2004 edition are extremely well-rendered, and include footage from Tatooine, Endor and the Death Star II. Each of the sub-menus expands upon the theme of the main menus to create a pleasant navigational experience. The bonus disc is disappointing by comparison, with a short animation giving way to a bunch of static menus. Thankfully these are accompanied by a great selection of music from the film. This time, the main menu displays the ‘Revenge of the Jedi’ style poster art.
As with the previous releases, disc two contains the original, unaltered version of Return of the Jedi, along with a demo and trailer for the Xbox version of Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. The bonus material on disc one is again a direct port of the disc found in the boxed set releases, which means another dry commentary from George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Carrie Fisher and Denis Muren. The rest of the extras are again DVD-Rom oriented, and include links to the standard and DVD-specific Star Wars websites. Guess what? That DVD site still didn’t work…
1983
2004
Overall
Return of the Jedi is probably just about deserving of its reputation as the weakest of the original films, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching it again in its entirety after a long period away. The Special Edition all-but killed my enthusiasm for the film, with its needless CGI additions and changes intended to tie it into the prequels, so it was a real treat to see Sebastian Shaw’s warm, loving smile at the end of the movie (rather than the embarrassed, child molester look given by Hayden Christensen). If you happen to disagree with me on this point, you might want to check out Bryan Rickert’s review of the Special Edition from way back in 2004.
I was again disappointed by the quality of the original, unaltered release of the film on DVD, but I guess I should have expected it after three reviews. While the transfer is slightly cleaner than the other films, it’s still non-anamorphic and so inferior to pretty much every commercially available DVD on the market. The lack of extras is also a fairly large blow, and even the commentary track from the Laserdisc release would have helped bump up the score a little. I’ve still no real complaints about the audio, as it’s reasonably faithful to the track you would most likely have heard back in theatres in the early eighties, but this is not enough for me to recommend the disc based on its technical merits alone. Ultimately the decision whether or not to buy this release will come down to how much love you have for the film, Ewoks and all.
Review by Chris Gould
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Chris Gould
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Join Date: May 2001
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5,743
Apologies for the quality of the above, but it turned into the review that would not end. It took way longer than expected, I got frustrated, and that's probably reflected in the finished article.
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I think you've got the lightsaber criss-cross pics above swapped. The white-cored sabers are from the original release. This is one thing I hope they fix for the 2007 box-set. The inconsistancies in the lightsabers for all three films need to be fixed more than anything. I can't believe the Lowrey Digital remasters got screwed up like that.
I also can't believe the difference in color timing with that shot of Vader and the Emperor on the Death Star. I prefer the newer version, as the original version clearly shows the age of the film stock from the early '80s.
I also can't believe the difference in color timing with that shot of Vader and the Emperor on the Death Star. I prefer the newer version, as the original version clearly shows the age of the film stock from the early '80s.
I actually had them the wrong way around originally, but fixed it before I approved the final review. Must have been some sort of chaching going on.
Regarding the colour timing, I really do prefer the original. One of the big problems with the 2004 SEs is that everything is fekkin blue!
Regarding the colour timing, I really do prefer the original. One of the big problems with the 2004 SEs is that everything is fekkin blue!
I can't even look at that last picture, what a terrible piece of casting! He was just a horrible, horrible choice for what may well be one of the most pivotal characters in cinema history.
Jedi is the one movie where the changes really bother me, for some reason ANH just never got to me. It's still probably my second favourite in the trilogy simply for the Luke/Vader/Palpatine stuff, and the great cross-cutting at the end, something I really wished MAtrix Revolutions would've done more of. They really should've killed someone important off to add some weight to the final act though.
My biggest complaint about this film has always been Harrison Ford's performance. Sure, the Ewoks are awful, the humor is juvenille, and the direction is inconsistent - but seeing Han Solo turn into such a pussy so quickly is just heart-breaking. I understand that he's got a character arc - but a character arc only works when it's consistent with the history of the chracter. This one isn't. I'm with Ford, Han definitely should have gone out blazing in this one, dying for the cause as a hero while retaining his rougish exterior.
It's the "jedi rocks" that kills this for me.
Chris Gould wrote: Regarding the colour timing, I really do prefer the original. One of the big problems with the 2004 SEs is that everything is fekkin blue!
