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With the Blu-ray release of Star Wars today comes more changes to the original trilogy: Ewoks now blink (yeah, cheers for that), Obi-Wan Kenobi's introduction has been tweaked and ? most controversial of all ? Darth Vader now has an added "no ? noooo! ...
As any long-suffering Star Wars fan knows, the farce is strong with George Lucas. A man whose obsessive tinkering ? among many other things ? has been the bane of geekdom since the moment Han didn't shoot first (he totally did). But this time he may have gone too far. With the Blu-ray release of Star Wars today comes more changes to the original trilogy: Ewoks now blink (yeah, cheers for that), Obi-Wan Kenobi's introduction has been tweaked and ? most controversial of all ? Darth Vader now has an added "no ? noooo!" in the final scenes of Return Of The Jedi. The backlash has been biblical.
"This is an abomination!" yells one user on TheForce.net. "I remember when I was proud to be a Star Wars fan ?" laments another over on YouTube; all rather standard "screaming into the worldwide abyss" stuff. But there have also been campaigns to boycott the DVDs and, at its most extreme, bombardments of obnoxious outrage via Twitter at George Lucas's daughter, Katie. She eventually ended up taking a break from her account for a few days, lest she receive any more abuse from so-called fans.
However, no matter how much they huff and puff about Lucas's apparent lack of self-awareness, is it really their place to do so? Personally, the changes to Vader's redemption scene appear to have robbed the character of a nuanced, silent sort of dignity ? rendering him a petulant shadow of the badass I grew up believing him to be. But then it's not my intellectual property, surely he can do whatever he likes with it ? yet does there comes a point where fans become so emotionally invested in your work, that it isn't yours anymore?
Of course, you see this sort of perceived ownership in all forms of art and culture. When it was announced that One Day was being adapted into a film last year, there was an outcry from fans of how they were going to treat "their" book (which got even worse when they got a load of Anne Hathaway's dodgy accent), while you only have to look at Alexandra Burke's X Factor cover of Hallelujah (a song that has achieved "precious" status) a few years ago to see the same thing in music. Speaking earlier this year, author Neil Gaiman even admitted that he had lost a certain sense of control once his book, American Gods, became a success ? "it definitely no longer belongs to me", he said. Even so, none of these are on the intergalactic scale of Star Wars.
Perhaps the reason for this is because other fans haven't had their faith tested like Star Wars fans have ? who've grown bitter, tired of being taunted by a cruel and malevolent geek God. For just like religion or sport, psychologists say fervent fans bind their identity to a certain cause, sometimes to the point where it comes to define who they are. Therefore, an attack on their cause is an attack on the credibility of their existence and beliefs ? not to mention that for most fans, Star Wars represents the embodiment of that most precious thing: their childhood. Which is maybe why science fiction fans (the most fervent of them all) generally abhor change ? an irony given the progressive ideals of the genre.
So, should Lucas be more sensitive with what he does with his own work? As another fanboy-baiting hero once said: with great power comes great responsibility. Or should fans just accept it, move on and remember a time when Han shot first? After all, Star Wars is a pop culture machine that stops for no one ? constantly moving and picking up new generations on the way. Who's to say that in years to come, geeks won't be taking to internet forums to moan about the good old days when Ewoks just blinked and Vader simply said "no ? noooo!"? For Lucas's sake and our own, let's hope that's not the case.
18 September 2011 10:25AMAll of this would be absolutely fine if the originals were also restored to Blu Ray quality and treated with a lick of respect. The only re-issue of the GOOD versions were a slap in the face, relegated to a special feature, in the wrong aspect ratio in terrible quality. A disgrace.
If he'd just give the fans a chance to own the films in their original state, then he could ruin them as much as he likes. Other filmmakers respect the fans enough to offer original versions after they've gone back to tinker with them, look at the Blade Runner collection for instance. There's no reason at all to hold these versions back, but he's refusing to let us have them so that he can force the awful changes down our throats.
If he doesn't have the common decency to recognise the power of a classic, then he should be kept away from his creations (and it's been pretty well established by this point that he gets far more credit than he's due for creating Star Wars).
18 September 2011 10:28AMOne gets the feeling it isn't actually motivated by money. If it were, they'd make a new transfer of the original trilogy and clean up, compared to what they'll make from these versions with the silly additions.
I think Lucas is genuinely preoccupied with reworking these old films using every new technology. You can look to Scott's Blade Runner Final Cut for an example of a tasteful re-release and digital cleanup. Lucas, however, is now 'trolling' his own creative raison d'être.
