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Star Wars Prequels Media Movies

Star Wars Episode I DVD - October 16, 2001 235

Posted by CmdrTaco from the its-about-freakin-time dept.
linderdm writes: "The official Star Wars web site has an article confirming reports about the release date of October 16th for the Phantom Menace DVD. It looks like it will be a double DVD set with 6 hours of additional material, plus 7 new deleted scenes added to the movie." Lucas should have an option to view it in Phantom Edit mode. If that's unrealistic, maybe releasing ep IV, V and VI would be feasible? Please?
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Star Wars Episode I DVD - October 16, 2001 More

Star Wars Episode I DVD - October 16, 2001

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  • Re:Non-Jar-Jar (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    THX has nothing to do with Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS.

    THX is a set of technical standards established by (duh) THX for your Hi-Fi equipment. It works just as well with DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1.

    Check it out [thx.com]

  • Laser disc movies are almost as poor quality as vhs. Meesa think you've got the "new technology" placebo.

    Lay off the crack pipe, fella. Laserdisc is vastly superior to VHS. It's almost as good as DVD; DVD's advantages over Laserdisc is not really in terms of audio/video quality (DVD video is slightly superior, but the audio is slightly inferior, to Laserdisc, depending on the system used), but rather in terms of its small size, its use as a computer storage medium, and its ability to hold different versions or extra material which can be chosen by the viewer. DVD's advantages over Laserdisc are in terms of customer convenience. We will have to wait for High Definition DVD before we will see a medium that is vastly superior to Laserdisc, rather than marginally superior.

  • Great! (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Can't wait to download the Divx.DVDRip...
  • Bah. Most of it will be boring behind the scenes drivel. (Well, it'll be cool to watch, but I personally would consider it drivel after about an hour)
  • Well, save that annoying 60's-ish one I heard on the radio this morning..

    Hey! Gateway uses a Who song in one of their commercials! Only the greatest rock n' roll band to ever exist!
  • There's also the Abyss, with the release version and the director's cut (various scenes relating to world tension that were cut throughout the film).

  • Please oh please let it have the Phantom Edit! (Score:5)

    by Masem ( 1171 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:08PM (#139597)
    If only the DVD would have the so-called Phantom Edit version; for those that haven't heard of this, it's basically a fan's cut of the film but otherwise unmodified that strips out the fluff, mostly JarJar and some pointless Anakin scenes. For example, the entire underwater scene from the JarJar's city to the other side of the planet is gone.

    As it was covered in the Chicago Tribune a few days ago, I remember the the critic gave it a 1/4 star less than the 3.5 stars that the untouched version had; the edit was much more refined and moved well, but lacked some of the magic that the original had. Rumor has it that Lucas has seen this, and while not allowing it to be distributed publicly, acknowledges that it's a good edit, but not as good as his original vision.

  • I'll have to take a look at it, hadn't seen it on DVD. Another recent movie that came out was Dungeons and Dragons. Being an ex gamer, I was interested in the movie needless to say, but the scenes they cut actually ruined the movie. Once I saw them I can't for the life of me understand why in the heck they cut them, beyond one due to cost constraints..

    Hopefully some of these new scenes will be equally interesting..
  • This is GREAT! I always like to get the DVDs for movies, 'spec when they include cut footage. I often find that many movies have really good scenes that where cut from the actual movie due to time/space, etc..

    Anyone have any idea what scenes may be extended, or what we may have missed entirely?

    The commentary is also well worth it. It's funny to hear what the creators think about scenes, and getting those tasty little nuggets about why something is the way it is, often things you never would have thought of..
  • I gotta say, I never saw any lightsaber rechargers onboard anything I ever saw.. 8-) Would be funny to see.

    'Han, do you mind if I use your lighter adapter, gotta plug something in..'
  • I believe a power rating was specified for THX at either 100 or 110 watts across the front three channels. There are a bunch of other requirements, as well, such as full-range speakers up front (no sub and sattelite configuration) http://www.thx.com/consumer_products/home_faq.html is a good place to start...
  • and I still wouldn't get it. The thing about DVDs is that you go to the effort of the purchase only for those movies that you want to see more than one time. It's simple Mr. Lucas - we want the real Star Wars movies on DVD, you know, that stuff about Chewie and the Death Star.
  • You forgot the step where he releases a "Special Edition" with a few "minor improvements" that have the effect of changing the entire story line and fundamental definition of one of the main characters (Han Solo vs. the bounty hunter in SW:AHN).

    sPh

  • Re:I'm surprised... (Score:5)

    by sphealey ( 2855 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:39PM (#139604)
    In the original edition, when the bounty hunter confronts Han Solo in the bar, Solo shoots him under the table in cold blood. Establishing that for all his rough and loveable exterior, he is a cold-blooded mercenary at heart. This colors his entire relationship with Leia and his decision to return and helt the Alliance.

    In the Special Edition, Lucas adds a few seconds where _the bounty hunter fires the first shot_, turning Solo from a ruthless mercenary to just another guy defending himself in a tough world.

    That's a bit of a change, don't you think?

    sPh
  • This is probably the biggest reason why Classic Mac OS crashes less than Win9x.

    I used MacOS9 for about two weeks, it crashed far far more often then Win95 and Win98 did for me. Then I got the OSX public beta, and only had two crashes in as many months. Then the OSX release, which I think has had two crashes in 3(?) months, but has refused to unsuspend maybe three times (which may not be a crash, but is about as bad -- I can ssh in, but I don't really know what to kill to fix it, I can do a clean reboot though).

    One of the OSX PB crashes was from me doing a 'umount -f' which shouldn't cause a panic. Doesn't cause a panic in any of the BSDs I've used. One of the OSX full releases was me retesting that.

