Awww . . . please don't lead this thread die out . . . it's been a really enjoyable discussion.

OK. I'll bite.

Well, I for one am a "fanboy." However, I do not think that Lucas is always wrong...or that Jackson can do no wrong. BUT - I for one, do NOT think Lucas is a brilliant filmmaker. I really don't. I do not think any of the Star Wars films are truly amazingly "great" films or anything (though "Empire" does rock!)... BUT - the Star Wars trilogy are some of my favorite films. I LOVE them. I can watch them over and over and never get tired of them, but I can also watch "The 'Burbs" over and over and never get tired of it too. That doesn't make it an exceptionally great film.

I don't hate Lucas. I do not think he is evil. I think he created a series of films the popularity of which has long ago outgrown the true "quality" of the films themselves and of Lucas. What I mean is that the Star Wars phenomenon is bigger than Lucas and bigger than the films. I mean, the films just rehash and combine some tried and true cinematic themes, but in a slightly different way. Now, before all the other SW fans (like me) jump on my back, let me reiterate - I LOVE STAR WARS - I really do - BUT, I put a lot of stock in the "emotional attachment" argument. Think about it - if you had never seen or heard of "Star Wars" your entire life and then watched it today - what would you think of it? To me, we love the film because of what it has meant to us over the years. I love "The Goonies" for the same reason...

So, does Lucas owe us the "Original" Original Trilogy? No. He doesn't. He has already given it to us twice on what was the "latest" video format of the day. I do think it would be a "nice" thing for him to make them available on DVD - even barebones. He can save ALL the extras for his "Super Special Edition" which I will of course buy as well. Hey - Spielberg gave us the original E.T. I don't care if the discs are TOTALLY barebones. Heck, I don't even care if they don't have menus!!! Give me an anamorphic, 5.1 disc that plays automatically when inserted and I will be more than happy.

Oh, and a word for us DVD/movie nuts... If Lucas DOES give us the true, Original Trilogy on DVD - please do not bitch at him. If he releases them, it will be solely to appease us, the fans (and to make some extra dough - and more power to him for that!!!). But, I am sure there will be some of us anal-retentive jerks that will complain and gripe. I can hear it now: "That cheap jerk gave us no insert!" or "No Extras=No Sale" or "That POS has an FBI warning before the feature!" Let's give the guy a break. He owes us nothing. Sure, we can wax emotional and say, "But Star Wars was part of my childhood" or "We paid to see the films - he owes us!" Whatever. He owes us nothing. He made movies. We liked them. We CHOSE to see them and spend our money on them (Yes, as in a personal choice!!) So, again, the man owes me nothing!!!

One more thing - Here is what I would do if I were Lucas. I would release the ORIGINAL, THEATRICAL versions of the Star Wars Trilogy on barebones DVD's in 2004. Then, in 2005, I would release the 1997 SE's as barebones discs as well...perhaps to lead up to the Episode 3 DVD release. Then, in 2006 or so, I would release a massive set of all 6 films and with the original trilogy being completely updated to my "director's intent" and include every friggin' extra imaginable.... You know why I would do it? Because of fanboys like me. If Lucas did that, there would be millions of people (no, not everyone) who would buy each different release. I admit it - I would. Think of the $$$ he would be making!! The barebones releases of the OT and the '97 SE's would cost very little to produce. He already has them in the computer because of the work done for the SE's. He could make millions off something he already has sitting around. Yup, I would do that. Then again, I am not against a guy making millions and billions of dollars. If there are obsessive fans who will buy again and again, you better believe I would offer the products. I'd be like, "So, you want to own three different versions of Star Wars??? Well, the Ka-ching! $$$" But that's just me. That is also why I have no problem with studios double dipping. If someone will buy six versions of the same movie just to get a 20 minute doc or a "SuperBit" version or something like that - well then I would be more than willing to help them part with their cash.

