| Blu-ray. [message #244118] |
Sat, 03 September 2011 06:55  |
Duggy
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Thoughts?
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| Re: Blu-ray. [message #244121 is a reply to message #244119] |
Sat, 03 September 2011 17:54  |
YourName
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In article <4e622fb1$0$1721$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
sgordon@changethisparttohardbat.com wrote:
> Duggy <Paul.Duggan@jcu.edu.au> wrote:
> :
> : Thoughts?
>
> Haven't seen it. I was planning to wait and read your review
> before deciding on whether to purchase it. :)
I don't think it has even been released anywhere yet (I know it's not due
here in New Zealand until about 12 September).
Then you get to decide if you want the separate Prequel and/or Original
Trilogy sets, or get the full Saga set.
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| Re: Blu-ray. [message #244125 is a reply to message #244120] |
Mon, 05 September 2011 05:47 |
Duggy
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On Sep 4, 2:59 am, Dan Dassow <dan_das...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Saturday, September 3, 2011 5:55:43 AM UTC-5, Duggy wrote:
>> Thoughts?
>
> Was this new version really necessary?
I have had similar thoughts.
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| Re: Blu-ray. [message #244157 is a reply to message #244155] |
Thu, 22 September 2011 16:56 |
YourName
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The reviewer at DVDFile.com wasn't that impressed with the extra features
that came with this release (maybe he'll be happier with the 3D Blu-ray
release in about 2018) ...
Star Wars - The Complete Saga: BD Review
----------------------------------------
Fox, 805 Minutes, 1977-2005, Rated PG/PG-13
Arguably the most heavily-requested title of the high-definition
age, Star Wars' appearance on BD will be a fascinating litmus
test as to the viability and marketplace presence of Blu-ray as
a format: If this things sells like hotcakes, high-def discs
just might make it out alive. If it doesn't, though - if loyal
fans turn out in week one then don't really come back for more -
we'll be left with a sobering vision of the streaming beast
looming ahead of us.
Basically, if Star Wars can't get 'em to go Blu, it's likely
that nothing will.
I bring this up because Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a
heavily imperfect release - it's not the kind of quintessential
utilization of the format that will get viewers clamoring for
more. No, as wonderful as even these chopped-up and altered
Star Wars movies continue to be, The Complete Saga on Blu-ray
provides cursory up-front fun - boy, it's great to see Grand
Moff Tarkin in high-def - but as a collection, a historical
document of the cultural entity that is Star Wars, it's pretty
much a turkey.
This is blasphemy, I know - to be perfectly honest, I can't
believe I'm actually typing it. Do these movies look better
than they have before? Sure. Even mediocre 1080p transfers and
DTS-HD Master Audio sound mixes could accomplish that. But is
this a must-have set? Something that fans young and old will
savor and enjoy for years to come? No way.
Compare this Complete Saga set with last year's Alien Anthology.
That collection housed movies both good and bad - the same could
be said of Star Wars as a franchise - but the interface on
Sigourney's Blu-ray edition is state-of-the-art (even a year
later!): It's completely advanced compared to any other edition
we've seen on the format. The biggest advent is that with
various branching options included, we have options on the Alien
Anthology. You want the old version? You got it. You want a
reinterpreted one? It's here, too. And thanks to that MU-TH-UR
mode, we are able to spelunk the films with unprecedented ease
and fluidity.
What's interesting is that as much of a techno-guru as Lucas
and his company claim to be, this Star Wars set isn't the
perfect exploitation of Blu-ray high-definition potential.
Going through the archives on the discs here provides
investigative fun, but our worst fears have been realized: Not
only is this not an encyclopedic collection, but what really
smarts on The Complete Saga is just how much ISN'T here. The
extensive documentaries, featurettes and other bonus material
that previous excellent DVD releases offered are nowhere to be
found here.
Mr. Lucas hopes that a documentary about folks who dress up
like Star Wars characters will be enough to keep us interested.
No sale.
We're all curious about this Star Wars set, and most of us will
probably buy it (I sure as Hell ain't letting my copy go
anywhere), but it's not a legitimately solid Blu-ray edition.
Even with Greedo shooting first (and other plugged-in horrors),
the nostalgic wonder of the movies can't be snuffed completely
- we know this for a fact because Lucas and company continues
to try and do so with alarming, disappointing regularity.
This Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray set is just another
example of that.
Video: How Do the Discs Look?
It's a mixed bag, folks. The good news is that across the
board, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi
look sensational. Color quality is stunning - light sabers
literally pop off the screen - and detail is significantly
cleaner than it ever was on DVD. The relatively new CGI stuff
(that's you, New Hope Jabba the Hutt) still looks terrible,
but that's no fault of the teams who put these transfers
together. What's intriguing, though, is that Phantom Menace and
Attack of the Clones don't impress the way the other pictures
here do (Revenge of the Sith is as reference-quality as they
get). It comes down to consistency: Some sequences have as much
clarity and zip as the other pictures here, and some don't.
It's that cut and dry. There is no denying that these six films
have never looked this strong in the home theater age, but
they're not perfect.
Audio: How Do the Discs Sound?
