Review of Star Wars Trilogy (Box Set)

Introduction

So here it is, review number 400.

In keeping with my previous milestones, I decided to go for a Star Wars review for number 400, since it is the DVD that has been most keenly awaited, argued about and endlessly discussed since the dawn of DVD. When news of its release was officially confirmed, many fans went into overdrive, wondering what George Lucas would do to the films this time round, given his previous history of tinkering.

I don`t really need to explain what this is all about do I? No, of course not, so on with the look at this historic box set. I`m not going to spend hours picking apart all of the intricacies of the films and the changes and everything else. All most normal people want to know is "is this set worth getting?"

Video

Anamorphic 2.35:1 transfers all round. These films look absolutely fantastic, better than you`ve ever seen them before. Detail levels are outstanding, colours are inrcredibly vibrant (maybe too vibrant for some viewers), and the black of space looks nice and black.

Overall, Episode IV is the least impressive of the three, but it still looks great. The team at Lucasfilm have worked bloody hard to clean the films up so much, and they should be applauded, even if we don`t all agree with some of George`s more "creative" changes (like adding in images from the new films to certain scenes).

Audio

DD5.1EX soundtracks all round. We`ve probably all heard that famous theme coming from our home cinema systems on the earlier Star Wars DVDs, but this is the one you were waiting for. The original, the blueprint, the one you first saw and heard at the cinema all those years ago.

And of course it sounds gorgeous in DD5.1EX, with masses of bass, Williams` marvellous score, and those lovely light sabres buzzing all around.

As I`ve said before, if you`re still not convinced that you need more than 2 speakers to watch DVDs in your home, then ask for a demonstration with any disc from this set and watch your bank balance drain before your eyes. The Star Wars experience must be experienced with a full complement of speakers, and preferably no neighbours!

Features

Each film comes with commentary featuring George Lucas, Dennis Muren, Ben Burtt, and Carrie Fisher. They are joined by Irwin Kershner for The Empire Strikes Back. I`m not going to to into masses of detail, but mega fans will probably want to listen, whereas more casual fans might find these tracks hard going.

Everything else is stuffed onto disc 4 of the set - the extras disc.

This is dominated by a two and a half hour documentary called "Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy". This is a top feature, there`s so much detail on all of the films, but it`s not all PR fluff. There`s actual content here as well as brutal, honest facts. A must see.

The Characters of Star Wars tells us some more about the main characters, but you probably know most of it.

The Birth of the Lightsabrer tells us some more about the famous weapon, fighting styles, props and how they look on screen.

The Force is with Them: The Legacy of Star Wars features lots of contributions from people in the film industry on how Star Wars affected their work.

Episode III Preview: The Return of Darth Vader tells us a little about the next film to be released but isn`t that exciting.

There is also a feature on the game for the next film as well as a playable demo of Star Wars Battlefront. Wrapping up, we also get lots of posters to look at on screen, over 20 trailers and TV spots and the usual photo galleries (including Carrie Fisher in THAT outfit).

Conclusion

A classic trilogy given excellent treatment to become a classic box set.

As I said earlier, I`m not going to delve into details and nit-pick every bit of every film, and every change that Lucas has made since the theatrical releases. The fact is that you`ve now got the Star Wars trilogy on DVD. It may not be as you first saw it, but it`s here, and you`ll just have to live with the changes that the director has seen fit to make.

Getting technical, the films have been subjected to enormous restoration work, and look and sound fantastic. The later films perform better than Episode IV, but that`s a combination of age and original budget. It basically looks and sounds as good as you might have hoped for, and it`s a pleasure to welcome it into your DVD collection.

The extras package is solid too. The commentaries will be welcomed by many, and the massive documentary must surely be the last word on this trilogy. The other little bits and pieces are nice to have, but you might not come back to any of them.

Marvellous films on a marvellous set of DVDs. Stop bickering about the changes, tweaks and everything else. Go and buy it, watch and enjoy.