Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray]

The original theatrical editions of the classic Star Wars trilogy, particularly Episode IV-A New Hope, while they contain many amazing moments, do have their warts, that AREN'T THAT GREAT. I can see why, and am glad, that George Lucas changed some shots. I like some of the changes Lucas made. I don't like others. But, overall, I feel Mr. Lucas has impeccable taste, the tweaks are justified, and the stories and rich entertainment value of this galactic space epic are intact, which is what's important. Obviously, too many of you rabid, fanatical purists are holding on too tightly (rumble and creaking sound of clutched gloved-hand Vader stranglehold tightening around your own necks) to the original theatrical cuts of Star Wars IV-VI as one of your most cherished childhood memories (they were an important part of my childhood too). The painful fact is: YOU have changed. YOU are no longer children. You've lost that tender, innocent, idealistic core of youth, where the universe is all open and new, and have become jaded, nit-picking adult cynics. It happens. Get used to it. Deal with it. Some of you are truly an ungrateful, spoiled, "glass is half-empty" bunch of brats, who are too busy nit-picking what you feel are "faults" in these latest versions of the films, instead of enjoying the rich entertainment legacy that is right in front of you! If YOU have the talent, which I doubt, make your own films. YOU then will explore this creative process. YOU then will be in control. YOU then can make exactly the films YOU want to see. Meanwhile, you should be THANKING Mr. Lucas for offering his groundbreaking, legendary Star Wars saga AT ALL on blu-ray, especially in the stellar high-def transfers that he has offered! These look and sound gorgeous. These are the finest transfers, especially of Episode IV-A New Hope, that I've ever seen outside a cinema, and I saw New Hope, in particular, in A LOT of cinemas as a kid. Yes, it would be nice to own the classic, unaltered versions of Star Wars Episodes IV-VI on blu-ray in superb HD transfers from pristine film prints, IN ADDITION to these "tweaked" versions, just to see the evolution of ideas in Mr. Lucas' mind, to compare today's visual-effects technology with the more "quaint" visual-effects technology of the time they were made, as well as to enjoy the tighter, faster, more kinetic ride of the original theatrical versions (the original theatrical versions are shorter). With the recent acquisition of Star Wars by Disney, we may just get our wish! There may just be pristine prints of Episodes IV-VI somewhere, begging for Disney to archive and do a proper HD transfer and blu-ray release of. If that happens, I will proudly add the original cuts to these cuts. If that happens, hopefully that will finally put an end to this incessant bitching, by some of you, for the original versions. You will then have to find something new to bitch about. Meanwhile, try to relax, calm the clutter of your minds, hear the Meticlurians of the Force speaking to you, and, with time and training, Ani, you too will get back to that tender core of youth, that is still inside you. It's called suspension of disbelief. +++++ The special features are pretty comprehensive! We get a tour inside Skywalker Ranch, interviews with all the artists involved in the making of these films, documentaries, spoofs, 2 commentary tracks, as well as a "descriptive audio track", per film, and many, many other goodies. I really enjoyed watching the vintage documentaries, particularly SP-FX: The Empire Strikes Back, a treatise on the evolution of special visual-FX in cinema, which Star Wars is certainly an important part of. I also enjoyed watching the various Star Wars spoofs, spin-offs and references! Obviously, Mr. Lucas isn't too precious with his creation; he doesn't mind having others poke a little fun at it (as long as they pay licensing fees to Lucasfilm, of course). One spoof that was ommitted, or perhaps wasn't available, and would've been nice to have, was Ernie Facilius' Hardware Wars, which the youngster helmed right after the original Star Wars was made in 1977. Hardware Wars shows ordinary household appliances, like irons and toasters, zapping lasers at each other in space. Thankfully, a few shots of this "opus" CAN be seen in SP-FX: The Empire Strikes Back! Also (scratching head) curiously omitted from the extras on this blu-ray set, and that would've been nice to have, is the excellent Empire of Dreams documentary, produced and directed by Kevin Burns, found on disc 4 of the Star Wars original Episodes IV-VI trilogy DVD set released in 2004. It chronicles the dismal state the world was in BEFORE the original Star Wars was released in 1977, how Hollywood movies were equally grim, and the rags-to-riches story of George Lucas and his struggle to get the original Star Wars on the screen, as well as his struggle to make the successful sequels, or, rather, parts of its continuing story. Also (scratching head) curiously missing from this blu-ray set are all the wonderful web documentaries, found on the previous DVDs of Episodes I-III, the prequels, chronicling each and every aspect of the making of these films. These short web documentaries were originally shown online, on Lucasfilm's website, as the prequels were in the process of being made, to generate excitement for their upcoming release. I and other tech-heads and artists found these quite fascinating. If you've already purchased the Star Wars movies on DVD, hold onto those DVD sets, as they are the only way to see and enjoy these great special features! Meanwhile, these are a generous offering, and a powerful ride. Fire up the HDTV and surround sound system, with subwoofer, and enjoy those massive, rumbling Star Destroyers!