18 September 2011 10:37AMLegally it belongs to Lucas, but artistically it belongs to the fans. Lucas can tweak it all he likes but we don't have to like it. Just say Nooooo!
18 September 2011 10:49AMLucas must be mad. Surly its fairly common knowledge that the 'Noooooooo' from Revenge of the Sith is considered the most laughably bad and frequently lampooned scene from that film (and believe me its up against some pretty stiff competition).
18 September 2011 11:02AMI have no problem believing that every time George Lucas tinkers with the original films he's making them closer and closer to his original vision. Trouble is, his original vision wasn't as good as what it became with the input all the other talented people who actually implemented it. When he was making the originals, there were people around him who could tell him "No", and could temper his wildly fertile imagination with the skills of scriptwriting and directing and, above all, editing. These days he's surrounded by yes-men, and has complete financial autonomy. No-one can over-rule him. So it comes out looking like films made by an ADD six-year-old with an unlimited budget; an assault of idea after idea with no structure holding them together.
18 September 2011 11:06AMAs with so many essential contemporary issues, the subject has been explored in depth in South Park, season 6 episode 9, "Free Hat".
18 September 2011 11:48AMConsidering Lucas came out against the colourisation of films like Casablanca and the work of the Three Stooges then his constant tinkering with the originals is only a tad hypocritical.
However fans can refuse to buy them as it's bloody obvious Lucas is milking Star Wars for everything it's worth and frankly seems to care only for the money.
I'm inclined to agree. It's been grossly overhyped. Lucas wrote hero-myth-by-numbers. The films really mark the beginning of the era when popular cinema became increasingly geared to the teen market, with merchandising and effects taking priority over scripts.
For just like religion or sport, psychologists say fervent fans bind their identity to a certain cause, sometimes to the point where it comes to define who they are. Therefore, an attack on their cause is an attack on the credibility of their existence and beliefs ? not to mention that for most fans, Star Wars represents the embodiment of that most precious thing: their childhood.
I find it disturbing when adults are unable to look critically at things they watched/read as children. A couple of years ago, I found myself hounded from one literary fandom because I criticised the bowdlerised travesty of the book made by a major animation company. Although most of the other fans had moved on to the book itself and claimed to prefer it, they would not accept outright criticism of the bowdlerisation because it had been "part of their childhood", and felt their memories "were being crapped on". As adults (well, late teens-early 20s), they should have been mature enough to recognise that liking something when you're 8 doesn't necessarily mean it's actually any good.
Which is maybe why science fiction fans (the most fervent of them all) generally abhor change ? an irony given the progressive ideals of the genre.
I wouldn't say that was true of science fiction fans who have a more literary focus: just the sort of geeks who live vicariously through commerical science-fiction such as Star Wars and Star Trek.
18 September 2011 12:12PMYes he has the right to do what he wants to the films. If he wants to release a new boxset digitally replacing Harrison Ford with Justin Bieber then he has every right to go ahead.
However he also has a moral responsibility to make the original versions of the films, which are much loved and part of cinema history, available. I suspect the only reason he doesn't is he knows they would sell more than his new, tinkered versions and his ego can't deal with that.
18 September 2011 12:18PMI just hope that there isn't a plan afoot to remake Star Wars with talented actors instead of the third rate wooden-tops they used first time around.
18 September 2011 1:22PMThe Star Wars films have always been silly rubbish from the very beginning and fan boys of such puerile trash simply deserve to have their cinematic memories shafted.
18 September 2011 1:28PMShame that the far superior original theatrical cuts are not included in this Blu-Ray package but have no fear...
Give it a year and you'll be seeing the "Ultimate Star Wars Blu-Ray Collection", then six months after that the "Gold Collection" and then six months after that the "Ultimate Gold 3D Collection", maybe three months after that "The Superior Ultimate Gold 3D May the Force Be With You Special Super Edition" etc, etc, etc...
Probably included on the last Blu-Ray edition before a mass switch over of format so cynical old Lucas can keep the faithful hanging on to the last moment and squeeze that last bit bit of blood out of the fanboy stone.
I will be sitting out on this Blu-Ray release...Any version of Star Wars that doesn't feature Han pulling the trigger first will be boycotted in this household!!!
Come on Lucas...Why don't you spend some time tweaking Howard the Duck into something vaguely watchable and leave the holy trilogy be! Where's a Special Edition re-boot around when you need one!
18 September 2011 1:29PMI think he should rejig the original trilogy, digitally replacing Alec Guiness with Ewan McGregor in old man make-up. That would be brilliant.
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Director George Lucas has announced the release, starting 2012, of his entire Star Wars saga in a 3D version. Will you be queuing up to see it?
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