STAR WARS ORIGINAL TRILOGY

The set of the original three movies, arguably the
greatest series of sci-fi movies ever made:

STAR WARS 4: A NEW HOPE(1977):

Star Wars, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia,
Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbakka, Darth Vader, R2D2, C3P0
and the Melenium Falcon: all are names that became
famous overnight! With the first overlay of the introduction
to the final scene, this movie placed itself firmly in the #1
spot for science fiction fans the world over! Originally created
as a stand alone movie, just in case there wasn't a good reception
for the movie, Lucas had nothing to fear! An absolutely wonderful
sci-fi, action packed movie worth watching over and over again! A+++++

A review from IMDb.com:

There's not much to say about this movie this is *THE* movie
that changed it all.

It's my favourite movie, and not only among the quadrilogy,
among all movies; it has everything that can be great in a movie,
great characters, great story, great sights, great special effects
(they don't show 23 years) and a mythological background that
made us dream for decades now, and that'll keep us dreaming
for a long, long time. Maybe the characters I liked most in this one
are Old Obi-Wan Kenobi, wonderfully portrayed by Alec Guinness,
and Han Solo, Harrison Ford's first important role, they're both great.

Not to mention John Williams' wonderful score, without of it, the
movie wouldn't have been this great it's a perfect mix, that's what
it is! - Obi-Laz

Enter the new characters of Jaba the Hut, Lando Calriseon,
and of course Yoda! Another great story! Great special effects!
Great music! Just another great movie, and the great set-up for
the final installment, Return Of The Jedi! A

A review from IBDb.com:

An excellent sequel to Star Wars, this is easily the darkest
and most serious out of all the Star Wars films, at least until
Revenge of the Sith comes out. This movie benefits from the
introduction of Yoda, a diminutive yet wise Jedi master who
helps Luke prepare for his showdown with Darth Vader. It also
introduces Lando Calrissian, Han's old gambling and smuggling
buddy played very well by Billy Dee Williams. Empire is more
character driven than the original and relies more on comic
relief to help lighten the mood, but it doesn't go overboard
with the humor. The story is more refined and the acting is
better as well. Despite all of this I can't really say that I enjoyed
Empire more than the original. The original Star Wars has a
certain charm to it that none of the sequels (or prequels)
have captured. I'd say that it is at least on par with the original
though and is a fitting follow up in what is probably the
greatest series of movies in the history of cinema. - meader82

The best of the best!! A few new characters, Boba Fett
for example! A wonderful finish to the greatest set
of sci-fi movies ever produced! Worth many many
re-watches!! A++++

From IMDb.com:

Up until the sixth and last episode of the Star Wars saga,
which finally ended in 2005, I had always looked at this
1983 entry as my favorite film of the long-running series.
The varied action scenes and really different characters
(Jabba The Hut, furry woodland creatures, etc.) made this
a particularly appealing movie.

None of the action ever focused too long in one spot, either.
The last half hour exemplifies this the most as the scene
switches every few minutes from the woods to the battle
among space ships to the individual laser-duel between
Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Another nice characteristic this film had that the two previous
did not was the absence of in-fighting between two of the stars.
Gone was the incessant bickering between Carrie Fisher and
Harrison Ford. Finally, everyone was on the same page! It was
nice to see.

In the end, this was simply a wonderful adventure tale, more
than anything else. - ccthemovieman-1

EMPIRE OF DREAMS:

This is an in-depth look at the entire creative process
for the Star Wars empire of movies! This is really a great
piece that is very much worth the price of the whole set!

THE CHARACTERS OF STAR WARS:

Mostly told by George Lucas, this is the ideas behind
the making of the various characters in the trilogy! With
some input from, Mark, Harrison, Peter Mayhew, and
Anthony Daniels. Interestingly missing is Carrie Fisher?!?
With also some insights from Peter Jackson! Along with
many clips from the movies, another fine watch!

BIRTH OF THE LIGHT SABER:

Again, mostly told by George, this is pretty much what
one would expect for the subject matter. And again, with
many clips from the films, and some input provided by
Mark and Ben Burtt(Sound design), this is quite entertaining!

THE FORCE IS WITH THEM: THE LEGACY OF STAR WARS:

With input from many actors, writers, directors, producers,
ect, this is the effect of Star Wars on their careers! Including
personal insights from Mark Hamill, Steven Spielberg, Peter
Jackson, James Careron, Ridley Scott, Dean Devlin, Lawrence
Kasdan, John Singleton, Ed Catmull, John Lasseter, and Richard
Chew, it also has clips from the trilogy, and also some from
other iconic movies: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,
Lord Of The Rings, Young Sherlock Holmes, The Abyss, Willow,
Alien, Forrest Gump, The Perfect Storm, Pearl Harbor, Titanic,
Terminator 2, The Mummy(1999), Minority Report, & Finding
Nemo. A very interesting feature!

EPISODE III: THE RETURN OF DARTH VADER:

A look at the return of the most iconic villain in movie history,
with commentary from George Lucas, Hayden Christensen, Ewen
McGregor, and James Earl Jones! Actually better than I expected!

Also on this disk are Trailers & TV Spots, Still Galleries, reviews
of video games, and a preview of!

