Rumoured DVD Release of Episode One in April, 2000

danimal wrote with news for the Star Wars buffs: From the NewsAskew site comes the tidbit that Star Wars Episode I DVD will be coming out in April of 2000. It's a tip from an anonymous source, but the official announcement is supposed to be coming Jan. 4 from the Lucas man himself. The announcement is midway down the NewsAskew page.

Comments

woo hoooooo

[Sammeh]

Best movie!!! I'm glad I'm getting a DVD drive for christmas!

Re:woo hoooooo

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess you haven't seen many movies !

Re:woo hoooooo

[Rantage]

You lucky devil...now you'll be able to see Jar-Jar Binks in full digital obnoxiousness!

Re:woo hoooooo

[Anonymous Coward]

If you care about picture quality, you better hope for a in-computer DVD, so that removing the Macrovision BS will be possible. most high end video cards with video outs HAVE copy protection built in; not only does the dvd software read the mode its operating in, but will disable the video output FOR you.Isn't that a nice feature? On the plus side, after three weeks of coding, looking up specs on video chips, i finally ditched the macrovision copy protection scheme on my tnt2ultra, downloaded older cinemaster dvd playback software, and The Matrix doesnt look anywhere NEAR as dark. Oh, and i can make tapes,(for backups, of course...) I really can't believe that the directors and artists are allowing their work to be degraded by a piss-poor copy protection scheme.

Re:woo hoooooo

[BlacKat]

are you piping the signal thru your vcr to your tv? If you do this with MacroVision on the vcr will screw it up. Connecting the dvd decoder straight to your tv will not cause MacroVision to degrade the picture. I tested The Matrix on my dxr3 with and without MacroVision both direct connect to my tv and thru a vcr. Only when going thru the vcr with MacroVision on did I get a change in picture quality.

HTH.

-BK

anything cool on there?

[islador]

I wonder what the special features for the DVD will have.

Re:anything cool on there?

[Anonymous Coward]

no Jar Jar? I'd pay for that

Re:anything cool on there?

[Anonymous Coward]

IF it comes outs, it'll most likely have nothing. Lucas wants to wait until all the movies are done before making any special versions. If they do release a DVD it'll most likely be plain to tide people over (ala the Titanic DVD)

Re:anything cool on there?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd pay BIG bucks for that. The movie might not suck so much without Jar-Jar.

Re:anything cool on there?

[Anonymous Coward]

I hope the cool new feature is an original storyline.

Re:anything cool on there?

[Stalcair]

I might actually get it, if the new feature is a totally redone plot (or rather, the introduction of a plot) and maybe, just maybe, a few less pathetic marketing attempts at tie-ins (wouldn't be suprised if in Episode II, not only does Han Solo's Father and Amadala meet for tea, but they do it on Endor with all the little fury bastards)
Or.... how about a interactive Quake type game where you shoot all the toys/stickers/food/Fast Food trinkets...

Re:anything cool on there?

[graikor]

They're gonna use the "Branching" feature so you can have a Jar-Jar free version of the film...

Re:anything cool on there?

[BlacKat]

Hmm, wonder when the edited version will be floating around the 'net? ;)

-BK

Re:anything cool on there?

[Anonymous Coward]

in checking the news askew website at 11:30 pm tonite, i noticed a slight retraction. the official announcement is to come from lucas on jan 4 2000 thatthe VHS only release will not be 4/4/00, but 4/11/00 (i think i got that right). what i really enjoyed learning is that dogma will come to DVD on 4/11/00...just waiting on chasing amy...cuz them view askew DVD are fine. as for VHS/DVD of TPM.....im dying to see it again, so whatever comes first i will buy....unless DVD will soon follow the VHS....i understand lucas to a degree, but for someone who will do episode two entirely on digital film, you would think it only logical for him to embrace DVD.....though one can only wonder if he runs from DVD because of the encryption hack...

Really?

[BMIComp]

Didn't lucas say he was going to wait until all three were released to release them on DVD? Either way, lucas is pretty mysterious, and unpredicatable.

Re:Really?

[Gid1]

I guess he worked out the economics of it:

• Release them now, and for II and III, release as usual.

• Once all of them are out, release a special edition box set with extra features.

Chances are, a load of people who buy the first releases will then buy the box set for the features => more $$$.
Lucas is, after all, the king of tie-ins and other cash-cow-beating schemes.

Ever the cynic..

Re:Really?

[Imperator]

There's nothing terribly mysterious about the lure of money. :)

Re:Really?

[BMIComp]

Wait, you have no evidence to support what you just said? Or do you?

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Lucas himself has said he did not want his titles used to "hype a format", or something of that nature, but there is *no* proof he ever said he was not going to release his films on DVD until all of them were done. He was *rumored* to have said it. It makes little economic sense anyway; far better to release them all as singles and *then* release a special boxed set edition (maybe with some extras) to get *double* sales from the big fans.

Re:Really?

[Gid1]

Well, as far as I remember, the films were released on VHS, and then the special editions were released. At the time, everyone knew the special editions were coming.

That's roughly what we're talking about here. And Lucas is the king of tie-ins. Just look at all the official Episode I merchandise.

$

[Anonymous Coward]

more $$$$$$$$$ for george lucas. great. just great.

Re:$

[Anonymous Coward]

If you don't like it, don't buy the motherfucker. Just stop whining about it.

Re:$

[Anonymous Coward]

Thats why you can dl the screener that is in really good quality and stick it to GL at the same time!!! mwhahha!

DVD will not support THX

[Anonymous Coward]

And I thought that was a big sore spot for Lucas. And why he claimed he would not release anything on the DVD format?

Re:DVD will not support THX

[Anonymous Coward]

Retard.

Re:DVD will not support THX

[Gid1]

Looks like they do to me...

Re:DVD will not support THX

[great throwdini]

Although the earlier response of "retard" is pretty close to the mark, one may want to read the article series, The THX Factor, that was posted a while back at dvdfile.com ...

NB: This is a three-parter, so look for the embedded links to get to the remaining two-thirds of the article series!

Re:DVD will not support THX

[karnal]

ahem.

DVD players could be "THX Certified"... but the DVD's in and of themselves aren't.

Of course, if the DV disc was cert'd, you'd gain nothing by playing in non-cert'd equipment... but that's not the point.

Re:DVD will not support THX

[Anonymous Coward]

"THX" is not a format in itself; it is a certification, a "seal of quality". And you are wrong: both DVD players and DVD titles can be THX certified, and some are.

Re:DVD will not support THX

[Gid1]

In response to "DVD will not support THX", THX will certify DVD players. That's DVD supporting THX.

However, whether THX certification will be awarded to individual discs is another matter. Originally, VHS tapes were NEVER going to be THX-certified: Laserdisc only (specification like CAV only). Then the rules changed. I don't believe it will be long before individual DVD's are certified. Just wait for someone to pay for it.

Also, as far as I can remember, you won't necessarily gain anything by playing a cert'd disc in non THX equipment, but you are guaranteed that it'll be as good quality as you can get through that equipment. Some discs are high quality anyway, but some of my DVDs have terrible sound mixes... THX'ed discs would be good.

So what?

[Anonymous Coward]

And the significance of this is...?

Re:So what?

[birder]

The 'significance' is that instead of waiting until about 2004 like he first said, we could see it now in a few months. For the large number of Star Wars fans out there, this is significant.

Re:So what?

[Anonymous Coward]

YEAH! ?

Re:FIRST

[Anonymous Coward]

I told ya, I want to go to Boston Market

What about the others?

[merky1]

And the plans to release The originals on DVD are? I would really like to watch Star Wars without worrying about destroying it.

Re:What about the others?

[Skip666Kent]

Do you mean to say that you're worried about destroying a video tape every time you play it? If that's the case, don't worry. That thing'll be toast in another 10 or so years whether you play it or not. Watch the next Superbowl and pay attention to the flash backs. The footage for the 1968 Superbowl will look great, because it was shot on film, wheras the 1987 footage will look like absolute krap because it was shot on videotape. Digital video should help this in the future, but trying to 'preserve' and 'maintain' a video tape collection is a lost cause. Watch 'em while you can.

yahoo for ep1, but what about the trilogy??

[JEDi_ERiAN]

that's right, when can we expect the trilogy to be released on dvd? i'd much rather prefer than. but then again, this is a start.

Re:yahoo for ep1, but what about the trilogy??

[JEDi_ERiAN]

i, uhm, er, need to learn how to spell i guess. my post SHOULD have read:

"that's right, when can we expect the trilogy to be released on dvd? i'd much rather prefer them over episode 1, but then again, this is a start."

Re:FIRST

[Anonymous Coward]

oh, yeah, right, i forgot man. sounds good.

Proof!!

[hodeleri]

Now I can prove that there are ETs in the senate scene. And I'll be able to look for all of the other add-ins. I wonder if there are anything like the backwards bounty hunters. An excellent movie to watch in slow motion during those large crowd scenes.

Re:Proof!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Now I can prove that there are ETs in the senate scene. And I'll be able to look for all of the other add-ins.

yup, there are ET's...and wookies, and all sorts of other creatures. Heck, even Jim Morris, the guy that runs ILM is in that scene. I only know because I worked there and saw it being put togeather. Playing on my screen and being able to do it at 3 frames per second allowed me to take in all the cool details.