Well, my review will be a mix of my own thoughts and responses to this extremely detailed review at the top (the only one I have read so far). I must say there were some things said with which I strongly disagree. This guys obviously knows more techanical language in terms of picture quality and sound quality. One of the main reasons I spent the money on the complete saga was I knew if one wants some ultimate blu ray quality, Star Wars is obviously a place to look. ALL the movies look amazing!!! Star Wars will most likely be the best 1970s blu ray movie you will ever see. The only movie I hadn't seen before I got this collection was Attack of the Clones. This movie has the best scenery of any Star Wars movie!! That chase scene through the city after Obi jumps out of the window. The detail, and structure and lights AND everything about the imagery of that background is great. In terms of sound quality, I have no surround sound. But they all sound very similar and they are all great. I'm not real into romantice movies but I disagree with the remarks about the dialouge between Anakin and Padme. The story does a great job of showing the development of love between the two. Its a great story. Its dramatic. Drama is the key to any great film. The intensity of his love is part of what drives him to the darkside!!! Its an essential aspect of the prequels part in the saga. I'm sorry but....the two best movies in the whole saga are Revenge of the Sith and RETURN OF THE JEDI!!!!! The main reason for this being that they both represent the intense, climactic endings of their respective series!! First of all, lol.....how can u rush anything in a story divided into six long movies. How is that possible. The average dramatic movie is what, about 2 and a half hrs lol. I havnt added the total number of hrs of all the movies but I assume its longer then 2 hrs. The transformation of Anakin (who's anger actually appears to be somewhat angry towards the beginning when he said, "I'm not a slave, I'm a person, my names Anakin.") is documented throughout the first three movies. It isn't rushed in anyway (let alone only being present in Revenge of the Sith...). I can't believe I heard someone call Return of the Jedi the worst film....WHAT. If this is a common sentiment among hardcore Star Wars fans then I can just add this to the list of criticisms I have about their opinions and complaints. (Mainly referring to the some of the excessive complaints about insignificant changes in the original trilogy). 1. I don't think it was rushed. Palpatine had more time to groom Anakin because he was trusted senator. In Jedi he's the Emperor of the Galactic Empire and figured he had a one shot deal. Sometimes you just have to make sense of it with your own ideas. Maybe the Emperor was over confident in his ablilities at that point. Maybe he figured Darth being Lukes father woule help influence. Maybe he thought a tendency towards the dark side existed in the Skywalker bloodline. 2. The Ewoks are a great contribution to the story. Who can imagin Star Wars without the lovable Ewoks??!! First off, they didn't bring down the Empire. They played a minor role. It was done for the most part by the killing of the Emperor and Han and the gang deactivating the shield. Second, he says a small, less advanced force can't overwhelm a more sophisticated army. Have you heard of the Viet Cong? Lastly, I think its a great ending to the saga. Part of the saga ends on a little, forest moon called Endor. Its magical and mystical. Isnt this part of what Star Wars is about??!?!? Return of the Jedi did come out when I was three or four. But my peference for this movie is not based on "child blinders." Basically, I had seen the ending about five years ago when I was 30 and it was at this point I developed a deeper appreciation for the ending. When the empire is killing Luke, its a great movie moment. If I had to pick a least fav, it would be between Phantom Menace and yes....A NEW HOPE. I know I will be shunned for that. I know its the film that started it all. But if you think about it, its the least exciting and has the least exciting plot points. The story just needed to be started somewhere and the Star Wars phenomonom set in motion. As far as the Phantom Menace, Liam Neeson.... and that's all ill say about that one haha. Now for my short review ( excluding stuff I've already said). I liked Star Wars but getting this collection made me a huge fan. I realized how great the story is and its so cool having all the movies together. The case the movies are in is great in and of itself. I refer to it as a book. I love the artwork. Each movie has specific artwork dedicated to it next to its sleeve (the best ones being REVENGE OF THE SITH AND RETURN IF THE JEDI. And one of the special feature discs with a drawing of Han Solo and the Ewoks!). I havnt watched the special features. I'm not just not much of a special feature guy. I just love movies. In conclusion, its worth the money!!!

My review hopefully will be helpful for all the parents out there. I have four kids ranging in ages from 3-9. Below is the reaction of each of my kids for each episode. I will update this review as they watch each movie. We started with Episode IV just like i did when i was a kid. I hope this review will help you if you are trying to decide if your child will be interested based on their age. Episode IV : A New Hope 1 (Gender - Girl Age - 3) : Fell Asleep after 30 minutes. She seemed interested in it, but at that age it seems like 30 minutes is the max attention you can get. 2 (Gender - Boy Age - 5) : Watched the entire thing. At some moments he seemed to get a little scared but it would only last about 2 seconds and he was fine. 3 (Gender - Girl Age - 7) : Watched the whole thing and had questions the whole time. Seemed to be very interested in the characters more than the battle and plot. 4 (Gender - Girl Age - 9) : The most interested of all the kids. Didn't say anything the whole time. After the movie was finished wanted to start Episode V Overall as a dad there was only a few parts i felt like maybe the kids should not see. My kids mostly watch the disney channel so this really was there first PG movie that they have seen. The part where obi wan kenobi gets killed was a part that i looked over at the kids to see their reaction. They all seemed fine. Episode V : The Empire Strikes Back 1 (Gender - Girl Age - 3) : Only lasted about 10 minutes and then was off to go play with her toys. 2 (Gender - Boy Age - 5) : Only lasted about 1 hour and asked me if we could start it over another day. 3 (Gender - Girl Age - 7) : Stopped watching after about 1 hour also, and said she was not into all the 'spaceship battles'. She really liked the character portions of the movie and not so much the ship scenes. 