    In my (short!) experience OS 9 is less stable then Win9x. Mac OSX is far more stable, but still not as stable as a "real" Unix :-)

  • SIX HOURS?? (Score:4)

    by pergamon ( 4359 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:01PM (#139606) Homepage
    That's a lot of additional material.

    It seems *someone* thinks pretty highly of their little movie.
  • X-men lets you watch it with cut scenes spliced in... it's not seamless (there's some seek time) but it's pretty cool none-the-less.
    --
  • I hope this announcement is more accurate than the Back To The Future DVD announcement [bttf.com].

    I'd think twice before getting too excited about a DVD release announcement.

    Now that Star Wars will be released, any word on the LOTR DVD boxset yet? ;-)

  • Actually, the chances that DTS will be on there are about slim to none. Lucas has this little thing called THX he'd rather have you listen to.

    Wouldn't a THX mastered DTS track still sound better than a THX mastered DD5.1 track?

    As long as THX isn't supported by the average home cinema setup, there is no reason to not put a DTS track on it. (unless my first assumption was wrong, of course)

  • It is, it's from the official Star Wars website, not a fan-site or rumor site.

    The Back To The Future announcements were no(t all) rumours, there have been several official announcements from Amblin and Universal.

    But I haven't heard any story so ridiculous as the BTTF one so I guess it is very likely these discs will indeed be out this fall.

  • Meesah thinks I will rent it. I'm not interested in purchasing all of the itterated versions of Star ars that Lucas always tries to sell...
  • The only reason I bought a DVD player originally, was becuase I naively thought "heck yes the Star Wars Trilogy will be on disc.." It never occurred to me that the company that pioneered digital effects, and now is the first to actual film a full length movie staright onto digital media, would not also be among the first to release the damm things onto a digital medium. I mean, half of the Star Wars trilogy is John Williams' fantastic score, together with the extra load, extra bass soudn effects that rattled your part digested pop-corn as Vader's star destroyer went past at the beggining of episode IV. I already have 2 copies of each movie on tape, but lets face it - tape sucks. I mean, who now buys music on tape? (unless they just play it in the car) The damm things wear out so fast, and are not brilliant in the first place. I went to all the troible of buying a large widesreen screen, DVD player, Dolby decoder and 5.1 speakers and I'm still waiting to watch the very films that were crying out for it.

    I'd go to the cinema to watch them again definitely, but they are not always on when I want to watch them (read never). Besides - I have developed a hatred of the cinema experience - you can't smoke, pause the film to make coffee, and there is a distinct lack of sofas in every cinema I've been in. Also, there are the usual people throwing pop-corn, kicking me in the back of the head, rustling those specially designed 150Db packets made only for cinemas, talking away explaining the plot to their thick friends, and so on. Not to mention the odours that some of them give off... And do they make the seats that uncomfortable on purpose? The final irony, is that if you are real unlucky, you are so close to the damm screen you get whiplash following the action, and you can see that hair the camera operator missed on his lens.. some films I've seen in cinemas looked like they forgot to turn up the colour, and were so scrathed youd think they were half a century old.

    So. I'd like the next best thing in my house, where I can lie back on my sofa, smoke on, and adjust the damm picture. DVD's unlike film or VHS tape, do not wear out.

    One final thing - I couldn't care less for "additional features" - I don't give a s*** about how many hours some guy spent in make up - its a FANTASY - I don't want to see behind the curtain ffs! I know its not real - don't rub it in :P

  • Um, that's like saying that someone has nothing against black people if they are willing to profit from their labor. The friends of Open Source aren't the people who use it, they are the people who contribute to it. After all, even Microsoft uses it.
  • October 16th is my birthday, so this is kinda good news. I don't, however, think I'll be spending $50 on this. $30, maybe, $25, definitely, $19.99, I'll buy two. But not for $50.
  • Well, you'd have to get the video before they added Jar Jar, but this video would probably be lacking some of the other special effects, it could be done, but to do it properly you'd need some sort of Industrial Light and Magic :)

    ---
  • A website for people to whine about George Lucas not releasing a DVD ! Wow, how pathetic !
  • Magic? The omnipresent heavyhanded marketing "magic"? The softshoe blackface minstrel show "magic"? The Pepsi tie-in "magic"? The endless pedantic exposition "magic"?

    Lucas is a 100% talent-free hack, the movie was as diverting as reading the fine print on a Taco Bell placemat, and any editing applied to that turgid, craptacular "entertainment" would be greeted with hosannahs of welcome, although, in truth, having lost two damn hours of my summer to Lucas' "vision" (doubtless of the $1000 bills he lights his cigars with), I'm off the teenage hypertrophied wish-fulfillment fascist-allegory space-operas for good. Until, that is, Part II.

    Peace,
    (jfb)
  • ISTM I read an article (on The Digital Bits [thedigitalbits.com], I think) that said the DVD was going to include two versions of the film: the release version, plus a second version that's identical except for having *no special effects* (i.e., all blue screen). Maybe that's the kind of thing only a film student would care to see, but I'm kind of disappointed that this won't be part of the package. I would pay extra to have both versions to compare side by side. In fact, if there is anything to the rumour, I hope Lucas announces it before October 16 so I can decide whether to hold off for that version.

  • Re:Episode I (Score:3)

    by ElrondHubbard ( 13672 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @04:56PM (#139619)
    I just don't understand what you mean when you say the film is poorly done. Obviously you don't mean on the technical level; the effects are all but flawless.

    "No plot"? Episode I has a plot that works on a number of levels: straightforward adventure, political intrigue, character interaction... The film is very well constructed. Look at the ending: four separate plot threads taking place in separate locations are intricately intercut and interwoven seamlessly. I also want to draw attention to the mystery aspect of it: that is, the mystery of Darth Sidious' identity. Of course everyone knows who Darth Sidious *really* is, but imagine you'd never seen the previous movies -- could you figure out the truth just from what's on the screen in Episode I? You can if you're paying attention, all the information is there, hiding in plain sight. Likely as not I would have missed it if I hadn't known.

