Star Wars the Despecialized Edition

[Werewolf]

Impressive fan project to restore the original theatrical edition of Star Wars.

Besides the cringe worthy CGI changes this shows what an abysmal restoration and transfer Lucasfilm had done for the Blu-Ray release. Most noticeably the pink skin tones and many scenes being way too dark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHfLX_TMduY

[johnmiic]

Amazing that fans can do this at home and restore the film to its original state.

[jimsmegos]

Amazing. The level of talent that went into that is amazing buut the love and dedication to such a massive undertaking is mind blowing.

[MIB41]

Wow! I would love to get a copy of that. Looks really incredible. When you think of all the artists who have worked on special effects films, it's not surprising that some of them have gone "rogue" and jumped into these custom projects. It really demonstrates how much money is behind these changes that studios make and not for artistic expression.

[enyawd72]

I think a lot of what they're showing as "bad" on the blu-ray is extremely exaggerated. I have that set, and I never thought the skintones looked too pink, or the picture wasn't bright enough.
Could even be the color/brighness settings on whatever TV they're using.

[MIB41]

I think a lot of what they're showing as "bad" on the blu-ray is extremely exaggerated. I have that set, and I never thought the skintones looked too pink, or the picture wasn't bright enough.
Could even be the color/brighness settings on whatever TV they're using.

That's a good point. But the clean up on removing the CGI characters was a nice touch. In my mind, if Lucas had just cleaned up the original print and kept the effects visually the same (but with current technology), that would have been sufficient. It's when he starts tinkering with the scenes that you begin to lose some of that identity. The original Star Wars should still retain that 70's charm without getting bogged down in CGI glut. I think how they enhanced the original Star Trek TV series is a good guide. You can update the effects while still keeping them compatible with the look of the show. What they did there absolutely breathed new life into that series. The old effects are no longer a distraction. The new ones simply allow me to stay in the story because they match the look and don't pull me out of the narrative.

[enyawd72]

That's a good point. But the clean up on removing the CGI characters was a nice touch. In my mind, if Lucas had just cleaned up the original print and kept the effects visually the same (but with current technology), that would have been sufficient. It's when he starts tinkering with the scenes that you begin to lose some of that identity. The original Star Wars should still retain that 70's charm without getting bogged down in CGI glut. I think how they enhanced the original Star Trek TV series is a good guide. You can update the effects while still keeping them compatible with the look of the show. What they did there absolutely breathed new life into that series. The old effects are no longer a distraction. The new ones simply allow me to stay in the story because they match the look and don't pull me out of the narrative.

I'm totally with you there..the remastered Trek on blu-ray is simply one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. The amount of work put into it is staggering too. We're tslking 80 one hour episodes versus 3 two hour movies.

[MIB41]

^^^ Exactly. I started seeing those Trek episodes on Me-TV and was so impressed with the tastefulness of the enhancements, I'm buying the box sets now. But with the Star Wars brand, I'm beginning to understand why Lucas sold off ownership. The next trilogy feels like a creative trap. One of the greatest sci-fi villains of all time is now gone. Who do you build this narrative around? Luke? Does he pick up his father's legacy? Do they try to reinvent Vader and have him suffer his own "accident" as an excuse to wear the helmet? Or does someone else put it on as a tribute to his legacy? Or do they build a whole new villain to compete with the Vader legacy? And how will fans react? Will it be too derivative? Will fans say Lucas would have done it different? Of course I think the story, structurally speaking, will be ten fold better than anything Lucas ever conceived in his prequels. I'm just not sure if the fan base will buy into what is now a Disney product. Just replacing the Twentieth Century Fox drum intro with a fairy spinning around the Disney Castle might make some diehards lower their heads. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

[ctc]

>It's when he starts tinkering with the scenes that you begin to lose some of that identity

Agreed. Sometimes you HAVE to let things go. You can't keep refreshing the film, and you shouldn't try. It is what it is, no matter how many stormtroopers you dub in. And there's NOTHING WRONG with what it is.

A lot of the updates felt more like a marketing ploy than an attempt to improve the film. "Look! It's old, but NEW!" I guess that shouldn't have surprised me, considering Ewoks. Not that I think they were horrible when Jedi came out.... I liked 'em fine, and so did everyone else. The hate came afterwards, when our answer to "what next?" was Ewoks, Ewoks, Ewoks. KIDDIED Ewoks at that. (Don't forget, in the film the little guys are cannibals.) Which felt like a ploy to lure in the next gen of fans, rather than an expansion of the story.

>The next trilogy feels like a creative trap.

Definitely. Not just 'cos it's going to come with a LOT of baggage from it's predecessors, but because the fans are going to come in with HUGE expectations. Expectations that I don't think could EVER be fulfilled.

>Who do you build this narrative around?

Jaxxon. Especially if Rocket is the breakout character from the "Guardians of the Galkaxy" movie.

>Do they try to reinvent Vader and have him suffer his own "accident" as an excuse to wear the helmet?

Haw; maybe. That's what it felt like with Maul.... although nowadays they'll probably reinvent Fett. There ARE zillions of him running around the galaxy, after all.

>And how will fans react?

With rage and bile; venting for every slight, real and percieved that Lucas ever made against them. MONTHS before the films actually come out.

One thing weird; with everything they've mined to death from the franchaise (they made an Ice Cream Guy figure!) I'm surprised they haven't mined anything from the Holiday Special. (Imagine a line of action figures?) I wonder if it's still verboten now that Lucas sold the rights. (Disney exec: "We need to skew to a younger crowd.... Say, a holiday special.... perfect!")

Don C.

[Werewolf]

I think a lot of what they're showing as "bad" on the blu-ray is extremely exaggerated. I have that set, and I never thought the skintones looked too pink, or the picture wasn't bright enough.
Could even be the color/brighness settings on whatever TV they're using.

I have the Blu-Ray set too and the first thing I thought was "What the!? Why is everybody pink!?" I guess you might not notice it if you haven't seen the theatrical cut from the bonus DVD from the 2008 DVD in a while. But, yeah, it really is that bad.

Plus, the inside of the Sand Crawler is so dark you can't seen droids in the background anymore.

[Werewolf]

I'm surprised they haven't mined anything from the Holiday Special.

Holiday Special Boba Fett.

http://www.rebelscum.com/TAC24bobaanimated.asp