Star Wars Trilogy Box Set (4 Discs)

A new hope...This is just floorless from start to end , ground breaking special effects (for the time) superb adventure story and great characters...just glad Mr Lucas had the restrictions of film making back then which forced him to be more creative and not surrounding himself with YES men as he does today (Rick McCullum) otherwise would probably have ended up with the dross of the more recent chapters of the saga.

The Empire Strikes Back....This is my favourite of them all , a much needed darker story which has one of the best revelling twists of them all...superb action with the Millenium Falcon dog fight escape and the final light sabre duel and the coolest character of all ...Bobba Fett.

Return Of The Jedi....this is the weaker of the three but still deserves a billion star rating (as do the other two) for its sheer entertainment...people moan about it being like "muppets in space" but the rescue at the begining , the high speed biker chase through the forest of Endor , the light sabre duel and final dog fight in space and to see the Death Star destroyed from within certainly make up for those annoying little Carebears in the middle of the film.

All three of the Trilogy but only the three remastered version with the dodgy extra bits crow barred in. Why not get the three individual disks from the latest release which contain both the remastered versions and the original on DVD.

I was one of the unlucky ones...I never got to see Star Wars in 1977...I wasn't born. Yet when I caught sight of these pillars of cinema in 1997,I couldn't help but be enveloped by everything that Lucas created for generations before me. I don't know if it's because he takes so long developing a story,or because he cannot be bothered, but when Mr. Lucas makes a film, it's a corker. Throughout the trilogy, memerable characters guide the viewer around a galaxy as well concieved as Tolkien's. Every aspect of these three monumental pictures reeks grandeur, heroism and operatic confrontations yet show a huge emotional centre in such a simple tale about good vs evil. With such grand spectacles as the Death Star dogfight, the Hoth Battle and the final, inevitable showdown between Luke and Vader who wouldn't find some part this mammoth trilogy to be enthralled by.

Alongside it's story(I refer to the trilogy as singular,as it is a single,cohesive film cut into three chapters)the visual effects are a marvel. Now every movie can easily 'CGI it', whereas the trilogy was created before dependance of the PC, instead a practical approach had to be taken...and with great effect. And as ever, John Williams score is miraculous,as if the music and visuals always existed together, with every note from the opening crawl to the vast,bravado brass of the Empire creating a story in itself.

Yet one of the most ingenious inventions of the 'original' trilogy was to present it as the latter of two stories. Although everyone who seen Jar Jar Binks would want to strangle him, I believe Episodes I,II and III only add and strengthen the appeal of the greatest set of films ever made.

To discuss the monumental effect that the `Star Wars' trilogy has had on modern culture is to begin a discussion way too expansive to start here. Instead just close your eyes and try to imagine this...Life WITHOUT `Star Wars'...difficult isn't it? No other franchise in the history of cinema has enraptured, enthralled and delighted so many fans, young and old, that `Star Wars' has, and still continues to do today. This year, as I'm in no doubt most of you already know, will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the original release of Episode IV and still the impact of Star Wars continues to grow. From the opening moments of John Williamss' groundbreaking, iconic score all three films were full of characters, creatures, aliens, weapons, spacecraft and planets the likes of which we'd never witnessed before. And no other trilogy manages to evoke such nostalgia in me than Lucas' original trilogy. Memories of a childhood spent transfixed in front of the screen, in awe of this spectacular space epic. Afternoons spent in the back garden re-enacting `The Battle of Endor' Winning first prize at a fancy dress party dressed as Darth Vader. My endless trips into town to try and get my hands on the latest `must-buy' toys. And, of course, the strange feelings that Princess Leia made me feel - feelings that, certainly back then, I'd never imagined women could ever make you feel! The original trilogy was perfect in every way - Empire was darker, more complex (and better) than the original and, though the weakest of the trilogy, Jedi still entertained with its vast menagerie of strange creatures in Jabba's palace. And, sad though it may sound, I still get a lump in my throat when that poor little Ewok bites the big one...
Star Wars is what cinema is all about - pure escapism, the kind of movie that sweeps you up in its vision and takes you on an unforgettable, timeless journey to a galaxy far, far away. Though certainly entertaining, the recent prequels, with all their CGI gloss and big name cast have, somehow, totally failed to come anywhere near to the sheer brilliance of the original trilogy. Even though Jar Jar Binks isn't quite the demonic hellspawn everyone seems to think he is...

I assume these are the remastered versions? These versions are abominations. I almost threw a TV out of a window when I saw the end of the 'remastered' Jedi with Hayden Christensen with Yoda and Obi-Wan I was so angry. And the 'remastered' Jabba, and any of the animatronics that have been replaced with CG just look awful. No need to tamper with perfection.

For those who may be unaware you can buy these films seperately on play with 'bonus' disks which contain the original versions (as seen in cinema) of the films, the way they should be watched. So I am certainly not giving Star Wars 1 star, the individual original versions all get 5, but I am just fed up with Lucas's pittyful attempts to cash in and I just don't see the point in the new versions.