Germain Lussier writes for Gizmodo on the importance of the Special Editions some twenty years on. Arguably a polarizing re-release that reinvigorated the franchise and laid the foundations for the vibrate franchise we have today, here is an extract:
In 1996, most people weren’t using the Internet and no one got their movie news from there. So walking through the mall, a simple black poster with a gold emblem stopped me dead in my tracks. It said the original Star Wars films were coming back to theaters. I jotted down the dates, made plans and when January 31 came around, I got to the theater only to find a line wrapped around it. I had never seen anything so crazy but, this was Star Wars.
Growing up, my parents had turned me onto the films so I already knew every single line. And yet, these movies had new changes, additions, not to mention picture and sound improvements that blew away the old VHS tapes I’d been wearing out. I had no concept of how controversial the changes would be until three months later, as I furrowed my brow at the addition of the “Jedi Rocks” musical number, and the loss of the lovely “Nub Nub” Ewoks ending. And yet, it was Star Wars on the big screen, once again mainstream, and I was a part of it.
I wasn’t the only one.
For the full journey back to January 1997 take the link below.