4 (Gender - Girl Age - 9) : Once again was the most interested of all the kids. Never got up once to leave, and didn't say anything during the movie. Overall this one was the least interesting for the kids between episode IV and V. My oldest said that she liked the movie but liked episode IV better. This had a few scenes that made me cringe for the kids. When the Wampa caught Luke and held him in the cave. The Wampa is sitting in the cave eating the Tauntaun. Also, after Luke frees himself, he slices off the Wampa's arm. Also, when Han rescues Luke in the snow, he slices open the Tauntaun's belly to place Luke inside. All of these parts where a little uncomfortable for me as a dad with young kids. Add in the part where Luke loses his arm to Vader and this movie between the two was a little worse in that way. Episode VI : Return of the Jedi 1 (Gender - Girl Age - 3) : Only lasted about 30 before she fell asleep. 2 (Gender - Boy Age - 5) : Watched the whole thing and was extremely interested. 3 (Gender - Girl Age - 7) : Loved the ewoks. She was really into this movie. 4 (Gender - Girl Age - 9) : Understood the relationship between the different characters. Really like the ewoks as well. Seemed to be sad about Darth Vader's end. The kids loved this one. The ewoks really captured the kids attention. I think this movie helped peek their interest for the other three movies to come. Episode 1 : The Phantom Menace 1 (Gender - Girl Age - 3) : Was in and out of the room during the whole movie, but seemed to be more interested in this movie than any of the other three. 2 (Gender - Boy Age - 5) : Watched the whole thing and actually understood that Anakin was Darth Vader when he was younger. 3 (Gender - Girl Age - 7) : Loved the movie, especially the queen and when she revealed her true self before the battle it seemed to be a real nice surprise for her. 4 (Gender - Girl Age - 9) : Loved this movie as well. The relationship between Anakin and The Queen really seemed to be of interest for both of my older girls. Whereas my son seemed more interested in the battle scenes. I know the die-hard Star Wars people out there hate jar jar binks, but all four of my kids loved him. They actually had a lego character of him and never new who he was. Now after seeing him in the movie they were super excited to know who he was. They laughed at him every time he did something dumb and kind of made the movie for them. Of course the girls loved the queen also. All the kids constantly want to know who is good and who is bad. Part of me wants to tell them right away but I kept it secret like when I was younger. They quickly seemed to understand who was good and who was bad. Episode 2 : Attack of the Clones *will review once we have watched it together.

Has anyone noticed or does anyone care that every one of the over 1300 reviews written for this box set were submitted weeks, even months before the set was actually released? Reviews written by people that have not seen the DVD's. Reviews written by people that have collected mis-information and half truths from internet blogs and from other rabid fans. This is my opinion after watching the entire set: No, this is not the complete end all be all definitive everything Star Wars that was ever made all in one place set (which it was never advertised as or even teased as) Yes, it is a fantastic collection of Star Wars bonus and extra material and all of the films on BR presented beautifully. Wonderful picture and wonderful sound. Really nice, simple packaging and a good solid retail price with some nice retail extras depending on where you bought your set. As for the re-tooling, tweaking and other changes: This material is George Lucas vision, his property. He can change it as much as he wants based on his changing taste, modern technology or even on his mood on a particular day. It's his to do with as he pleases and he clearly pleases to ignore (in general) fan outbursts and distaste and to continue to "improve" his vision of what his property should be, it's his prerogative. I personally do not agree with it but as a business person, I understand it. Will there ever be a COMPLETE box set? Probably. Will it have ALL versions of the films? Probably. Will it have the holiday special, SW toy commercials, Muppets and ALL of the features & featurette's ever made? probably. Will it include the complete Ewoks & Droids? Probably. Will it include bloopers and out takes? Probably. Will it cost $79.99? Probably not. The kind of box set people want (myself included) will be a twelve (or more) disc set and will cost more like $199.00 Will it be made, why not? Lucas Film is a money making machine, an empire that employs thousands. It should be made, I believe it will be made and I do not believe that releasing this BR box set was a bad thing. It's a business and in order to run a business you need to release new product. 300 Different Boba Fett action figures, release and re release of EVERY playset and vehicle ever made, re releases of all of the vintage items (which essentially killed the secondary market) and on, and on, AND ON and people are complaining about the first Star Wars BR release?! JUST SILLY! Stop whining and either buy it or don't, you all know that you already have the VHS collection(s), the DVD collection(s), the Laser Disc collection(s), and all of the bootleg VCD's & DVD's sitting in your collections (in my own collection too!). What is another $79.99 going to hurt to have the series in stunning BR? Get over it and start saving your paper route money for the next "COMPLETE" BR box set! (Just like i'm doing and I can tell you that the news paper bag is killing my shoulder!) In the mean time, enjoy your new BR box set because you know that you, me and every person that complained still ran out and bought it.

