Geek Day Review: Part 1
I took Friday off to watch the Star Wars DVD release on my new big screen TV. Here are my thoughts: (editor's note: after getting through the first 2 films, I realized that this is best broken out into 2 parts, so the review of Jedi and the bonus disc will be up later in the week. Also, I use the term "editor" loosely.)
Episode IV: A New Hope
Synopsis: There are bad guys that are pushing around the Galaxy, especially people not wearing bras. Luckily a Princess Leah snuck plans that would help beat the bad guys off with some droids. The droids find a farm boy, the farm boy finds a hermit (who happens to be a former Jedi, defnder of the galaxy), they then find a smuggler/space adventurer, they all then find the Princess and in the end THEY all blow up the biggest baddest ship of the bad guys. Hoooray!
What I remember of yore: This was the first movie I ever stayed awake for all the way through. I remember because at the time it was a big deal and it was all I could talk about. My brother insists we were the first one's on our block to see it. That was a big deal because your universe from age 0-7 is the size of your block (how far will your folks let you wander on your own). I loved the Jawas. And the toys were just beginning to emerge into my consciousness. The first ones we got were a sand speeder, Luke, and the Droids. I do remeber seeing ti multiple times though my clearest memories of the movie itself in a theater were from the re-release. I actually figured this out because of a trailer on the DVD's for the re-release that happened some time in the Spring of '78, after Christmas and after we got most of the toys.
Old School vs New School: The DVD release is, sadly, the redone versions that Lucas considers the "completed" versions. Star Wars has quite a bit different. I dislike EVERYTHING that was done on Tatoine prior to the Millenum Falcon takeing off from docking bay 39. The streets of Mos Eisley are too busy now and all the additions are far too "Year 2000" campy. I preface that because it makes the new stuff blatantly out of place. The movie is loaded with 1970's campy so modern camp just doesn't work. The folks they added to the cantina aren't any better than the ones they took out. I won't comment on teh attrocity that is Greeto shooting first. The Jabba scene completely sucks because he's not even REMOTELY as menacing and impressive here as he is in Jedi. I remember as a kid being totally geeked to finally see Jabba. All the buzz and mystery that surrounded him. You'd hear from people who heard that he was a big slug and tons of other "spoilers" but none of it really prepared you for it. Now, when I show my kids the moies (if I show them these DVDs first [which I won't]), they would have already seen Jabba and the coolness of Jabba in Jedi would be changed into questions about why he's not moving and he looks like a rubber puppet. As for other effects, I don't have too much a problem with fixing up the space scenes. The the shot of the Falcon taking off rocks. There are other nit picks, but I've hit the major ones.
End analysis: It was better than Cats. I'd see it again and again. 23 stars out of 5.
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Synopsis: The gang is all hiding on Hoth when farm boy sees a vision of the now dead hermit/Jedi and is instructed to go see the Jedi Master Yoda for training. Smuggler/Adventurer and the Princess have some love vibe going on. Luke gets the training while the remainder gang hides out from teh bad guys with "The Guy from the Colt 45 Commercials". Mr. Colt 45 double crosses them, farm boy falls for the trap, S/A gets frozen (maybe killed?), Big Bad guy is Farm Boy's dad and totally kicks his butt. Non-frozen members of the gang, including a contrite Mr. Colt 45, regroup and say they have a plan (which we will all have to wait 3 years to find out about).
What I remember of yore: I was 5/6 when this one came out. This is teh age when you first figure out taht your folks won't be mad if you take a few quarters from teh change jag from tiem to time to buy candy at the corner store. Since this is when you learn to deal with money, you also learn that it's far more fun to collect things if you're buying them yourself. So I was a card fiend at this age. Once Empire had baseball cards, that became my passion. now, eerytime I watch this movie, I see it as a series of baseball cards. I remember exactly which scenes were tough to get. It's very strange. I know for a fact that I saw this movie at least 3 times during it's initial release and that I saw it again in re-release in Florida while on vacation during Christmas vacation.
Old School vs. New School: This is the only film that didn't have any truely egregious changes in the updates. If you watch the old and the new, in about 80% of the changes, you realize that the effects do clean up the film nicely. I don't think the changes in the approach to Bespin were entirely necessary, but whatever. it also raises the question of why was the Wompa so lame in the initial release when ll they had to do to fix it was throw a guy in a costume to make it look much cooler.
