A Great Disturbance in the Force

Good night, everyone. How goes this fine Sunday of yours? I hope you enjoyed it - as today's the last Sunday (and therefor the last weekend) of summer, it'd be sad if you foolishly decided to be like me and miss out on a nice and sunny day (at least it's sunny here in my part of California) by spending it at work and making less-than-living wage. Of course, that's not the only thing depressing about this weekend...



Now, as most of you are already aware, the Star Wars saga is now available on Blu-Ray at retailers across the galaxy. Each trilogy (I-III; IV-VI) is priced at $44.99 each, but there's a special collector's pack as well. At a suggested retail price of $89.99 USD, the six-pack also contains three bonus discs filled to the brim with additional bonus content - documentaries, outtakes, deleted scenes from the original trilogy (something rarely seen), and the like.

The question that has been asked by fans across the galaxy is this:
Is the Star Wars Blu-Ray release worth it?



My answer to that question: NO. Actually, I take that back - my "no" isn't sufficient enough of a response. It does my opinion no justice. So, rather than complete that thesis statement with a lame and simple "no," I'll go ahead and use a picture I found on the Internet as (part of) my answer:

While his line's a well-known cliché by now, you can't help but agree with the good Admiral on this one.

Surprised by my response, huh? Most people that know that I'm a big Star Wars fan half-expected me to be all super-excited by the release of one of the greatest film series ever to be released. I will admit that the (re-)remastered footage of a space operatic saga and the overflowing addition of a gazillion bonus contents does sound appealing. However, when I found out that my cup runneth over with unnecessary changes to classics that should have been left alone, I found myself disgusted.

Now, my initial reaction to finding about about this (and when I began to type this entry up) was to go all out and nerdrage to the Interwebs (and thus, to no one) about how wrong this felt to me. While some of these changes are minor and further fix any cosmetic errors, some are just unnecessary and feel like George Lucas is just milking the franchise for all its worth. I felt that going "THSE CHAINGES SUXORZ OLOLOL!!11" would be (a tad) immature - I want to press light on this issue with a bit more refinement than most raging fans have probably used (if any). Thus far I assume that I have done that, and hopefully we can say the same for the rest of the entry. Regardless, at least this blog entry won't be a travesty that lives forever (unlike what Lucas has done).

Confused? Wondering what in the world was changed that got me riled up so much? Well, let's start with some (entertaining) backstory.



My early childhood was spent growing up at a time when the original trilogy was all that was out there, and (most) everyone that saw it adored it. Kids wanted to zip around, wanting to be Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian or Princess Leia and save the galaxy from the clutches of Darth Vader, the Stormtroopers, and the Empire. Maybe you just wanted to be Jawas and trade old "droids" (really just dusty vacuums and broken kitchen blenders) to "moisture farmers" or your parents or something. Hell - perhaps you were like me and wanted to be the Empire and/or all that was evil. You created a suit of armor that made you look "...a little short for a Stormtrooper" or negotiated with another evil associate about your latest prisoner (chances are, one of you decided to play as Boba Fett and said that your prisoner was "...no good to me dead."). Regardless of what your roleplaying consisted of, you know you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Then came the 1997 Special Edition - a VHS release where Lucas decides, "Hey; let's add cool-looking special effects and change some things to make it more awesome and epic!" According to some people, this is where Star Wars began to be contaminated with the greed and special effects technology that Lucas succumbed to over the years. While the original idea was to make some cosmetic changes that fixed some visual issues (e.g.: make the bland scenery of Tatooine and Mos Eisley more "alive" in A New Hope, the blue-screen transparency issues with the snowspeeders in Empire, and the more intimidating look of the sarlaac in Jedi), the producers decided, "Hey, while we're at it, let's change things around that would rile up the fans!"

Perhaps one of the most infamous of these changes is the cantina scene in A New Hope where Han Solo is confronted by Greedo (known through fan circles as the "Han Shot First" argument). As the Rodian (the name of Greedo's species) holds up Han at gunpoint and makes him aware of the newly-created bounty over his head, the sly smuggler slowly reaches for his own blaster and then roasts Greedo... wait. Wait, are you saying they changed it so that Greedo shoots first? Funny; I'm pretty sure that wasn't how the original theatrical release had it pegged. But according to the 1997 special edition, Greedo miraculously gets a shot off right before Han does him in.

Now, I was a tad upset when I first discovered this change. As a kid, I didn't notice it (all I remember thinking was, "Holy [insert "expletive" an eight-year-old would say here]; STAR WARS!!! *watches with fervor*." Then I got older... and wiser... and noticed that Han, in fact, no longer shoots first.

