Topic: Blu-Ray review - Original Trilogy - First Impressions...

[hangarbay94]

Hi everyone! well I don't know about you but I eagerly collected my triple Blu-Ray pack containing Ep IV, V & VI yesterday and I thought I'd give you my first impressions before I give a more indepth review later this week.

I had to forgo the expense of purchasing the entire series after my wife told me how much we'd spent on the kids shoes prior to school starting, and when she saw the price of the entire series she gave me "the look"... you know, the one that says "Go ahead and do it and no sex for a very long time" (no change there methinks)....Knowing that life is so much simpler if I do as my wife tells me I purchased the OT on it's own.  

Ok, first off the Original Trilogy pack cost £35 (UK money), the pack only contains the movies and no extras. As a long time Star Wars fan I am beginning to feel a little used as I feel that not including the extras relating to these movies is an exploitive move.

I am watching the film on an 8ft projector screen, images are fed via a Hitachi HD projector, sound is piped through a Cambridge Audio HD Amp. I have watched about 30 minutes of the Empire Strikes Back to sample this release and I have come to the realisation that Lucas Film cannot perform miracles. Sure the image is clearer and you can certainly hear the difference, but the movie was made in 1981, so the crystal clear image seen in modern films is not there. Saying that I realise that this is as close as I'm ever going to get to watching the original movie, so for that I am grateful for my Blu-ray box of tricks. After 30 minutes I stopped the film as I want to go back and see all films in order...let's see if I can re-live the magic...

This evening it is the big one...Star Wars A New Hope (or should I say Ep IV). I will update this post once I've viewed the film in its entirety.


 ***UPDATE*** I've just spoken to Wraith9 who's purchased the whole box set and I now feel sick after he told me that the extras are excellent....DAMN! It seems as though the box set truly is better than sex!

[Tamer]

LOL. Had a good laugh reading this Jules.

Sounds like I had better get the box set, even with possible wifey entanglements.

[zedhatch]

So wait, you only get the extras with the big boxed set, I was unaware of this, this just kind of makes me mad because the only reason I was thinking of getting it was the deleated sceanes from the originals which I hoped would be in the Original Trilogy boxed set.  That feels like a huge gip to say the least. 

[hangarbay94]

Z, I can confirm  that the triple set is as basic as it gets... Saying that, I'm pretty happy with the bonus stuff that came with the DVD's. I an just hoping for the difinitive image quality when watching my favourite films.

[Clonehead]

Isnt it about like that for every blue ray release of an older movie. The image quality just doesn't compare to the newer stuff. You would think that Lucas with his resources could have found a way.

[Spookymufu]

well, really, the first three wernt filmed with High Def cameras so it will only get "so" good and thats all.....I would be surprised if they have much of an improvement over the latest DVD release.....

[hangarbay94]

I think the point is, Lucas Film already did a major touch up of the films when they released the Special Edition, however Blu-ray does have subtle differences that become even more apparent when you go back and watch the film on DVD. Background and close up detail is clearer, for example numbers on binocular HUD's are clear and readable, ship detailing is also very much improved... which can be a bad thing when you realise that a greebley on the Millennium Falcon is in fact the top of an old cooker.

Oh one other very annoying thing about this Blu Ray disc... it screwed up my PC's Blu-Ray player, so now it won't play Blu ray discs at all...So, if you've got an HP machine with HP Mediasmart pre-loaded be warned!

[Tamer]

Daggone Jules thats stinks!

First you find out you don't have all the extra scenes from the box set and now it screws up your PC!

[Phatty]

We still have to wait another 3 days here in the States to get them, and I'm eagerly awaiting that morning!

[zedhatch]

Isnt it about like that for every blue ray release of an older movie. The image quality just doesn't compare to the newer stuff. You would think that Lucas with his resources could have found a way.

Actually, I was simply amazed by the original Halloween, the picture was super-sharp and clear, I actually doubted for a minute it was shot way back in 1975.  You can even see John Carpenter's cigerette smoke drift into a sceane (LOL, one of the major flubs of that movie, but also makes it great).

If Halloween (which was shot for next to nothing of a budget) can be brought up to a satisfactory level, what's wrong with Star Wars (which was shot the following year and with a much larger budget, thus probably better cameras ect). 

[Phatty]

Well, I picked up the Complete Saga this afternoon for a crisp $80, and have no idea where to start!  Do I start with the extras, checking out the 45 deleted scenes?  Do I start where it all began, with A New Hope?  Or do I go from Episode 1 on up?  Decisions, decisions...

[hangarbay94]

Well I've just watched Return of the Jedi and WOW! the image is wonderful, you can see all of the stars... Yep, this is as good if not better than the original cinema experience. This is what Blu-ray was made for!

[darthdaddy]

Oh one other very annoying thing about this Blu Ray disc... it screwed up my PC's Blu-Ray player, so now it won't play Blu ray discs at all...So, if you've got an HP machine with HP Mediasmart pre-loaded be warned!

If you uninstall the drive, restart your computer, and then when the computer recognizes the drive, re-install it, it should work alright.

[hangarbay94]

Ok...will give it a go.

[Phatty]

Well, I started to watch A New Hope last night, before my sleepiness got the best of me.  I have to say, I'm very impressed thus far.  I felt that the picture was brilliantly more clear, with noticeable enhancement to overall picture quality.  The sound was phenomenal, which is to be expected.  I seriously may go out and buy a rear center channel speaker just so I can experience it in the true 6.1 surround.  My receiver is a 7.1 surround, but I know the new trend is a rear center speaker.  That said, I spent the time to look for any differences in the movie, be they big of small...

Obi-Wan's Krayt Dragon call was not so subtle.  It was a glaring change, and not necessarily a bad one.  Different, but not bad.  I'd say 95% of the digital graphics have been enhanced and altered ever so slightly to look more brilliant, life-like, and dynamic throughout the film.  Watching Alderaan blow up was a point where you can most definitely see the enhancements.  Bravo, in my opinion.  The sound, from simple voices to loud explosions and everything in between, is simply fantastic.  Crisp highs, deep basses, rumbling engines...all so great.

Like I said, I probably made it through 60% of the movie before I had to crash, but just that disc alone has me totally stoked that I bought this set.  The Blu-Ray treatment is well applied to our favorite film franchise, and is definitely noticeable.