Well, ordinarily I'd agree, but we are talking about a drama in space. Space tends to be cold...very cold, so a blue-ish color tint would better match the environment, rather than the warm color hue that the original had.
Well, ordinarily I'd agree, but we are talking about a drama in space. Space tends to be cold...very cold, so a blue-ish color tint would better match the environment, rather than the warm color hue that the original had.
Too... much... Star... Wars...
I don't get it, why are the lightsabers in the newer films darker? Shouldn't they be bright. Hence, LIGHT-saber not darksaber.....why do the films do this?
What does anamorphic mean anyway?
Chris Johnson wrote: What does anamorphic mean anyway?
Process that horizontally condenses a 16:9 image into a 4:3 space, preserving 25 percent more vertical resolution than letterboxing into the 4:3 space. For the signal to appear with correct geometry, the display must either horizontally expand or vertically squish the image. Used on about two or three promotional laser discs and many DVDs. Also called Enhanced for Widescreen or Enhanced for 16:9
Process that horizontally condenses a 16:9 image into a 4:3 space, preserving 25 percent more vertical resolution than letterboxing into the 4:3 space. For the signal to appear with correct geometry, the display must either horizontally expand or vertically squish the image. Used on about two or three promotional laser discs and many DVDs. Also called Enhanced for Widescreen or Enhanced for 16:9
In simple terms, anamorphic DVDs are more detailed and work better on widescreen TVs. Almost all widescreen films are released anamorphically.
Mal wrote: Too... much... Star... Wars...
LOL
LOL
The problem with "Jedi" is simply Lucas had a bit too much control over this film. Follow me on this:
With "Star Wars", Lucas, as director, was under the gun to get the project finished. Around this time, 30 years ago, Lucas was, & I could be mistaken, filming the Death Star scenes at Elstree Studios. When filming finally wrapped, Lucas headed back to ILM (still in it's infancy) & discovered that the effect shots weren't even started. Lucas had to oversee the effects work while also trying to oversee the rest of the project so that the film could get to it's May 25th release. "Star Wars" meets it's release date & becomes legend, but the project was clearly a bit out of control.
With "The Empire Strikes Back", Lucas didn't direct but was Executive Producer on the project. Lucas was more in control with the visual effects than anything else, making occasional set visits to Elstree to check on the live action work. Rumor has it that Lucas wasn't pleased with some parts of "Empire", giving Director, Irvin Kirshner carte blanch on the filming. Personally, I think Lucas was more concerned with bringing Yoda to life than any other part of the film. "Empire" is released in May of 1980 & remains the best Episode of the Saga. With "Empire", Lucas tightens the reigns, but, the project had its problems.
With "Return Of The Jedi", again rumor has it that Lucas was considering Steven Spielberg to direct. But, with Lucas having a falling out with the Director's & Writer's Guild's, Spielberg was out. Lucas taps Richard Marquand to direct, with most of the filming in Arizona & California. The Death Star scenes were filmed at Elstree. For the first & only time a "Star Wars" movie was being filmed so close to Lucas' headquarters that he could easily oversee the entire project. The problem with Harrison Ford was that he wanted a bit more meat put on the 2 dimensional, Han Solo (yes, it hurt to say that!). Ford was the last to sign on for "Jedi" (he wanted Han to die at the end of the film, Lucas said "hell, no!"
, asking for a bit more money (I think he got gross percentage points). Director Marquand was pretty much under Lucas' wing from the beginning. Lucas would pretty much tell what he wanted filmed & Marquand would shoot the scene. As for "Jedi" it's self - it is a bit of a rehash of "Star Wars" but on a grander scale. It was also the start of Lucas' cutesy stage (which is a big weakness for him). The Ewoks were clearly a merchandising tool. The musical numbers the film could have definitley done w/out. "Return Of The Jedi" isn't the weakest film of the saga ("Phantom Menace" anybody!?)but, it's truly the weakest of the classic trilogy.