End analysis: It was better than Cats. I'd see it again and again. 58 stars out of 5.
Episode IV: A New Hope
Synopsis: There are bad guys that are pushing around the Galaxy, especially people not wearing bras. Luckily a Princess Leah snuck plans that would help beat the bad guys off with some droids. The droids find a farm boy, the farm boy finds a hermit (who happens to be a former Jedi, defnder of the galaxy), they then find a smuggler/space adventurer, they all then find the Princess and in the end THEY all blow up the biggest baddest ship of the bad guys. Hoooray!
What I remember of yore: This was the first movie I ever stayed awake for all the way through. I remember because at the time it was a big deal and it was all I could talk about. My brother insists we were the first one's on our block to see it. That was a big deal because your universe from age 0-7 is the size of your block (how far will your folks let you wander on your own). I loved the Jawas. And the toys were just beginning to emerge into my consciousness. The first ones we got were a sand speeder, Luke, and the Droids. I do remeber seeing ti multiple times though my clearest memories of the movie itself in a theater were from the re-release. I actually figured this out because of a trailer on the DVD's for the re-release that happened some time in the Spring of '78, after Christmas and after we got most of the toys.
Old School vs New School: The DVD release is, sadly, the redone versions that Lucas considers the "completed" versions. Star Wars has quite a bit different. I dislike EVERYTHING that was done on Tatoine prior to the Millenum Falcon takeing off from docking bay 39. The streets of Mos Eisley are too busy now and all the additions are far too "Year 2000" campy. I preface that because it makes the new stuff blatantly out of place. The movie is loaded with 1970's campy so modern camp just doesn't work. The folks they added to the cantina aren't any better than the ones they took out. I won't comment on teh attrocity that is Greeto shooting first. The Jabba scene completely sucks because he's not even REMOTELY as menacing and impressive here as he is in Jedi. I remember as a kid being totally geeked to finally see Jabba. All the buzz and mystery that surrounded him. You'd hear from people who heard that he was a big slug and tons of other "spoilers" but none of it really prepared you for it. Now, when I show my kids the moies (if I show them these DVDs first [which I won't]), they would have already seen Jabba and the coolness of Jabba in Jedi would be changed into questions about why he's not moving and he looks like a rubber puppet. As for other effects, I don't have too much a problem with fixing up the space scenes. The the shot of the Falcon taking off rocks. There are other nit picks, but I've hit the major ones.
End analysis: It was better than Cats. I'd see it again and again. 23 stars out of 5.
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Synopsis: The gang is all hiding on Hoth when farm boy sees a vision of the now dead hermit/Jedi and is instructed to go see the Jedi Master Yoda for training. Smuggler/Adventurer and the Princess have some love vibe going on. Luke gets the training while the remainder gang hides out from teh bad guys with "The Guy from the Colt 45 Commercials". Mr. Colt 45 double crosses them, farm boy falls for the trap, S/A gets frozen (maybe killed?), Big Bad guy is Farm Boy's dad and totally kicks his butt. Non-frozen members of the gang, including a contrite Mr. Colt 45, regroup and say they have a plan (which we will all have to wait 3 years to find out about).
What I remember of yore: I was 5/6 when this one came out. This is teh age when you first figure out taht your folks won't be mad if you take a few quarters from teh change jag from tiem to time to buy candy at the corner store. Since this is when you learn to deal with money, you also learn that it's far more fun to collect things if you're buying them yourself. So I was a card fiend at this age. Once Empire had baseball cards, that became my passion. now, eerytime I watch this movie, I see it as a series of baseball cards. I remember exactly which scenes were tough to get. It's very strange. I know for a fact that I saw this movie at least 3 times during it's initial release and that I saw it again in re-release in Florida while on vacation during Christmas vacation.
Old School vs. New School: This is the only film that didn't have any truely egregious changes in the updates. If you watch the old and the new, in about 80% of the changes, you realize that the effects do clean up the film nicely. I don't think the changes in the approach to Bespin were entirely necessary, but whatever. it also raises the question of why was the Wompa so lame in the initial release when ll they had to do to fix it was throw a guy in a costume to make it look much cooler.
End analysis: It was better than Cats. I'd see it again and again. 58 stars out of 5.
posted by RauluaP at 1:26 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home