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DVD Rants "Hey, what are you trying to push on us?" by Jody Reeves, Jathniel Velázquez, Bob Tyrrell, Dave Phillips & Toryn Farr Published 10/21/01 A few Echo Station regulars vent their feelings about the Episode I DVD release. |
DVD? What DVD? - by Jody Reeves
For some time, the common thought was that there would be no releases of the Star Wars
films on DVD until Episode III had finished its theatrical run. But, lo and behold, two
years after the release of the film and a year after the VHS release, Episode I: The
Phantom Menace is coming to a DVD player near you.
My first reaction was: "So?"
"Blasphemer!" may be the cry of many a demented fanboy who reads this. "Get over it" is my response. I've finally reached the point and time where I'm not going to rush to Best Buy, Target, Amazon.com or wherever to get the latest shiny product that bears the Star Wars logo. I've made this rant before, which you can read here. That was three years ago before the release of Episode I. And guess what -- not much has changed since then! LFL and its related entities keep churning out goods at a phenomenal rate, and I'm about burned out. I don't even read the books any more, for cripes' sake!
Let's take the current topic -- video goods -- as a prime example of what I'm talking about. Back in the mists of time, there was a VHS "collector's set" of the original trilogy. What made it worthy of the "collector's" moniker? The addition of a documentary tape and a 40-some-odd page booklet about the films. Oh, whoopie. Okay, so I broke down and bought it, but only because I didn't already have the cheesy three-tape set that had been previously released. Fine.
A couple of years later, the glorious "THX" widescreen-deluxe-creamy-goodness version appeared on the shelves. Whahoo! I dumped off the previously-purchased (but hardly viewed) set on my brother (who had worn out his cheesy set) and got the THX tapes. Wow, what a difference ... Not! Only the box art was cooler, and without a high-end home entertainment system, there was very little improvement on viewing quality.
We now reach 1997 and the release of the extra-chocolatey "Special Editions." I saw each one in the theater and had every intention of getting the tapes when released. Naturally, LucasFilm promoted two packages -- gold for pan/scan (go figure why that would be gold) and silver widescreen. I dashed to the Suncoast at Pentagon City and bought the silver pack the day it was released. Okay, so now I owned two sets of tapes ... can you see where the yellow brick road is leading?
Fast forward to the year 2000 and the release of the Episode I tape. Like many fans, I was so desperate for this film to be good, and on first viewing, I loved it. Subsequent viewings, however, brought my little feet back to Earth and opened my eyes to the fact that it was only above Return of the Jedi on the totem pole of Star Wars goodness. And that's only because I hate Ewoks more than Gungans. Whatever possessed me to buy the Episode I VHS is still a matter I'm trying to work through without the aid of a therapist. I've watched it a grand total of ... once.
And then, LFL released yet another set of the Special Edition trilogy with "Exclusive Episode II Goodies!" Using supreme will power, otherwise known as common sense, I refused to give in. I certainly felt the vindication when, after getting the tapes, my brother called to whine that the "exclusive inside gooey view" of Episode II was a letdown.
Early this year, a friend gave me a gift of the Asian VCD release of the Special Edition trilogy. Right now, the box is used to prop up the stack of PlayStation 2 games on my entertainment shelf. The only difference between VCD and VHS is that I can now watch the Trilogy on my computer. Oh happy day! *snore*
So, in sum, I have two VHS sets of the original trilogy, one VCD set of said trilogy, and one Episode I VHS. In the two weeks since I bought "The Mummy Returns" DVD, I've watched that more than all the Star Wars films put together that sit on my shelf. I can imagine that there's a rabid group of salivating fans demanding that I turn in my fan club card. Sorry, guys, but I haven't renewed that in years.
All this rambling leads me back to my original point. I am not going to, nor will I anytime soon, purchase the Episode I DVD. I might rent the DVD, if only to watch the second disc of goodies. But that's about the extent of it. Let's be real, folks. Lucas is going to milk us on this format for years to come. There will be the Episode II and III VHS and DVD, then the "Ultimate Edition" DVD box set of all six films, spanning twelve discs, for $500. That's when I'll buy the films on DVD. I'd much rather drop a load of cash just once, rather than spend the same amount over the course of the next several years.
I don't believe that this makes me any less of a fan than those who pre-ordered the DVD months ago. I love Star Wars as much now as I did when I was an entranced nine-year-old back in 1977. But I no longer want to waste my time nor my money on what is, essentially, fifteen versions of the same product.