    The film has some obvious flaws. Plainly the first hurdle that most people face is Jar-Jar. This isn't a problem for me, since I don't care about Jar-Jar one way or the other; I just accept him as what he is, which is comic relief. And yes, some of the dialogue his hokey, particularly Anakin's. How much of the dialogue in the previous films was *not* hokey? A worse flaw is the missed opportunity to establish Anakin's anger management problem: specifically, there was a scene cut from the film where he attacks a much younger Greedo after the Rodian accuses him of winning the pod race by cheating. I don't understand why Lucas left that scene out; maybe the movie was running long.

    Sometimes I just get the idea that the people who heap scorn on Episode I are just disappointed that it didn't overwhelm them like Episode IV did back when they were ten years old. Either that or I wonder if they saw the same film I did (several times, I might add).
  • It is, and it was (at least in Italian).
  • Star Wards? Is that a futuristic department store that began it's life as Montgomery Ward's?

    --

  • Re:I'm surprised... (Score:3)

    by sharkey ( 16670 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @05:01PM (#139622)
    It WAS self-defense. Greedo had already stated that he was going to kill Han. What the change did was change the Han Solo character from a man who will do what he has to, (and have a good one-liner to follow), to one that waits until he is scared into action.

    Aside from all that, the addition of Greedo's shot was pathetic. It was amateurish, and made the special effects on the Sci-Fi Channel look polished in comparison. Lucas should have stuck with what was in the script, and not tried to cozy up to the bleeding-heart, keeping-yourself-alive-is-a-crime crowd.

    --
  • I would love to see the original cinema edition on DVD. I feel that some of the CGI that was added to the Episode 4 just didn't look right, for example Jabba or the creatures that the storm troopers were riding didn't walk right.
  • > When you first saw Star Wars Ep 4, did you doubt for one second that C-3PO was a real robot, Chewbacca was a real Wookie, and that Darth Vadar was a really real bad guy?

    > Credit where credit's due, Jar Jar is certainly real enough to actually hate. ;)

    Yeah, Jar Jar is a real action figure.

    --

  • Re:Non-Jar-Jar (Score:3)

    by Black Parrot ( 19622 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @02:01PM (#139625)
    > Anyone know how Jar-Jar gets translated into other languages? I mean, is it possible to make him sound as obnoxious in French or Japanese as he does in English?

    In the Jamaican edition he talks just like Prince Charles.

    --
  • how did the A New Hope SPecial Edition change the entire story line and fundamental definition of one of the main characters?

    I sure didn't catch that.
  • A half an hour to an hour? More like about 5 minutes, if we're lucky.

    I could have done with about 3 hours less of the pod race and a little bit more story. The whole Jedi Council thing was too rushed.

  • Comment removed (Score:4)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:03PM (#139638)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Sounds a lot like I do when people tell me about a new "book" that's coming out. I think it's preposterous that publishers intend for me to pay money for a book! It's just printed words arranged using a publishing program. Not worth it, in my book. So here's what I did:
    • Borrowed the book from a friend
    • Downloaded a pirated e-book version
    • Read the book
    • Returned the book and deleted the pirated e-book

    All of which I am allowed to do by fair use laws. Similarly, people are allegedly buying "compact discs," which consist of nothing more than pre-recorded music. That is nothing more than data! Simple, pure, data. I will not pay someone upwards of $10 for the privilege of listening to data that I could download for free.

    The thought that you would pay for such things. Ugh. If you can download it for free, you shouldn't pay for it.
  • ...is if the disc set were released regionless. That way, everyone would be able to enjoy the set, not just people in Region 1.
  • Thank you for the specifics concerning the whole situation surrounding the direction of Episode I. I wasn't aware of the situation, mainly because the film itself made me too ill to look into it; I was simply postulating as to why it might have been so bad.

    As far as McGregor and Neeson being bad actors: maybe they aren't. However, they were in Episode I, and here's why: there was no report between any of the characters (except for the small amount of sickening report between Anakin and the Princess, but that hardly reports). All the talking seemed quite dull, as if they were rattling off memorized lines. (I'll draw you to the schenes where the two Jedi meet JarJar, and where Gui Quan (or whatever the heck it was) explained to Anakin (what the heck are they doing calling him 'Annie' for? I mean, really people!) what metacloreans (wtf? this was pulled from which orifice? never mind that it's a weak take on metacondrea) were.

    Contrast the dialog and character relationship development to that of, say, the schene on the Falcon in Star Wars, right after the destruction of Alderaan, when Han is giving Luke a hard time, and they're conversing. Not terribly good acting, but a HECK of a lot better than Episode I. There was real human emotion and depth in the trilogy and it's characters, even in the non-humans! There was NONE of that in Episode I, really. That's what makes films good - the portrayal of human strengths and weaknesses through trials, the display of human emotion, and various other elements of life which we can identify with. The Gungans? What, exactly, did they add to the film besides an excuse to render something extra? Nothing.

    I could go on and on about the contrast between Star Wars and Episode I . They're black and white - two completely contrary films. While the Trilogy demonstrates what is good, and what all film artists seem to try and live up to now, Episode I seems to set a counter-example - don't effing do anything like it!

    -------
    Caimlas

  • Episode I (Score:3)

    by CAIMLAS ( 41445 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:41PM (#139649)
    I'm not trying to be a troll, or start a flame war... but I feel that Episode I really sucked. Not just "it didn't measure up to the Trilogy," but "this is so poorly done it's nearly indescent." There was no plot, no character interaction, Gore-like acting, totally meaningless dialog, and purely catchy items that little children would like. The Trilogy didn't do that - it had all of those items in excess (except for good acting - that was kind of lacking in the first one, I believe.)

