Star Wars on Blu-ray in 2011

[sketchley]

I don't think we'll be seeing very many "improvements" to the CGI. Mainly because of the costs involved (at a certain point it'll cost less to just remake the whole movie, and no one's going to do that).

Replacing Yoda in Eps. 1? Fat chance of that happening. It'd be easier to refilm those scenes.

I think everyone needs to step back and remember that these movies are part of a business, and that the business wants to minimize costs. Because of that, I doubt we'll see very many improvements other than the transfer to the new format. If the company's going to spend more money, then we'll be seeing a new special-special edition released in theatres, like last time they spent a bunch of money to fix things. Maybe even in that crappy faux three-dee format to boot.

[Chewie]

My friend and I had the cost conversation a few days ago.

I think it's negligible.

Lucas would have to use his own people, his own technology and time to redo anything in these movies. Short of the costs associated with that, he's not paying a 3rd party through the nose to do it.

That versus what these movies have made and still continue to make plus what the blu-rays are going to add would have to nullify almost ANY cost associated with the movies without fully refilming ALL of them.

[Keith]

The biggest smokescreen in all of this is the remastering issue. I seriously doubt the DVD masters as they stand are up to HD snuff, and as such have to be remastered somewhat again to get an adiquate HD image. And at that point, if you're already going back to one source, why not do both? Obviously, the number of untouched scenes vastly outnumber the redone scenes, leaving a negligable cost to catch only the necessary parts up and branch them into the already being remastered movie would be more than covered by the millions of bluray sales.

[Negotiator]

I don't think we'll be seeing very many "improvements" to the CGI. Mainly because of the costs involved (at a certain point it'll cost less to just remake the whole movie, and no one's going to do that).

Replacing Yoda in Eps. 1? Fat chance of that happening. It'd be easier to refilm those scenes.

I think everyone needs to step back and remember that these movies are part of a business, and that the business wants to minimize costs. Because of that, I doubt we'll see very many improvements other than the transfer to the new format. If the company's going to spend more money, then we'll be seeing a new special-special edition released in theatres, like last time they spent a bunch of money to fix things. Maybe even in that crappy faux three-dee format to boot.

well, there is this part from one of the extras. I don't think it's all for nothing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezak5ZNnA88&feature=related

[sketchley]

well, there is this part from one of the extras. I don't think it's all for nothing:

Without proper context (ie: before and after the clip), it could very well be from eps II or III. Heck, the brief shot of Hayden Christensen has a background composed of elements from Eps III. Which begs the question: was that a shot made for Eps III? A shot made between Eps I and II to prove to Mr. Lucas that a CG Yoda is better? Et al.

Also, if that shot is indeed accuarate, it is of Yoda, alone. What a about the shots of Yoda interacting, and in front of and behind actors and set elements? It'll cost a pretty penny to have to digitally matt out the puppet and overlay the CG Yoda. And that's not even taking into consideration the frame by frame animation (as I doubt they'll do motion capture, and even if they do, they still have to do frame by frame tweaking).

[big F]

They may still do it ... Consider the amount of cash the global marketing machine that is the Star Wars franchise makes each year.

Mr Lucas probably makes the same sort of cash that Lex Luthor makes, and remember he never wears the same pair of socks twice.

[Seanzilla]

I went to Star Wars in Concert, and all of the Yoda scenes from The Phantom Menace had a CGI version in place of that ugly puppet they originally had.

[reddsun1]

I love David Prowse, he is an absolute SF legend and I am NOT trying to be nasty about him, but there is a fair amount of comedy gold to be found in his Vader voice.....

OMG, Stewie Griffin really IS Darth Vader!

*sigh* Let's face it--we knew the whole SW franchise had gone to hell when we could no longer hear English accents from all the bad guys...

Edited August 19, 2010 by reddsun1

[Uxi]

Kinda reminds me of Tyson.

[Guest sh002]

watched the first three episodes over again. now onto the last three. i agree the main thing i would change is yoda. since clone wars is like episode 2.5 there should be an episode 3.5. theres too much of a gap between 3 and 4.

[CoryHolmes]

watched the first three episodes over again. now onto the last three. i agree the main thing i would change is yoda. since clone wars is like episode 2.5 there should be an episode 3.5. theres too much of a gap between 3 and 4.

From what I remember, that's where the live-action TV series is going to fit in. I haven't heard anything about that moving forward as a project, though.

[Vepariga]

watched the first three episodes over again. now onto the last three. i agree the main thing i would change is yoda. since clone wars is like episode 2.5 there should be an episode 3.5. theres too much of a gap between 3 and 4.

well...the game Force Unleashed is apparently a gap filler,if you want to believe its apart of canon.

[David Hingtgen]

With how much merchandise/promotion Force Unleashed gets relative to how little actualy "story" there is, it seems they want to make it as canon as Clone Wars is.

[Keith]

Wednesday full bluray specs should be revealed.

http://maythe4th.starwars.com/countdown.php

[Retracting Head Ter Ter]

The 'Christmas Special' is not included?

