Indeed. I've stopped reading it when he said this:

• "Let's get the bad out of the way first. Namely, The Phantom Menace. Somehow it seems appropriate that the worst film in the series would have the worst picture quality of the set, but it's still disappointing"

Good question. This particular case it is four new battle droids walking down the offload ramp, center screen, when the big tanks full of droids are unloading from the carrier on Naboo. If it they were there before I never noticed them.

Yeah, I agree. But once he gets past that crap his review is actually very good and quote positive towards the release.

The battle droids on the offloading ramp were always there. Someone pointed out years ago that with their relative speeds, if the shot had gone longer, they would have been run over by the personnel carrier.

I'm sorry, but I'm having trouble taking this review too seriously. Here are some absolute gems which I had to reread a couple of times to make sure I was really reading what I thought I was reading:


"If you grew up watching these films on VHS you're going to be blown away."

Really? No kidding, the Blu-Ray has more detail than the VHS? That's a ringing endorsement. Who the hell references VHS quality when talking about an HD release?!


"The fluctuations that appeared on the DVDs are also a thing of the past; color is more stable now and better balanced. Remember how the lightsabers' hues sometimes shifted? Not so here."

Again, just - wow. Look at Hoth - it's still teal. SW is still blue. Look at any of the duels; they ALL have issues, some new, some old.


"contrast seems carefully considered for the most part, with an emphasis on preserving detail in the shadows"

And this one is just laugh-out-loud funny. The major complaint I have with the transfer (as everything else, colour shifts, screwed up rotoscoped glows are annoying but ultimately fixable) is that the blacks are so crushed. Without the shadow detail there's just so much less on screen than there should be at 1080p.

And your basis for all this is that you have the actual blu-ray discs in hand and have been watching them on a properly calibrated TV, correct?

Yeeeeeesssss, smartass, in fact I do as of last night (Jeebus protect me, I couldn't resist the sale!), and it is based on an Aviva disk and photo-grade blue filter.

Going away for a couple of days so I won't get to delve to deeply into the discs until next week. However, surprise surpirse, they look pretty much exactly like the screenshots from the 12gig MKVs. Not sure where you've been for the past two weeks, none of this is news.

But, hey, thanks for playing along, and you keep hoping it'll all be different on YOUR copy!

Just mess around with the tint, turn down the colors, boost the contrast and brightness, and they'll look more normal.

Woooow, how in gods name did they get it this crisp, as if the OT was made last year, incredible.



I have to say, for instance the podrace scene, is kind of way too crisp. You can almost see that the pods are cgi-made, like pasted into the scenes and know it's done this way. Now you can almost see it, doesn't mean it's bad just magnificently sharp.

I like what they did to the movies visual-wise.

And set the de-Jedi Rocks-ifier to 11.

I noticed lots of kinda poor composite work all throughout Phantom Menace. Despite the tinkering with the transfer, the massive boost in resolution really brings out the seeming rushed nature of a lot of the VFX work. I think it was Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon on the platform after the Jedi decide that Qui-Gon can't train Anakin where I noticed really wacky blue screen side effects as it appeared like the edges of Obi-Wan's head where shaved off.

I don't believe my copy will be different. I only wanted to make sure if you're going to call out the BR.com reviewer for being full of shit re: crushed blacks and colors that you were viewing the actual discs and not the mkv's. The point wasn't that the mkv's were somehow "incomplete" or "work prints" just that the ripping/compressing process has at least the potential to slightly alter the color and contrast.

I do have a question for those of you who actually have the set. Were the bloopers for Episodes I and II put on this set as a special feature? Also is there actual bloopers for Episode III rather than just that stupid Yoda break dancing video from the DVD?

Grabbed all three copies this morning and have been giving my system a work-out with these discs. I think they've done a great job with these! Scored a free poster as well.

Very impressed with what I've seen so far. The visual transfers are gorgeous and the sound is just fucking amazing! Anyway, here's a bit of a peek at the Aussie set. Not sure if it's at all different from the US version;

Don't mean to be funny but I'm curious, why would you pick up all 3 if you were buying the full boxset. Apologies if you're response is just "cos I can" just genuinely curious.