    It makes one wonder what happened. I'm not sure of specifics, but I took a look at the credits for Episode I. Mr. Lucas didn't direct this film completely. It appears as if he had a 'co-producer' that did all the work, and simply ran it by George. Also, from my perceptions, they threw so much budget money and emphasis was thrown into special effects, that no time or effort was spent on picking good actors, or developing a coherrent story line.

    I have a hard time believing that the story behind Episode I was around since the initial Star Wars. It feels plastic and commericial, simply produced to sell toys. Even the key factor of the film - the special effects - grew terribly old by the end.

    So as to keep this somewhat on-topic... I was of the understanding that the Trilogy would be released at the same time as Episode I. I also ponder whether the 'extra material' is thrown in there so that adults can feel justified for buying the disk, due to the poor quality of the film. (Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Star Wars fan. I just really don't consider Episode I to be even close to Star Wars in any aspect besides the lightsabers.)

    -------
    Caimlas

  • Certainly not... an orbiting craft would take on the order of an hour to travel half-way around a planet (ignoring time for landing).

    Do you think you could travel ~6000 km/h in water? You'd vaporize the water around you due to the friction alone...

    Vacuum has its advantages....

    Doug

  • Re:Downloading "The Phantom Edit"? (Score:3)

    by arazor ( 55656 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:50PM (#139651)
    it was posted on the newsgroup
    alt.binaries.starwars for sure im downloading it right now :)
  • The article in question also speaks of "The Phantom Edit" .. however, my attempts at locating a copy online have failed miserably. Does anybody know where I can find a copy?

    ---
  • I've tried looking on gnutella, but the only thing that keeps coming back is DIVX copies of The Phantom Menace. (Even though I am searching for "The Phantom Edit". Go Figure.) Perhaps I am connecting to the wrong network, though ;-)

    ---
  • Would you be willing to contact me via ICQ? I'd like to get my hands on a copy, but, alas, I don't know ANYTHING about downloading stuff from newsgroups. >:)

    ---
  • There IS hope. Since Jar Jar never made an appearance in the first 3 movies (IV, V, and VI), we KNOW he has to die in the next two movies somewhere. =) *Grin*

    ---
  • it's basically a fan's cut of the film

    Ahh, but you neglect to mention that that "fan" is rumored to be none other than Kevin Smith [theforce.net] (though now when I look at that page, a month later, it says that he denies it. Still...).

    EditorsNet.com [editorsnet.com] has an interesting new story today with some interesting links. It was found by Brian G. and certainly sounds interesting:
    A mysterious video cassette containing a re-edited version of George Lucas' "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" has started circulating around Hollywood. Called "Star Wars Episode I.I: The Phantom Edit," the "special corrector's edition" challenges the vision of the original film. According to posts on an online Phantom Edit discussion forum, "The Phantom Edit" represents a better version of the story than the version that was released in May 1999, which has inspired strong negative feelings in many dyed-in-the-wool Star Wars fans -- including one dissatisfied fan who created a forum on the Internet called "Jar Jar Sucks So Hard I Can't Stand It!" The Razzies nominated "Phantom Menace" for a whopping seven "worst" awards, including worst picture of the year. (The film "won" for worst supporting actor for Ahmed Best, the voice of Jar-Jar Binks.)

    The posts on the online discussion board, which hail from the likes of "TrueJedi," "SW lover" and "wisejedi," range significantly in subject matter. Some posts are desperate pleas for ideas on how to get a copy of "The Phantom Edit." Some delineate the differences between the original and the unauthorized re-edit. And some muse on the possible identity of "The Phantom Edit's" mysterious auteur. Many suggest that the new cut is the handiwork of filmmaker Kevin Smith ("Clerks," "Dogma").

    Update wild_karrde chimes in:

    Don't know if you guys heard this yet or not, but newsaskew.com contacted Kevin Smith about "The Phantom Edit", and while he said he had nothing to do with it, he confirms that it DOES exist and he has seen it.

    The above being a quote of the article from TheForce.net [theforce.net].



  • Comment removed (Score:3)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:10PM (#139659)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Hmm... I only own one VHS copy of SWTPM, and already they are coming out with the DVD? How can George Lucas make any money if fanboys like me only end up buying 2 copies of his movies?

  • I can't believe that the 6 hours of additional footage and 7 deleted scenes are being released on the first DVD release. I mean, shouldn't it go a little more like:

    1. Original released
    2. Enhanced version with new super-duper THX2 sound
    3. A month later, re-release in theaters with the deleted (2 second) scence included
    4. Release of DVD with deleted scences
    5. Release of "limited edition" behind-the-scences DVD

    That would seem to follow better the George Lucas release schedule, don't you think?

  • Since they were cut from the film, the scenes had never been completed.

    Before anybody gets excited about new material in the movie, let's try not to forget that these scenes were deleted for a reason, and the Jar Jar scenes were left in.

    That should tell you how bad they probably are.

    "Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"
  • Top ten reasons to own an imac: Rip Episode 1 dvd and extra footage to hard disk. Make movie watchable. Laugh as thousands of warez monkeys trade internet edits and call people asking for DiVX rip of the official release lamers.
  • The real problem here is that under DMCA, a Linux program to dynamically show a Phantom Edit off a purchased Phantom Menace DVD would be illegal.
  • Nevertheless, THX is a standard for hardware too, and they love to keep adding to it. (thus THX 7.6534 requires 64 seperate loudspeakers and...) It's just good business; people keep upgrading to stay top-of-the-line, and THX collects licensing fees on every "THX certified" product.
  • Fans aren't angry simply because the film was bad. Bad films happen. Life goes on. Fans were angry because so much of Episode I was specificly tailored to spawn marketable products.
    Good point but I'd like to add one thing. I think the main reason fans were angry was because they felt betrayed.