A review of the set from Amazon.com:

Was George Lucas's Star Wars Trilogy, the most anticipated
DVD release ever, worth the wait? You bet. It's a must-have
for any home theater, looking great, sounding great, and
supplemented by generous bonus features.

The Star Wars Trilogy had the rare distinction of becoming
a cultural phenomenon, a defining event for its generation.
On its surface, George Lucas's story is a rollicking and humorous
space fantasy that owes debts to more influences than one
can count on two hands, but filmgoers became entranced by
its basic struggle of good vs. evil "a long time ago, in a galaxy
far, far away," its dazzling special effects, and a mythology of
Jedi knights, the Force, and droids. Over the course of three
films--A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980),
and Return of the Jedi (1983)--Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill),
Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and the roguish Han Solo (Harrison
Ford) join the Rebel alliance in a galactic war against the Empire,
the menacing Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl
Jones), and eventually the all-powerful Emperor (Ian McDiarmid).
Empire is generally considered the best of the films and Jedi the
most uneven, but all three are vastly superior to the more
technologically impressive prequels that followed, Episode I,
The Phantom Menace (1999) and Episode II, Attack of the
Clones (2002).

How Are the Picture and Sound?

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Thanks to a new digital transfer, you've never seen C-3PO glow
so golden, and Darth Vader's helmet is as black as the Dark Side.

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In a word, spectacular. Thanks to a new digital transfer, you've
never seen C-3PO glow so golden, and Darth Vader's helmet
is as black as the Dark Side. And at the climactic scene of A
New Hope, see if the Dolby 5.1 EX sound doesn't knock you
back in your chair. Other audio options are Dolby 2.0 Surround
in English, Spanish, and French. (Sorry, DTS fans, but previous
Star Wars DVDs didn't have DTS either.) There have been a few
quibbles with the audio on A New Hope, however. A few seconds
of Peter Cushing's dialogue ("Then name the system!") are
distorted, and the music (but not the sound effects) is reversed
in the rear channels. For example, in the final scene, the brass
is in the front right channel but the back left channel (from the
viewer's perspective), and the strings are in the left front and
back right. The result feels like the instruments are crossing
through the viewer.

What's Been Changed?

The rumors are true: Lucas made more changes to the films
for their DVD debut. Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker)
has been added to a scene in Jedi, Ian McDiarmid (the Emperor)
replaces Clive Revill with slightly revised lines in Empire, Temuera
Morrison has rerecorded Boba Fett's minimal dialogue, and some
other small details have been altered. Yes, these changes mean
that the Star Wars films are no longer the ones you saw 20 years
ago, but these brief changes hardly affect the films, and they do
make sense in the overall continuity of the two trilogies. It's not
like a digitized Ewan McGregor has replaced Alec Guiness's scenes,
and the infamous changes made for the 1997 special-edition versions
were much more intrusive (of course, those are in the DVD versions
as well).

How Are the Bonus Features?

Toplining is Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy,
a 150-minute documentary incorporating not only the usual
making-of nuts and bolts but also the political workings of the movie
studios and the difficulties Lucas had getting his vision to the
screen (for example, after resigning from the Directors' Guild,
he lost his first choice for director of Jedi: Steven Spielberg). It's
a little adulatory, but it has plenty to interest any fan. The three
substantial featurettes are "The Characters of Star Wars" (19 min.),
which discusses the development of the characters we all know
and love, "The Birth of the Lightsaber" (15 min.), about the creation
and evolution of a Jedi's ultimate weapon, and "The Force Is with
Them: The Legacy of Star Wars" (15 min.), in which filmmakers
such as Peter Jackson, Ridley Scott, and James Cameron talk about
how they and the industry were affected by the films and Lucas's
technological developments in visual effects, sound, and computer
animation.

The bonus features are excellent and along the same lines as
those created for The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.
Each film has a commentary track, recorded by Lucas, Ben Burtt
(sound design), Dennis Muren (visual effects), and Carrie Fisher,
with Irvin Kershner joining in on the film he directed, The Empire
Strikes Back. Recorded separately and skillfully edited together
(with supertitles to identify who is speaking), the tracks lack the
energy of group commentaries, but they're enjoyable and informative,
with a nice mix of overall vision (Lucas), technical details (Burtt,
Muren, Kershner), and actor's perspective (Fisher). Interestingly,
they discuss some of the 1997 changes (Mos Eisley creatures, the
new Jabba the Hutt scene) but not those made for the DVDs.

There's also a sampler of the Xbox game Star Wars: Battlefront,
which lets the player reenact classic film scenarios (blast Ewoks
in the battle of Endor!); trailers and TV spots from the films' many
releases; and a nine-minute preview of the last film in the series,
Episode III, Revenge of the Sith (here identified by an earlier
working title, The Return of Darth Vader). Small extra touches
include anamorphic widescreen motion menus with dialogue,
original poster artwork on the discs, and a whopping 50 chapter
stops for each film.

"The Force Is Strong with This One"

The Star Wars Trilogy is an outstanding DVD set that lives up
to the anticipation. There will always be resentment that the
original versions of the films are not available as well, but
George Lucas maintains that these are the versions he always
wanted to make. If fans are able to put this debate aside, they
can enjoy the adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han for years to
come. --David Horiuchi .