With "Star Wars", Lucas, as director, was under the gun to get the project finished. Around this time, 30 years ago, Lucas was, & I could be mistaken, filming the Death Star scenes at Elstree Studios. When filming finally wrapped, Lucas headed back to ILM (still in it's infancy) & discovered that the effect shots weren't even started. Lucas had to oversee the effects work while also trying to oversee the rest of the project so that the film could get to it's May 25th release. "Star Wars" meets it's release date & becomes legend, but the project was clearly a bit out of control.
With "The Empire Strikes Back", Lucas didn't direct but was Executive Producer on the project. Lucas was more in control with the visual effects than anything else, making occasional set visits to Elstree to check on the live action work. Rumor has it that Lucas wasn't pleased with some parts of "Empire", giving Director, Irvin Kirshner carte blanch on the filming. Personally, I think Lucas was more concerned with bringing Yoda to life than any other part of the film. "Empire" is released in May of 1980 & remains the best Episode of the Saga. With "Empire", Lucas tightens the reigns, but, the project had its problems.
With "Return Of The Jedi", again rumor has it that Lucas was considering Steven Spielberg to direct. But, with Lucas having a falling out with the Director's & Writer's Guild's, Spielberg was out. Lucas taps Richard Marquand to direct, with most of the filming in Arizona & California. The Death Star scenes were filmed at Elstree. For the first & only time a "Star Wars" movie was being filmed so close to Lucas' headquarters that he could easily oversee the entire project. The problem with Harrison Ford was that he wanted a bit more meat put on the 2 dimensional, Han Solo (yes, it hurt to say that!). Ford was the last to sign on for "Jedi" (he wanted Han to die at the end of the film, Lucas said "hell, no!"
, asking for a bit more money (I think he got gross percentage points). Director Marquand was pretty much under Lucas' wing from the beginning. Lucas would pretty much tell what he wanted filmed & Marquand would shoot the scene. As for "Jedi" it's self - it is a bit of a rehash of "Star Wars" but on a grander scale. It was also the start of Lucas' cutesy stage (which is a big weakness for him). The Ewoks were clearly a merchandising tool. The musical numbers the film could have definitley done w/out. "Return Of The Jedi" isn't the weakest film of the saga ("Phantom Menace" anybody!?)but, it's truly the weakest of the classic trilogy.
personally, I don't care what anyone says.... I can honestly say that for me "Revenge" made "Menace" much easier to digest.
but I absolutely can not, and will not ever be able to deal with just how f*cking sh*tty "Attack of the Clones" was..... it turns my stomach just think of it.
sorry, if I offend anyone, but... <barf>
but I absolutely can not, and will not ever be able to deal with just how f*cking sh*tty "Attack of the Clones" was..... it turns my stomach just think of it.
sorry, if I offend anyone, but... <barf>
Lincoln6Echo wrote:
Well, ordinarily I'd agree, but we are talking about a drama in space. Space tends to be cold...very cold, so a blue-ish color tint would better match the environment, rather than the warm color hue that the original had.
Snow is cold but it is white, not blue.
Ice is cold but it is transparent, not blue.
My air conditioning blows cold air that I cannot see, not blue air.
But jokes can be cold, off color and blue.
Therefore, the color timing must be a joke in the SEs!
Well, ordinarily I'd agree, but we are talking about a drama in space. Space tends to be cold...very cold, so a blue-ish color tint would better match the environment, rather than the warm color hue that the original had.
Snow is cold but it is white, not blue.
Ice is cold but it is transparent, not blue.
My air conditioning blows cold air that I cannot see, not blue air.
But jokes can be cold, off color and blue.
Therefore, the color timing must be a joke in the SEs!
SnakePETER wrote: personally, I don't care what anyone says.... I can honestly say that for me "Revenge" made "Menace" much easier to digest.
but I absolutely can not, and will not ever be able to deal with just how f*cking sh*tty "Attack of the Clones" was..... it turns my stomach just think of it.
sorry, if I offend anyone, but... <barf>
YOu like TPM better than AOTC? Humm, I love star wars but I can't stand to watch TPM mostly cause of the Podrace. It's way way to long.
