DenOfGeek's "The 10 Worst Crimes Against the Original Star Wars Trilogy"

[Quintus 5,399]

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/star-wars/17281/the-10-worst-crimes-against-the-original-star-wars-trilogy

 

I wonder if Lucas regrets ANY of these alterations. I bet he doesn't out of sheer spite. 

[Bilbo 3,709]

It’s been 20 years, build a bridge and get over it. 

[Holko 9,499]

I would take either the extra stormtroopers or the redone Emperor out of that list and put horribly messed up colour as #1. Lightsabers are pink and greenish white, movie's filled with lobsterpeople, Princess Leia's makeup makes her look like a bad prostitute, all the blacks are crushed to oblivion, everything has dark blue/green/magenta (depending on the movie and scene) tints, the list goes on.

 

EDIT: Another big problem is messing with the Oscar-winning editing and sound editing of Star Wars. Look at the entire opening sequence, how JW's music reacts to every new happening, every cut, then look at the new versions. It completely throws it out of the window and replaces it with a bloody mess.

[Quintus 5,399]

30 minutes ago, Bilbo said:

It’s been 20 years, build a bridge and get over it. 

 

It's Star Wars month here, forumites like to roll out the old classics during the festivities. 

[Bilbo 3,709]

5 minutes ago, Quintus said:

 

It's Star Wars month here, forumites like to roll out the old classics during the festivities. 

 

That doesn’t make it any less sad though. 

[Quintus 5,399]

Mate at what point did you start to think that would make any difference whatsoever? Come on. 

[Pieter Boelen 740]

2 hours ago, Holko said:

I would take either the extra stormtroopers or the redone Emperor out of that list and put horribly messed up colour as #1. Lightsabers are pink and greenish white, movie's filled with lobsterpeople, Princess Leia's makeup makes her look like a bad prostitute, all the blacks are crushed to oblivion, everything has dark blue/green/magenta (depending on the movie and scene) tints, the list goes on.

Although I do reckon that list is actually pretty darn accurate, I totally agree with you there.

The wrong colours are distracting and the lightsabers truly stand out.

 

I watched the Revisited fan edit of Empire Strikes Back yesterday, which was a breath of fresh air as far as I'm concerned.

Just wished they could also put Williams' original music as written in there.

I like the "Snowspeeder Search" and "The Executor" a bit too much.

[Sweeping Strings 2,346]

Couldn't agree more with their list-topper ... 'Why not just smear shit across the screen and have done with it?'.

Indeed.  

[Brundlefly 2,385]

The worst thing are that Lucas replaced Lapti Nek and Ewok Celebration with those modern not like Star Wars ringing songs. Lapti Nek was a perfect rock piece in Star Wars style, just like Cantina Band was a perfect jazz piece in Star Wars style. The replacement of Lapti Nek is just some rock song and destroys the atmosphere.

[Bespin 8,480]

Well, it's the eternal debate when I decide to re-watch these movies.

 

Do I watch the versions which will make me say interiorly: ah my childhood! 

 

Or the ones, which will made me say: awww, this is so badly done, why do they added this? And this? And this?

[Nick1Ø66 4,689]

All of the obvious alterations are bad. All of them. The only thing I marginally liked was adding windows to the Cloud City interiors. And I can do without those. Even the new colour timing and sound mix is awful.

 

The only thing that should have been done to these films is a proper clean up & restoration, along with a tastefully done multi-channel sound mix. As it stands I regard the special editions as unwatchable. Which is why I haven't watched them in years! (nor should anyone who respects William's score)

 

Harmy for what a proper Blu-Ray should look like

TN1's for a classic retro experience of the first film

Revisited for what the Special Edition's should have been

[karelm 2,903]

Pretty good list but I could live with "altering the enterance to Mos Eisley" but adding Darth Vader's "NOOOOO!" at the end of ROTJ which is absolutely a horrific alteration.  There is also an unforgivable music edit in ESB for the added scene of Darth Vader leaving cloud city. 

 

[Seth 67]

9 minutes ago, karelm said:

There is also an unforgivable music edit in ESB for the added scene of Darth Vader leaving cloud city. 

 

Yeah, that's one of the worst offenders to me. The music really drives the tension and drama of the heroes escaping, and Lucas destroyed all of that by cutting in the series of shots of Vader leaving Bespin and landing on the Star Destroyer. It's almost like he completely misunderstood why that part of the film works so well--it's the music and the editing that already existed. Didn't need anything. For all the times he's paid lip service to John Williams' contributions to Star Wars, I don't think he really understands or appreciates what Williams did for his films, especially in the prequels where I think Williams put in more effort than the movies probably deserved (though if one wanted to be really reductive about it I suppose you could say that about the entire series--and I say that as someone who admittedly is less objective about Star Wars than he possibly should be).

[Ollie 1,059]

We should be thankful Lucas couldn’t realize his “true visions” in 1977, 1980 and 1983.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

6 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

The worst thing are that Lucas replaced Lapti Nek and Ewok Celebration with those modern not like Star Wars ringing songs.

What's wrong with the replacement for Ewok Celebration?

I just listened to it and I really like the new version....

 

5 hours ago, Nick1066 said:

Revisited for what the Special Edition's should have been

Yup, I quite approve of those two. Good stuff!