Completist.

Two reasons behind that really.

1.) I'm a long-time hardcore SW collector & completist. (thanks Treadwell)
2.) It's a celebration of my recent employment, after being out of work for so long. A gift to myself.

Ah, I remember buying both the gold pan-and-scan and silver widescreen versions of the Special Edition box sets on VHS for very similar reasons back in the day...

I only bought the silver.



Come to think of it, I didn't buy the PT/OT re-releases from a few years back either.

I think I'm going to pick up the original trilogy set at Toys R Us this weekend. They've got it for 30 bucks.

As good a reason as any mate

I remember buying a US only VHS of TPM that I can't even play just because it came in a shiny box with a film cell or some other such crap. I've even got the Executor box set so I totally get the completist angle. It's nice to see actually on a thread that seems to be mostly about ripping on the set for what it isn't rather than what it is.

A while back someone posted a screenshot of the Boba Fett Holiday Special cartoon but I'll be damned if I can find it. Any help here would be hot.

Sorry I meant I can't find it on the disc. I know you said it's under Boba Fett: First Look but the discs aren't really layed out that way.

It's in Bonus Disc Two > The Empire Strikes Back > Pursued by the Imperial Fleet > The Collection > Boba Fett Prototype Costume > First Look.



Yeah, I'll go on record to say that the disc layout is a pain to navigate through.

Thanks. They buried that thing nice and deep. Well at least there's an acknowledgement of the existence of the Holiday Special on the Blu-ray Set. I'm still holding out hope that the whole thing will surface eventually. I kind of love it... terrible as it is.

And yeah I don't mind navigating through the environments but I do wish there was some kind of master list you could select from as well. Especially when they have things like that cartoon that they didn't bother to include in the booklet. But something tells me that's their idea of an easter egg on this set.

Bill really nailed it. Overall, I'm really happy with this set but man do I wish they had created new masters for the OT. The films on BD basically look like "up-res'd" versions of the '04 box set on my HT rig.

Yep, was trying to log in earlier today to draw attention to his review, but couldn't get in. He absolutely pegged it - fair and accurate review without resorting to hyperbole or drinking too much of the LFL coolaid. Anyone still curious about what this set is will get a GREAT idea from digitalbits.

I'm glad to see a positive review from Bill Hunt regarding the set. I wish I had not cancelled my order but I had no choice. I think next month though I will buy it.

I watched New Hope last night. It definitely looks exactly like a port of the DVD versions in HD. Obviously a big improvement, but it could probably have been much better. You've got the same general visual palette. Lots of darkness, blue-ish tint, red tanned skin tones (that shift within scenes--I've noticed this since the Special Edition) and all the color boosting that seemed to be done for the DVD version as I remember it.

Threepio and especially Artoo look odd in the desert at the beginning of the movie. Artoo is way too blue, Threepio is too gold. Turn down the colors and raise the brightness a bit (and ignore the weird CGI'd shot of Threepio walking away) and you've got an especially bone-chilling glimpse of the old movie.

I noticed the dialogue was changed in numerous scenes. In some cases, it just may be that it's much clearer than it ever was and simply sounds a bit different. In other cases, I think we were hearing alternate or extended takes. The issue in the Alderaan scene is fixed and it sounds wonderful. When Luke speaks to the guy who sounds like Wedge in the rebel war room, he now says "But it's not impossible."

The sound mix does retain the old issues. The music is mixed strangely and lower than I can remember it. The rebel fanfare when the Falcon enters the Death Star starts out big and strong, then awkwardly is turned down. Dialogue will sound crisp and then more garbled. Han is notorious for this, but we can forgive him. Added sound effects like the laser fire in the jail ambush scene or all the jarring loud explosions and Artoo tipping over when he's zapped by the little people still sound out of place to me.

I watched all the deleted scenes from the trilogy. The menus are kind of a bitch to navigate. They're very simplistic, which I like, but my player kinda lags.