Not from what I hear

[Anonymous Coward]

I work in a fairly high-level position with a large video retailer, and all the major retail chains have been notified by Fox on Monday/Tuesday that it will be released on VHS only on 4/4/00 - with a Widescreen edition only being available as part of a Star Wars Gift Pack. DVD? Lucas says "no way" until there are *at least* 10 million DVD players in consumer's homes in the U.S. What's the current date Fox is quoting? 2006.

Re:Not from what I hear

[jpr1]

sorry anonymous coward but i don't consider cashier at blockbuster to be a high-level position in the movie industry. they originaly said they would wait till all the movies were done before releasing them for home viewing.

Re:Not from what I hear

[Rantage]

Actually, this isn't too surprising.

Now if I were George Lucas, I'd:

• Release Episode 1 on VHS only in 2000. Pull a "Disney" move and sell a limited number, citing that "this classic will only be on sale for a limited time". This will allow the price to be driven up a few dollars more. Hey, it works for cartoons...
• Wait until Episode 2 is ready to hit the theaters. Release the Ep1 DVD, cashing in on the renewed Star Wars frenzy. Again, make this a "limited offer".
• Nine months after Ep2 comes out, release the "limited" VHS version.
• Right before Ep3 is released, release the Ep2 DVD "limited" version.
• Nine months after Ep3 comes out, release the "Star Wars Collection": all six Star Wars movies on VHS. Do not sell Episode 3 by itself.
• Six months later, release the Ep3 DVD.
• Two years later, release a "Director's Cut" of each of the first three Star Wars movies on both DVD and VHS.
• Two years after that, release the "digitally remastered" versions of Episode 1.
• One year later, announce that Lucasfilm will do Episodes 7 through 9.
• Lather, rinse, repeat. Of course, if I were George Lucas I'd also have a full beard and scare the Hell out of my wife when she woke up in the morning...but that's neither here nor there.

Re:Not from what I hear

[Randy Rathbun]

Now, where the hell are people getting this "GL says not until x number of players" thing? When all this Star Wars on DVD stuff started way back when, it was "GL and SS are not releasing stuff until there are one million players!" Then it was two million. Then five million. Now it is ten million? My guess is that in a month and a half the number will be raised to 15 million.

In other words, the rumors have been bunk so far, and until there is a press release posted by Fox on their website, they will continue to be bunk.

Re:Not from what I hear

[Sadfsdaf]

Even so, i doubt the release would be 2006, that's too far off. Think about all the people who own a playstation/n64. The next generation consoles would have DVD movie playing capability. Millions of those consoles have been sold. Both are coming out at the end of Y2K. I would think mid-2001 would have at least 10 million =)... at least I hope so.

Re:Not from what I hear

[MISplice]

Thats sounds about right, except for the whole 10 million DVD thing. I read an interview with George Lucas and he said that the plan was to wait for releasing any Star Wars DVD's until it could be a complete set. Which means no Star Wars DVDs until after Episode 3.

Re:Not from what I hear

[Myddrin]

This is almost exactly what cinescape.com is reporting.

And why the hostility? He said Fox is quoting 2006, which would be about 10 Mos or so after the finishing of the prequels. So his story jibes.

Re:Not from what I hear

[Anonymous Coward]

yea thats when i plan to buy them on dvd when its a WHOLE set ;p if they EVER go dvd (they will) dvd will definnately be popular as hell by the time ep3 is in the works/finished

Re:Not from what I hear

[Anonymous Coward]

Concerning that 10 million players figure you gave us, check this outtake from a variety article :

QUOTE That point may be coming sooner than the studios want to acknowledge as prices for the machines drop. Indeed, by the end of 2000, DVD penetration will likely reach 10% of U.S. households: the point at which VHS rentals took off. /QUOTE

I'm not math whiz, put that would be around 25 millions players in the us alone (assuming they know what they're talking about). BTW i got that link from the dvd resource page

Re:Not from what I hear

[Anonymous Coward]

According to my New York Times 1998 Almanac, there were 93 million households in the U.S. in 1996. 10% of that is almost 10 million DVD players.

Re:Not from what I hear

[Anonymous Coward]

Crap, I didn't quite read it through, does make sense. Thanks for pointing that out. Still 10 millions players next year in the US alone anyways, which was pretty much the point of my post.

Re:Not from what I hear

[cei]

Agreed. Last I heard from people within Fox's home entertainment division is that Lucas won't release a single Star Wars DVD unless he can have part ownership of the DVD player manufacturers. Sales of any Star Wars DVDs will drive sales of new players. He wants a piece of that action, and isn't hurting financially if he wants to hold out for that.
------
WWhhaatt ddooeess dduupplleexx mmeeaann??

Re:FIRST

[Anonymous Coward]

let me guess, you live in reston!

Umm.....Yep.

[Hello folks]

OK. The DVD of Star Wars: Episode One is coming out...woohoo. (sarcasm.) I'm not really sure, but I may be the one person in america who DIDN'T see the blasted movie. Everyone who I talked to about it said the thing sucked, so I decided not to waste my time. Is this really something slashdot needs to be posting? "A rumored DVD release of something that got bad reviews will be out around 4 months from now." I mean, I could at least tolerate if it were the official announcement, but this is just rumors.

Here comes the flames, and there goes my karma.

Re:Umm.....Yep.

[MonkeyMagic]

I don't think you fully appreciate the full impact of this anouncement. One one hand, the unrealistic effects (in particular Jar fscking Jar) might be rendered worse than they were on the big screen , on the other hand, this might be a load of crap that isn't going to happen.

Honestly, some people wouldn't know news if it sat on their face!

Re:Umm.....Yep.

[ronfar]

Hmm, you know I intended not to see the movie, but my Mom, Dad, Brother and Sister kidnapped me and dragged me to the theater to see it. My Mom took me aside and said, "Look, your brother has been looking forward to seeing this movie for a long time, you'd better not say anything bad about." When I left the movie I was completely silent about it.

My brother loves movies, DVDs and the original trilogy. However, while he might get it as part of a set, I doubt The Phantom Menace is something he will ever buy before the first three movies. (Which he already owns on tape 3 times over.)

The Phantom Menace, perfect choice for a first Star Wars DVD? I think not. Well, on the other hand it is Episode One... but I still think Lucas should come out with them in chronological order.

Now here's a really serious question, if/when Lucas comes out with the original trilogy on DVD, should he release the digitally enhanced versions or the original versions as they were shown in theaters? I go for the "as they were shown in theaters originally" versions, but that's because of personal nostalgia. what does everyone else think?

Re:Umm.....Yep.

[Kintanon]

Now here's a really serious question, if/when Lucas comes out with the original trilogy on DVD, should he release the digitally enhanced versions or the original versions as they were shown in theaters? I go for the "as they were shown in theaters originally" versions, but that's because of personal nostalgia. what does everyone else think?


[ Reply to This | Parent ]


How about both on the same DVD? There is plenty of room.

Kintanon

Re:Umm.....Yep.

[marlowe23]

At the risk of pulling a Katz, Star Wars is pretty closely tied to geek culture, like it or not. A lot of us grew up loving Star Wars, and a lot of people liked Phantom Menace. As for "does Slashdot really need to be posting this story" -- I think the ubiquity of "first posts," the infinite pretty widgets of the user customization, a moderation system -and- a meta-moderation system is pretty much testament to the fact that the typical Slashdotter's time is not all that valuable.

april?

[Anonymous Coward]

I would have thought that Lucas, in an effort to make a butt load of more money, would have released it for christmas. That would have made sense to me.

Overrated, overhyped...

[argentus]

I know it's probably against geek rules, but I simply can't see what makes this news. The movie was mediocre at best, violating principles previously put forth in the original movies left and right. Hello, midichlorians!? I know that someone else must have seen through Lucas' pathetic, yet successful, quest for more cash.

Pathetic movie. This news item should have been a mere footnote, if that.

Re:Overrated, overhyped...

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmm... I haven't seen this movie yet, I wonder if the fact that lots of people hate it will mean that I will like it. I didn't like the original movies when everyone else seemed to like them...

But I'm not in a hurry to see it, I'm still working on my Troma film collection.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

Please explain to me why you thought this movie was shitty. And don't use the lame excuse of Jar-Jar. One character can not ruin an entire movie. I would like to hear your reasons.

Good thing I allready have the mpeg version..

[Anonymous Coward]

Good thing I allready have the mpeg version(Phantom), I don't like waiting for stuff...hehehe

Re:Good thing I allready have the mpeg version..

[BMIComp]

Yeah, but then again, you've got to deal with the crappy logo in the corner, the bad picture quality, and the crappy audio... unless whoever recorded it... could record THX. I think the DVD is a little better. =P

Re:Good thing I allready have the mpeg version..

[Kinthelt]

whoever recorded it... could record THX. I think the DVD is a little better

I think more to the point would be: Unless whoever watches the movie has a THX theatre, I think both versions would be about the same.

THX is a specification for movie theatres, not a digital sound format.

Re:Good thing I allready have the mpeg version..

