Star Wars OT (Special Edition) 20th Anniversary

[Prime Clone]

Thought it was noteworthy that the Star Wars Special Edition was marking its 20th anniversary...

A New Hope SE: January 31, 1997
The Empire Strikes Back SE: February 21, 1997
Return of the Jedi SE: March 14, 1997

Whatever your opinion of the SE, it was great we got the OT released in the cinemas again within such a short space of time.

I for one welcomed these new additions to the saga. My only complaint was Han shooting first. Lesser annoyances were Luke screaming as he fell down the Cloud City reactor shaft, and the Sarlacc growing a beak. The Luke scream was later rectified.

I even forgave the CGI Jabba for the sake of having that scene restored.

Now, let the hate flow through you...!

 

[YoNoSe]

I loved going to see these in the movies. It was fun seeing the new footage at the time. I think the only things I didn't care for when I first saw them were ^ Luke Scream and the Jabba's Palace number. I remember being relieved that the Tauntauns were still stop-motion.

 

[karamazov80]

Honestly, it's only since the Internet that I've learned to hate these [emoji38] when these came to the theater my enjoyment of getting them in that format far outweighed my confusion over Jedi Rocks.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Blah...I got Harmy's

 

[Johnny Utah]

I feel old.

 

[RIDDICK]

I feel fine.

 

[a-dev]

The 20th anniversary of the 20th anniversary. Holy ****.

 

[DiFabio]

Has it really been that long?

 

[rushmore223]

How about lets just say the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars?

More of a milestone to me.

 

[DiFabio]

How about lets just say the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars?

Not until May bro.

 

[KryptoSlush]

I'll never forget seeing these in 1997. It was glorious. The screening of A New Hope opening day was packed. Not an empty seat in the house. I wasn't around in 1977, but it had what I imagine was the same atmosphere.

 

[rushmore223]

I'll never forget seeing these in 1997. It was glorious. The screening of A New Hope opening day was packed. Not an empty seat in the house. I wasn't around in 1977, but it had what I imagine was the same atmosphere.

People knew what to expect in 1997. In 1977, peoples minds were blown.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

I thought this thread was a joke....it's not.

 

[cerealkeller]

They were glorious to see on the big screen again. My friends and I waited in line out in the cold tundra of Minnesota to see these opening nights. The additions I have come to dislike for the most part but I will never forget how it brought Star Wars back into the mainstream consciousness again and the fun of seeing people of all ages going to see movies on the big screen they could see at home. But Star Wars was and always will never fully be appreciated unless seen in a theater.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wor-Gar]

It was fun... like the hype preceding TFA.... but it wouldn't be something celebrated like the 40th anniversary that really had a genuine impact on film, society and many future generations.

 

[a-dev]

My most enduring memory is watching the ESB Special Edition and being dying for a piss for most the film but being too afraid that I'd get up and go right when there was a new bit. It was a supremely uncomfortable walk to the toilets when the credits rolled.

 

[Uncle Bingo]

I remember going to see ANH SE and then when it was over going straight home sick all of a sudden with a sore throat. That really pissed me off that day.

 

[Matt S]

Blah...I got Harmy's

Yup; far far superior

 

[Prime Clone]

One of the primary functions of the SE was to bring the FX up to a point where they could stand beside future SW flicks. It's fine to love the original theatrical cut as a piece of history, but it doesn't sit well alongside modern FX.

 

[kiwiatlarge]

I never really hated these editions. Some of the effects didn't work that bad as a coat of paint, and some of it wasn't quite so good or necessary. (He really could have skipped Jabba and Han)... It's the post prequel changes that I progressively dislike more each time Lucas decided to fiddle, especially that whole sequence with The Emperor in ESB, and Ghost emo at the end of ROTJ. It's like he's trying to fool us into believing that the latest versions are what he always intended because he can't face that the PT didn't get that over with OT fans... that and treat newcomers as stupid that somehow they can't connect the characters from the two eras.

Anyway, I remember going to ANH and the theatre was sold out, but for some reason the next two movies were damn near empty... What I will appreciate is finally I got to see ANH and ESB on the big screen rather than TV broadcast.. and I never actually got copies of the movies until the THX VHS versions which from memory came out not that long before the 20th ann on VHS.