    Eps IV-VI were teenager's films with little real depth. Fans who were teenagers when IV-VI came out are adults now and want to know the history of the Empire, how it came about, how it turned bad and why the Jedi couldn't/wouldn't stop it. They wanted a film with more intelligence than the action movies that were the first trilogy, because they have grown up.

    Instead they got a children's movie.

  • I'll only buy it if.. (Score:3)

    by Alkaiser ( 114022 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:54PM (#139693) Homepage
    It's 30 minutes of actor/director commentary, and 5 1/2 hours of them beating Jar Jar with sticks and apologizing for his existance.

  • Comment removed (Score:3)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @09:59PM (#139700)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Comment removed (Score:5)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @01:01PM (#139701)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Re:Downloading "The Phantom Edit"? (Score:3)

    by alanjstr ( 131045 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:17PM (#139705) Homepage
    Try gnutella (The Phantom Edit or TPE). I tried a google search and kept coming back with very nothing about it. I couldn't even find the denial on Kevin Smith's web site that he was the 'editor'. I'd certainly like to see it. There was a news blurb on Plastic.com [plastic.com] and my submission to /. about it got rejected ;-). You can try The Phantom Edit Fan Site [onecenter.com].

  • Here's what the extra content will be (Score:4)

    by alanjstr ( 131045 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:10PM (#139706) Homepage
    The Phantom Menace DVD set will include audio commentary by Lucas, an hour-long documentary on the making of the film, and featurettes about the plot, design, costumes, visual effects and fight scenes. The DVD extra will be seven deleted scenes, amounting to about 20 minutes of previously unseen footage. Since they were cut from the film, the scenes had never been completed. For the DVD, Lucasfilm and Industrial Light and Magic, Lucas' special effects operation, went back and finished them with full visual effects.
    Reuters [yahoo.com]
  • I find it funny that the same people that bitch & moan about George Lucas making changes to his movies when he releases (or re-releases) them on video, are often the same people that bitch & moan when their favorite movie's Dolby Stereo soundtrack isn't remastered into Dolby Digital 5.1.

    I agree with them that he shouldn't change the movie, because doing so ignores the fact that his "art" is made for the fans. However, I certainly don't see how they can complain that people don't update the soundtrack in the same way Lucas updates his films.

  • I was hoping for a Jedi Edition, which contains no Jar Jar, no Anakin, no Pods, and no Padme/Amidala. The only scenes included would be ones with lit light sabers or Yoda. If Lucas doesn't do this, I will see if I can do it in DivX.
  • George Lucas might make good movies but his attitude sucks.

    What do we do with people with a bad attitude? Do we give them money? Hell no!

    Here's what I did:

    - Rented the VHS copy
    - Downloaded a VCD of it
    - Watched the VCD in my DVD player
    - Returned the VHS copy and deleted the VCD

    all of which I am allowed to do by fair use laws. I never bothered to buy the VHS and keep the VCD after that as the movie wasn't good enough -- it was dumbed down for the lowest common denominator by Jar-Jar, and therefore ruined. Special effects aren't so special on VHS -- you need good acting and a good plot -- both of which Jar-Jar decimated. DVD, maybe, since special effects are better on DVD. But, of course, by now they are old news and not worth the cost of the DVD.

    That man will never see more than the rental price of his movie from me until he improves his attitude (by which, I mean, he needs to release the DVD at the same time or earlier than the VHS, or don't release either).

    To sum it up: Check your attitude at the door next time Lucas, and I'll by happy to buy your stuff. 'Till then I'll just laugh at the huge stock of old EP-1 tapes still at my local Costco.

    I know I have an attitude, but I'm the customer. That's my right. :-)

  • Are you kidding? Jar-Jar is gonna be a Jedi. Imagine how the kids will go ape for the clumsy Jedi, who can't ever seem to do anything right but somehow manages to save the day anyway... Puke!

    But seriously, I heard Jar-Jar will be getting PLENTY of screen time and an increasingly important role in the series. Double puke.
  • Enough to keep a Star Wars fan happy for some time.

    Enough to make a Star Wars fan try to swallow his or her own tongue in a fit of psychopathic rage and disgust, I'd say.

    It will be enough to make a Phantom Menace fan pretty happy though.

    On the day this comes out, I think I'll just watch Aliens. Again.
  • (but people don't complain about Tom Greens or Adam Sandler's antics)

    They certainly would if they showed up in STAR WARS, for Pete's sake. If you go to an Adam Sandler movie you know what you are getting into. Star Wars is supposed to be DIFFERENT than that.

  • You're slamming DD sound for no reason. DTS is a fine standard, but overhyped. I have the capability to decode both, and a good system to play 'em through, and there is precious little difference.

    Most of the time, DTS sounds a bit better just because it's a little LOUDER for the same volume knob setting. If there is some greate innate superiority, the mixing engineers on my DTS DVDs haven't tapped into it.

    If you can recommend a DVD where the DTS is clearly, far and away superior, to the point that your across the board DD slam is justified, I'd like to know.

  • That's all neat, but give me an example where the difference is obvious. There must be some DVD that comes to mind.

    Bah, I should have kept my mouth shut, the DD/DTS thing has started plenty of flamewars in the past.
  • Well, sort of.

    The two-disc set is priced at $ 29.98 in the U.S. and $ 41.98 in Canada.
    Assuming a currency exchange of 1.5 can$ to one us (overly pessimistic), the price would be C$44.97.
    Oh, but then, assuming thay you live in BC, or any of the other provinces where 14% sales tax is the norm, the total would be brought to a nice and cozy $47.86. This is, of course, assuming that you pay no income tax (har, har) to the Canadian Government.

    This brings up an interesting point.
    If a Canadian works for minimum wage ($7) that would equal about 6.8 hours of work. The american pays (assuming $6.50 minimum wage, at least in Oregon) 4.6 hours of work are required - both calculations made w/o income tax comparisons, etc...