[Anonymous Coward]

FALSE. You are correct in saying THX isn't a digital sound format, but it is not exclusive to theaters. The THX standard can be applied to videos, dvd's, and home theater equipment.

Re:Good thing I allready have the mpeg version..

[n3rd]

No, THX is not just a theater specification. I would suggest checking out http://www.thx.com at the "Consumer Products" section. THX is just a standard, and if products live up to that standard (whatever it is), then they are "THX certified".

Re:Good thing I allready have the mpeg version..

[karnal]

Okay, still offtopic. THX is not something that is typically assigned to the media, but rather what reproduces what is on that media (speakers, amplifier, DVD/LD player etc) -- so therefore, transferring a film to a dvd typically hasn't been called "THX Certified"....

and to be really nitpicky, THX can be any kind of "Theatre" specification. :)

Re:Good thing I allready have the mpeg version..

[Anonymous Coward]

The mpeg version I have a good quality, good sound, and doesn't have a logo in the corner of the screen. You should see it with the sub turned up and on a 60" TV. =P

Re:Good thing I allready have the mpeg version..

[KaosDG]

Yup.. THX is a specification for *equipment*. Not theaters, not encoding.

IE: The equipment you manufacture has to have an excellent S/N Ratio, minimal signal loss through cable resistance, and video dissipation has to be minimal, and the acoutics of the area it is in (for full "THX Quality") needs to be matched to the speakers, etc...
I for one have helped build a full THX certified Home (rather large) theatre system... took months to spec out, and It almost didn't get the little sticker because of the acoustics of the room. They used cheap sheet rock for it. Rich people kick ass... he just said "So replace the walls with the good stuff" and then we went on our way...
I want something like that in my house... but then for what it cost my company to build (and wht was paid) i could buy a small island. Then I'd need a boat, not a tv...

Re:FIRST

[Anonymous Coward]

why the hell do you think we live in reston?

Why did you think that?

[Anonymous Coward]

What made you think I live in Reston?

DVD release in 2006?

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought George Lucas had planned on releasing all 6 Star Wars DVDs at the same time. So, it'd probably be like 2006.

Why would Lucas release the DVD now, when there's more money and more hype to be done later?

Re:DVD release in 2006?

[Anonymous Coward]

Because Lucas knows that if he releases a basic dvd now it'll sell, and if he releases a buffed up behind the scenes version later that one will sell also!

This is news?

[Anonymous Coward]

I must have seen 5 different DVD's of that stupid movie last summer!

Re:This is news?

[BMIComp]

Uhm, I don't know what the hell your talking about but... this hasn't been released yet.. and what the hell.. 5 Different DVD's of one movie.. it seems like your being sarcastic... but it really doesn't make sense.

Re:This is news?

[gosquad]

I'm sure you saw a few of the vcds that were floating around the net. If they happen to be on dvd (in asia, probably) they would be really poor quality. I did see one of the screeners that was pretty comparable to vhs.

Re:This is news?

[seibed]

A week after I saw The phantom menace here, they had it in the mall, in mulitple formats, Japanese, English, English with Japanese subtitles, all of which varied in quality, one was of at least VHS quality though... most sucked though. Funny to go into a mall with signs all over the place for a movie that hadn't opened yet (at least it hadn't there) and then be able to watch the movie in front of the store upstairs. Then watch them shut down all of the shops when the cops came around...


seibed

Re:This is news?

[Anonymous Coward]

It looked fine (as fine as a crappy movie can look) on the Sony laptop it was playing on.

Decent acting and a plot.

[Wakko Warner]

There will be a special hidden feature which, when activated, will cause the movie to stop and a copy of "American Beauty" to start playing in its stead.

- A.P.
--

"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad

DVD NEEDS Star Wars

[mhm23x3]

This is a critical time for DVD. With the recent encryption hack and other bad press, it remains to be seen if DVD will finally and truly become the mainstream digital home movie format. People will buy DVD players simply to get the Star Wars series, and the more DVD players there are out there, the less likely the industry will be to turn away.

I for one hope DVD doesn't die. And I'm not just saying that because I expect to get a DVD player for my birthday and/or Christmas :-).

I didn't read the story, but I can imagine that the DVD edition of Episode One will contain all kinds of goodies. And when the Original Series comes out... I hope you can get both the original and special edition, but I doubt that. :-(

Does Anyone Really Care?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not trying to be flip but does anyone really care? I still haven't seen the movie and I'll probably wait until it comes out on PPV (I have a nice illegal box).

Star Wars was a seminal moment in the movie industry when it was released. It was a larger than life movie which employed sensational special effects. It transcended geekdom and appealed to anyone who had a sense of adventure.

Things have changed now, however. Special effects are taken for granted. In some cases, special effects can have a detrimental effect on the movie going experience when they are used too much.

Back in '77, movies were your primary avenue of larger than life entertainment. In the US, we were largely limited to the three free-tv networks. I'm not sure when VCR's were invented but they certainly weren't available to the masses at that point. I remember my father paying $1,000 to get a VCR in 1980. There were no Blockbusters or PPV channels either. Movies stayed in the theaters for months. They didn't show up on TV for years in some cases.

Nowadays movies are hyped to no end but rarely live up to their billing. They are in and out of the theatres and before you can blink they're lining the walls of your video rental shack. Some people don't even go to the movies anymore. They sit in their entertainment rooms with their 50" tv's and their surround sound systems and recreate the movie atmosphere for themselves. If there isn't anything interesting on tv, they have PPV, satellite tv cable channels, etc., from which to find something interesting to watch.

I think George Lucas is tried to recapture a slice of time that is long past. It's kind of sad to see someone so obviously talented stay in the same rut. I hope he scraps plans for the next 2 installments and works on something new. And it doesn't have to have special effects to wow us either.

Re:Does Anyone Really Care?

[L0rdJedi]

You might be waiting awhile for PPV. I heard, about a month after the movie came out, that it would hit network television first since Fox owns a network channel.

George Lucas said himself, Star Wars was done for kids. From what I've heard, lots of kids loved the movie and Jar Jar (I personally think he's worse than an Ewok). Jar Jar was designed for kids and kids love him.

I don't think Mr. Lucas is stuck in a rut. When he created Star Wars, he did it to give kids a modern myth since there weren't any. TPM is the beginning of the story and we still have two more episodes to see before we get the whole story. I hear people complain about the lack of closure and how they didn't like it. Well, the first one had to have closure because he didn't know if he'd be able to make the next two after that. This one didn't need closure because the next two were already going to be made.

You say a movie doesn't have to have special effects to wow us. I don't believe you. If you take the special effects out of every movie made in the last 5 years, I think you'll have some pretty boring movies.

Re:Does Anyone Really Care?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pulp Fiction didn't have special effects.

Re:Does Anyone Really Care?

[Anonymous Coward]

If you haven't seen it you really shouldn't comment.

Re:Does Anyone Really Care?

[deanc]

Actually, you are completely wrong about special effects. If anything, some of the most special-effects intensive movies, such as Episode I and the Jurassic Park films, have been the worst of the bunch. The most interesting movies over the past 5 years haven't had this same sort of dependence. Vacuous special-effects-intensive movies have become something of a cliche.

It's not that Lucas is stuck in a rut, it's that he has simply realized what the necessary lowest energy state is for the purpose of producing "good movies" these days. Back before he had figured this out, the movies had interesting characters and a plot. 20 years later, he's realized that these things really aren't that necessary, especially if you're trying to attract little kids.

(as an aside regarding the "it was for kids" claim, read the May '99 issue of Wired with Lucas on the cover... he talks about how the movie was all about his desire to tell stories and create myths... he doesn't mention the "it was for kids" thing until _after_ the backlash started)

-Dean

Re:Does Anyone Really Care?

[DarkKnight]

Myth should hold for everyone, not just kids. Does Greek or Roman mythology aim at kids alone ? Myths are resonant stories and ideas that hold true for everyone, regardless of age.

I think its good that George stuck to his guns and produced the movie he wanted to see. The problem is that he isn't in sync with his audience.

In my mind, Star Wars was a bit of a fluke in that it came out at the right time and captured people's imaginations. Alot of good people worked on Star Wars, yet George claims all the credit.

I think that Ralph MacQuarrie had alot to do with the visual style. His storyboards are dynamic and interesting. True George set the tone but the storyboards are the inspiration.

Empire worked because George took a step back and allowed a talented writer and a talented director run with the ball.

Jedi wasn't nearly as good as George stepped in and override alot of people from what I'm told. Granted its his playpen, however his vision tends to make things bland in aiming for the common denominator or aimed at marketting of some kind.

My thoughts are that kids today are alot more sophisticated and worldly than George thinks.

Essential to any enjoyable movie is a strong story. This usually involves characters and situations that draw you in and maintain your interest in some way.

You don't even have to especially like them.

Where Episode I fails is that its really a number of set pieces loosely tied together by some common characters. There really isn't anything compelling.

The bad guys (Malorians ?) were just too comical to consider a menace. They might have been true to old style serial villains but still.

Each set piece was impressively realised. The pod race and the Jedi duel were terrific but these don't make for a movie you remember 20 years down the track.

The Toy Story movies are a great example of a solid story that kids and adults can enjoy. The writers aren't pandering to kids. The basic plot drives the movie and draws an audience in.

