The Special Editions
The "Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition" boxed set was at the #1 spot in video sales its first three weeks in release.
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"Star Wars: A New Hope: Special Edition" made $35.9 million at the box office its first weekend, a record for a January opening. It also moved from #4 to #2 in all-time box office grosses.
The Special Editions have all been released on video together at a retail price of $49.98 (pan and scan) and $59.98 (letterboxed). Here is what they look like in a boxed set: 
The letterboxed versions are in a silver box. The laserdiscs are now on sale.
I went on Feb. 2 to see "Star Wars: A New Hope: Special Edition" at the local theatre, Mt. Berry Square to be exact. I had seen it on the big screen, but forgot what it was like. I went with my friends in the Berry College Sci-Fi/Fantasy Association. Matt, my friend and president of the club was nice enough to get us tickets as soon as they were on sale.
We still had to wait in line to get in. The doors opened around 1:30 for the 2:00 show. Sure, I had seen a packed house before, "ID4" was just a few months ago, but not like this.
You could feel the energy in the crowd, and after the great trailers of "Volcano", "Liar, Liar", and "The Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi: Special Edition" were shown, the crowd grew silent.
First, the familiar Fox Fanfare. Then "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...", and I could feel the excitement all around me. Then the first chord and it blew everyone away as the familiar music played. It was like "Star Wars" had never left.
The whole show was THE movie theatre experience. Now, about the added stuff. 99% of it was wonderful. I actually said "Ooh" and "Wow" with each new thing. Mos Eisley was great, and the new CG'ed landspeeder was breathtaking, as were the added rontos, dewbacks, and scurriers. The Cantina was great except for the needless replacement of the Wolfman, and the infamous stupid scene where Greedo shoots at Han and MISSES FROM LESS THAN 1 FOOT AWAY! Lucas said he wanted it this way from the beginning, but he should've left well enough alone.
But that was soon forgotten as we saw more new computerized additions and the great Jabba scene. This DID tie the Trilogy in better and one particular moment drew the biggest laughs but I won't give it away for you who haven't yet seen it (P.S. What are you waiting for?). Boba Fett's appearance also helped to tie the three together. The added stormtroopers, Battle at Yavin, and Biggs scene were all welcome additions. The battle was spectacular.
And when it ended, I saw the huge lines for the next show, and was looking forward to Feb. 21 weekend, when I could do it all again. My advice: blink at the right moment during the Greedo scene and it will be perfect. **** (out of four)
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Highest February opening of all time with $22.35 million at #1!
I saw "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: Special Edition" on Feb. 23 at the Village Theatre in Rome, and despite the theatre being old, the sound was great, and the picture was crisp and clear. After trailers for "Volcano" and "Return of the Jedi: Special Edition", it started and the additions to the film made it flawless.
The story was more captivating than ever and I was glad to finally see the best of the Trilogy on the big screen.
The Hoth f/x were cleaned up and the rebel fighter ships looked CG'ed. They were amazing visually.
The whole film itself was a feast for the eyes, and the well-written story and better acting made it easy to see why this film is better than the first.
Of course, there wasn't a big crowd like at "New Hope" but this was the film that deserved a crowd. It was also THE movie experience.
Cloud City looked better than ever with the CG effects, and we got a better look at the Wampa, saw the population of Cloud City, and there were other amazing additions that I will not spoil for you (some were kept secret until the release).
Mere words cannot express how great the film is with all its detail, great John Williams music, and story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
I can't say enough about the new version of "Empire Strikes Back", and I know many of you complain about its ending, but the shot of Luke, Leia, and the Droids seen inside the huge Rebel ship and then panning the star system is one of the greatest ever put on film.
Get a grip, people! It's part 2 of 3 (or part 5 of 6)! It's called a cliffhanger and they always had them in the '30s and '40s! Anyway, enough of my rants. Boba Fett, Yoda, and Lando are the characters that leave a mark on one's mind after seeing this landmark in film history. Not since Bride of Frankenstein has there been a sequel that improved so much on the original (Randy corrected me on this in Scream 2: not a sequel, the second in a trilogy), and if there are any thoughts in your mind against seeing Episode V, throw them away, and head for your local theatre. You'll see what I mean. ****
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Opening weekend at #1 with $16.3 million!
I went on March 15th to see "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: Special Edition" at Masters 7 Cinemas in Augusta, GA. The theatre had DTS digital sound so it was very good. I had seen the 1st 2 a couple days before and they had been moved out of the theatres with the best sound so I could really tell the difference.
I had seen this movie so often, but the big screen experience improved it a lot. The new dance number, sarlacc and Death Star explosion were great welcome additions, as well as the other additions.
Still I would have liked to have seen Luke building his new sabre. The scene that improved the film most was the awe-inspiring celebrations on Cloud City, Tatooine, and Coruscant. These computer-created cities were a landmark in special effects, and they really improved the ending.
Jabba was not CG'ed at all, which is probably good. The Ewoks singing was cut out and the new music was pretty good but they could have at least kept in the Ewok song for a few seconds. This was the worst change of this film.
However, I was at the edge of my seat at the climax, and the Death Star Attack with Lando in charge was great. Han said something about not seeing the Falcon again and I think this was to foreshadow Lando's death, along with the Falcon being destroyed, a part which was changed when test audiences didn't like it.
The Ewoks won me over finally. I was never an Ewok fan but I laughed at their antics this time probably because I was in a big crowded theatre. By the way, "Ewok" is never uttered in this film. Well it wasn't quite as good as the first two but it was still a fun film, so I give it *** 1/2.
