The Star Wars Geek in Me

Well well well. Guess who got their DVDs of the original Star Wars Trilogy a day before it was released in stores. Me! That's who. I couldn't believe that my pre-order copy from Chapters-Indigo arrived yesterday. I mean how cool is getting something like that before everyone else? Man was I ever excited when I got home. Now let me say that I'm not a Star Wars fanatic, but I'm definitely a fan. The movies are a lot of fun. A great mix of action, humor, and romance. Not to mention that they are films that changed movie making and our even culture.

Anyway, the DVDs are definitely a treat. I obviously haven't had time to watch them all but man is the picture quality ever amazing. I mean, did you know that Leia has freckles on her face in the first movie? You can see them on her checks beside her nose when she confronts Vader at the beginning of the movie. lol. I'll have to dust off my old VHS versions to really see the difference in picture quality.

I wish the DVDs were the original films and not the Special Edition movies, but I'm happy to have the movies on DVD. It's a four disc set, with disc four being the bonus features. The documentary is very well done and runs for about 2.5 hrs. It's a very nice look at the struggles Lucas went through to realize his dreams and the phenomenal success of the movies. I mean when these movies came out they were bigger than Lord of The Rings. They may not have won as many awards but the overall impact of those movies and the technology that spawned from then is staggering. Without Star Wars there would be no Industrial Light & Magic, still viewed as being at the cutting edge of movie special effects. There would be no Toy Story because Pixar Studios was started by George Lucas. There would be no Lord of The Rings movies because of the inspiration Lucas was to Peter Jackson. Amid all the controversy over the new Star Wars trilogy and the changes Lucas has been continuously making to the original trilogy I had forgotten how important these movies are to movie history.

I was hesitant at first to buy the DVDs, but I'm glad I did. They have reawakened that child-like awe I had when I first saw the movies. Now if only Peter Jackson would hurry up and release the Extended cut of LOTR:Return of The King, finish King Kong, and then start making The Hobbit. ;)

Matthew.