I think your generalising on that last point about taking the special effects out of every movie made in the last 5 years and leaving some boring movies. Just to name a few, Trainspotting, Usual Suspects, Donnie Brasco, Swingers, Boogie Nights, Austin Powers I / II, Toy Story I / II, Bug's Life, Alladin.

Just a few thoughts.

TPM would be nice, but where is Indiana Jones?

[imac.usr]

It was rumored that all three Indy films would be out by next April. Is this still the case?


I'd rather see those remastered, letterboxed, and supplemented before I go out and pick up TPM.

"Those people are trying to kill us!" "I know, Dad!" "Well, it's a new experience for me." "Happens to me all the time..."

Re:TPM would be nice, but where is Indiana Jones?

[L0rdJedi]

I don't know about the DVDs, but the VHS versions are out now, THX remastered and letterboxed.

Re:TPM would be nice, but where is Indiana Jones?

[imac.usr]

> I don't know about the DVDs, but the VHS versions
> are out now, THX remastered and letterboxed.

I've debated picking those up, but I'm holding out for the DVD version. Paramount seems to finally have caught on that people want more than just the movie on their DVDs, so hopefully they won't just rush out a quickie transfer but take the time to add the supplements as well.

They're among the most requested DVD tiitles (right up there w/ the original Star Wars movies and "The Princess Bride"), so there is hope. Maybe.

Then again, there's no public commitment to releasing either "Airplane!" or "Buckaroo Banzai," so I'm still bummin'. :-[

no it's false

[Frederic54]

i heard this morning on TV and radio that ONLY the VHS tape will be available April 2000, there will be no DVD for SWTPM at all!
--
http://www.beroute.tzo.com

Agreed

[Skip666Kent]

The significance of this 'leakage' is lost on me entirely. Just about everyone was disappointed by the movie, and now we're supposed to leap up and cheer that it's being released on dvd? Oh, the sheer joy. I can revel in the clumsy story line and horrendous dialog again and again and again! I can even MEMORIZE lines of hideous dialog to IMPRESS MY FRIENDS! That'll be EXCELLENT! I can pick out continuity mistakes and memorize those too as TRIVIA! KEWL! By fawning over the credits, I can trace the familial lineage of the BEST BOY and all the KEY GRIPS! HEY! I can PAUSE the film at any moment and act out seens myself with my vast army of COLLECTIBLE ACTION FIGURES, while guzzling TAB and VODKA out of my VINTAGE BOBA FETT SLURPY CUP!!!

Sorry. That last bit was uncalled for. I apologize.

Re:Agreed

[Rombuu]

while guzzling TAB and VODKA out of my VINTAGE BOBA FETT SLURPY CUP!!!

Sorry. That last bit was uncalled for. I apologize.

Yeah man, don't be dissin' Boba Fett.

I thought Lucas killed all the pirates.

[Wakko Warner]

He sent his Death Squad out back in May, I thought, to stop all the evil internet pirates. You must be one of the lucky few who survived.

Me too. :)

- A.P.
--

"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad

Multiple Angles/soundtracks?

[Paul Carver]

If they can make use of the multiple angles and soundtracks to allow the movie to be shown with Jar-Jar turned off I'll buy it. Episode One was ok, but it had enough annoying bits that I wouldn't want to watch it over and over. There's no point in buying the DVD, but I might rent it once.

doubt it

[Anonymous Coward]

It has been well known that there will be a VHS release on April 4th. This sounds like someone misread it as being a DVD release.

Who'd want to buy it anyway?

[Anonymous Coward]

That movie was just terrible (except for the lightsabre fight scene...). What I'd like to have is a DVD with lower quality copies of the three original SW movies, or maybe a DVD with all the different versions on one disc. Heck, just make 'em plain old MPEGS, Mr. Lucas - you'll make my job much easier. :)

Cartoons?

[Skip666Kent]

Maybe he'll start things out with a few cartoons, like the old days, and then a news reel or something, and maybe a 3 Stooges episode. Now THAT would be cool, and would help take the sting out of the shocking dismality (gnu word!) of the feature picture. Maybe they could make the 3 stooges episode interactive, and we could have Moe pimp-slap Jar Jar while Curly ruins the Meeting of the Jedi Masters with an extended warbling shuffle on the meeting room floor. Larry can go to the NPortman character and say, "Aw gee, what a DOLL! Gimme a kiss, willya?" At which point she slaps him and tears out a fist full of hair.

(belch) Excuse me.

Bad Reviews?

[Stalemate]

Who cares? Linux gets bad reviews all the time. I'm sure you wouldn't mind reading about some rumored release of some new Linux software.

PEACE

Re:Bad Reviews?

[slim]

Yeah, but the bad Linux reviews are wrong. The bad PM reviews are right.

Luckily PM has an excuse -- it's a movie for kids.

No, seriously -- all the star wars films are bound to come out on DVD and video sometime. Why is it news when they do. All movies do it.

--

Re:Bad Reviews?

[Hello folks]

I wasn't talking from major sources....I was talking mainly about my friends whose opinions I trust. If one of my friends didn't like Linux, they probably wouldn't be my friend. And, reading about rumored release of linux software is completely different than a movie coming out to a new format. Do I really need to explain why? If so, I guess umm....just don't talk to me then.
I always like a closing before my sig, so just insert whatever nice little diddy of a phrase that you'd want here.

Re:Bad Reviews?

[notsosilentbob]

> If one of my friends didn't like Linux they probably wouldn't be my friend.

Thats really sad.

I used to be a religeous NeXT fan. My best friend didn't care for them (had lots of reasons). He was still my friend.

By the way, if I said that I don't care for Linux, I prefer FreeBSD instead, you'd not want to be my friend? Sniff... I feel all broken up inside. )-:

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

One character can not ruin an entire movie

Oh yes it can. Barbra Streisand managed to ruin just about every movie she was ever in.

Re:Episode 1

[jued0001]

I don't know which is funnier, this post or the fact that it is marked "Informative."

_________________________

Mello like the Yello, but without the fizz.

April Fools?

[Stalemate]

This could be the early start of a bad April Fools joke. Maybe?

Not until..

[Andrey]

..all 6 episodes are out. Lucas himself said that he will not be releasing them on DVD until he can present a complete 6 episode arc.

Re:Not until..

[marlowe23]

Lucas also said, many times (as far back as 1990-1991), that he would never make the prequels, either. Lucas is a bit mercurial that way, so I wouldn't put that much stock in the six-episode statement.

From the Desktop of Darth Lucas

[Anonymous Coward]

You should not have said that! (w/o posting as an A/C, that is...)

I have you now...

:)

future of dvd.

[nick the man]

I agree that DVD is waaay better then VHS, and my DVD library is already nicely stocked. But what will happen to it when HDTV rolls around?

Doesn't HDTV have a higher quality than the current dvd movie format?

A: Will there be another new media for movies, which will force us to ditch our dvd player?

or B: Aren't DVD movies just Mpeg2 encoded data? Which could just have the resolution scaled up to hdtv quality (perportional to size, and cpu usage, IIRC).

I'm just curious about the subject because I've been kinda reluctant to buy a lot of movies for the fear that this will just be another technology that goes the way of the Dodo in a few years.

-nick

Re:future of dvd.

[Eccles]

I agree that DVD is waaay better then VHS, and my DVD library is already nicely stocked. But what will happen to it when HDTV rolls around?

It won't look any less nice...

Essentially there's a level of detail captured in the MPEG data stream, and that's your "not to be exceeded" quality level. If it captures Natalie Portman's pores in that detail level, you'll see them in HDTV; if it doesn't, you won't. MPEG2 allows for variability in data rates, and thus it would be possible to recreate the data stream at a higher quality level, and thus get an HDTV quality data stream that does look better. But it's a big question as to whether this will happen, just as S-VHS hasn't taken over the VHS market. As-is, DVD is at a sort of "magic" level -- a disk format that can handle 2 hours of movie. And I've seen players that will take 200 disks, so DVD's size isn't much of an issue. It would take a lot for a new format to push current DVD and its MPEG quality out of the market.

You might end up wanting a new player that puts out an HDTV signal rather than an NTSC signal that gets converted. The new player should still play your old disks, but it may also work with "Ultra" DVDs that use a higher compression. Odds are you'll only notice the difference if you're looking for it or doing image capture.

Re:future of dvd.

[the eric conspiracy]

I agree that DVD is waaay better then VHS, and my DVD library is already nicely stocked. But what will happen to it when HDTV rolls around?

DVD isn't capable of delivering the bit rates that the max resolution HDTV format uses. Eventually there will probably be some sort of enhanced DVD with a higher storage density and bit delivery rate. Whether or not you will be able to notice the difference has yet to be determined. It may also be a few years away.

DVD is not showing it's full capability with because of NTSC limitations; eventually I expect that you will have a DVD player with a Firewire interface to your HDTV monitor. How good this will be compared full HDTV I don't know. It may be a case where most of the original software isn't as good as the display hardware.

Re:future of dvd.

