I may be a fanboy, but I’m a very selective one. Too many fans get stuck in a rut as Original Trilogy-defending curmudgeons, decrying anything “Star Wars” released after 1983 to be sacrilegious crap. And they’re mostly right, except for a few instances. They just need to remove the lightsaber from their Sarlacc pit and lighten up.
Then there are the fans that fervently defend anything. And fervently buy anything, even if they have the same item many times over (no judgment here, I’ve been guilty of this). So when Lucasfilm puts out yet another home movie version of the films, they just have to have it.
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| The horror... the horror... |
I’m way too young to have seen the original theatrical run, but I was just the right age to see the Special Edition re-release in 1997. I grew up with the OT on tape, so seeing it on the big screen blew me away. Home movie editions of the films will never really be able to bottle that experience, but they come close.
Yeah, Blu-ray films look great. But can a film series that’s already been through the ringer in terms of rework really stand up to such high resolution? Possibly, but what worries me more is George Lucas’ propensity for overhauling his films with every new release.
It’s a shame we can’t watch the original theatrical versions of the films in such digital glory. They were never remastered to the extent that the Special Edition and DVD releases were. Those will forever be tainted by the ghosts of CGI Jabba and Hayden Christiansen as Anakin Skywalker.
Oh, and lest we forget, Han NOT shooting first. Rather than correct the travesty of the Special Edition redux of his quickdraw against Greedo, Lucas screwed with the scene even further for the DVD release. Plus we got the Fat Emperor, fake Boba Fett, and a slew of other missteps.
There’s little of chance of Lucas reneging on his quest to alter these classic films for the worse. In fact, all signs point to him committing even more atrocities with the Blu-ray edition. I wouldn’t put it past Lucas to replace Yoda with CGI in every film where he was a puppet.
Doesn’t the very thought curdle your blood? I can just imagine Lucas giving an interview about how displeased he was with the Yoda puppet from the beginning. Granted, they are his films (and he fought very hard to maintain control over them). But power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
It’s pointless to really rail at the man any more. He’s obviously immune to any sort of pressure from the fan community. It’s all business – and his personal obsession with his past imperfections – that seem to drive his media empire now. Lucas built such a thick skin in battling the Hollywood system in the 70s and 80s that it’s a wonder anyone could change his mind about anything.
After reading the excellent “The Making of The Empire Strikes Back” by J.W. Rinzler, I can appreciate how difficult it was to make the “Star Wars” films, not to mention keeping them out of Hollywood’s incompetent hands. But the only reason we were blessed with Irvin Kershner as director on “Empire” was because Lucas was too tired to get back in the director’s chair. He was more focused on the financial and legal burdens of the universe he helped create.
It seems the Plaid One had finally cracked, and money became the ultimate power in the universe. Maybe not solely for personal wealth, but as immunity from ever being told what to do again. And that is his prerogative, I suppose. But I for one am not eager for the Blu-ray release of “Star Wars.” I’ve been burned too many times already. Sadly, the rest of the fanbase either doesn’t mind or doesn’t care. Their money is already forfeit.
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