This section is pretty easy to write: These are pristine,
spit-polished tracks, all of reference quality. Star Wars - as
presented via these DTS-HD 6.1 Master Audio sound mixes - is
one of the best-designed and -sounding movies to have ever
been made, and the lossless upgrade of these presentations is
quite simply sublime. Staggering fidelity, swirling surround
presence, enveloping atmospherics, some of the best movie music
you'll ever find: If there's one element of this Complete Saga
set that sets the bar, it's sound quality. These are gold
standards.
Spanish, French and Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mixes
are included, as are a French DTS 5.1 track, and English SDH,
French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The six movie discs here only house a pair of screen-specific
audio commentaries as bonuses. We get the full-length tracks
that appeared on the DVD editions of the films, as well as
what's touted as an 'archival' track, which is a collection of
interview snippets with various Star Wars participants. A lot
of this stuff has been ported over from the tracks that were
included on the original trilogy's LaserDisc edition.
Then on disc seven, we enter the serious bonus content of
this release.
The disc housing the prequel trilogy supplements is first. For
The Phantom Menace, we get a bunch of short featurettes (Naboo
Overview (5:00), an interview with Liam Neeson (2:00),
Tatooine Overview (4:00), two interviews with producer Rick
McCallum (4:00 total), Coruscant Overview (4:00) and an
interview with Lucas (3:00)), a big slate of deleted scenes,
and a feature entitled The Collection, which offers up
360-degree presentations of models, puppets and costumes used
in the film, along with video commentary. Thorough stills
galleries are also included for each of the six films.
Attack of the Clones brings more featurettes (Coruscant
Overview (4:00), an interview with Ewan McGregor (1:00), Naboo
Overview (3:00), Tatooine Overview (4:00, Geonosis Overview
(4:00), and an interview with Hayden Christensen (1:00)), as
well as more deleted scenes and another installment of The
Collection.
With Revenge of the Sith, we get featurettes (Coruscant
Interview (5:00), an interview with Samuel L. Jackson (2:00),
Utapau Overview (5:00), Mustafar Overview (5:00), an interview
with Natalie Portman (2:00), Kashyyyk and Order 66 Overview
(6:00)), deleted scenes and another Collection inclusion.
Disc eight takes us to our beloved original trilogy.
On A New Hope, we get featurettes (Tatooine Overview (4:00),
interviews with Mark Hamill (2:00) and Anthony Daniels (1:00),
Aboard the Death Star Overview (6:00), an interview with
Carrie Fisher (2:00), and Battle of Yavin Overview (5:00)), as
well as the real meat on this bonus slate, a collection of
long-lost deleted scenes (I must admit - they're pretty
interesting). There are stills galleries and installments of
The Collection for all three films here, as well.
Onto Empire First up are featurettes (Hoth Overview (3:00),
interviews with Lucas (4:00) and director Irvin Kershner
(3:00), Dagobah Overview (5:00), another talk with Lucas (5:00),
Pursued by the Imperial Fleet Overview (3:00), and Cloud City
Overview (3:00)), and another cool set of deleted scenes.
Finally, there's Return of the Jedi. In addition to some
featurettes (Tatooine Overview (5:00), Endor Overview (5:00),
an interview with Harrison Ford (1:00), and Death Star II Space
Battle Overview (4:00)), and one last nifty deleted scenes
slate.
Disc nine of this set houses some longer yet less enjoyable
documentaries and featurettes. Star Wars Spoofs (97:00) is a
collection of goofy but forgettable send-ups of the series,
focusing more on newer material from Robot Chicken, That 70s
Show and even last year's Volkswagen TV commercials. A
Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30
Years Later (25:00) is a woefully short talk with Lucas,
Kershner, Lawrence Kasdan and John Williams about their
collaboration on the film (it's easily the best thing here).
Star Wars Tech (45:00) is kind of a what-if? collection of
interviews with scientists about the believability of the Star
Wars universe. Star Warriors (84:00) is a waste of space here,
a long documentary about the 501st Legion, a bunch of folks
who dress up like Star Wars characters a lot.
Anatomy of a Dewback(26:00) analyzes the move from puppets to
CGI machinery with our beloved Tatooine elephants, and Classic
Creatures: Return of the Jedi (48:00) rounds up some of the
cooler critters from the third Star Wars flick (Salacious
Crumb!). Finally, we get two vintage featurettes - The Empire
Strikes Back: SPFX (48:00) and The Making of Star Wars (50:00)
- that offer intriguing (if EPK-grade) looks at those films'
productions.
Final Thoughts
Interest in Star Wars: The Complete Saga is off the charts,
but it remains to be seen just how many $100 copies the thing
actually sells. This much can be said of this collection: It
houses probably the best sound mixes you're ever likely to
hear on Blu-ray. They're stunning. But bonus material here is
flat, needlessly complex (clicking through featurettes that
barely run for five minutes gets tiresome after a while), and
aside from updated interfaces, the supplements here pale in
comparison to previous editions (I honestly can't imagine why
Empire of Dreams, that wonderful doc from the original
trilogy's DVD box set, isn't included). We don't even get the
original Revenge of the Jedi trailer.
I guarantee you'll get a fun weekend's worth of entertainment
out of this box set, but as a fully-formed Blu-ray package,
Star Wars: The Complete Saga is disappointingly
middle-of-the-road.
< http://www.dvdfile.com/reviews/blurayreviews/168324-star-war s-the-complete-saga-bd-review]DVDFile.com>
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