[dngrmouse]

From http://www.dvdreview.com/html/dvd_myths.html
scroll to the bottom of the page:

Many of the DVD Forum companies are working on new "HDVD" formats that are expected to be unified the same way DVD was and that won't be available until 2002 at the very earliest.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude, what the HELL are you doing watching Barbara Streisand movies?

NO they're not

[Anonymous Coward]

Straight from George himself and I quote "We will not relese star Wars on DVD until All six are down" . so calm down. It's six or none.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

ummm, ok.. let's see.... the fact that anakin was fathered by "midichlorians"?!?!?! wow, great way to dismiss the subject of his father... or how bout the lame ass way darth maul died? "let's have a 5 minute light sbaer fight, and then cut him in half!" whatever happened to the good ol' days of being able to fight for hours? if darth maul was supposed to be a darth, don't u think he'd be a little more skilled?? darth vader never really lost a saber fight... the only way luke skywalker ever won anything with him was because he turned soft and threw the emperor over the railing! then there's the fact that more than half the fucking movie was CGI!! enough with the computer effects!!! yes yes, i know silicon is your best friend.. also, how about the fact that all the little hints in the movie were quite obvious... the first trilogy was a bit more cryptic in it's storytelling, but this movie was so painfully blatant, it was as if it was written by a ten year-old, FOR a ten year-old!!! this was one of the worst movies of the year, besides "Virus"! Even "Deep Blue Sea" was better!!!

I doubt it.

[veldrane]

Yeah, probably VHS, like was mentioned in a previous post but I've heard/read from numerous sources that we won't be seeing *any* of the Star Wars films on DVD until the whole collection (Eps: 1-6) are complete.

Now, that is assuming someone doesn't decide to swipe a roll of film and burn a few copies to DVD.

Marketing, ya gotta love it!

-Vel

hey genius

[Anonymous Coward]

hey, you're fucking brilliant.... you do know that all movies are already widescreen, right? with the exception of the Blair Witch Project. they're either in a ratio of 1.85:1 or 2.35:1...

Re:hey genius

[imac.usr]

> you do know that all movies are already widescreen, right?

Sigh...um, yes, I know that. And have you ever watched the video version of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?" Check out the scene with Indy letting his father know where to begin the search for the Grail. You're supposed to be seeing them side-by-side, but the transfer cuts between their faces. The movie is widescreen, the transfer is what's not.

Be that as it may, you are correct about me being fucking brilliant. Now convince my employer in time for my next review....

Troll? I think not.

[Anonymous Coward]

Someone hasn't been reading the moderator guidelines.

Posts about Natalie Portman's privates are troll, this is just a statement of an unpopular opinion.

Re:Troll? I think not.

[Duke of URL]

It saddens me to think that anything controversial will be labled as a troll if some moderator disagrees with their opinion.

Trolls are for first posts, not opinion pieces, as you said. If this keeps up /. will be a mild little place where only the common opinions will be supported. We could loose some thought provoking opinions if we keep punishing people for having a different opinions.

Great I can dislike it on DVD too!

[Terra Native]

Now I can stay home and watch the movie that upset me so much when I saw it on premiere day. Fantastic. Lucas- Who's your daddy?

VHS != DVD

[Anonymous Coward]

VHS != DVD

Re:VHS != DVD

[dr_labrat]

yes, and...?

Re:VHS != DVD

[Anonymous Coward]

and you, sir, are a typical slashdot user

Re:VHS != DVD

[Anonymous Coward]

yes, and this is bad because?

Back to the Future would be nice too

[Anonymous Coward]

Especially with the director's commentary. I learned a lot listening to BobZ's comments in Contact. They did a lot of cool digital effects that you wouldn't even think about.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

CGI sucks. Oversaturated colors, and blasted contrast. Get it right or do it the old fashioned way.

Oh yeah!

[Anonymous Coward]

Boooo-booo-RAHHHHHHH!!

VideoStore Magazine Article

[calc]

There is more information about Phantom Menace release here

I'll believe it when I see it

[Randy Rathbun]

Ever since DVD has come out, some "person in the know" on USENET has popped up and said "Star Wars in three months!" Then they go on and on about "a warehouse full of boxes" or "their dear, dear friend at Skywalker Ranch said it was so" or some other bunk.

Every time they have said it, it ain't true. I will bet all 51 of my karma points that it ain't true this time either.

Re:I'll believe it when I see it

[tecnodude]

You'd win too, the newsaskew site has a retraction on it last time I checked.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

Is there anyone who didn't realize that the "handmaiden" Padme was really the queen within two minutes of her being introduced?

No matter how cool it looks, I refuse to accept that a double-bladed light saber can be an effective weapon. You're just too limited by the fact that you have to be careful not to slice yourself in half. The range of motion is much too limited.

Best move?

[Anonymous Coward]

Star Wortz is a little on the extremely bad side IMHO. With all the money they had, you'd think it could be a little less superficial.

good setup

[JungleBoy]

this sounds like a good setup for an april fools hoax to me.

JB

Re:praise the force

[L0rdJedi]

You obviously haven't read the book. That is why the Queen's face is usually covered with white makeup, so that she can dress as a handmaiden and not be noticed. The audience knew because we are supposed to know. Qui-Gon didn't know because he has only ever seen the Queen in white makeup so he couldn't tell by looking at her (although that doesn't explain why he couldn't tell through the Force, unless he wasn't trying).

I agree with you about the lightsaber though. Even though it was used offensively, it seemed to be more suited as a defensive weapon than anything else.

Titanic first

[heroine]

Now all that's left is to borrow the $70 for a DVD drive, but even if the software existed to play back DVDs in Linux I would buy Titanic before Star Wars.

Re:Titanic first

[Adnans]

Bah, get "The Matrix" instead. And I am able to watch it in Linux, although the sound is desynced .

Check out LinuxVideo under LiVid. Get dvd_play, ac3dec and nist, follow the dvd_play instructions. Unfortunately, you do need lots of CPU cycles since the code is not optimized (oh, and a G200/G400 with BES helps too ;-)

-adnans

What format?

[Oscarfish]

I hope it's 2.35:1 scope anamorphic, I'd hate to see such a widely-regarded release suffer from a bad transfer and formatting.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

It would have been cooler and made more sense if he fought with two separate light-sabers, but Nooooooo, there's some stupid made up rule, "Jedis can't use two light-sabers." "Jedis can't take a dump on Tuesdays either."
Lame. Course its all made up anyways, so who really cares about such details, but it just doesn't make sense. Please don't reply with lame comments about the weight or physics of welding two sabers either. Blech.

I'm releasing Episode One on DVD on April 1st

[Travoltus]

And it'll be the Jar Jar-free version!

Place your orders!!

Re:praise the force

[MotorMachineMercenar]

Why was Episode I shitty? Oh well... (cracking knuckles)

There was no STORY! Lucas writing a long sequence of scenes, loosely tying them together (sometimes not), and masking the whole thing with dazzling visuals, and calling _that_ a movie was insulting to the general audience. Eyecandy, yes. Entertaining, maybe. Good story, hardly! I don't care if he says 'Episode I' was geared for children, they still deserve a good story!

Talking about children, I despised Lucas' way of handling "war" in Episode I. Showing children that war is fun, that funny things happen constantly in war, and that wars are won with comic accidents shows that Lucas is totally out of touch with reality. I'm not saying there should've been blood and gore, but giving us one line of "isa therea peoplea gonna diea?" to portray the horror of war is not enough.

And acting! Or rather the lack of it. Nobody, _nobody_ did even a decent job of acting in the movie. And I'm not talking about Jar Jar; I think the CGI programmers actually did the best job of "acting" in the movie. The sad thing is that the movie was filled with good actors and actresses: Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson etc. I don't know what the reason for this was, but my speculation is that maybe the actors had trouble relating to green screens. Or maybe Lucas was too restricting in his directing...

George Lucas hasn't directed a feature movie in more than twenty years, and it shows. It seems like he was too totalitarian in his effort. According to the 'Making of's I've seen, he was involved in every single aspect of the movie, starting from the design of the aliens and space ships down to the musical score. This might have been great for a small budget movie like the original 'Star Wars', but when were talking about 100+ million dollar budget, he is just in the way, and restricts the creativity and distracts himself and the people who do this stuff for living. It looks like him being busy with all kinds of stuff that is not his stuff kept him too busy with writing a good story! Or writing a story at all. The movie suffered from a desperate attempt to lay the groundwork for the next five (eight?) movies. Not an easy job obviously, but if you can't handle something, why do it alone?

George Lucas really disappointed me with this one. I kinda liked episodes 4-6, but this was a real flop in every sense of the word, except financially. I went to see it in the theater just for the incredible truel, the choreography by stunt co-ordinator/swordmaster Nick Gillard was just out of this world. It was like totally, awesome! Made my balls itch!

If Lucas does not come up with a good story for the next two episodes, I will not ruin a perfectly good two hours, which I would be better off doing something more productive. Like sleeping. That of course only in the case Natalie Portman will not be in the next episodes!


MotorMachineMercenary
--
Hey, shit is good! One billion trillion flies can't be wrong! -MMM

By the time all of that happpens...

[bahamlabs]

By the time all of this happens, DVD will be standard, and VHS old news like 8-Track tape.

Re:By the time all of that happpens...

