What is there left to say about
Star Wars that hasn't already been said a billion times already with thousands of book written on the subject matter? There is a reason why the Original
Trilogy is so revered by my generation. There really hadn't been a movie quite like
Star Wars before so when it hit, it hit like an asteroid strapped to a megaton nuclear bomb. I can't even begin to describe what an impact this movie had on me as a kid. It was MONUMENTAL! The first time I saw this with my Mom, as soon as we exited the theater, we went right back in line to see it again. That's how huge this was and the line itself seemed to be a mile long already. I didn't care. Had to see it again!! This movie was life-changing for me in so many ways. Still the greatest moving going experience I've ever had in my entire life.
Rather than rehash what the story is and isn't, I rather clarifiy my rating for this one. The
10 Stars I have is for the
Original 1977 Version of the film. But the Version that I watched tonight was the
2004 Version with all the added footage and whatnot. Now when I saw this version in the theater, I was actually excited to see new scenes as well as the "lost" footage with
Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in the
Jabba The Hut scene. If you are a fan of the series, you know that the original
Jabba was played by a Human actor and not some slug-like creature. So, this was kinda cool to see. But after seeing this new version a few times, the luster wore off and the new scenes actually began to bug me....a lot. And the whole "Greedo shot first" fiasco was just dumb. I hated the scene then and I hate it now. For the 2004 Version of the film, I'd give it
4 1/2 Stars. You just don't mess with perfection, even if there are some rough spots that could use polishing.
Anyway, my copy of the DVD comes from the
2004 Widescreen Trilogy Box Set. And yes, I recommend this as a
Buy. Well, if you can find the Original Films as is, by all means grab those first. If ya can't, this
Set will do. Watching this again and every time I do, it's crazy how young
Mark Hamil, Carrie Fisher and
Harrison Ford keep getting!! They were basically kids when they made this. Gotta point out,
Harrison is funny as hell in this with his sarcasm and dry humor. He doesn't get enough credit for the humor he brought to the role of
Han Solo. One thing I did have a problem with the Original Version is when
Chewie gets snubbed and doesn't get a medal. What the hell! (He would get his medal some 25 years later on
MTV Movie Awards Show).
FYI, I do own the
Original Film Set / Tin Can Edition from
Best Buy. I bought this when it came out. But over the years it's become such a hot collectible (i.e. $$$$ valuable $$$$) that the idea of tearing the Factory Seal off the Set is just too much for me to even contemplate.