With all that said, what was I doing while all around the country fanboys rushed to Suncoast? I was enjoying the heck out of myself playing "Devil May Cry" on PlayStation 2.
(Jody Reeves is now fully accustomed to life in Las Vegas. When she's not searching for Episode II spoilers, Jody can be found glued to her PlayStation 2.)
I'll Buy That for a Dollar - by Bob Tyrrell
Well, believe it or not, I plan on buying the DVD. And I don't even have a player yet.
"What?????" you say. Yes, I don't have a DVD player yet and I intend on getting the movie. I also ordered Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on DVD a couple of days ago and it should be at my house within the week. I intend on picking up The Goonies as well, and likely Superman: The Movie sometime before Christmas. When am I going to get a DVD player?
Eventually.
The reason I plan on picking up TPM is because I want to go ahead and get it now. I don't feel like waiting until I have a player. Dumb reason? Maybe so. But considering that my widescreen VHS copy will likely wear out sometime soon, I don't mind. Plus, my VHS copy is pretty messed up.
Remember the debacle surrounding the video issue when it was first released? Some people bought poor copies, etc. Well, my video was fine. I can't say the same for the audio -- it was reversed. At first I wasn't sure, but when you watch certain scenes, it's very noticeable. For instance, when Jar Jar, Qui-Gon, and Padme are leaving Watto's Shop, Jar Jar is trying very hard not to drop a stack of cans or something in his hands. (Why he was doing that in the first place, I don't know.) Anyway, he starts to stumble off to the right side of the screen and you hear him drop the cans as well as crash into something unseen. You would think since he's on the right side of the screen, the surround audio should come out of the right speaker. Mine comes out of the left speaker. Ugh. And the same thing happens during the podrace. Racers zoom by on one side of the screen while the audio is on the opposite side. Bugs the bejeezus out of me.
So that's why I'm picking up the DVD. Yes, undoubtedly, LFL will release the ULTIMATE SPECIAL EDITION SUPER-DOOPER DIRECTOR'S UNEDITED MAMMOTH-SIZED EDITION come 2000-something. Yes, I'll likely get it then, also. I'm certain they'll release Episodes II and III on DVD as well. I'll likely pick those up, too. But when the mammoth version comes out with all six movies, I'll pick those up and hand off those single movie sets to someone who doesn't have them.
(Twenty-five-year-old Bob Tyrrell is a lifelong Star Wars fan, co-moderator to Echo Station's Star Wars Mailing List (SWML), and enjoys long walks on the beach, sushi, and Harry Potter. His son was able to say Jar Jar before Yoda and that was absolutely fine with him.)
Start Saving Your Pennies - by Jathniel Velázquez Final numbers: You guys think I'm kidding? Look how many releases there were for the original trilogy
-- there are approximately seven by my last count. I'm really getting tired of getting
"milked" by GL. (Jathniel Velázquez has
been trying to build a full size AT-AT to scare the neighbors dog from coming into his
yard. He is also the Baron-Administrator of Star Wars: New Horizons.)
This is what I see for the future....
Circuit City. Price tag says "$24.99," price war led them to, apparently, drop
that down to an even $18. Not a terrible price, so I picked it up.
I'm curious though ... there are two DVDs in the case, and yet they say they whipped
together one hour of "documentary film" from over six hundred hours of
footage.
If you've got the space on two DVDs to play with ... why not give up more of those 600
hours? Was there just one hour of cool stuff and 599 hours of dolts drawing Jar-Jar? I
find a 1:600 ratio of Cool Stuff:"nothing to see here, move along" disturbing.
I sense a great disturbance in the Force ... as if a "bigger, longer, badder,
super-duper EXTRA SPECIAL mo' money, mo' money, mo' money" version shall debut in the
next three months ...
(Dave Phillips, better known around here as "Web Leader," would have a lot more to say if he didn't have a real life right now.)
Six of One, Half a Dozen of
Another - by Toryn Farr
I must say this DVD exceeded my expectations in a lot of ways. But there were a few areas
that disappointed or just outright infuriated me. Here's a list, in no specific order:
(Toryn Farr knew everything about
Star Wars back in 1977 thanks to Starlog Magazine. She's been trying to keep her
know-it-all reputation ever since. During the few minutes per day her kiddo is not in her
face, Toryn attempts to run an internet design business and write fantasy fiction.)