Then again I am not one of those Star Wars bithcs like 99.9% of the fans. I love all the movies, I don't even complain about the changes (ok that Greedo thing does get to me at times)
They rank for me:
TESB, ANH, ROTJ, ROTS, AOTC, TPM
but I absolutely can not, and will not ever be able to deal with just how f*cking sh*tty "Attack of the Clones" was..... it turns my stomach just think of it.
sorry, if I offend anyone, but... <barf>
YOu like TPM better than AOTC? Humm, I love star wars but I can't stand to watch TPM mostly cause of the Podrace. It's way way to long.
Then again I am not one of those Star Wars bithcs like 99.9% of the fans. I love all the movies, I don't even complain about the changes (ok that Greedo thing does get to me at times)
They rank for me:
TESB, ANH, ROTJ, ROTS, AOTC, TPM
This would be my rank:
TESB
ROTS
ANH
ROTJ
AOTC
TPM
and I'm not a fanboy either. I just own five toy lightsabres and the dvds... oh and clone wars
TESB
ROTS
ANH
ROTJ
AOTC
TPM
and I'm not a fanboy either. I just own five toy lightsabres and the dvds... oh and clone wars
I like these reviews. The writer tries to make readers think of the 2004 editions as sinful, but his poor choice of photos does the complete opposite!
That Sarlacc comparison nailed it. God bless Lucas.
That Sarlacc comparison nailed it. God bless Lucas.
I'm curious as to how you can discern the quality of a film from the quality of the screen caps? If you actually read the reviews properly (hey there's a thought) you'll see that I don't contend that the original versions look better on DVD, merely that they are superior films to the bloated SEs. I'm not trying to make anyone 'think' anything either, I'm just offering my opinion. If you agree with it, fair enough; if not, I couldn't really give a toss.
As for a 'poor choice' of screen caps, I could have taken a scene from anywhere in the film and the 2004 release would look better because it's anamorphic and has been remastered.
As for a 'poor choice' of screen caps, I could have taken a scene from anywhere in the film and the 2004 release would look better because it's anamorphic and has been remastered.
Nice read, I like the picture comparisons from old to new to not only see how the picture quality is better, but to see the special effects added where they were not once.
Great series of articles.
Great series of articles.
Never noticed the blue tint before. I dunno, I think I might kind of like it. I guess I can take it or leave it.
Unlike the LACK of blue in the Halloween Divimax DVD, which is teh suck.
Unlike the LACK of blue in the Halloween Divimax DVD, which is teh suck.
Chris Gould wrote: I'm curious as to how you can discern the quality of a film from the quality of the screen caps? If you actually read the reviews properly (hey there's a thought) you'll see that I don't contend that the original versions look better on DVD, merely that they are superior films to the bloated SEs. I'm not trying to make anyone 'think' anything either, I'm just offering my opinion. If you agree with it, fair enough; if not, I couldn't really give a toss.
As for a 'poor choice' of screen caps, I could have taken a scene from anywhere in the film and the 2004 release would look better because it's anamorphic and has been remastered.
Well said.
Cheers to your review, may I add, and poo on Dizagaox for that silly post.
(I am that most extreme of oddities, I might add:
RotJ, ESB, ANH and...there are no other star wars films--but yes, RotJ is my favourite, period)
As for a 'poor choice' of screen caps, I could have taken a scene from anywhere in the film and the 2004 release would look better because it's anamorphic and has been remastered.
Well said.
Cheers to your review, may I add, and poo on Dizagaox for that silly post.
(I am that most extreme of oddities, I might add:
RotJ, ESB, ANH and...there are no other star wars films--but yes, RotJ is my favourite, period)
Interestingly Chris, you started your acticle by saying you were going to concentrate more on the technical aspects rather than kickng up a storm over it's shortcomings. As difficult as that is, I think you managed to pull it off (just!).
Many thanks for another enjoyable SW acticle.
Many thanks for another enjoyable SW acticle.
Jedi is a mixed bag for me. Unlike the other films, this is the only one that I have an issue with what was done for the SE, but on the same note, overall, the SE helped improve my overall opinion of the film from the original version.
In regard to the SE, I absolutely hated the freak'n music scene at Jabba's. It was totally unnecessary. They should have just cleaned up the original scene and been done with it.