    If Lucas expects me to work my ass off for seven hours to watch his fucking movie, he has to realize something - that his DVD set is priced too fucking high in Canada.

    Mind you, broadband access in canada runs about $40 a month, $40 in the states. Almost enough incentive for you to buy a cable/dsl line and download the Divx Rip, which, mind you, has been out a few weeks before the movie was.

    The slashdot 2 minute between postings limit:
    Pissing off coffee drinking /.'ers since Spring 2001.

  • I believe this article refers to the scene you are talking about.

    http://www.theforce.net/prequels/cutting_room9.sht ml [theforce.net]

    By the looks of things the scene was filmed (theres pictures there to prove it)

    OBI-WAN
     "Sorry, Master. The swamp fried my lightsaber."

    He pulled out his weapon. The business end was blackened and burned. Qui-Gon took it from him and gave it a curios inspection.

    QUI-GON
     'You forgot to turn off the power again, didn't you Obi-Wan?'

    OBI-WAN
     'It appears so, Master.'

    QUI-GON
    'It won't take long to recharge, but it will take some time to clean up. I trust you have learned your lesson, my young Padawan.'

    OBI-WAN
    'Yes, Master.'"

    --enditallnow
  • Well if you can find a bootlegger you can get a Jar jar less copy.

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,26745,00.htm l

    it's called the phantom edit and I've been scouring (no pun intended) for a divx version on gnutella wihtout success the past 2 weeks or so...

    apparently George wasn't amused:
    http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/0,1259,- -- 7033,00.html

    *Shrug*

    E.

  • Re:well that's dumb (Score:3)

    by catkinson ( 187577 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:09PM (#139739) Homepage
    According to the official announcement, the two disc set is going for $ 29.98 in the U.S. and $ 41.98 in Canada.
  • Kevin Smith is in the process of finishing his own next movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. We would he have found the time to do this too?

  • Petition. (Score:3)

    by ronny_magic ( 196859 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @11:58AM (#139743)
    I wonder if this [thedigitalbits.com] made a difference.

  • Deleted scenes (Score:3)

    by ronny_magic ( 196859 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:05PM (#139744)
    I read a pre-production script witha few extra scenes, for example one in which Obi-Wan lets his Lightsaber 'battery' run down, and another when their sub almost falls off a waterfall opon surfacing in Theed. Does anyone know if these were ever shot?
  • All these DVD extras kind of remind me of the Special Edition releases of Ep. IV thru VI a little bit before Episode I came out. It was nice to get my Star Wars appetite whet before the new (albeit disappointing) movie came out.

    Folks, realize that the Episode I DVD will come out just 7 months before Episode II is scheduled to hit the theaters (last I heard it was going to be May 19, 2002, 3 years to the day after Episode I came out).

  • Non-Jar-Jar (Score:5)

    by CoreyG ( 208821 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @11:58AM (#139753)
    I wonder if one of the language options will include a Jar-Jar free version.

    English Dolby Digital [5.1]

    English DTS [5.1]

    English Jar-Jar free

    English Subtitles

    French Dolby Pro Logic [2.1]

  • Also, from my perceptions, they threw so much budget money and emphasis was thrown into special effects, that no time or effort was spent on picking good actors...

    I'm sorry, I agree with most of what you wrote, but this is a sticking point! The original 3 Star Wars movies had only TWO great actors -- Harrison Ford and Sir Alec Guiness.

    Compare this to the actors for Episode I, especially: Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, Terence Stamp are all wonderful, and even Natalie "Hot Grits" Portman is pretty good.

    Sure, Jake sucks, but compared to Mark Hamill, who can complain?

  • View Options (Score:3)

    by ackthpt ( 218170 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:01PM (#139757) Homepage Journal
    Yeah, IV, V, & VI would rock, but question: Is there a DVD player made that has such a programmable option? I.e. Bladerunner the Directors Cut vs. the original cinema edition. Granted this would take some space, but with media improvements (we have now come to expect these, fail to give them and you a deathstar will be over to see you about it!) it's just a matter of time before all 6 episodes of Star Wars should fit on one disk, eh?

    --
    All your .sig are belong to us!

  • Re:Well (Score:5)

    by ackthpt ( 218170 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:12PM (#139758) Homepage Journal
    There have been some pirate dvds of The Phantom Menace already.

    At least this would be an official release with some extra goodies.

    Yeah, it would be great to have a copy without those two robots kibitzing all throughout the movie.

    Together I shall rule the world! -- Tom Servo

    --
    All your .sig are belong to us!

  • I've said this before in another Slashdot post (a long time ago, &c.), but I'll say it again, more emphatically. Jar Jar Binks is one of the only reasons THE PHANTOM MENACE is worth watching.

    He is, at least, a unique creation. Can you say that about any other character from the movie? Anakin Skywalker has little to do aside from playing the precocious brat. Qui-Gon delivers the occasional gnomic utterance and then dies. Young Obi-Wan twirls his lightsaber now and again. Amidala is barely a character. Darth Maul reprises the Jack Palance role from SHANE. Ian McDiarmid _does_ suggest unspoken depths to Senator Palpatine, as does Pernilla August to Shmi Skywalker, but Lucas doesn't develop either character; as it is, McDiarmid and August comes across as professionals stranded among amateurs.