Sorry to get off on that. Back on topic: To sum up,

1. - Lucas owes me nothing. He never forced me to spend my money on his films. I take full responsibilty for being a fanboy.

2. - It would be nice of him if he did release the theatrical cuts and I tend to believe he will.

3. - If he does release the theatrical original trilogy, let's not "bitchy home theater fan" the guy to death. If he does release them, there will definitely be someone who is mad about the way he chooses to do it. Deal with it. If he releases them, let's just be thankful for that....

Just my long, rambling thoughts on the subject. Hey, I am working late, bored and tired - so please excuse my ramblings!

Zack

This is why I refuse to watch anything but the theatrical version of Brazil.

Zack, I think I agree with just about every single word of your post. What I meant in my post is that there are tons of "Fanboys" who will knock GL no matter what he does. I agree that the OT are not brilliant films, but GL's brilliance is in his imagination. At the same time these flavor-of-the-month fanboys praise Jackson like he is Christ reborn. They treated The Matrix the same way until it got popular and cool to make fun of. To be honest, I knew it would happen to The Matrix series, and I am a little shockked that it has not happened to LOTR. For the record, I am a HUGE fan of all three series, I can't say which is best. I like them all in different way and for different reasons. It is like ice cream, it depends what you are in the mood for. I too am a Star Wars groupie and I hope that you were not offended by my statements.

There will be people who bitch about a release no matter how good it is. You are correct in predicting the nuts bashing any Star Wars release. GL is truly damned either way: Release a bare bones OT now and there will be those that bitch about the lack of features. Make them wait until he can supervise a SE release,and they bitch about the wait. I aree 100% about your SW DVD release strategy, and like you I would buy every version that comes out.

Great post.

Jim,

Here's the problem with what you're saying. For every "fanboy" who praises Jackson and damns Lucas, there's another one who thinks Lucas is God, Star Wars is the greatest film ever made, and Jackson should die simply because he's not Lucas. Just like radical conservatives and radical liberals, you can't focus on these people. They're going to bitch no matter what and find fault in whatever the other does regardless. Most of us lie somewhere in the middle. I can't count how many times I've made a negative comment about something Lucas has done, and shortly thereafter multiple posters hop up on their haunches like I just shot their dog (apologies to kvrdave) accusing me of being some Jackson-junkie fanboy who blindly hates everything Lucas does.

The point is that there are radicals on both sides, and they're equally annoying, but not everyone who speaks negatively about something Lucas has done is a raging Jackson fanatic. Nor is the reverse always the case either. Spending time focusing on these radicals is purpose defeating since they'll just exchange inverted versions of each others comments ad infinitum.

In closing, it's getting really tiresome having to read all these blanket accusations about our personal opinions. For the record, I love Star Wars, Empire, and yes ... Jedi. I was very disappointed in Phantom Menace and Attack of the Killer Klones from Outer Space. I love The Matrix but have mixed emotions about the amateur philosophy in Reloaded. I love both Fellowship and Two Towers. These are my opinions. They were formed independently of any discussion with others and do not represent any kind of fanboy mentality or some attempt to seem "cool" and follow the crowd. I would submit that most people think this way, with differening opinions than mine, of course, but formed on their own. Discounting opinions that you don't agree with as some kind of fanatical fanboy response or some attempt to follow the popular crowd is really unfair to all of us who are trying to give our honest feelings about these films. Extremists like to cast moderates as extremists so it's easier to hate them. You see this all the time in political discussions. It seems to also be the case with film: if you don't like something Lucas does, you're just a Jackson fanboy; if you don't like The Matrix, you're just saying so to be cool; and so on. For most of us, this just isn't true, and it's frustrating to keep reading over and over. I don't intend this last paragraph to speak to anyone in particular, just a vent that's been brewing I guess. I like having good discussions about the positives and negatives of these important works, and I want to keep doing so without degrading into this Lucas vs. Jackson mudslinging. I thank everyone who's tried to do that as there's a lot of good discussion in this thread.

das