Topic: original theatrical version.

[JDeck]

  I bought a used copy of Return of the Jedi in all its unaltered glory. This was the best Star wars purchase I've made in 18 years. I really don't mind the substandard picture quality, it adds a bit of charm to the movie. I had gotten to the point where the Blueray version was irritating to watch. There was just too much added crap between the digital Max Rebo band, the dumb looking Venus flytrap in the sarlaac pit, the blinking Ewoks, that Hayden Christensen guy added at the end and of course the infamous Nooooo!. I always loved the original ROTJ and I'll never watch any other version again. I suggest to anyone if you haven't seen the unaltered versions of our favorite movies lately do yourself a favor.

[Goldleaderone]

I wish we could just buy our own copies of the films, but pick and choose what we want. I love the new scenes in the space battles, how the ships fly so close to the camera, but then I'd like to have Han shooting first.

[JDeck]

I hear you there. What would be great is if Disney took the original Theatrical version cleaned up the picture and the sound. Add the cool explosions and altered space scenes and that's it. I even like the "Yub Nub" song as opposed to the "celebration song" ESPECIALLY after they added Jar Jar freggin Binks at the end with the Naboo celebration. I would go for a pure form of Star Wars, and I think most fans would too.

[Tamer]

Yes, I like the battle stuff, but not so much the other myself.

[JDeck]

I got my Original Theatrical release Star Wars episode IV A New Hope, or what I refer to as simply Star Wars. Watching it now in all its Han shoots first greatness. After watching the special editions for so long seems a little odd, but I love it. All those added scenes and so forth didn't add anything to the story. In doing that they cut little tid bits of the original movie that aren't in the SE version, to make room. The part that irritated me the most about the SE was the added Jabba scene, it added absolutely nothing to the story. Its the exact same dialogue Han had with Greedo. And if I were the most feared gangster in the galaxy I wouldn't let some smuggler step on my tail and leave without paying me. I'll still watch the blue ray version from time to time, but its great to see Star Wars again in its original theatrical glory.

[Goldleaderone]

I agree 100% with you on the Jabba scene. I was about to say it added nothing to the story, and just repeated the Han/Greedo scene but you beat me to it lol. The added scene with Jabba makes him less menacing now when you see him in ROTJ.  Pre-Special Edition you had no idea who Jabba was, so there was always that uncertainty.

They should have left the Biggs and Luke scenes in at Anchorhead. It really would have added to Biggs' death later in the movie.

[JDeck]

Yes, exactly. Jabba's scene took away the mystery and anticipation of Jabba from ROTJ. And yes they should have left the Anchorhead scene. Because seeing Star Wars when Biggs and Luke have their reunion you think "who's that guy?".

[Goldleaderone]

I saw a post somewhere, it summed up basically how I felt about Biggs' death.

Before reading EU material:  Meh, another pilot lost.
After reading EU material:  OMG NO WHY??!!

[JDeck]

I know right, I remember thinking why are they playing sad music for him and not the others, why not Porkins.
Personally I like the look of the original ILM x-wings instead of the CGI. In 1997 CGI wasn't that great looking anyway. To me there is something about the models that look physical.

Its seems to me in watching SW and ROTJ I notice more details. It sounds crazy but meybe its because I'm not distracted by the flashiness. The High Definition is nice and all but this movie was never meant for it, the way it was filmed. You notice Leia's bad makeup (ROTJ, her eyelashes were all stuck together), unnoticeable in the theatrical version. and Vader's helmet seems poorly painted in HD. Unnoticeable in the theatrical version.

I'm not sure if I'll get Theatrical The Empire Strikes Back, I actually think they did a great job revising that movie. I just like the original Cloud City model, only because somebody actually made that thing, and all the little buildings and so forth. And to replace it with CGI is a shame.

[JDeck]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K8_2rzOvPDs
    I came across this Gene Siskle review of ROTJ. The interesting thing is at the end they interview Mark Hammel and they mention briefly episode 7 and the prequels. Hammel also references Buster Crabbe. He was the Olympic swimmer who played both Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Its pretty cool.

[JDeck]

   I watched the Ewok adventure made for tv movie caravan of courage, for the first time in many many years. I thought I would hate it before seeing it. The last time I saw it I had a much different  perspective on movies than I do nowadays.  It's a great little story about two lost children Mace and Cindel, who's parents were captured by the giant Gorax. With a caravan of Ewoks they seek to save their parents. The original air date was November 25 1984. The movie is supposedly set sometime between Star Wars and ROTJ. Its more of a fairy tale than the Science fiction/ fantasy genre of Star Wars. A lot of magic, which could be a misinterpretation of the force perhaps. Yes the acting is terrible, and  the special effects aren't as great as ROTJ.  The fake spiders I thought were awesome when I was a kid look very fake, you can even see the fishing line they use to move it.  For a made for tv movie it wasn't  bad. If you  were a kid in the 80s or a big OT or ROTJ fan, I'd watch this movie as an adult, or watch it with you kids, its a classic story set in a Star Wars like frame. 

      There's a lot of debate over whether or not Caravan of courage is canon.  I cant say its all canon, however it explains a lot of how the Ewoks were able to defeat the Empire in ROTJ. Originally the Gorax was to appear in ROTJ to explain that the Ewoks used traps set for the Gorax  against the AT-STs.  Also, like I said meybe all the magic was a misinterpretation of the force. Kaink wielded what I would describe as a kyber crystal that shoots energy beams at his enimies. I would say that having force sensitive Ewoks isn't a far stretch, they are down to earth and at one with nature.  So I would say the basic premise of the movie is canon, but not the details

[Tamer]

I have that somewhere, I need to dig it out and watch it this Xmas season.

[JDeck]

   I watched Ewok adventure Battle for endor yesterday. I  remember watching it a long time ago, but I couldnt remember any details. I kind of like it better than Caravan, but it has more magic and Wilford Brimley is constantly yelling,  other than that it was a neat movie. I found myself laughing at some of the stupid jokes. Wicket is pretty badass, he fights a dragon and commands an army of ewoks to fight those reptilian marauders. But he speaks english throughout most of the movie, that's kind of dumb, but at least you know what he's saying. I thought it was crazy how they killed off that girl's entire family in the first ten minuets, that makes caravan kind of pointless.
    I watched it twice because the first time I fell asleep.  I heard they wanted this movie to resemble Heidi , I remember having to read it in 3rd grade, wasn't a real big fan.