The Star Wars saga on blu-ray exceeded all of my expectations that I had going in. The picture quality is amazing and the DTS-HD master audio tracks gave my home theater a real workout with the absolutely incredible sound mix. This Star Wars release like the few recent others that have come before has an altered version of the original movies. George Lucas always wants to update the Star Wars films with new ideas that he has and whenever he does this there is a very loud outcry from Star Wars fans. Although I would have liked to see the unedited versions of the films included, I'm not ever going to complain that they aren't because the Blu-Ray quality here is beyond amazing, and I really don't mind the changes all that much. A quick rundown of my opinions of the films: - EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE (5/5) My favorite of the prequels by far (I know I am in the minority here). To me, this movie has the closest feel to the Original Trilogy that Eps. II and III just don't seem to have. Liam Neeson does a really great job in this movie like he does in all of his other movies, and the rest of the cast is great too. The story is a lot of fun as well but the highlights of this movie though are the pod race and the final lightsaber battle at the end with Darth Maul. Darth Maul left such a great impression on me that I think he might even take the place of Darth Vader as my favorite Star Wars character of all-time. - EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES (4/5) My least favorite movie of the entire saga would have to be Episode II. The main problem I have with it is the complete over-use of CGI. Many parts of the movie look pretty fake. The movie itself is also pretty slow as it does have a pretty badly written love story intertwined in the middle of the movie, but I guess it had to be there. It does have some pretty great action sequences though, and veteran actor Christopher Lee is in the movie who is always a great bad guy. And I still like the movie because it is Star Wars. - EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH (5/5) This movie is a pretty vast improvement over Episode II. The story here is quite a lot better but it still unfortunately uses a lot of CGI. There is a return of Darth Vader at the end of the movie, but I wish they would have had him in the suit for a longer portion than just the last couple of minutes. I believe Ian McDiarmid really steals the movie though as Palpatine. It really reminded me of Return of the Jedi during some of his scenes. - EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE (5/5) Everyone on the planet has probably seen this movie because it is truly an absolute classic. Its possibly the greatest movie of all-time. - EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (5/5) And this is possibly the greatest sequel of all-time! - EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI (5/5) It is really hard to make a trilogy end greatly. Return of the Jedi is the best part 3 of any trilogy I can think of. If you are on the fence about picking up the Blu-Ray don't be. Its absolutely awesome. The packaging itself is even awesome. It comes in a little book with special art for each movie. Also there are 3 discs of bonus features with tons of deleted scenes that have not been on any release before this! You don't get the bonus features if you buy either of the two separate trilogy three-packs, so buy the complete saga 9 disc set. Its so worth it!

the seller does an ok job with delivering it's items, and they arrive in excellent condition, but as for the product, ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's ok, the blu - ray set has some really great artwork for all 6 films and the 3 bonus discs, it's a very good first impression, but then you watch the movies, the prequels are about the same, the phantom menace is ok, except for jar jar binks, and and that annoying kid actor who plays young darth vader is really terrible, but the movie is still decent, attack of the clones is terrible, revenge of the sith is really good all things considered, but the original trilogy is where things take a huge dive into s***'sville, all the stupid special edition changes are here again, and also with a few new ones to make them even more worthless, the most famous one is of course the change to return of the jedi, it ruins the movie for me, revenge of the sith and empire strikes back are really the only great blu - ray experiences, cause the empire special edition is a'lot more watchable then the other special editions, the sound and video quality of these discs are very spectacular, so there is that, as for the special features, there are deleted scenes from all six movies, don't expect to see all the deleted scenes from the prequels here, more reason to keep the old dvd's, and there is also some cast and crew interviews, however if you still have the 2004 special features disc, you are not going to see anything new here, which is a disappointment since the empire of dreams documentary is the best documentary of the original trilogy, and it's not even on here, finally as for the final bonus disc, this disc is very very very, VERY awesome!!!!!! it has old documentarys dating back all the way to 1977, and all of these documentarys except for 2 are only on the original trilogy, which is very good, since we care about those movies way more then the prequels, at least that is me, and then there is a 90 min. run of just spoofs on star wars, sounds crazy at first, but this bonus feature is the best, you name it, it's there somewhere, robot chicken, family guy, that 70's show, saturday night live, and even the muppits!!!! so while i have mixed feelings for this boxset, it still does have some really cool bonus material for the original trilogy, except the trailers, more reason to keep the 2004 bonus disc, and the art work and good hd transfer of sith, empire, phantom menace, and even star wars is good enough for that atleast, but if you still have the widescreen prequel and 2006 dvds, keep those, cause you are not geting everything from previous releases, but you do get some good stuff at the same time. i'm just glad i did not pay $70-110 for tgis boxset.

I have just watched the first hour of New Hope and Phantom Menance as a representation of the newer movies and older ones. They are both breathtakingly good in this set, exceeding every expectation I had. New Hope has a clarity, crispness, and detail that has to be seen to believe. Almost every second reveals never before depth and details. Phantom so far is breathtakingly colorful, rich, lush, and detailed. The sound is also amazing. I haven't had a problem with scrathing from the packaging. And the packaging is superbly artistcally done. Each disc has its own sleeve and a fine painting from a classic scene/ or characters from each movie. I haven't had time to enjoy the extras but there are a lot. Finally from a value standpoint. At the time of release the price comes to $13.33 per movie. An unbelivable deal for what you are getting. In the end for all the haters what I feel most toward them is pity. I wonder how many of the one star pre-release reviews, not basing those review on the actual product in hand of course, are actually not going to get the set. Talk about spiting in your own face. And their reaction to me is the very definition of not seeing the forest for the trees. So Lucas makes a few changes. Totally what? 0.005% of the overall movie scenes? And for that all the venome and hate? Especially when Lucas could have charged A LOT more for this and done a vastly inferior job. My sincere thanks George. While I might not agree with everything he does, and I certainly was not enthralled with everything about the first three movies, these Blu-Rays deliver everything you could hope for from a Blu-ray This Blu-ray set takes home movie watching to a new level. And I have the LOTR Blu-rays as well. If someone reading this is a 'fan' and also a 'hater' can take a deep breath, read the reviews of people who have seen these and then decide what you want to do. Hold on to the hate and stew? Or release the hate and treat yourself to the most amazing Star Wars experience you can have to date. If you are a Star Wars fans and you want to enjoy the 6 movies warts and all from a story telling perspective (not Blu ray quality perspective), then you deserve to treat yourself to this set. Do not let anger lead to hate. Especially as that anger is misplaced. George gave a lot to fans this time, one hell of a lot. Do not let the haters steer you to the Dark Side. Their anger is misplaced and they are only hurting themselves. Pass on this if you wish, but you are missing out on a truly stunning piece of home movie watching. By far the most beautiful set of Star Wars movies ever.