[mhm23x3]

Re: Episodes 7-9

By that time John Williams and Frank Oz will be DEAD.

Oh, yeah, VII VIII and IX will be real thrillers. GL is probably stock recording Oz saying stuff like "Hard it is, the path of Good," "Be strong in your feelings, but not so strong that use them the Dark Side can," and "Anger: bad it is unless help you defeat the bad guy it can."

He's probably also computer-analyzing John Williams soundtracks so that they can be spat out automatically by a computer for later episodes.

I can hardly wait. Roz Skywalker-Solo sets out to defeat the evil Darth Turnicate. Or some such.

Re:By the time all of that happpens...

[LMacG]

He's probably also computer-analyzing John Williams soundtracks so that they can be spat out automatically by a computer for later episodes

You mean that's not already how they're done?

Re:praise the force

[L0rdJedi]

If you really think Luke didn't win that lightsaber fight, you are dillusional. Vader had lost, the only reason Luke didn't kill him is because he would've turned to the Dark Side if he had.

Darth Maul was very skilled. If you read the book, you find out that when Obi-Wan went back to the Jedi Council, they tell him that he shouldn't have been able to kill Maul and that he should be dead. That is when they decide that he is ready and they make him a master and give him Anakin as his apprentice.

Also, the first movie was only cryptic because you didn't know anything about the Star Wars universe at all. This one's a little more blatant because you already know some things. It was also done to give people a way to tie it in with the originals. I've heard that the next two won't be so blatant since they've tied everything in and introduced all the main characters so they're going to concentrate more on continuing the story.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

...if you read the book..

hmmm, which is the authoritative in Lucas' eyes? Shitty little books he's hardly involved with, which he allows only to pad his profits, or the all consuming movie?

Star Wars book readers have always struck me as mal-adjusted. Then again the consumerism of the movie makes me want to vomit, so there.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

Anyone who's slashdot name is "Lord Jedi" should be avoided at all costs, you crazy nutter.
How many hours a day do you spend at your Star Wars alter analyzing TPM?

LaserDisc???

[Johnny O]

I wonder if a LaserDisc edition would be released. With the good 'ol Pioneer LD/DVD player I enjoy the best of both worlds and new LD titles are still being released! Star Wars 4,5,&6 are still best viewed on LD. Why not release it on LD?!?!?! I'd buy it.

Re:LaserDisc???

[Anonymous Coward]

Laser Disc stinks. I hate having to change that frisbee sized wafer over every half-hour (or get the other one out) just to watch a simple movie.

Re:LaserDisc???

[L0rdJedi]

LD is doubtful. Lucas considers LD a dying format and will probably not release any of them on LD again.

Re:LaserDisc???

[Johnny O]

What, you mean flipping over discs like my Good Fellas DVD? And you're right. That's why I got a LD player that plays both sides. But for some reason it doesn't work with DVD's and I still have to flip them over - oh well....

Re:LaserDisc???

[Anonymous Coward]

wow. I thought DVDs could handle the long movies fine. Guess not. That stinks just as much as flipping on a LD then. So the double sided players on LDs... does it pause when it switches or is it seamless? cost lot more?

Re:LaserDisc???

[Johnny O]

> does it pause when it switches or is it seamless?

Yeah, it does. So after 60 minutes you get the last frame frozen, flips for 5 seconds then continues. On my player the frame freeze is optional. It's sorta like DVD's that have dual layers. When it switches layers, I get a screen freeze for a second.

Neither format is perfect, but both BLOW AWAY VHS!

Now I am finding LD's dirt cheap and new discs were forced down in price to that of the DVD's. There is choice now and I like it. But new DVD's with new masters look sharper than LD and don't have the grainy/blockies that the old DVD's did. But you really have to watch out with DVD's. LD's are just the same though. I bought one or two in my time that had laser rot from a bad pressing (shows up as snowy white speckles on the screen), but luckily I could return it. The "THX" version of Highlander DVD SUCKED! It even got a bad review in the latest "Sound and Vision" rag. I had such a hard time returning it because the picture looked so bad. The cashier said that I shouldn't be comparing DVD's to LD's. I thought he was on crack! I returned it after much fighting and got the LD and I'm happy. Like I said, neither format is the best, but choice ROCKS!

If Star Wars Ep I comes out on LD and DVD, I'd have to measure up who has all the extras. And get that one. With the new James Bond DVD releases there is some stuff not on the DVD's, but the DVD's have some more that the LD's did not have. I'll keep 'em both. What the hell..

> wow. I thought DVDs could handle the long movies fine. Guess not.

Not true, NEW DVD's are great! The older ones didn't have the dual-layer technology so couldn't hold as much. Good Fellas is but only one of 'em still around. I stay away from old DVD's (if you can call them old) :-)

Re:LaserDisc???

[Johnny O]

You may be right, but having a choice would be nice as both are great formats!

Original, no changing of Han's character

[georgeha]

Now here's a really serious question, if/when Lucas comes out with the original trilogy on DVD, should he release the digitally enhanced versions or the original versions as they were shown in theaters? I go for the "as they were shown in theaters originally" versions, but that's because of personal nostalgia. what does everyone else think?

Funny, this was on lugnet today. When Lucas rereleased Ep IV, he made Greedo shoot first at Han, rather than Han shoot Greedo unexpectedly.

That sucks, it weakens Han's character and makes his personality change less interesting.

What's next, let the Death Star shoot first to be sporting?

(Most of this shamelessly lifted from Lugnet).

George

new rumor!

[arielb]

In the special DVD edition they include the scene where everyone: darth maul, palpatine, anakin, r2, etc takes turns killing jar jar binks! Now that I've got to see

bumbling cretinous idiot

[Anonymous Coward]

hey, you're fucking brilliant.... you do know that all movies are already widescreen, right? with the exception of the Blair Witch Project. they're either in a ratio of 1.85:1 or 2.35:1...

Okay, what about The Truman Show, which has a 1.66:1 ratio?

And he's talking about the panning and scanning that has to be done to fit the image on a standard television screen. The lack of intelligence that you displayed with your post is nothing short of stunning. I simply refuse to believe that a sentient being with your level of mental handicap is even physiologically possible. You ought to check yourself into Johns Hopkins or some place like that to see if you're some kind of evolutionary freak. Wow! Your stupidity boggles the mind!

Got you beat.

[KahunaBurger]

I'm not really sure, but I may be the one person in america who DIDN'T see the blasted movie.

Ha! I didn't see ep1 or Titanic.

Why bother...?

[Anonymous Coward]

So that George lucas can act like a prick once again? Anyone else see that ILM, Skywalker Ranch, and Lucas Arts are $250million in the hole still? Am I the onlyone who figures out that GL is nothing more than a dried-up waste of toilet paper? My God! PM really sucked...Lame shame of the century. -Budha

don't trust the man

[Anonymous Coward]

OK a couple of things - 1. I camped out for the movie for three days - I am loser and a freak and a Star Wars fanatic. 2. I actually hold down a full time job and I don't live with my parents and I don't work in a comic book store - so I do have a life. Having established my credentials I can objectively say that Ep I sucked. The last 30 minutes of it was Return of the Jedi part deux - with Jar Jar for the Ewoks. Lucas is a greedy bastard - I could almost forgive that abomination of a movie but I read an interview where he claimed that it was 'all for the kids' and lamented how he wished the toys were not so expensive. Here's an idea George, forgo some of the billions of dollars you sucked up in freaking marketing royalties for Jar Jar Condoms and toilet paper you puke. Oh, and try letting someone else direct the next episode. And how about letting the first three movies out on DVD before worrying about The Phantom Plot come out - and don't give us any garbage about not being sure about DVD quality or any of that pap.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

Shitty little books he's hardly involved with


You do know that book 4 and 5 were written by him. The author just made the screen play into a book with Lucas' help. If you had bothered to read book 1 before you ripped on it you would know that it follows the movie to a tee. Sure there are some books that were written that sucked ass. alright, most of the books written suck ass, but as for the ones that pertain to the movies, they are right on.


So next time you start saying how much a book sucks, try reading first!!!!

The other reason special edition stunk

[karb]

No ewok yub yub song at the end. I hate the ewoks as much as the next guy, but c'mon. Yub yub, man, yub yub. Yub yub, yo.

p.s. I thought the coolest thing to do for special edition would be to add in some good cursing that would have been too much for the original.

ex. Luke (after blowing up death star) "May the force fscking be with you!"

You-sa said it!

[Anonymous Coward]

You-sa so lucky, you-sa gonna see da movie, make jar jar lotsa money!

-- Jar Jar Binks

how about the originals??

[Judah Diament]

the new one was terrible. When will the original movies be on DVD?

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

You are missing one important fact. The reason you have never seen anyone using a double sided light saber IS BECAUSE they are so hard to use.

That is why darth maul uses it. He has trained his entire life for just that moment.

In the book they go into detail about the skill needed to weild such a weapon. But you are right, it is just a movie, so why get all bent out of shape. Thats the way Lucas saw it, so thats the way it is. Just accept it and move on.

Its like eating cotton candy.

[PanDuh]

Just like eating cotton candy.

It looks big. It tastes really candy sweet. But when eating it, you realize it is just a lot of fluff and air, and you are left still feeling hungry afterwards.