The snow monster scenes were funny and really interesting to watch. I can just imagine Kirschner and Lucas flipping out over how horrible the thing was turning out. I got the giggles when the arm grabbed the snowtrooper. I can see why the warning sticker ended up as far as a trailer for Empire. They probably wanted to keep the snowtrooper gag in.

I'm going to do Empire and Jedi, then keep pouring through the features this weekend. I don't regret the purchase. Got it at Target with the free lithographs, but be warned that they place these Minority Report spyder things around box sets that seriously damage the edges. I don't care since I'm going to eventually ditch my BD/DVD packaging in favor of some kind of mass storage system.

I love the look of the menus but the organization on the bonus discs is terrible. I don't understand why they couldn't just lay everything out by category instead of planet.

Yes the menus arent very friendly, but what is worse is the Canadian and I think US packaging of the full box set. I feel the packaging is quite cheap.

The discs are NOT placed in a hard plastic cover where you can push the center and the disc pops out. They are in a cardboard sleeve that is a pain to get out. And where my episode 2 disc is I think there may of been some glue cause I now have some scratches on the top of the disc with the label that I can now see straight though. So the disc is ruined. So I had to exchange it.

I am going to go and try and find some extra bluray covers and transfer them.

The packaging is certainly terrible and I've read complaints about holes in the discs. I can see some on the edges of mine. Like the discs are breaking down or some ridiculousness.

Empire looks good. Really aggressive sound mix. Dialogue was drowned out at points. Music is definitely louder in this one and it sounds so much better than on CD (still hoping for a reissue of the scores soon).

I noticed a string or something right after the Falcon squeezes through that narrow cavern in the asteroid scene. Stick is still there when the AT-AT is toppled. I would have noticed the sparks in the Ugnaught room even if it hadn't been pointed out here. It looks like video game graphics.

This is a strong presentation. The snow battle is demo worthy.

Pink lightsaber in the end fight? How did this even happen and why does it seem to be worse in HD?

It could be nothing but I noticed that the synchronization of the sound effects during the duel in front of the window seemed to be a bit off. Maybe it's always been like that.

If your discs are truly starting to peel then i would definatly take them back for an exchange. I had no problem exchanging mine.

I got an early birthday present. I wasn't nearly as excited as I should have been to get it. Quick hitters:

- The fact that they didn't fix so many visual problems makes this largely disappointing.
This has nothing to do with "George's vision" but more to do with laziness and terrible quality control.

- The sleeves are cheap and awful. I'd rather pay 5-10 bucks more and get superior packaging.
This is Star Wars, not the Fast and the Furious saga.

- The menus are uninspiring and stink of more laziness and bad QC.

- The sound mix is by far the most noticeable improvement on the set.
Even though they still didn't fix a lot of stupid tweaks to ESB SFX and PT score.

- The deleted scenes are terrible.
The only one of note is the Luke saber building scene.

My skirt hasn't been blown up. I'm not pleasantly surprised. It's a "decent set" by Blu-ray standards but VERY subpar by mega-franchise release standards. Forget the idiotic new changes, the actual product just isn't as good as it should be. That's a fact.

Anybody find any easter eggs yet? I thought the rotating text on the menus might be a clue, but it only says May the Force be with you.

We ain't found shit.

- The "Play All" feature is very helpful in skipping the b.s. menus.
I didn't even realize I could skip the menu navigation and do all the scenes that way.


- I tested the feature with the prequel interviews and it ended up being this most random assembly of shit.

- The prequel deleted scenes are mostly terrible, in my opinion.
The videomatics were especially painful to sit through for me. Said videomatics are obvious signs of where Star Wars was headed.

- The "Qui-Gon scene" played out poorly as presented here.
I think Ben Burtt should have dubbed his voice over all the awful dialogue in the prequels so Lucas would cut all that out too.

- Spielberg's chase scene was too over the top.
The way it's presented could never have worked for a live action Star Wars. Now, a Pixar animated feature, yes. I think Spielberg was just trying his hand at this type of thing for the first time.

It has to be said, however, that Spielberg's Indy-esque concepts for the fight (as with the end fight) were better than what Lucas came up with. I think it gives an idea (when you ignore the video game visuals) how much better the prequels could have been with more input from the right people.