I, like others out there familiar with the basics of cinematography, found this to be destructive to Han's character development. Originally we viewed him as an anti-hero - what, with him being morally ambiguous and what not. But with this (what Lucas justified as "necessary" to make him more likable)... this just makes it more obvious that we're supposed to like him as a good person. No, I remember liking him because he was the adventurous rogue with questionable motives (I honestly thought he was in it for the reward like Leia did).



Now, obviously there's other infamous changes made between then and now that I could go into (such as Hayden Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw in Jedi), but I'll refrain from doing so - stuff like that can be talked about on another entry. Instead, let's focus on this year's newest sham of a "deal" awesome release of Star Wars. Last Friday the space opera saga we all grew up to love (or hate, but if you did, then you're weird) was released on Blu-Ray. In-between the time Lucas announced the creation of this (which was August 14, 2010) and this past Friday, leaks began showing up - some fake, some real. Some of the changes people discovered while investigating these "leaks" were minor, while some were... "minor." (I'm sorry; did I say "minor?" I meant to say "subtle," because that's what the guys at LucasArts said. *shakes head*)

Take, for instance, the scene in Jedi when Darth Vader finally redeems himself. Emperor Palpatine's going all lightning-y on a helpless Luke Skywalker and it looks as though the Jedi has failed. Without warning, Vader grabs Palpatine and chucks him down the Death Star II's ventilation shaft, much to the bewilderment of Skywalker. There was little dialogue (Luke's agonized screams and the Emperor's sinister taunts were it) as Vader silently realizes that there is good in himself - the music (along with the Emperor's defeated screams) helped make that triumphant scene one of the most memorable of the saga. It's one of those moments a budding cinematographer like me notices... and a moment that is practically perfect as is.

Now, according to the new Blu-Ray version, Vader suddenly up and decides that saying "No. NOOOOOOOOOO!" (akin to his cheesy scream in Revenge of the Sith) would be a good thing to add. Not kidding. The saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." What, was Vader's "NOOOOOOOO" supposed to increase the already-heightened drama the scene built up beforehand? Was it supposed to be "poetic" and relate to his Revenge "NOOOOO" or something? Was it a giant trolling maneuver by Lucas to rile fans like me who like leaving classics alone because they're already great as-is?

I can't answer those questions with certainty, but I can say that it messes with Vader's character development. I remember growing up thinking how Vader was some badass in a black cybernetic suit who pretty much represented all things evil (and what could happen if someone were to follow a similar metaphorical road). In Jedi, Luke confronts him about this - he brings up the fact that Vader was once good in life and that he can still be redeemed despite his horrible actions in the past. Vader resists this well and goes so far as to say that "it is too late for me, my son," but as he watches Luke gets zapped by the Fire Lord the Phoenix King the Emperor, he slowly begins to be unable to stand it. He didn't even argue with the Emperor or anything throughout the electrocution process - he stood there, staring back and forth between Palpatine and the animated Joker Fire Lord Ozai Mark Hamill Luke, having an internal struggle with himself. This was noticeable by the audience without the need for awkward dialogue.

So, my question is: did you realize this, George Lucas? Did you honestly believe that adding this line would flesh out Vader's character any better than his silent internal struggle did? Vader knows the answer - he's screaming it at you in this updated scene. *rolls eyes*



That's probably one of the more prominent changes that I'll delve into. There's other changes, but I'm running out of time to talk about them. For your viewing convenience, it's all readable here on Wikipedia. For those of you too lazy to check the link and want to know a few other random things they changed, here's a brief list and my (brief) reactions to them:

- Greedo still shoots first.
Goddammit, Lucas! What did I say about leaving Han's morally ambiguous character alone!?

- Ewoks blink.
...weird. I'm used to their cute, cuddly eyes just staring at us. Now I can't say I lost to an Ewok at a staring contest...

- R2-D2 hides from Tusken Raiders behind conveniently-placed digital rocks.
Minor, but this now begs to ask: how did Artoo get through there so fast without bumping himself awkwardly and without the Tusken Raiders noticing a randomly pivoting astromech droid going through some rocks?

- Obi-Wan's dragon yell sound-thing sounds... scarier.
Mind you, I'm not talking about it actually sounding scarier... but something... uhm... disturbing. I-I'd rather not talk about it; I already know it's going to haunt me for some time.



When I said I'd be talking about this tonight at work, some of my friends (notably the Star Wars geeks) got into an almost-heated debate about all this. While some agreed with a few points I presented, others said they didn't mind. While I have to respect their opinions, I have to say something that I didn't say to them: I was looking at these changes from a cinematographer's viewpoint. As someone who studies film as a bit of a hobby, my view on movies obviously differs, but... that can be saved for a later date.





So, the moral of the story? The bottom line of this whole spiel? If you're a die-hard fan like me who doesn't like lobotomizing the wholesomeness of the Star Wars franchise, DO NOT BUY THE STAR WARS SAGA ON BLU-RAY.

*deep breath*