[Dynaman]

The 'Christmas Special' is not included?

It's available free on the net...

Even better, Rifftrax did a number on it (including the commercials)

[OOPS] - forgot to mention it is bad quality, but it's the Christmas Special...

Edited May 2, 2011 by Dynaman

[Scream Man]

u will never EVER see an official release of the Xmas special again. Ever.

[VT 1010]

Didn't George say that he would take a hammer to every existing physical copy and smash them if he could?

I personally still haven't seen it yet. That file will remain dormant on my hard drive until December...

[Graham]

Still no plan to buy this. Call me a dinosaur, but I'm still not sold on Blu-ray. The disks (at least in this part of the world), are too expensive compared to DVD.

Happy with my Star Wars DVDs. I'm not enough of a videophile that I care about improved video quality over DVD and I really don't care about extras, which I seldom bother watching.

Graham

[Chewie]

Still no plan to buy this. Call me a dinosaur, but I'm still not sold on Blu-ray. The disks (at least in this part of the world), are too expensive compared to DVD.

Happy with my Star Wars DVDs. I'm not enough of a videophile that I care about improved video quality over DVD and I really don't care about extras, which I seldom bother watching.

Graham

Bluray is coming down significantly in cost. A lot of places have sales all the time for less than $10 too. Best Buy has almost 30 titles this week at $8 a pop. Starting May 8th they're going to be offering $5 a pop for old dvds towards over 130 bluray titles.

You can get a good wireless player for $100-120 now and a 3D player for around $170.

But as you said, where you are, buying them cheap may not be an option, in which case I make a frowny smiley for you. =(

[Keith]

Still no plan to buy this. Call me a dinosaur, but I'm still not sold on Blu-ray. The disks (at least in this part of the world), are too expensive compared to DVD.

Happy with my Star Wars DVDs. I'm not enough of a videophile that I care about improved video quality over DVD and I really don't care about extras, which I seldom bother watching.

Graham

It's like the difference between the old Matchbox SDF-1, and Yamato's new 1/3000 Macross. Someday you will see.

[derex3592]

It's like the difference between the old Matchbox SDF-1, and Yamato's new 1/3000 Macross. Someday you will see.

Agreed. Blu-Ray is truly the BEST thing to happen to home theater in a LONG time....

[Keith]

Via Bluray.com

Lucasfilm previously announced that "all will be revealed" concerning the Star Wars Saga Blu-ray sets on May 4th at 6am PST with an e-mail message directing fans to the May the 4th Be with You - Star Wars Countdown page on StarWars.com. The details and images revealed include official box art, a disc-by-disc breakdown of the bonus content available in the Complete Saga Blu-ray box set, confirmation that each film will feature a DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 surround track, and another teaser of sorts:

• "Fans will get an exclusive first look at some of the collection's extensive special features at this year's San Diego Comic-Con International -- which marks Lucasfilm's 35th anniversary as a Comic-Con presence. In 1976, the fledgling film company was looking for innovative, grass-roots ways to promote its underdog release, a film no one expected to succeed -- a space opera known (at the time) only as Star Wars. One of the first film companies to reach out directly to core audiences by way of fan conventions, Lucasfilm will return to the venue to showcase the full evolution of the epic story."

The Complete Saga Blu-ray box set will offer full 1080p video presentations of the films, DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 surround tracks (it's unclear whether these 6.1 mixes are matrixed or discrete) and more than forty hours of special features, including never-before-seen content from the Lucasfilm archives:

• Disc 1: Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace
  • Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, John Knoll, Dennis Muren and Scott Squires
  • Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

  [*]Disc 2: Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones

  • Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow
  • Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

  [*]Disc 3: Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith

  • Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, John Knoll and Roger Guyett
  • Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

  [*]Disc 4: Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope

  • Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
  • Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

  [*]Disc 5: Star Wars: Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back

  • Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
  • Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

  [*]Disc 6: Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

  • Audio Commentary with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt and Dennis Muren
  • Audio Commentary from Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew

  [*]Disc 7: Star Wars Archives: Episodes I-III

  • Deleted, extended and alternate scenes
  • Prop, maquette and costume turnarounds
  • Matte paintings and concept art
  • Supplementary interviews with cast and crew
  • Flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives
  • Additional Content

  [*]Disc 8: Star Wars Archives: Episodes IV-VI

  • Deleted, extended and alternate scenes
  • Prop, maquette and costume turnarounds
  • Matte paintings and concept art
  • Supplementary interviews with cast and crew
  • Flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives
  • Additional Content