[Romão 2,274]

1 hour ago, Seth said:

Yeah, that's one of the worst offenders to me. The music really drives the tension and drama of the heroes escaping, and Lucas destroyed all of that by cutting in the series of shots of Vader leaving Bespin and landing on the Star Destroyer. It's almost like he completely misunderstood why that part of the film works so well--it's the music and the editing that already existed. Didn't need anything. For all the times he's paid lip service to John Williams' contributions to Star Wars, I don't think he really understands or appreciates what Williams did for his films, especially in the prequels where I think Williams put in more effort than the movies probably deserved (though if one wanted to be really reductive about it I suppose you could say that about the entire series--and I say that as someone who admittedly is less objective about Star Wars than he possibly should be).

 

That's one of the worst offenders for me as well

[karelm 2,903]

7 hours ago, Seth said:

Yeah, that's one of the worst offenders to me. The music really drives the tension and drama of the heroes escaping, and Lucas destroyed all of that by cutting in the series of shots of Vader leaving Bespin and landing on the Star Destroyer. It's almost like he completely misunderstood why that part of the film works so well--it's the music and the editing that already existed. Didn't need anything. For all the times he's paid lip service to John Williams' contributions to Star Wars, I don't think he really understands or appreciates what Williams did for his films, especially in the prequels where I think Williams put in more effort than the movies probably deserved (though if one wanted to be really reductive about it I suppose you could say that about the entire series--and I say that as someone who admittedly is less objective about Star Wars than he possibly should be).

 

Yeah, one could argue the brilliance of Lucas's vision demanded brilliant creative talent from everyone else.  Like Harrison Ford understanding his character better than Lucas's script, Williams understanding the subtext, Gary Kurtz challenging Lucas's story telling, Irvin Kershner's character centered direction, Ralph McQuarrie's visionary imagination but true...all of this was shaped through Lucas's undisciplined imagination. 

[A. A. Ron 1,740]

22 hours ago, Bilbo said:

It’s been 20 years, build a bridge and get over it. 

 

Can't. Not until we can watch legitimate versions of the theatrical films in HD.

[Bilbo 3,709]

1 hour ago, Muldoon said:

 

Can't. Not until we can watch legitimate versions of the theatrical films in HD.

 

Youll probably die disappointed and bitter over a kid’s film. 

[Quintus 5,399]

I watched Star Wars with my boy yesterday, it feels alien, like it can't be made by Lucas. 

 

I had to suffer through the alterations in the version I sourced, but one thing I will say is I think the space battle climax is improved with the addition of the CGI during the dogfights there. The original SFX are rather static and unexciting these days. 

[Pieter Boelen 740]

8 hours ago, karelm said:

Yeah, one could argue the brilliance of Lucas's vision demanded brilliant creative talent from everyone else.  Like Harrison Ford understanding his character better than Lucas's script, Williams understanding the subtext, Gary Kurtz challenging Lucas's story telling, Irvin Kershner's character centered direction, Ralph McQuarrie's visionary imagination but true...all of this was shaped through Lucas's undisciplined imagination. 

Sounds like good, old-fashioned, genuine team-work to me. Nothing wrong with that! 

[A. A. Ron 1,740]

8 hours ago, Bilbo said:

Youll probably die disappointed and bitter over a kid’s film. 

 

Don't be a cunt. Nobody will be thinking of Star Wars on their death bed.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Some will.

 

[Bilbo 3,709]

9 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

Some will.

 

 

 

They’ve special editioned the bed! Christopher Lee has replaced Sir Alec Guinness!

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

20 hours ago, Pieter_Boelen said:

What's wrong with the replacement for Ewok Celebration?

I just listened to it and I really like the new version....

 

There was nothing wrong with the original version and never needed replacing with 90s New Age junk. That was the most garish change to me when I saw it in 1997.

[Quintus 5,399]

9 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

Some will.

 

 

 

KM was right - even he wasn't safe from the prying eyes of Big Brother. 

[Pieter Boelen 740]

22 minutes ago, Baby Jane Hudson said:

 

There was nothing wrong with the original version and never needed replacing with 90s New Age junk. That was the most garish change to me when I saw it in 1997.

You don't think the original one sounds silly in the extreme? 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

6 minutes ago, Pieter_Boelen said:

You don't think the original one sounds silly in the extreme? 

 

No, sounds right enough for the scene.

[Quintus 5,399]

Who doesn't love a bit of Yub Nub?😁

[Ollie 1,059]

I never turn down a Yub-Nub

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

That Yub-Nub you like is going to come back in style.

[Bilbo 3,709]

I remember seeing the original RotJ for the first time not knowing or expecting Yub Nub. It was traumatic. I thought something was wrong with the disc.

[Nick1Ø66 4,689]

2 hours ago, BloodBoal said:

Some will.

 

 

 

Damn you and your hidden webcams. I was wondering why a new lamp suddenly appeared my room!

[Brundlefly 2,385]

The redone emperor and the extra stormtroopers are among the few improvements the special editions brought us.

1. Look at that weird original emperor.

2. Now it makes sense that Han Solo is surprised and starts running away from the stormtroopers. Why should he suddenly escape from the few stormtroopers that he initially chased?

[Wojo 2,453]

The new Emperor scene includes new dialog that undermines the original. 

[Quintus 5,399]

The original theatrical Star Wars '77 already undermined The Emperor (and his religion) during the talk around the table with Vader, Tarkin and his uniformed cronies. 

[gkgyver 1,645]

5 hours ago, BloodBoal said:

Some will.

 

 

 

That's racism against Englishmen.