    But Jar Jar...he's _interesting_. Yes, he's also annoying as hell, but even this trait, in a film populated with bland nonentities, is in his favor. Consider that Jar Jar is the only major character who isn't boringly supercompetent. Think about that. There's never any question, for example, about Queen Amidala's leadership. Here's a young, very inexperienced monarch, surrounded by older (and presumably more politically experienced) advisers, making rash decisions in the face of a grave threat from a foreign power; Lucas _could_ have explored these depths, but no. Amidala is never shown as anything but a strong and righteous leader with utterly devoted advisers; she's even good with a gun, while her enemies, the Trade Federation, are weak and cowardly. Even the fight scenes are boring, because the good guys are too good. Anakin is never in any credible danger, while the lightsaber fight between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Maul is more like a routine display of technical skill (and expensive special effects) than a tense battle between unevenly matched foes, as was the battle between Luke and Vader in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

    But Jar Jar isn't supercompetent; quite the opposite. Because he doesn't always do the right thing, he actually generates a little suspense in an otherwise bland movie--is Jar Jar going to do something which wrecks everything? He comes pretty close, a couple of times.

    He's even got a bit of depth going for him, which other characters don't have. We find out he's an outcast among his own people, and yet later he says to Amidala, "We're not going down without a fight. Gungans have a _grand_ army." There's something touching about this outcast still retaining a sense of pride for the people who have rejected him.

    And it's quite clear that the computer animators who created Jar Jar went ridiculously overboard; Jar Jar never stops moving, and even asleep, he's prey to involuntary gestures and nervous tics. But I found even this endearing. At least Jar Jar is never boring to watch.

    I think the real reason so many geeks loathe Jar Jar (as loudly and as excessively as possible) is because he _is_ a character for the children. Geeks hate children--having been, in many instances I suppose, children so recently themselves. I'm reminded of J. Michael Straczynski and "Babylon 5"; fanboys of that show delightfully took to heart JMS's avowed "no children" policy. But what was the point of that? It didn't make B5 any better a program.

    Anyway, up with Jar Jar Binks, I say. I hope that, despite the tremendous amount of vitriol flung in his direction after the release of THE PHANTOM MENACE, Lucas brings him back for the sequels. It would be almost a wise a decision as would be Lucas's committing Episode II to the hands of a different writer.

    hyacinthus.
  • Well I've been dying for Star Wars to come out on DVD for a long time...but i'm NOT going to buy this two disc set. WHY? Because lucas has already announced he has plans for a special boxed set. I keep hearing these responses saying "why oh why doesn't lucas include The Phantom Edit, or the extra seens branched into the movie?" The answer to this is simple guys, he's going to put it all in later so everyone who buys now will want to buy another edition later. Come on now doesn't anyone remember the twenty different VHS boxed set lucas released for the original Star Wars Trilogy?

  • Re:Episode I (Score:3)

    by TGK ( 262438 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @07:36PM (#139773) Homepage Journal
    I think you're missing the point in many ways. Episode I is not a "bad movie" because it dosn't measure up to the other SW films, and it's not a bad movie because it lacks plot. The fundamental problem with the film is not that it fails to measure up to IV V and VI, but that it simply is not intended as a continuation or a precurser to the trilogy. Now, before you all tell me I'm a nimrod for writing this, let me explain.

    Find the origional trilogy in a video store. See what it's listed under. Most places will list it under Sci-Fi, but smaller stores that lack such a section will list it as an action film. Now here's the kicker. Phantom Menace isn't listed as a Sci-Fi film. It clearly is, but it's listed under children's films.

    Fans aren't angry simply because the film was bad. Bad films happen. Life goes on. Fans were angry because so much of Episode I was specificly tailored to spawn marketable products. Firstly, the targeting of the film. By targeting the film to young audiances you vastly increase merchandising options. When did you last see a Shawshank Redemption lunch box? Secondly, Lucas allowed the film to focus in the wrong place. Episode I is about the origions of Anakin Skywalker. It's not about Qui Gon Jin, it's not about Jar Jar Binks. These things do not matter in the long run. These characters are clearly transitory in nature, yet Lucas blows them up, larger even than the roles of the coterie from IV V and VI, thus overshadowing Anakin. Now I'm not saying that Anakin was played by an Oscar winner here, but again, how many Anakin action figures were sold in comparison to Jar Jar or Qui Gon Jin figures? Anakin's not as marketable a character is Episode I, so he gets downplayed. You pointed out that a crucial scene was cut. This is a perfect example of this kind of market pandering.

    So that's my point. I don't think fans were upset that Episode I was a bad movie. It had a good plot, not great, but not bad either. It had great visuals. It lacked some of the great one liners that the rest of the trilogy is known for, but at least half of those are famous for their utter wretchedness. The problem was that Episode I was a sell out. It was done with a big budget, for a massive debut, and a huge marketing gig afterwards. No more drive buys on a block of wood covered with model battleship parts here, this is corporate america at work. And that's why the fans feel betrayed.

    This has been another useless post from....

  • THX is not a sound format. (Score:3)

    by brujito ( 301318 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:59PM (#139778)
    TXH is more like a certification. THX people test the picture and sound if it meets their criteria they give it THX certification. DTS can have THX, and DD too. If you have the terminator 2 ultimate edition. You can see that is THX mastered, and it contains both DD and DTS.
  • according to product specs (i can't remember the brand, and am too lazy to research it), every THX capable home unit was capable of 7.2 point surround sound (as opposed to 5.1). i got the information from crutchfield, so be sure and remember your salt.
    --
    Brian Voils
    "A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in students."

  • Re:Episode I (Score:4)

    by blair1q ( 305137 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @01:25PM (#139783) Journal
    You are correct. The "extra material" was enough to make me capitulate.

    I will probably buy a copy of this hoary slab of Gungan-shit.

    What can I say? I've had skywalkerian fantasies running through my mind since I was 14 years old. This is as thorough a part of my life as the Constitution I'd die to uphold. Having seen SW1 in the theater, I figured I'd paid my fealty. But no, marketing will out, and I'll just have to find a way to get one at the skinniest profit margin, because I can not do without.

