A bunch of dedicated fans got together to create high quality versions of the original Star Wars trilogy. They found an old scratched up copy of the original film reel, they used techniques to remove the blurring in the limited edition re-release, and they colour corrected the purpley tinge that runs through the Blu-Ray release to provide maximum quality where possible.
The result is what your typical DVD or Blu-Ray advert promises. Your favourite classic movies like you've never seen them before. The old sets and costumes with their old fashioned charm are all left alone and look more gorgeous than ever. The heightened quality makes it easier to appreciate the workmanship that went into everything.
Star Wars (1977) - Despecialised Edition
The original Star Wars is still my favourite. After all this time, somehow the world of Star Wars still has a unique feel to it, in spite of its many imitators. (And this version doesn't yet have the title "A New Hope" or even any indication that it is the fourth episode. It's just straight-up Star Wars 1.)
This is a film which revolutionised the genre. Combining sci-fi with fantasy and, ingeniously, using mystical religion instead of magic. Buddhist and other eastern traditions have long believed that concentration and training can imbue human beings with supernatural power, but I struggle to think of a movie which explores this concept in movies before Star Wars without making use of magic wands or spells. (I suppose horror movies about satanic cults had worshippers granted supernatural power. But those still tended to be tied to witchcraft rather than concentration or faith.)
In this early stage in the franchise the Jedi don't yet seem like superheroes. They are more like futuristic knights with electric swords. Like Zatoichi, Luke is being taught to fight without the need for sight. Meanwhile, the idea of the force feels more like religion than magic. The biggest hint that something magical is involved is the sudden dramatic disappearance of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the third act. Of course magic and religion are only separated by a thin line, but the point is that the mythology of Star Wars has a neat simplicity in this first instalment.
While I've known some to criticise this film for its slow pace, I love the sense of fear and wonder as R2D2 and C3PO are transported with a jumble of creepy looking robots all picked up by the squeaky short creatures in robes known as 'Jawas'.
The Cantina bar also looks awesome without the unnecssary special edition alterations. That Han is the only one shooting a gun is the least of it. The creepy wolf alien is very cool and more clear and detailed than ever.
I love that the despecialised version is a wonderful quality version of a classic 70s movie. Watching a version pretending to have been made in the past 20 years feels odd. The original version of the film has an old school charm which is muddied by the alterations in the so-called "Special Edition".
A+
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Despecialised Edition
I've always had issues with Empire. The big twist confused me when I was younger and still seems a little dumb. Also I've always felt irritated by the way they don't just go back and rescue Han Solo. I know they couldn't really do that, but they never state out loud why.
On the one hand, I'm glad there's no tacked on ending like in Peter Jackson's "Fellowship Of The Ring" where the characters tell each other that they'll succeed in the end. But on the other hand there's not really a cliffhanger or a mini-arc. The story just stops with Luke and Leia staring into space.
Oh and Boba Fett's popularity is mystifying. He tracks a ship and that's about all he does. What's with all the fans? Does it all just come down to the popularity of the toy when this movie first came out?
While the scenes with Yoda are cool and the way they expanded the mythology is interesting, the initial scenes with Han Solo and Leia hiding in Cloud City drag a bit. Lando is a welcome addition to the cast, but I actually wish they'd used him a bit more.
But the final confrontation between Luke and Vader is awesome. The background sets, the music and the whole way it is framed makes this scene very powerful and memorable.
Criticisms are generally pretty minor but this is nevertheless a film which relies on the quality of the follow-up. As far as awkward middle films go,
however, this is how it's done.
A+
Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi (1983) - Despecialised Edition
Well immediately the despecialised edition corrects a big issue for me. Possibly the biggest issue I have with any of the special editions: Jabba The Hut's resident rock band. Quite apart from the way the CG has quickly dated and quite apart from how poorly the band fits with the style and tone of Jabba's palace, my biggest problem is the way the band detracts from the murder of one of Jabba's dancers. It's a particularly memorable moment for me. We see her decide to attack this is alien monster and we see her fall to her doom when it looked like she was winning. And the overemphasised cartoon band that is inserted into the special edition just serves to practically camouflage that whole dramatic moment.