Throw in an annoying horse-tooth jackass CGI character and you've got yourself TPM!

--
PanDuh!

Re:Its like eating cotton candy.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Just like eating cotton candy. It looks big. It tastes really candy sweet. But when eating it, you realize it is just a lot of fluff and air, and you are left still feeling hungry afterwards." Reminds me of Linux.

do what i did

[Pope]

Buy 'em on LaserDisc!
I don't have an LD player (yet) but I'll be damned if I ever watch those friggin' "Special Edition" of the Star Wars Trilogy ever again.
eBay has lots of LD players for sale, so when I pay off the XMas VISA bill :) I'll be in luck.
Oh, BTW the place I ordered the 3 LD's from, had them for $8 a piece, or $23 (US) when you ordered the whole batch! Even with shipping and currency exchange to CAN$, I still came out ahead of getting them here, that is if I could find them anywhere.


Pope

Re:do what i did

[BlacKat]

Just for your information about why DVD is better than laserdisc in regards to laser rot and superior capacity (== quality) of DVD. HTH.

From the DVD FAQ: Laser Rot and Will DVD Replace Laserdisc?.

-BK

Re:praise the force

[PanDuh]

Plus the fact that the actors are never quite looking directly at the CGI characters when they speak to them. Liam Neeson always looks like he's looking somewhere next to or above Jar Jar's head.

--
PanDuh!

How about that podrace color commentator?

[PanDuh]

How about that two-headed pod-race commentator? Wow, I guess Nascar has a much larger fan base than I thought! Galaxy far far away my ass. Maturity level of this film is on par with a Barney film.

--
PanDuh!

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

Showing children that war is fun, that funny things happen constantly in war, and that wars are won with comic accidents shows that Lucas is totally out of touch with reality

2 things for you.

1. This is a movie and not a guide to life.

2. There are 2 options when depicting war. One is to show the horror of war ( like lucas' budy speilberg did with private ryan ) or show it from a lighter side. which do you think fit the bill here.

And I can't believe you didn't think Natalie Portman did a bad job acting. I thought she did an increadible job. And please don't say Samuel L. Jackson did a bad job, the man only had 2 lines.

Looks like you are just looking for people to blame because this movie didn't live up to some crazy expectations of what you had in mind for it.

Sure i would have liked some things to have been different, but the same goes for 4-6. The thing is, I am not a movie producer so I have no say. I watch movies and thats all.


Why don't you hold your tounge until the next two come out and then tell me what you think about them as a whole. And you might want to read the books. Just a thought

Re:praise the force

[L0rdJedi]

Lucas has always said that the movies, books, and radio dramas of Episodes 1-6 are considered authoritative. All other books after 6 and before 1 are not and he has said many times that if he does something inconsistent with them, that his part is true and the book is rendered false. The only book to break this rule is Shadows of the Emire, which he said specifically is canon. So I'd say the novelization of Ep 1 is pretty authoritative in his eyes.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

Great. He's could've spent all his time and energy training to hurt others, but instead he's using that time to learn not to hurt *himself*.

Ever wonder why there are no double-ended swords in real martial art weaponry? Because it is more dangerous to the wielder than the opponent.

A better design would be a two-headed light spear, it provides better balance and stability.

Here's your chance

[Anonymous Coward]

(DVD_ripper + lots_of_hard_drive + editing_software) = no_more_Jar_Jar

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

A two headed light spear? Huh?

People make me sick

[L0rdJedi]

You people complain and complain about the movie and everything, but you all know you'll go buy the VHS when it comes out, the DVD too, and you'll go see the next two. If you really thought it was that bad, you wouldn't care about the DVD or the VHS. Unfortunately, most of you don't know how to go to a movie and become a kid again. You go see a movie and keep in your 18+ mentallity. If you want to enjoy Star Wars, you have to think like a kid. I don't hear anybody here complaining about how lightsabers aren't possibly and the fact that there is no sound in space. You all make me sick.

Re:People make me sick

[RatBastard]

No, I will NOT buy the VHS or the DVD! I wouldn't pollute my house with that garbage! And I WON'T be going to see the next two, either (unless at least six people who'se opinions I can trust tell me their better).

Lucas can kiss my hairy ass. PM sucked. It was just a lot of expensive CG animation wrapped around a turd of a movie.

LISTEN UP DUDES!

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey everyone, I bet Lucas releases them all on DVD (after the last episode he makes) as soon as DVD is as obsolete as an 8-track.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

You are missing the point completly. It is a balance between not hurting yourself and inflicting as much damage as possible. How many other jedi's could fight two jedi's at once.

You have to remember that these are jedi's. They are not your average joe's. They have a little bit better ability than anyone in this world. The reason there are no double edged swords in martial arts is precisly because we can not handle them. The assumption that Lucas makes is that being a HIGHLY trained jedi, darth maul would be able to fuck shit up real good with that sword. It is there to show you how powerful he really is.

Have you ever heard of suspension of disbelief. Try it sometime.

not think as a kid

[Pope]

Baloney!
There are lots of "Kids" movies out there that don't insult the intellegence of adult watchers.
Anything by PIXAR springs to mind.
As for "lightsabers aren't possible," that is the essence of good fiction, right?
There's a certain amount of 'suspension of disbelief' that happend with any good work of fiction, regardless of genre. What gets tricky is when that gets compromised by ridiculous plot points and illogical character actions, both of which TPM had in spades. "Star Wars" was a great afternoon popcorn matinee kind of flick, but had a simple plot, engaging characters, and good action when needed. It created a whole universe in one big gulp that was easy to take and made sense within its INNER logic. TPM introduced a lot of hocus pocus "plot" and a kid-aimed character, Jar Jar, whose comic antics grated on the majority of adults in the audience.
Have you seen Toy Story 1 or 2? There's an awful log of comic action WITHOUT any annoying characters. Are you going to tell me that I can't enjoy Toy Story because toys don't really come to life when I'm not around?

Pope

not holding my breath for any episode

[verch]

I was at J&R in NYC last week picking up (at last!) The Wall on DVD.. Someone had scrawled on the upcoming releases board 'Star Wars - 2006?' I think this sums it up very well.

This is big news because....?

[Electric Eye]

Who cares? Movie was mediocre at best. Doesn't every movie eventually come out in DVD anyway? Doesn't it look/sound just fine on VHS in Dolby surround? I don't know. This is a big fat *yawn* for me....
You guys have to get outside more often.

Both Editions on ONE DVD

[nion]

...especially if you leave out all of the 'making of' and other trailers and such. If you included BOTH SE and the originals on a DVD, you could put the extra crap on a separate DVD (4 DVD SET! Now only $89.95).

Of course, in doing that George couldn't make 2x+ the profits from selling them as separate entities (and boxed sets).

Re:praise the force

[deanc]

You know, one thing I never understand is why no one holds movies to the same standards of books when it comes to story-telling. Why is the universal reply to a complaint about TPM, "it's just a movie" ?

One of my labmates theorizes that this is because some people are still amazed by the miracle that the pictures actually move.

-Dean

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

I think it is because in a book you can do a lot more than a movie. A movie HAS to be under 3 hours. more like 2. A book can be 1000 pages or 150 pages. There is no way you can compare the 2. The book will always be better than the movie. Except maybe the matrix...but thats about it.

Anyway, movies are mostly eye candy and hopefully some depth in there somewhere. I don't go to the movies to see something that will chage my life, but I have read books that have done that.

releasing the DVD so soon is not Lucas's style

[jkottke]

Looking at the release schedules of the first three SW films, it is hard to imagine Lucas passing up all that revenue by prematurely releasing Ep. 1 on DVD.

All three of the first movies were released on VHS in a timely fashion. Everyone rushed out to buy them. Then a few years ago, they were released again, with new cover art, slightly remastered (if I recall correctly), and with interviews of Lucas. Everyone rushed out to buy them.

Soon after, they were completely remastered and released in the theatres. Everyone rushed out to see them. The completely remastered versions were then released to video. Everyone rushed out to buy them.

Episode 1 was then released in the theatres. Everyone rushed out to see it.

Fast forward to the future. Lucas releases Episode 1 on VHS. Everyone rushes out to buy it. Lucas then waits a year or more to release the original trilogy on DVD. Everyone rushes out to buy them.

At some point, Episode 1 will be released to DVD...but I wouldn't count on that being anytime soon. Lucas is all about the money folks. He knows he has a huge fan base for the Star Wars movie series that will buy anything he puts out. How do you make the really big money from that? You make those folks pay for the same damn thing over and over again.

It's brilliant.

Re:praise the force

[Fruan]

I'm rather certain that Ben-Hur was longer then three hours.

And if you think that movies should only be eye candy, you obviously haven't watched many movies that haven't been made in Hollywood.

Are you nuts?

[PanDuh]

Are you crazy? Why do you need to insult the intelligence of sub-18 year olds?

First of all: Do you think that just because a movie is geared towards adolescents and teens it is OK for it to be resoundingly stupid?