I have noticed that many die-hard fans of this series (one of which I am) are rushing to judge this set before any of us have really had much of a chance to critique it, and I say to those who are condemning it out of the gate to BACK OFF. I am one of the biggest Star Wars fans out there amongst the many (have been since I was old enough to walk), but I think many of the die-hards are missing a few key points here: 1) This series does not belong to the die-hards, no matter how much we may pretend it does. At the end of the day, it is the masterpiece of GEORGE LUCAS, and thus it belongs TO HIM. If he wants to make changes to his unequivocal masterpiece before he dies, then he has every right to do so. Do you know how many changes the greatest of artists made to their masterpieces before their deaths? Countless. And why? Because they wanted to get as close to their individual visions as possible before they died. George Lucas is no different. He knew fans would buy this set, changes or no changes. Therefore, he obviously made the changes because he decided they belonged there. So GET OVER IT! Quit condemning his judgment before you've even had a chance to thoroughly investigate it. 2) The set is actually NICE! The way it is put together is very nice, and the extras with it are great from what I have seen so far. So what really is the problem here? Lucas adds a few rocks to a scene, and we're gonna smash up what he has give us and demand he reverse course on his own masterpiece? Please. 3) This is the first time we have ever had all the films united into one set, a day many of us have long been waiting for, notwithstanding the fact that we have long waited for these films to be released in high-definition as well for a long time. Is that not reason to at least celebrate a bit? I mean come on. In short, I am amazed at the amount of whining (yes, whining) going on with some of the reviews I have been reading that were written before the set was even released and just a few days after its release, hardly enough time to give it a fair hearing and thoroughly critique it. I have personally viewed the films and see nothing majorly wrong with the updates Lucas has made to them. Will it be something to get used to? Of course it will. But am I going to cry and whine about it like a crime has been committed? No. I am just as big of a die-hard fan of this series as many of the whiners on here, and I may not personally agree with all the things Lucas has done to the films, but I also understand that he has the sole right to do so as the creator and that if he is making these changes, he obviously intended it to be this way. So I would suggest all of you stop rushing to judge this set to the gallows before even knowing what is in it. Quit ruining it for more moderate fans of the series who are looking to the reviews to determine whether or not they would like this set. Let them be the judges of this set, because it's clear that many die-hards are in no shape to give an accurate judgment on this set. It's a sad day when grown adults (the whiners) start behaving like spoiled children who want vanilla ice cream (the original unedited versions of the films) but instead are given chocolate (the updated blu-rays) by Dad (George Lucas), and then they decide to scream at the top of their lungs (the narrow-minded reviews), throw down the ice cream cone refusing to try it (refusing to even give the new versions a chance), and kick him because they didn't get their way (the character assaults on George Lucas).

Toda la colección de películas de Star Wars. En mi caso la compré de segunda mano en Amazon y me salió super bien de precio. Lo único que hay que destacar es que el audio es en español latino, así que es un producto indicado para quien quiera ver las películas en V.O. o quien le interese la versión en español latino. El audio en V.O. es lossless.

Este é o box mais bonito de Star Wars que eu já pude pôr as mãos. E olha que eu sou um fã já antigo. Diria que esta é a "edição definitiva" da saga enquanto a franquia esteve com George Lucas. Além dos 6 filmes tem 3 discos de extras, divididos da seguinte forma: i. Extras dos episódios I-III, ii. Extras dos Episódio IV-VI, iii. Documentários e Paródias. Os extras dos episódios incluem entrevistas com os atores, cenas excluídas e apresentação dos modelos e artes conceituais. Os documentários são vários, sendo o primeiro o making-off do primeiro filme de 1977 e o último foi lançado em 2010. Além disso ainda há um compilado de paródias Star Wars (como Simpsons). Não creio que haja algum material mais completo da saga previamente lançado. E se houver, acho difícil que tenha uma arte e acabamento tão bonitos quanto esse.