  [*]Disc 9: The Star Wars Documentaries

  • Star Warriors (2007, Apx. 84 Minutes): Some Star Wars fans want to collect action figures...these fans want to be action figures! A tribute to the 501st Legion, a global organization of Star Wars costume enthusiasts, this insightful documentary shows how the super-fan club promotes interest in the films through charity and volunteer work at fundraisers and high-profile special events around the world.
  • A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later (2010, Apx. 25 Minutes): George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and John Williams look back on the making of The Empire Strikes Back in this in-depth retrospective from Lucasfilm created to help commemorate the 30th anniversary of the movie. The masters discuss and reminisce about one of the most beloved films of all time.
  • Star Wars Spoofs (2011, Apx. 91 Minutes): The farce is strong with this one! Enjoy a hilarious collection of Star Wars spoofs and parodies that have been created over the years, including outrageous clips from Family Guy, The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother and more — and don't miss "Weird Al" Yankovic's one-of-a-kind music video tribute to The Phantom Menace!
  • The Making of Star Wars (1977, Apx. 49 Minutes): Learn the incredible behind-the-scenes story of how the original Star Wars movie was brought to the big screen in this fascinating documentary hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2. Includes interviews with George Lucas and appearances by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
  • The Empire Strikes Back: SPFX (1980, Apx. 48 Minutes): Learn the secrets of making movies in a galaxy far, far away. Hosted by Mark Hamill, this revealing documentary offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the amazing special effects that transformed George Lucas' vision for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back into reality!
  • Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983, Apx. 48 Minutes): Go behind the scenes — and into the costumes — as production footage from Return of the Jedi is interspersed with vintage monster movie clips in this in-depth exploration of the painstaking techniques utilized by George Lucas to create the classic creatures and characters seen in the film. Hosted and narrated by Carrie Fisher and Billie Dee Williams.
  • Anatomy of a Dewback (1997, Apx. 26 Minutes): See how some of the special effects in Star Wars became even more special two decades later! George Lucas explains and demonstrates how his team transformed the original dewback creatures from immovable rubber puppets (in the original 1977 release) to seemingly living, breathing creatures for the Star Wars 1997 Special Edition update.
  • Star Wars Tech (2007, Apx. 46 Minutes): Exploring the technical aspects of Star Wars vehicles, weapons and gadgetry, Star Wars Tech consults leading scientists in the fields of physics, prosthetics, lasers, engineering and astronomy to examine the plausibility of Star Wars technology based on science as we know it today.

[EXO]

I gotta agree with Graham. I feel like the 4.7 inch disk format is so outdated. If people refuse streaming or a cloud type data, I feel like movies should be able to fit into credit card size solid states. Smaller even, but who'd want something people will misplace all the time.

[BeyondTheGrave]

It's like the difference between the old Matchbox SDF-1, and Yamato's new 1/3000 Macross. Someday you will see.

I think graham is going to send broken Yamato's to your house.

I gotta agree with Graham. I feel like the 4.7 inch disk format is so outdated. If people refuse streaming or a cloud type data, I feel like movies should be able to fit into credit card size solid states. Smaller even, but who'd want something people will misplace all the time.

Digital format is good but for some reason people still prefer a physical copy. Me being one of them. I do like the ability to take a movie over a friend's house or let them barrow it.

Edited May 5, 2011 by BeyondTheGrave

[Keith]

I gotta agree with Graham. I feel like the 4.7 inch disk format is so outdated. If people refuse streaming or a cloud type data, I feel like movies should be able to fit into credit card size solid states. Smaller even, but who'd want something people will misplace all the time.

Yeah, and if the PSN bieng down has shown us anything, cloud drives still aren't all they're cracked up to be. I'll take my physical disc media that I can use while running a generator in my fort during the zombie apocolypse thank you very much!

[EXO]

LOL. If you guys read my post, it says that people will refuse digital download and streaming. I'm just not going to put money on an outdated media that'll be replaced as soon as you build up your collection.

[anime52k8]

I have no idea what this "cloud" business is all about, but it sounds like a load of useless newfangled techno-crap.

[EXO]

I have no idea what this "cloud" business is all about, but it sounds like a load of useless newfangled techno-crap.

Much like your posts.

[Chewie]

Much like your posts.

ZINGA!

[Keith]

LOL. If you guys read my post, it says that people will refuse digital download and streaming. I'm just not going to put money on an outdated media that'll be replaced as soon as you build up your collection.

Not a fan of solid state either. A good old EMP during Skynet's robot apocolypse will wipe those out.

[EXO]

Not a fan of solid state either. A good old EMP during Skynet's robot apocolypse will wipe those out.

You're right. That's what it'll take. I'm sure bluray players can survive a good EMP.

Anyway... back to SW blurays.

[derex3592]

Did i just MISS it or did that press release NOT really indicate whether the actual movies would be Original, Special Edition, OR something where you could pick either or....(like the Alien Box set allows you too....) hint hint George...

[VT 1010]

As George has said many times before, the original theatrical versions aren't going to be released any time soon. Which specific special edition version it's going to be though, I have no idea.

[BeyondTheGrave]

You're right. That's what it'll take. I'm sure bluray players can survive a good EMP.

But Beta-max will!!!!

Edited May 6, 2011 by BeyondTheGrave