I'm not sure how much else was changed in the special edition, but I definitely feel very pleased with the despecialised version of this opening. C3PO and R2D2 are on top form as they come to give a message to Jabba. And when Luke turns up wearing all black and force chokes the guards this is a very dramatic way to show how his character has changed since the last film. Now a serious master of force powers rather than a whining trainee.
Admittedly the rest of the story doesn't live up to the intro. While I very much enjoy the tribal ewok aliens and the landspeeders zipping between the trees, the story is more focussed on Luke than on Han or Leia. Lando has a ridiculously small role and so while he is the main character in the attack on the Death Star (they are doing THAT again) the big space battle isn't as exciting as it should be.
The arrival of the Emperor is very cool and Ian McDiarmid is awesome in the role. While Samuel L Jackson and Ewan McGregor's performances would come off a little flat in Lucas' prequels, Ian McDiarmid remains deliciously hammy throughout - and it all starts here in Return Of The Jedi.
I'm not entirely sold on this idea that Vader still has good in him. Neither am I convinced that killing Vader, a viscious killer who regularly murders his own men while pushing forward the military wing of a horrifying oppressive regime, would instantly turn Luke to the dark side. Luke has shot down goodness knows how many enemy ships filled with ordinary enemy soldiers, but for some reason killing Darth Vader is the end of the world. It's certainly a surprising route for the story to take. Still, I'm not going to knock ROTJ just for its bizarre philosophy, just like I don't hold it against The Dark Knight that Batman would rather crash his motorcycle than kill a serial murderer who evades the police at every turn. Overall Jedi is a fun and iconic film, with an incredible opening act and some very inventive aspects.
A+
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Starts off a little haphazardly. Max Von Sydow appears in the opening scene and disappears all of a sudden and Oscar Isaac is left to awkwardly talk to a robot as if it's a person. However, we are then introduced to the new villain who does more than just strut about in a cool costume and force choke people. He's genuinely creepy and has some new tricks. The actor will be familiar to many and I found it very intersting the way his human face jars with the creepy super-evil persona.
The evil forces in Star Wars have always been fascists and to play the more typical black-shirted space-Nazi is Domhall Gleeson, at one point going into a full-on passionate screaming anti-democracy Nazi rally speech. Another cool baddie is played by Game Of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie taking on the role of the first ever explicitly female stormtrooper.
The first half of the movie is remarkably inventive and we are introduced to our two most central characters. My personal favourite is John Boyega who has a casual humour akin to Harrison Ford's performance in the original trilogy, yet isn't so cocky. In spite of the obvious comparison, he strikes me as the most unique character of this new instalment.
I feel the film begins to go a bit downhill when Harrison Ford makes his reappearance into the franchise. It's not bad at all and still feels very much like the old Han Solo, but Ford keeps giving knowing looks which remind us that this is all just a performance. Still I feel like Chewie is better than ever, having some very funny moments.
The worst performance in the entire film has to be Carrie Fisher. She has a whole load of expositional lines to be delivered in a moving way alongside Harrison Ford, but the two of them have no chemistry and where the attempts to fill us in on the story so far are distinctly lacking in depth.
Overall this is an exciting extravaganza and in first half there were action sequences which compelled a reassuring series of excited giggling fits from me.
While I started out loving the characters, including the new beepy robot, the script gives them rather less opportunity to develop in the second half. Instead there are some somewhat unconvincing plot revelations which have only limited importance in this particular movie.
Is "The Force Awakens" better than the prequels? Undoubtedly so. Despite a daft title which I never felt paid off, this is a lot of fun. The incredibly exciting action sequences, particularly in the first half, make up for a distinct lack of character development or compelling plot points in the second. It might be questioned why I am rating this higher than JJ Abrams' first Star Trek movie. While both films are extravaganzas which focus more on moment to moment excitement, Star Wars has to sell us on brand new characters and I was more caught up in the action. Force Awakens also doesn't suffer in the villain department like Star Trek did.
I also personally found this to be a distinct step up from this year's lacklustre Bond film.
B+
