Return of the Jedi DVD Detailed Changes

JSDopefish writes "The DVD news site DVDanswers.com is back with its final installment (3 of 3) of the series by Chris Gould showing in detail the changes between some the various iterations of the Star Wars original trilogy movies. Chris has screen captures from the original, the 1997 remaster, and the 2004 DVD versions, plus some audio clips for you to check out. One of the best lists of changes, mostly because of the pictures. Some of the changes listed here are The Sarlacc monster, Lightsaber consistency (again), as well as new things like even more celebrations added to the end, and an appearance by Hayden Christensen. There is an existing Part 1 covering A New Hope, and a Part 2 that covers The Empire Strikes back as well."

Hated End Part

[Anonymous Coward]

The worst change by far is the adding of Hayden Christiansen to the 3 ghosts Luke sees at the end of the movie. Obi Wan didn't look like Ewan McGregor after he died, why did they make Anakin look like Hayden? Awful.

Re:Hated End Part

[Zog The Undeniable]

The corollary to that is that Darth Vader redeemed himself before he died (by heaving the Emperor into a big hole) and therefore he *should* appear as the Sebastian Shaw version of Anakin.

Re:Hated End Part

[ALeavitt]

Supposedly, the logic behind Anakin looking like Hayden Christiansen rather than Sebastian Shaw (who played the unmasked Anakin) is that the Jedi ghosts would appear as a light Jedi did at death. When Anakin became Darth Vader, the good Jedi who was Anakin was destroyed. Therefore, from a certain point of view, when Anakin "died" he looked like Hayden Christiansen, hence the ghost of Hayden.

Re:Can you still get the original trilogy?

[TopShelf]

Just give these latest editions a few years to run through the sales cycle, and we'll see a "Mega-Diamond Director's Special Blend Extra Virgin Original Version" wherein you not only get the original films but also the ability to insert your own face on top of characters in the movie, including the family dog as Chewie.

Re:Can you still get the original trilogy?

[hal2814]

The original VHS version will be out on DVD (or whatever the popular format is at that point) when Lucas dies and his estate cashes in by making money anywhere they can (see the estate of Charles Atkins or Philip K Dick for examples).

Steal them...

[wickedj]

Seriously, I have half a mind to buy some bootleg DVDs of the original trilogy out of Hong Kong. If Lucas is intent on stealing my childhood, I might as well steal them back.

I understand his need for perfection. I like to go back and tweak old code I've written. But not if millions of people are already adore the originals. If I were him, I would have at least left the option to have the original cuts on the DVDs.

Re:Hated End Part

[Minwee]

Shouldn't there be two ghosts then, one for the good young Anakin who dies in Episode III and one for the good older Anakin who died in Jedi?

forking Lucas!

[gosand]

Or is this still a sub-release?

I think it is clearly a fork.

Re:Can you still get the original trilogy?

[geminidomino]

In many interviews, the "fucked" versions are what George wanted the movie to be, but couldn't do it given the time/money constraints.

Then he's less of a genius than thousands of SciFi fanboys have made him out to be these last 20-odd years...

Re:Hated End Part

[aztektum]

But Vader was pulled back to the lightside before his death, hence his throwing the Emperor into the dark abyss.

It still stinks.

Re:Hated End Part

[Liselle]

I usually post this comment as AC whenever /. covers Lucas and his treatment of the original trilogy, but today the mods can spend some points elsewhere. It's a quote from the introduction of Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley:

"Chronic remorse, as all the moralists are agreed, is a most undesirable sentiment. If you have behaved badly, repent, make what amends you can and address youself to the task of behaving better next time. On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.

Art also has its morality, and many of the rules of this morality are the same as, or at least analogous to, the rules of ordinary ethics. Remorse, for example, is as undesirable in relation to our bad art as it is in relation to our bad behaviour. The badness should be hunted out, acknowledged and, if possible, avoided in the future. To pore over the literary shortcomings of twenty years ago, to attempt to patch a faulty work into the perfection it missed at its first execution, to spend one`s middle age in trying to mend the artistic sins committed and bequeathed by that different person who was oneself in youth - all this is surely vain and futile. And that is why this new `Brave New World` is the same as the old one. Its defects as a work of art are considerable; but in order to correct them I should have to rewrite the book - and in the process of rewriting, as an older, other person, I should probably get rid not only of some faults of the story, but also of such merits as it originally possessed. And so, resisting the temptation to wallow in artistic remorse, I prefer to leave both well and ill alone and to think about something else."

Honestly, it requires no further commentary.

Re:Ewoks...

[Flibz]

Yeah, but ultimately isn't it a kids film?

That's not a criticism. I've heard some newer films slated for not meeting expectations lately: -

Alien V Predator - Fun film, no content, no oscar winning performances. Who cares? I, for one, wasn't expecting Shakespearean quality acting and depth of plot.

Van Helsing - Disappointing because I expected something with more calibre and got appalling dialogue. If I'd been expecting it I wouldn't care. But I wasn't.

Scooby Doo - appalling film, based on a fairly bad (totally out of ideas) cartoon. Both enjoyable.

My advice, know your movie. Don't go to watch "Cat in the Hat", whilst expecting to see "Last Passion of the Christ". You're only ever going to be disappointed...

Re:Hated End Part

[tuffy]

The idea's really childish and stupid.

Yes, but Lucas did say that he was trying to bring the original films more in-line with the prequels. He's just adding consistency by making all of it really childish and stupid.

Re:Hated End Part

[nine-times]

BTW, do you think after WW2 there were any Nazis left in Germany? They just quickly hid their uniform and stated they had always been against the empire...

If Hitler had been killed during a random battle, mid-war, when Germany was still generally doing well, do you think they would have been throwing a big party in Berlin with fireworks and yelling "Yea! We're free!"?