- Also check out the videomatic of the extended Episode III fight.
Does anyone else feel that John Williams scored this? Maybe he didn't, I'm unsure if the idea of him composing music to this CGI storyboard thing is kinda out there, but his original music for Anakin vs. Obi-Wan fits like a glove here, including the Empire passages. Is this the original version he was presented before his music was divided between the two fights?

- I previewed Attack of the Clones and it doesn't look good at all.
I never liked the look of this one. I felt it looked more like video than film. Here, it's totally smoothed over with DNR and now looks worse than ever. I haven't watched Phantom Menace, but I feel it can't possibly look as bad as this one.

For all the gripe about DNR on TPM, I thought it looked fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised by that one. Of the PT films, I think TPM has benefited the most from the transfer to BR. I have not seen the OT yet.

I agree I think tpm looked great cause on the DVD it was hazy and seemed to have alot of digital noise. This transfer is great.

The play all feature definatly helps When you are in the main menu of bonus disc 1 and 2, the menu showing ep I - III or ep IV to VI at the bottom right there is a play all option click that and you can select to play every thing with interviews and deleted scenes and concept stuff or just play all the deleted scenes themselves. It should be easy to find.

I'm actually more happy I bought this set, just in case in the future Lucas decides to add some of these delete scenes to the films I wouldn't want them. Cause they arent very good, but they are interesting.

FYI there is an alternate Clip to the scene with Luke and Biggs on yavin. where the red leader says he knew anakin! It makes you think what the prequels would of been like if that was actually in there.

The only scene I would like to see added to the movies would be from the DVDs delete scene of anakin ineracting with padme's family in ep2 and the little extended scene of the final light saber ep1 and quigon splitting the prob droid in half. And the one from the bluray would be maul and quigon on the ship ramp

I think Phantom looks good. It's better than Attack of the Clones, which I think looks pretty mediocre. I'm not watching it on a giant screen, but I'm not seeing much upgrade from DVD. But remember that I never liked how that one looked. The others are definitely big steps up. Phantom compared to DVD is like night and day.

I'm watching mine on a 61" hd dlp tv. And the lightsaber colors pop off the screen. Where as the DVD they were quite dull especially on the trade federation ship at the beginning. And with the wider screen ratio you can see more. Example, obi wan hanging from the platform in the final light saber battle. On the VHS you could just see him, on the DVD you could see him completely and on the bluray you can see him plus a bunch more to the side of him.

The Prequels look and sound amazingly good, no surprises there, but I watched ANH last night and was really quite disappointed with certain aspects of it's presentation. Overall, it's very good, but in some places, it's lacking.

The Greedo/Han thing does in fact, look better (not as good and clear cut as the original, but better than previous post '97 versions) As was said above, there was something funky looking, in a couple of the shots, with the 'droids, when they first land on Tatooine. Artoo's dome looks dark and grainy - almost black. There's something not right there!


About half way through the film, it becomes evident that some of the characters recorded dialog, had been cut & pasted from various sources. I noticed it in some of Han's dialog as well as Vader's. One moment, their voices were booming and had plenty of bottom end, the next - they were tinny sounding.

This was a problem on the Lowry DVD set as well. Plus, I noticed a lot of "Hissss' in some of these voice tracks. I would have thought with today's technology, that could have been removed? I know it's an old film, but really is that the best they can do?


Another thing that pissed me off, is that the Sabers aren't fixed. Even after LFL told the press that they were aware of these problems and had been corrected. The worst is still Luke's on the Falcon.

It's way too pale and as others have said, it shifts from color to color. Why on earth can't we get some consistency with the Sabers? They look perfect in the Prequels. You'd think that the worlds leading FX house, would have fixed this shit by now - it looks terrible and there is no excuse for sloppy/lazy work at all.

The Vader-Kenobi Sabers look like they were done in MS paint. Not clear and vibrant as they are in the Prequel trilogy.