良品

I love these growing up watching on an Saturday night

Eine kurze Anmerkung im Vorfeld: Anstatt die x-te Rezension zu diesem Set zu verfassen, widme ich mich lieber der Frage, ob und wie man die Filme unter Aufsicht mit jüngeren Kindern schauen könnte. Zwar sind vier der Filme (die Episoden 2,3,5,6) mit einer FSK 12 versehen, aber als Elternteil darf man ja durchaus selbst entscheiden, ob die eigenen Sprösslinge das Gesehene emotional verarbeiten können oder nicht. Da ich selbst die Saga bereits x-Mal gesehen habe und meine 8jährige Tochter schon seit geraumer Zeit ebenfalls in das "Star Wars"-Kinouniversum abtauchen möchte, war dies natürlich das perfekte diesbezügliche Testfeld für die Box. Damit die allgemeinen Blu-ray-Fakten nicht ganz untergehen, sei gesagt, dass es sich um eine tadellose Ausgabe der Filme handelt, die maximal unter den hochauflösenden Bildeigenschaften des Mediums "leiden" und ihr Alter bei einigen CGI-Einsätzen offenbaren. Was Extras und andere Qualitäten betrifft, haben andere Rezensenten das bereits exzellent beschrieben, daher klammere ich diese Informationen zugunsten der Filme und des besagten "Testfeldes" aus. Episode 1: Die dunkle Bedrohung Der friedliebende Planet Naboo wird von der einflussreichen Handesföderation besetzt, was in der Galaktischen Republik überraschend wenig Aufruhr verursacht. In den politischen Wirrungen wird das System übertölpelt und eine unheilvolle Macht beginnt ihren unaufhaltsamen Aufstieg. Währenddessen treffen die Hüter des Friedens, die Jedi-Ritter, auf einem abgelegenen Wüstenplaneten auf ein hochtalentiertes und machtvolles Kind. Episode 1 habe ich an für sich nie als sonderlich "gut" wahrgenommen, muss ihm jedoch mittlerweile eine vergleichsweise hohe "Kinderfreundlichkeit" in Bezug auf Story und Figuren attestieren. Ob das für George Lucas entscheidend war oder nicht, sei mal dahin gestellt, aber gerade dank Charakteren wie Jar Jar Binks, so nervig er auch für uns Erwachsene sein mag, wird das ganze zu einem kunterbunten Rummelplatzbesuch. Die Effekte sind allerdings nicht sonderlich gut gealtert, was man insbesondere auf Blu-ray feststellen können wird. Manchmal hatte VHS halt doch seine Vorteile *räusper*. Zahlreiche gute Darsteller (ich liebe Liam Neeson als Qui-Gon Jinn) runden das Vergnügen ab. Episode 2: Angriff der Klonkrieger Zahlreiche Sternensysteme haben sich von der Republik losgesagt und alles läuft auf einen umfassenden, aus dem Hintergrund fast meisterhaft inszenierten, Bürgerkrieg hinaus. Jedi-Meister Obi-Wan Kenobi begibt sich auf die Spur eines Attentäters, der ihn zu einem geheimen Militärprojekt führt, dass das Gleichgewicht der Kräfte zu Gunsten der Demokratie kippen lassen könnte. Doch die Separatisten sind gut gerüstet und bereiten sich auf einen umfassenden Putsch vor, der die Jedi und die Republik Geschichte werden lassen soll. Deutlich actionreicher, aber auch vom Erzähltempo her etwas gedrosselter als Episode 1, sorgt der Mittelteil der Trilogie für reichlich Schauwerte. Für Kinder sind die Ereignisse aber ohne einige Erklärungen ("Papa, was ist eine Republik? Was ist Demokratie? Was sind Separatisten? Was ist ein Bürgerkrieg?...") nicht so ganz nachvollziehbar, aber inklusive dieser durchaus einzuordnen. Typische erzählerische Schwächen sind unter anderem die, für einen Mittelteil charakteristischen Zwänge, Anfang und Ende irgendwie miteinander verbinden zu müssen, was stellenweise etwas krampfhaft wirkt - der aufkeimende Konflikt zwischen Anakin und den Jedi-Idealen wäre da z.B. zu nennen, der maßgeblich über Dialoge, nicht über Taten/Bilder transportiert wird. Zwar holt man das in Episode 3 ausführlich nach, wäre hier aber durchaus schon ein approbates Mittel gewesen. Die Schlacht auf Geonosis sorgt für ordentlich Krawalleffekte, auch Jangos Auftritte gefallen mir immer wieder. Leider geht die eigentlich zentrale Tragik der Figur Jar Jar, der sich naiverweise vom Übel zu einem entscheidenden Schritt drängen lässt, etwas unter. Er hätte die Aufwertung vom Hofnarren zum Auslöser der galaktischen Umbrüche verdient gehabt. Tolle Schauspieler gibt es auch wieder, in vorderster Front ist da hier natürlich Christopher Lee als Count Dooku zu nennen. Episode 3: Die Rache der Sith Der Bürgerkrieg erreicht seinen Höhepunkt, während der Hohe Kanzler Palpatine die Republik mit Notverordnungen regiert. Die Separatisten intensivieren ihre Angriffe gegen die etablierte Herrschaft und der Rat der Jedi muss die Bedrohung schnellstmöglich eliminieren, damit die Alleinherrschaft auf Zeit enden kann. Inmitten der Ereignisse gerät Anakin in den Bann des Bösen und muss eine schwere Entscheidung treffen. Subjektiv für mich schon immer der beste Teil der Prequel-Trilogie, nach dem x-ten Sehen finde ich dafür mittlerweile sogar objektive Gründe: Da wäre zum einen das moderate Erzähltempo, dass die Fäden der letzten Episoden und auch die aus "The Clone Wars" (Wo war eigentlich Rex?) durchaus angemessen zusammen und zu einem Ende führt. Die zahlreichen Verweise auf die eigentliche Trilogie und die mehr oder weniger gelungenen Versuche, dieser den Weg zu bereiten, (Ist denen wirklich nichts Besseres eingefallen, außer C3POs Gedächtnis löschen zu lassen?) tragen ebenfalls dazu bei. Leider ist der Umgang mit einigen Figuren dann leider etwas lieblos geraten (Dooku..., letztlich auch einige der bekannteren Jedi, z.B. Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Aayla Secura - wobei die ja eigentlich zu Genüge in "The Clone Wars" für Aufsehen sorgen durften), was sich allerdings mit der notwendigen Konzentration auf die Hauptcharaktere quasi erklären lässt. Dazu gesellt sich der beste Soundtrack innerhalb dieses Erzählbogens und eine immer wieder hochemotionale letzte Stunde (von Order 66 bis zum Sonnenuntergang auf Tatooine), womit wir wieder bei dem subjektiven Eindruck wären. Einige Szenen sind für Kinder jedoch weniger geeignet (Anakins Aktionen im Tempel, das Ende des Duells gegen Obi-Wan, eventuell auch die "Erschaffung" des neuen Vader), wogegen man aber mit einigen Erklärungen durchaus gegensteuern kann. Für mich ein sehr guter Wegbereiter, auch wenn die Meinungen dazu immer ein wenig auseinander gehen. Das man am Ende sogar Mitleid für Hayden Christensens Charakter findet, beweist auch, dass Lucas bzw. seine Regiekollegen nicht zu viel falsch gemacht haben...was hat mich Anakin in Episode 2 noch genervt! In Kombination mit den actionreichen Gefechten, den packenden Duellen und vor allem dem überraschend emotionalen Finale auch objektiv der beste Prequel-Teil. Episode 4: Eine neue Hoffnung Das Imperium beherrscht die Galaxis, doch ein Häufchen von Rebellen hört nicht auf, den finsteren Schergen, allen voran Darth Vader, gehörig in die Suppe zu spucken. Doch die Bemühungen drohen erbärmlich zu scheitern, denn die Imperialen werkeln insgeheim an einer gigantischen Waffe, mit der man ganze Planeten binnen von Sekunden ausradieren kann. Inmitten des Trubels versucht Luke Skywalker, seinem drohenden Leben als Feuchtfarmer auf Tatooine zu entkommen und stößt glücklicherweise auf ein seltsames Paar von Droiden, die ihn auf überraschende Weise von seinem zukünftigen Bauerndasein erlösen. Gehetzt vom Imperium, wendet er sich an den Schmuggler Han Solo, der ihn und seinen Begleiter Ben Kenobi aus der Schussbahn bringen soll. Für viele der "Klassiker der Klassiker", aber im Grunde quält sich Episode 4 mit den gleichen Wehwehchen herum, die auch schon Episode 1 das Leben schwer machten: Ein ganzes Universum muss greifbar gemacht und vorgestellt werden, viel mehr Zeit, als den Grundkonflikt zu beleuchten bleibt kaum. Viele Motive der Machthaber bleiben im Dunkeln, da kann man George Lucas' Idee und Ausführung der Prequel-Trilogie eigentlich nicht als den falschen Weg bezeichnen. Dabei ist "A New Hope" überraschend kinderfreundlich (sieht man mal vom gerösteten Greedo oder den Überresten der Farmer-Stiefeltern ab...) und in seiner eigenen Geschichte leicht nachzuvollziehen. Schauspielerisch balancierte man zwischen Neulingen der Marke Mark Hamill und Harrison Ford, die man heute vielleicht nicht mehr vorstellen muss, und renommierten Personal von der Güteklasse eines Alec Guiness. Die Lichtschwertkämpfe wirken aber meist wie frisch nach dem Bingoabend im Altersheim choreografiert, allerdings möchte ich da dem damals filmisch Machbaren einfach nicht zu nahe treten. Ab Episode 5 wird es ja auch in dieser Hinsicht besser. Episode 5: Das Imperium schlägt zurück Der nicht unbedeutende Sieg der Rebellenallianz gegen das Imperium droht wertlos zu werden, als Vaders Spähsonden den aktuellen Stützpunkt auf einem einsamen Eisplaneten entdecken und der dunkle Meister zum Großangriff blasen lässt. Während Leia, Han und der Rest der "Falken"-Crew eine atemlose Flucht vor der Imperialen Flotte hinlegen, begibt sich Luke auf einen matschigen Sumpfplaneten, um dort seine Ausbildung zum Jedi-Ritter zu beginnen. Schließlich muss er sich einer perfiden Falle Vaders stellen, die einige unangenehme Wahrheiten ans Tageslicht kommen lässt. Ganz großes Kino, nicht nur seiner Zeit, und ein nahezu perfekter Balanceakt zwischen grandiosen Actionszenen (Hoth), einigen gekonnten Weltraumeinlagen (die Flucht des Falken) und einer wunderbar eingebundenen Prise Humor (Luke und Yoda auf Dagobah). Was fiebere ich auch beim x-ten Mal während des Duells zwischen Vader und Luke in der Wolkenstadt mit, was kann man herzhaft lachen, wenn sich Yoda durch den Vorratscontainer von Lukes X-Wing wühlt und die Einstellung des willigen Jedi-Azubis herrlich kommentiert. Das haben vermutlich auch die Macher der Special Edition gemerkt und glücklicherweise nur einige dezente Effekte (u.a. erweiterte Szenen für den Wampa) verbessert bzw. neu eingefügt. Die Lichtschwert-Duelle wirken wesentlich impulsiver, kein Vergleich mehr zum Rentner-Staubwedel-Kampf aus Episode 4. Auch das Finale ist gelungen und leitet motivierend zum finalen Teil über, meine Tochter