That is my one and only complaint in regard to the SE version of Jedi (and on the whole, my only complaint with any of the additions done to the SE's). The ending is MUCH improved over the theatrical. I absolutely hated the Ewok song at the end of the original. Now, a much more celebratory and emotional music segment is there as well as additional scenes of all the other worlds celebrating. I even like the Christensen image addition as it ties back to the prequels. Like him or not, Hayden is the face of Anakin and I think it made sense from an emotional stand point as we have more emotions invested in him than we do Sebastian Shaw as Anakin. If we are going to nit pick Hayden's facial expression in that image, Yoda appears to be in need of a laxative. He looks just like he always did in AOTC and ROTS.
The theatrical version of Jedi was definitely my least favorite of any of the Star Wars films. Harrison Ford dialed in his performance and it shows. He wanted to be sacrificed in this film and I agree with him. I think having him killed in the first act like he and Kasdan wanted to do would have really set folks on the edge of their seats. Beyond that, I just never enjoyed the Ewoks. I understand their purpose, but still, they look like folks in suits. If Lucas wanted to really do some tweaking he should have gone in and computer enhances their faces so they at least appeared real when they talked. Not to say I absolutely hate Jedi. I love the whole triangle between Palp, Vador and Luke. That is some of the best stuff in the whole series, but it is surrounded by too many muppets. They went creature crazy with Jedi and they took me out of it.
My ranking of the SW movies is as follows:
ESB
ROTS
ANH
AOTC/PM (tie)
ROTJ
In regard to the SE, I absolutely hated the freak'n music scene at Jabba's. It was totally unnecessary. They should have just cleaned up the original scene and been done with it.
That is my one and only complaint in regard to the SE version of Jedi (and on the whole, my only complaint with any of the additions done to the SE's). The ending is MUCH improved over the theatrical. I absolutely hated the Ewok song at the end of the original. Now, a much more celebratory and emotional music segment is there as well as additional scenes of all the other worlds celebrating. I even like the Christensen image addition as it ties back to the prequels. Like him or not, Hayden is the face of Anakin and I think it made sense from an emotional stand point as we have more emotions invested in him than we do Sebastian Shaw as Anakin. If we are going to nit pick Hayden's facial expression in that image, Yoda appears to be in need of a laxative. He looks just like he always did in AOTC and ROTS.
The theatrical version of Jedi was definitely my least favorite of any of the Star Wars films. Harrison Ford dialed in his performance and it shows. He wanted to be sacrificed in this film and I agree with him. I think having him killed in the first act like he and Kasdan wanted to do would have really set folks on the edge of their seats. Beyond that, I just never enjoyed the Ewoks. I understand their purpose, but still, they look like folks in suits. If Lucas wanted to really do some tweaking he should have gone in and computer enhances their faces so they at least appeared real when they talked. Not to say I absolutely hate Jedi. I love the whole triangle between Palp, Vador and Luke. That is some of the best stuff in the whole series, but it is surrounded by too many muppets. They went creature crazy with Jedi and they took me out of it.
My ranking of the SW movies is as follows:
ESB
ROTS
ANH
AOTC/PM (tie)
ROTJ
Although I would agree that VI isn't as good as IV and V, I would still say that this film gets a hard wrap, much harder than I feel it deserves.
I'm talking about the original `83 version here, but I honestly never noticed Ford's lack of interest until it was mentioned on boards like this. But as a previous poster said, his character is changing.
I thought the "I won't stand in the way" scene was very childishly realised, but we too quickly forget that these films were kids films that were embraced by a more mature audience who then in turn became much more mature and expected more of these films.
The Ewoks never bothered me when I saw this film in `83. I actually thought they were funny. But now in 2006 I see the political irony and the allusion to the Viet Kong. If you wanted to be REALLY ironic, who else would you have that was so fecking unassuming and pathetic helping bring the evil Empire down than a bunch of teddy bears? Also, it's worth remembering that Lucas wanted this to be a tribe of Wookies but couldn't get enough giant sized actors, plus the suits themselves would be much more expensive.
I really like ROTJ and think it's a lot better than people give it credit for. I only get bored when they get captured by the Ewoks, but that doesn't go on for too long and I suppose there is no other way to introduce them and have them join the fight.
And for any remaining doubters, the dolly shot of Vader and Luke slugging it out with the Emperor watching and, unless I'm mistaken, the only time music is scored over a lightsabre battle in the original trilogy, is one of the seminal Star Wars moments.