And then there's the business with Artoo's rocks! There's no justification for that addition at all. It wasn't needed and without going into what others have said - Kenobi was wearing his cowl up at the time and wouldn't have seen him at first anyway. You don't have peripheral vision when you're wearing a Jedi cowl up for fuck's sake.

LFL wasted time playing with rocks, when they should have been working on the consistency of the Lightsaber blades - you know - the iconic movie weapon. Really makes you wonder what they've been doing up there, for the past three years.

The new Krayt Dragon call doesn't bother me at all, but the other stuff just doesn't make sense.

Well I think the change with the rocks just looks awkward. I feel that the original Ben sound effect was the best one. The new one is out of place. Han and Greedo shooting, you can't even tell what the hell is happening now. The original scene was an obvious homage to Tuco shooting that guy from the tub in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Jedi looks and sounds good overall. Maybe a bit grainier than the others. There's a section where they travel to Endor where the image becomes noticeably blurry.

The new effects didn't bother me, although Wicket's eyes are slightly creepy. Vader's No's are mixed way too loudly. Terribly executed.

The added effects since the Special Edition don't fit in for me. To me, Jedi looks like an 80s movie, just as Star Wars appears to be a movie made in the 70s.

The space battle is still loaded with blobs around the ships, the weird fake explosions and fire, obvious miniature when the star destroyer crashes into the Death Star, etc.

So many low tech effects and things that are thankfully left alone. Admiral Ackbar's mouth frequently doesn't move. Chewie getting in the chicken walker looks so poor--the thing isn't even moving correctly. The sail barge fight is shoddy. The action with Han, Lando, Chewie, Leia and the robots is horrible. The Ewoks still just kinda look like midgets in teddy bear costumes.

Well, as long as Sebulba, the Sarlacc and the ending with Naboo and Coruscant makes you happy, George.

Agreed on all counts. You'd think that they would have done something with the 1997 additions, but they did nothing. The Sarlacc and Dewbacks look like absolute shit. All the energy and time wasted on the R2 rocks could have gone to the Sarlacc's cartoon beak and tentacles, etc. One thing I can say with absolute certainty, is I am very glad that I did not buy any version of this release.

I see a pattern in people's reviews of this box set. Comments typically follow this format:

1. I loved a lot of things.

2. Disliked some things.

3. Here are all the things I didn't like...
4. Here are all the things I didn't like...
5. Here are all the things I didn't like...
6. Here are all the things I didn't like...
7. Here are all the things I didn't like...
8. Here are all the things I didn't like...
9. Here are all the things I didn't like...
10. Here are all the things I didn't like...
11. Here are all the things I didn't like...
12. Here are all the things I didn't like...
13. Here are all the things I didn't like...


Not aimed at any one person in particular, just an interesting method of the way many people break down their thoughts on this release.

Well the release is just a let down. I can't really say I'm 100% happy with the films. There are still boxes around ships and lightsabers and blah blah blah... What is annoying is that I don't want to have to buy these movies again. So I'm stuck with bizarre "fixes" and additions instead of a cleaned up image and special effects.

I had the hardest time sitting through Clones and Jedi. Clones looks awful and Jedi looks so lazy and cheap. Yet Sith looks incredible. The bonus content on the trilogies is truly exhaustive and informative - when you can find it - and i'm very pleased with most of what's included.

I guess these movies will forever be labeled with a COULD HAVE BEEN-type wishful thought.

I wouldn't call it a complete let down. The Prequels look and sound amazing in my opinion. I still haven't had time to watch ESB or ROTJ.

I've watched all the movies and overall I think they look and sound fantastic. One seemingly minor thing that makes a huge difference to me is the improved alien subtitles. I never liked the ones from the DVDs so it was a wonderful surprise seeing the theatrical subtitles back on the movies.

I've also made it through bonus discs 2 and 3 so far. Really enjoyed the OT bonus disc. Lots of great info there. I wasn't as thrilled with the documentary disc though. Besides a couple of spoofs and "A Conversation With The Masters" I doubt I'll ever watch any of it again, however I will say that the unexpected highlight of the disc was "Star Warriors" which I really didn't expect to like at all.