    As for the reasons for the poor quality, this time Lucas did too much by himself. He caught lightning in a bottle with Star Wars. Lawrence Kasdan and Joseph Campbell put the meat into Empire and Jedi. Lucas had to craft this one alone. Hopefully he's gone to the water and seen his destiny, and will get his act together for the next two. He's listed in IMDB as having someone else helping with the script for Episode II. We'll see.

    And no, I don't expect the trilogy to appear in DVD (or whatever replaces it) until Lucas finds a way to encrypt it so that it can only be decrypted by the retina and occipital lobe of a licensed user.

    --Blair
    • I just don't understand what you mean when you say the film is poorly done. Obviously you don't mean on the technical level; the effects are all but flawless

    But poorly conceived. The Gungan/Droid battle was a CGI wet dream, while at the same time being utterly sterile and uninvolving. It was about as exciting as watching small boys moving toy armies around.

    • The film is very well constructed. Look at the ending: four separate plot threads taking place in separate locations are intricately intercut and interwoven seamlessly

    And how many did we care about? Surely I can't be the only person who screamed "Aaargh!" every time they cut away from the genuinely involving lightsabre battle to the (irrelevant) ewok^H^H^H^H Gungan CGI fest, the (annoying) Kid In Spaaace, and the (confused) AmiPadmeDala running around scenes. Yes, the cuts enhanced the tension of the lightsabre thread, but all of the other three threads were dull and unengaging.

    Episode 1 wasn't a total washout, but it was disappointing because Lucas did a bunch of stuff just because he could, and he made the mistake of putting in slapstick humour which really only works for the under 7 audience. Episode 1 was aimed at a specific audience at a specific time, and that'll hurt it in the long run.

    • Since Jar Jar never made an appearance in the first 3 movies (IV, V, and VI), we KNOW he has to die in the next two movies somewhere

    As long as George is raping our dreams... *cough* Boba Fett *cough*

  • Re:Episode I (Score:3)

    by Rogerborg ( 306625 ) on Wednesday June 20, 2001 @02:49AM (#139786) Homepage
    • The original 3 Star Wars movies had only TWO great actors -- Harrison Ford and Sir Alec Guiness

    James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels?

    Just because you didn't see/hear them, doesn't mean they're not talented actors.

    When you first saw Star Wars Ep 4, did you doubt for one second that C-3PO was a real robot, Chewbacca was a real Wookie, and that Darth Vadar was a really real bad guy?

    Credit where credit's due, Jar Jar is certainly real enough to actually hate. ;)

  • There are TWO "Phantom Edit" movies floating around, so nobody should be calling it "THE Phantom Edit". The first one is still better than the second, but I still prefer Lucas'.
  • Wow...glad you know how to copy and paste from a press release. :p
  • Please remember that Obi Wan and Qui Gon rode down to the planet with the invasion force. That means that where they were was where the invasion force set down. Irregardless of how fast the orbiting ships could move the force was already on the ground, and would be restricted to surface travel. The question the arises as to why the ships didn't drop them on the correct side of the planet.
  • It's not just that. It's that when Episode II is finally released to DVD, I can guarantee you that there will be a re-release of Episode I with "6 seconds of never before seen footage!!!" And Episode III will bring us Episode II re-released with "new digitally enhanced credits!!!" Not that I'm complaining that Episode I is finally being released. I just hope George is putting everything he's got into it, because this is his one and only shot at making a sale with me.
  • Anyone know how Jar-Jar gets translated into other languages? I mean, is it possible to make him sound as obnoxious in French or Japanese as he does in English?
  • Here's what you get:
    • Seven never-before-seen deleted scenes with full visual effects completed just for the DVD release
    • The Beginning - an all-new hour-long documentary culled from over 600 hours of footage offering unprecedented access inside Lucasfilm and ILM during the making of Episode I
    • Multi-angle storyboard-to-animatic-to-finished-film feature, that lets you flip through the various phases of development of key action sequences
    • Five behind-the-scenes featurettes exploring The Phantom Menace's storyline, designs, costumes, visual effects and fight scenes
    • The popular Duel of the Fates music video that debuted in 1999
    • All 12 parts of the Lynne's Diaries, the web documentaries that first appeared at starwars.com
    • Galleries of theatrical posters, print campaign, and never-before-scene production photos
    • The original theatrical teaser and launch trailers, plus seven TV spots including the "tone poems"
    Not all that bad, really. Enough to keep a Star Wars fan happy for some time.
  • I told everybody who asked that I was waiting to buy a DVD player until Episode I came out, now I'm not so excited. A double DVD? Wow, so I can spend $50 on a movie, that's pretty exciting. There's a point when being a fan and a money machine have to go their seperate ways, I think I just hit that.

  • Criterion (Score:5)

    by Taskmaster Panik 2 ( 454770 ) on Tuesday June 19, 2001 @12:13PM (#139813)
    This DVD will only achieve the mildly amusing level if there is commentary by Jar-Jar included.

    "Meesa think dis movie stinky."

  • Damn damn damn!
    I wait all this time for the computer-enhanced DVD just so I can get that Jar-Jar replacement for Clippy in Office, and what do they do... ditch the office assistant!

    Really, what else could be more helpful that Jar-Jar appearing and giving you advice:
    Meysa thinksa yousa spella lika shitta
    Oh, you wanta to fax? Jar-Jar will fax for you [and never arrives](covers up that nice fax-eating bug)
    Oh, yousa wanna mail-merge? Isa don't think yousa should do that
    Upon an illegal operation: "boomed da gasser, and crashed de boss's heyblibber, den banished."

    Maybe even some cute little actions... people buy the software for the cute little actions (hell, people buy an imac because it looks like a yo-yo)

    And let's not forget easter eggs:
    "Isa tella what, Queen Amidala lika my tongue"
    Jar-jar dances and sticks his tongue out while that macro virus trashes your files
    And lastly: A quick image showing the true nature of evil - A pic of vader fading into a pic of the pengiun...

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