I'm talking about the original `83 version here, but I honestly never noticed Ford's lack of interest until it was mentioned on boards like this. But as a previous poster said, his character is changing.
I thought the "I won't stand in the way" scene was very childishly realised, but we too quickly forget that these films were kids films that were embraced by a more mature audience who then in turn became much more mature and expected more of these films.
The Ewoks never bothered me when I saw this film in `83. I actually thought they were funny. But now in 2006 I see the political irony and the allusion to the Viet Kong. If you wanted to be REALLY ironic, who else would you have that was so fecking unassuming and pathetic helping bring the evil Empire down than a bunch of teddy bears? Also, it's worth remembering that Lucas wanted this to be a tribe of Wookies but couldn't get enough giant sized actors, plus the suits themselves would be much more expensive.
I really like ROTJ and think it's a lot better than people give it credit for. I only get bored when they get captured by the Ewoks, but that doesn't go on for too long and I suppose there is no other way to introduce them and have them join the fight.
And for any remaining doubters, the dolly shot of Vader and Luke slugging it out with the Emperor watching and, unless I'm mistaken, the only time music is scored over a lightsabre battle in the original trilogy, is one of the seminal Star Wars moments.
Toonloon, I agree, the fight between Luke and Vador is great stuff. Your bring up a good point on the music, though I think music has always been there, it was just never out in front like it was in Jedi. The prequels took that up a notch bigtime as all of them had the major themes of each movie played during them.
I feel awkward, but this is my favorite SW movie of the original trilogy. I mean there is alot of closure in it. Sure Empire ended on a down note, but this starts off with the conclusion of Empire. (Conclusion meaning, finishing off the story arc from Empire) Also I was concieved in a drive in, during Jedi, so I kind of owe this movie my life.
I think the change in tone in ROTJ was set on by Lucas's personal life - he was a single father and his children began to soften him...it happens to the best of us. So we see Ewoks and muppets and a lighter tone, all of which worked for me as a 4-yr old kid in '83, but as you grow up you gain that "edge" that we so loved in 'Empire'. I say wait it out...once a lot of us children of the 80's grow older and have kids of our own, we may see things from a difference perspective as well.
I think this continued w/ Lucas on through 'Menace' when his son was like three or four years old...c'mon, the guy is a recluse and hung out with his kids all day on set, so you can see how his directorial perspective was slanted. Then 'Menace' got the backlash and Lucas, believe it or not, changed things up a bit and listened to his fans complaints (you're crazy if you think Lucas planned on Jar-Jar to only be in the Episode I). Take it for what it's worth, outside of the romance angle 'Clones' was pretty solid - that ending land battle did it for me. 'Sith' was solid, no doubting that, and the only issue I have was how technical that last Obi-Anakin fight scene looked...too choreographed, too fast, and not enough talking and emotion that 'Empire' had.
I think this continued w/ Lucas on through 'Menace' when his son was like three or four years old...c'mon, the guy is a recluse and hung out with his kids all day on set, so you can see how his directorial perspective was slanted. Then 'Menace' got the backlash and Lucas, believe it or not, changed things up a bit and listened to his fans complaints (you're crazy if you think Lucas planned on Jar-Jar to only be in the Episode I). Take it for what it's worth, outside of the romance angle 'Clones' was pretty solid - that ending land battle did it for me. 'Sith' was solid, no doubting that, and the only issue I have was how technical that last Obi-Anakin fight scene looked...too choreographed, too fast, and not enough talking and emotion that 'Empire' had.
Some material may not be suitable for children
Disc Details
Release Date:
12th September 2006
Discs:
2
Disc Type:
Single side, dual layer
RCE:
No
Video:
NTSC
Aspect:
2.35:1
Anamorphic:
Yes
Colour:
Yes
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 EX English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround English
Subtitles:
English, French, Spanish
Extras:
Audio Commentary, Lego Start Wars II Xbox Demo, Lego Start Wars II Trailer, DVD-Rom Content
Easter Egg:
No
Feature Details
Director:
Richard Marquand
Cast:
Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, David Prowse, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew
Genre:
Action, Adventure, Fantasy and Sci-Fi
Length:
136 minutes
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