konnte es nicht erwarten, was aus Solo wird und ob Vader tatsächlich so herzlos ist. Ansonsten finde ich auch hier nur wenige Elemente, die man nicht unbedingt als "kindergeeignet" bezeichnen kann: Dazu gehören die Szenen in der Wampa-Höhle, aber eventuell auch Vaders Umgang mit versagenden Untergebenen. Für Albträume sollte dies ab einem gewissen Alter aber nicht mehr sorgen, die Tagesschau ist da bildtechnisch oft wesentlich schlimmer. Man muss schon mit der Lupe suchen, um etwas zu kritisieren, denn natürlich ist ein Mittelteil im Endeffekt halt die (entscheidende) Verbindung zwischen Anfang und Ende, muss dabei aber beiden irgendwie den Weg bereiten oder diesen halt fortsetzen. Gemessen daran, erlaubt sich "Das Imperium schlägt zurück" erzählerisch schon einige Freiheiten, die das SW-Universum um zahlreiche Figuren und Facetten erweitern. Der wohl ausgewogendste Teil. Episode 6: Die Rückkehr der Jedi-Ritter Um Solo aus den schleimigen Patschern Jabba des Hutten zu befreien, begeben sich seine Kollegen auf eine gefahrvolle Mission, die sie mal wieder nach Tatooine führt. Parallel basteln der Imperator und Vader an einer zweiten Planeten-Vernichtungsmaschine, die den ersten Todesstern in punkto Feuerkraft zu einer Taschenlampe degradieren soll. Dummerweise sickert durch, wo das galaktische Kleinod gebaut wird und die Rebellenallianz setzt alle flugfähigen Schiffe in Bewegung, um der Killer-Kugel vor ihrer Fertigstellung den Reaktor um die Ohren fliegen zu lassen. Vorher muss jedoch auf dem benachbarten Mond Endor eine Schutzschildstation vernichtet werden, die den Todesstern mit einem undurchdringbaren Kraftfeld umgibt. Vader arbeitet unterdessen an seinem Vorhaben, Luke von den Vorteilen der "dunklen Seite der Macht" zu überzeugen und ihn auf seine Seite zu ziehen. Als ich die Reihe zum ersten Mal sah, war dieser Teil mein Favorit. Alle Erzählstränge laufen harmonisch zusammen, es gibt eine ausufernde Raumschlacht und auch auf dem Planeten...pardon...Mond Endor geht es heiß her. Dazu gesellen sich putzige Kuschelbären, die den imperialen Machthabern mit Bogen, Steinen und Katapulten zeigen, was eine Harke ist. Heute sehe ich darin das akut naive Problem des Streifens, denn so niedlich das ausfallen mag, so sehr unglaubwürdig ist die Annahme, das Imperium würde sich mit all seiner Ausrüstung von ein paar prähistorischen Eingeborenen und einer Handvoll Rebellen die Butter vom Brot mopsen lassen. Verglichen mit der diesbezüglichen Ernsthaftigkeit des Vorgängers, trübt das die epische Stimmung ein wenig. Für Kinder ist es aber genau der richtige Schachzug, denn natürlich sind die Ewoks knuffig und ihr überraschender Erfolg gegen die Handlanger des Bösen ist Balsam für die Kinderseele. In den letzten 20 Minuten packt dann aber so ziemlich jeden die Dauer-Gänsehaut, denn das Duell Luke gegen Vader gegen den Imperator nebst der einhergehenden emotionalen Momente, ist schon ein würdiges Finale. Die Special Edition wurde ebenfalls eher behutsam erweitert: In Jabbas Palast erleben wir ein ausuferndes Musikstück einiger sehr exotischer SängerInnen, sehen endlich mehr vom Sarlacc, als nur seine Maulöffnung, und freuen uns über einen Schwenk nach Coruscant und Naboo während der Schlussfeier. Gemeinsam mit der Einbindung Hayden Christensens als Anakins Machtgeist, schließt sich der Kreis atmosphärisch durchaus beeindruckend. Das Finale kann es nicht mit dem meisterhaften Vorgänger aufnehmen, dazu bleibt zu viel Ernst auf der Spur und die aufgebaute dunklere Atmosphäre weicht zu schnell dem verspielt-naiven Charme des eigentlichen Erstlings. Dafür entschädigen aber die finalen Momente, die für ein würdiges Ende der Sternensaga sorgen. Eignung für Kinder: Meine Tochter hat sicherlich, trotz Erklärungen, nicht die ganze Tragweite der Ereignisse verstanden, aber insbesondere die emotional-freundschaftliche Schiene (Obi-Wan vs. Anakin...) überraschend gut erfasst. Dazu sorgten Jar Jar Binks und auch Yoda für heitere Momente, auch der Wiedererkennungswert einiger Elemente aus "The Clone Wars" motivierte beim Sehen. Ich hatte eigentlich erwartet, dass durch die vergleichsweise rasante Inszenierung der Prequel-Trilogie, die vom Erzähltempo her etwas gemächlicheren "Klassiker" dagegen relativ abstinken und teils sogar für Langeweile sorgen könnten. Pustekuchen! Auch im Jahr 2018 scheint die Geschichte in den Bann zu ziehen und das einzige Mal, dass meine Tochter eigentlich gleich den nächsten Film hinten dran sehen wollte, war der Übergang von Episode 5 zu 6. Dazu gesellt sich mit Yoda eine herrlich kindgerechte Figur, auch Vaders eigentliche Tragik offenbart sich sogar Kinderseelen und er wird nicht als eindimensionaler Schurke abgetan. Auch der Gewaltgrad hält sich eher in Grenzen, sieht man von den vielleicht unschönen Bildern der verbrannten Zieheltern in Episode 4 ab. Ja, es gibt immer wieder Tote, aber keine Blutorgien. Wer Filme der Marke "Drachenzähmen leicht gemacht" überlebt, kommt auch hiermit klar.