Here are just *some* movies and TV shows made for teens and kids that *aren't* stupid:

1.) Iron Giant
2.) Toy Story, Toy Story 2
3.) Tarzan
4.) Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
5.) Batman TV Series
6.) Superman TV Series
7.) Beast Wars/Beast Machines
8.) DragonBall Z
9.) X-Men
10.) Gargoyles (great, now defunct, series)

etc..etc.. I am sure there are a ton of them out there.

Second of all:

Would you like to explain the entire plot of TPM for me, huh? Why don't you try, and then tell me that its a movie made for kids. Also, don't tell me that slicing someone in half with a light sabre is also kids-oriented material.

--
PanDuh!

Re:praise the force

[PanDuh]

1. This is a movie and not a guide to life.

Neither are a lot of movies. Doesn't mean they are stupid.

2. There are 2 options when depicting war. One is to show the horror of war ( like lucas' budy speilberg did with private ryan ) or show it from a lighter side. which do you think fit the bill here.

Aaah.. so I guess the Star Wars series is supposed to be more like "F-Troop", and "Beetle Bailey". Well, how the hell am I supposed to argue that?

...And please don't say Samuel L. Jackson did a bad job, the man only had 2 lines.

Precisely.

--
PanDuH!

Well, no problem...

[Anonymous Coward]

Great, by the time they are released, no one will care enough about these overhyped movies to buy them - And if they are released in a DVD 6-pack set (first 3 and last 3) it'll cost about $150. Fffft, yeah right. I just won't buy. (BTW: I won't be watching the movie in the theater - It's a waste of money when you have something better at home!).

DVD won't help me much anyways.

[Anonymous Coward]

DVD won't help me much anyways cause of that old TV we have which is almost as old as I am. I'd have to use our VCR as a pass-through device just to hook up the DVD, thats how old it is. We only have one speaker too. This will help explain why we only have one channel, the local channel, which is almost as good as static in content quality measurements.

Re:DVD won't help me much anyways.

[Johnny O]

Yup, I had to do that with my first LD player. (The only reason I got into LD's was the release of the Star Wars: Definitive Collection. AWESOME!!) But you can't do that with a DVD player. You MUST have connections on your TV. DVD, like VHS, employs Macrovision Anti-Copy process, but instead of encoding it on the tape, it has a bit to turn it on in the player embedded on the DVD media. The player supplies the anti-copy signal which wreaks havoc with VCR's automatic gain control, and provides a screwy picture even if you are just using the VCR as a pass-through device. LD's do not employ any anti-copy process, but they conceivably could.

Re:DVD won't help me much anyways.

[Anonymous Coward]

My high-school friend had the LD of Star Wars. We watched the fat guy (was it red leader?) crash into the Death Star in slow motion. Watching his jowels go up and down was so hilarious we all laughed until we cried. Memories... ah. Growing old stinks.

Re:DVD won't help me much anyways.

[Johnny O]

Wasn't his name "PORKINS"!?!?!?
Add more to the laugh!

- "Cover me, Porkins"
- "I'm right with you Red Leader"

This is the only DVD that I know

[Anonymous Coward]

Well someone will probably kill me for this (so forgive the anonomous post), but here's the link to a still from the Asian DVD. Personally the Thai version was the best one I saw - stereo and great quality widescreen. http://www8.bcity.com/superdvds/Phantom-1.jpg

I won't buy VHS

[Anonymous Coward]

No problem for me - If it isn't single packed on DVD, I won't buy it. I refuse to pay again for 3 movies I already have on VHS. And I won't buy VHS ever again (unless they only charge $6 for movie...). Not only that, but at current prices, a six-pack of DVDs costs about $150.

VHS sucks, DVD is GREAT

[Anonymous Coward]

No, here are the BIG differences between VHS and DVD:

What DVD can do and VHS cannot do:

- Random Access (casette has always been linear)
- Stable Pausing and Scene advance (Ok, if you are willing to plop down $5000 for a VCR you can do this - But DVD is cheaper then)
- Multiple Camera Angles on the same disc
- 8 QUALITY hours of video (VHS, only 2.5 hrs)
- 5.1 Surround (Prologic is a joke compared to DTS or Dolby Digital. I mean it!)
- 500 lines resolution (_maybe_ 200 on a VHS cassette, if it hasn't been played 100x [rental tapes SUCK])
- 4 hour movies without switching cassettes
- No rewinding
- Chapter Search
- SUPER fast forward
- NO possibility of forced trailer watching, due to chapter search
- Digital Audio (need I say more?)
- Menu access
- HDTV
Man, I'm getting real tired of saying this...
If you watch movies on a little 12" BW TV, I guess you don't care. But then why even bother to pass judgement on a new technology when yours is 4 decades old?

Re:VHS sucks, DVD is GREAT

[Anonymous Coward]

You mention some real features of DVD, but they mostly aren't features I'm looking for.

Right up front I'll mention that I rent movies and watch them once or twice. I've never seen one movie 10 times. therefore I don't buy movies even if they are $20 or $30 dollars. I have a pretty good TV and VCR but nowhere near the best.

You mention pausing, searching, multiple camera angles, etc. These would be great features in a video reference work, like an anatomical atlas (which would be better suited to a computer application anyway). All the DVDs I see on the shelf are regular Hollywood-style movies, which I watch from start to end. Even if they had multiple camera angles, I'd watch the one the director chose. There are few things more annoying when watching a movie than slow motioning, skipping around and rewinding.
You also mention issues of audio and video quality. I have a pretty good 20" TV, but lets face it, NTSC is never going to be that great. To my eye, DVD looks about 20% better than a good VHS tape. Maybe because I don't expect much of an image on a TV, I'm not going to sweat an extra 20% of perceived quality. The higher quality audio is probably the most compelling feature of DVD to true movie buffs, but I'm one of the millions of people who listen to their TV mostly through its built in stereo speakers, or through my bookshelf stereo's speakers.
DVD's appeal to cinima buffs is also limited by it's regional protection. What true movie lover wants a format that limits them only to movies that an American corporation wants to market?
Finally, its another expensive box to buy and stick under the TV set. It doesn't record. I already have a 4 head hi-fi VCR.

I can understand why wealthy cinimaphiles like DVD. If I had a movie room with great speakers and a projection TV, I'd have DVD too. But I don't, so I won't buy DVD until they stop renting VHS (or it becomes twice as expensive).

Re:VHS sucks, DVD is GREAT

[Anonymous Coward]

You don't mention one of the best features I've found so far - inclusion of production staff commentaries with some titles.

UP JUMP DA BOOGIE

[Anonymous Coward]

Great Star Wars Stuff!! http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& item=224205737

I would buy Titanic too

[Anonymous Coward]

If the DVD came with a "Gun down Leonardo DiCaprio" game, that is.

Re:praise the force

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a movie and not a guide to life.

It would be nice if someone with the influence that George Lucas has would make a movie that *does* help a child develop in life. This does not mean sugar coating things. It means treating kids as if they are intelligent and helping them to find value in life.

not news. not for nerds. not that matters

[eries]

I hope I'm already the Nth person to suggest this (and let the flames come if need be! to hell with karma!) but "news" about this latest "Star Wars" "movie" is totally boring. Let's just all face facts that we got suckered into seeing an over-hyped mediocre flick.

I'd rather see news that the Matrix is already out on DVD and in my living room.

enough.

It is one of the worst movie I've have ever seen.

[Anonymous Coward]

huge deception.

U.S. English Spelling is 'rumor'

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you British, Hemos? You seem to use many British-isms.

Great, more crap

[RatBastard]

I'm sorry, but Episode one was a piece of crap. It was a pretty piece of crap, but it was still a piece of crap. To Quote Butthead: "A ploished turd is still a turd, Beavis."

News Askew retracts

[Christopher Neufeld]

Check the site again. They apologize for misleading, there will be no DVD release at the same time as the video release.

Please Kill Lucas Now!

[letchhausen]

Before he makes any more crappy movies and he we have to hear it about it on Slashdot. The only recent movie I can think of that was more overly hyped, poorly written and woodenly acted was Titanic. Get a life.

Re:praise the force

[RatBastard]

Please, read the book? Prolong the agony?

If you have to read the book to understand the movie then the movie is a failure.

Blue Laser DVD

[Anonymous Coward]

I heard that Lucas was waiting for the new 'Blue Laser' technology before he releases Star Wars on DVD. Lucas is not happy with the ammount of data he can get on a current 'Red Laser' DVD, apparently 'Blue Laser' DVD's will enable more data to be stored on the disc.

VERY bad idea!

[jaysonsch]

If Lucas does indeed release Episode One on DVD, I hope that he will release on VHS on or before the day he releases the DVD version so that us unfortunate people won't have to wait for a VHS version... Come on George! HAVE A HEART!!!

Star Wars on DVD

[scotch51]

• until [there are] 10 million DVD players in consumer's homes

Me thinks thou doest confuse George Lucas with Robber Baron Bill Gates.

Lucas is "one of us" on a grand scale, doing fun stuff that makes lots of money. Not for the sake of "money," so much as for the sake of "fun stuff."

My best Guess: Star Wars will be the Killer App that launches D-DVD as in HIGH DEFINITION TV Disk Players.

Lucas is just waiting for the hardware (good market penetration of Screens and a home D-DVD players available in quantity) to appear.

He may even get paid big bux for it by Sony Phillips etc.