Star Wars Trilogy (Special Edition)

In the first film, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) gets to live out every boy's dream: ditch the farm and rescue a princess (Carrie Fisher). Accompanied by the roguish Han Solo (Harrison Ford, the only principal who was able to cross over into stardom) and trained by Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), Luke finds himself involved in a galactic war against the Empire and the menacing Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones). The following film, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), takes a darker turn as the tiny rebellion faces an overwhelming onslaught. Directed by Irvin Kershner instead of Lucas, Empire is on the short list of Best Sequels Ever, marked by fantastic settings (the ice planet, the cloud city), the teachings of Yoda, a dash of grown-up romance, and a now-classic "revelation" ending. The final film of the trilogy, Return of the Jedi (1983, directed by Richard Marquand), is the most uneven. While the visual effects had taken quantum leaps over the years, resulting in thrilling speeder chases and space dogfights, the story is an uneasy mix of serious themes (Luke's maturation as a Jedi, the end of the Empire-rebellion showdown) and the cuddly teddy bears known as the Ewoks.

Years later, George Lucas transformed his films into "special editions" by adding new scenes and special effects, which were greeted mostly by shrugs from fans. They were perfectly happy with the films they had grown up with (who cares if Greedo shot first?), and thus disappointed by Lucas's decision to make the special editions the only versions available. --David Horiuchi

Spotlight Reviews
Star Wars Trilogy (2008-12-03)
Customer Review : 5
What would you expect, it's the original three Star Wars movies! These three are the best of the series of six! I purchased them used and they are in great shape. No scratches on any of the four DVD's (Bonus disk included).

Star Wars Trilogy Widescreen (2008-11-25)
Customer Review : 5
For Star Wars aficionados. It has the latest special effect additions and better resolution than the same period VHS tapes. Interesting bonus disk.

The greatest films of all time, in a great DVD set (2008-10-24)
Customer Review : 5
The Star Wars Saga changed the face of cinema, and even rewrote modern mythology. The journey of the hero, capitalizing on the imagery of medieval Japan, Flash Gordon, World War 2 and the Old West, comes to life in the classic "Space Opera" trilogy that affected an entire generation, and hopefully with this splendid DVD boxset, generations to come.

Star Wars Trilogy (2008-10-12)
Customer Review : 5
The Star Wars Trilogy are three of my favorite movies. And, the boxed set I have came in excellent condition. All three movies look great in this DVD package.

Great Movies (2008-09-30)
Customer Review : 5
As I'm quite sure you know the basic storyline of Star Wars, I am just reviewing the features of this set. I really enjoyed the quality of the remastered movies. I saw the special editions in the theater, but these include even more updates, such as character continuity with Anakin and Palpatine. I never owned the complete original series before (tho I've always been an avid fan), so I am happy with it.