Movie

Episode IV: A New Hope
You'll never hear someone say "Star Wars you say? Hmm... never heard of it..." To say that anyone even grasps the importance the trilogy of Star Wars movies has had on the film industry in general would probably be a lie. George Lucas and his team were pioneers in many aspects. Special effects - hardly ever have they been done as much and as well before the first Star Wars. Before Episode 4, special effects were just something people did if they couldn't make something work using live action. After Episode 4, special effects became an industry. Today, many movies seem to be made with the special effects in mind before even the storyline.
Box office - take a look at were the big movies the years preceding Star Wars. Rocky, Jaws, Blazing Saddles, The Exorcist, The Godfather. All good movies in my book, but none of these movies are movies that your average 7-17 year old is going to go to the theater time and time again to watch. Take a look at the top movies a few years after Star Wars - Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, Return of the Jedi. What does that tell you? People love goofy looking aliens and Harrison Ford. Star Wars changed everything as far as motion pictures were concerned - it was basically a kids movie that adults would enjoy as well. While that whole concept has been taken to new height with movies like Shrek and Monsters, Inc, I really think it began with Star Wars.
I don't think it's necessary that I get into the plot of Star Wars. If you've seen it, you obviously remember it's a really fun movie. If you haven't seen it, you've probably written it off as a "geek movie" or something like that and nothing I will write here will change your mind. So, instead of describing the movie, I'm just going to chatter about the movie.
Watching Star Wars makes me very nostalgic. The first time I think I remember seeing it was at daycare when I was about 4 years old or so. I can't say I had a clue what was going on because I was too young to follow a storyline. I did know, though, that lightsabers where one of the coolest things I'd ever seen. While I'm sure I'm wrong, it seemed like the only movies we watched at daycare where the Star Wars flicks, the Rocky flicks, and the first Ghostbusters.
I think I remember watching the Star Wars movies on tv when I was in about first or second grade over at David Saddlemeyer's (Rookie of the Year, anyone?) house. This was the first time I really was old enough to follow the plot, but I don't think I really understood it completely.
I don't remember watching it again until I was a sophomore in college. My cousin's borrowed me the special edition videotapes and I watched all three movies over the course of three nights. I was blown away, but it wasn't by the special effects like when I was a kid. Instead, I was amazed at how well a science fiction movie, that now looked almost cheesy compared to the Matrix's, could hold up. I also was amazed because while I liked Episode 1, I was absolutely loving these movies all over again. While the other Star Wars movies might do some things better in terms of special effects or storyline, this movie was the original and there is some quality that makes this feel like the most special of the three.

Empires Strikes Back
While A New Hope holds that special place in my heart, Empire is my favorite of the three movies. In some ways, Empire is the ultimate underdog story without the typical Hollywood happy ending. Being forced to go into hiding, the rebels are stuck on a planet with a climate that will remind you of Antarctica. After nearly freezing to death and getting eaten by the Abominable Snowman, Luke is saved by Han Solo in Yukon Cornelius style. Almost every minute watching this movie, you'll be wondering if it possibly can get any worse for the main characters. Like clockwork, it almost always does. It's very easy for a movie like this to turn out being ridiculous (see: The Matrix Revolutions), but Empire pulls it off very well.
One thing I probably should mention about these movies are "the changes." You may or may not have read about all the changes that are in the movie. If you want to see some visual proof of what's changed, clik here to check it out (thedigitalbits.com). To be honest, I haven't seen the movie a million times like some of these self-proclaimed Star Wars geeks. I can spit a couple lines of dialogue, but unless I was told these changes were made beforehand, I would have had absolutely no idea any of these changes were made. While I honestly feel bad for anyone who feels their experience watching these movies have been somehow dampered, I don't necessarily feel that I liked these movies any less.
The end of this movie is really what makes it for me. It would be so easy for them to defeat the Empire again, but let Darth Vader go free yelling "I'll get you next time..." or something lame like that. Instead, they make Luke lose a hand, find out his biggest enemy is actually his father, and they leave Han Solo frozen in carbonite on his way to see Jabba the Hut. It's such a cliffhanger, yet at the same time perfectly fitting ending. I almost couldn't wait for the next day to watch Return of the Jedi again. I can't imagine what it must've been like to be stuck with that cliffhanger for 3 full years!

Return of the Jedi
Jedi is often the forgotten picture of the three. Originally titled Revenge of the Jedi, Return of the Jedi picks up right on the high note that Empire last left us. Luke has just found out that Vader is his daddy, Han Solo is frozen in carbonite, and Carrie Fisher has just figured out she has no career outside of the occassional appearance on Celebrity Poker after her days playing Princess Leia are over. What probably hurts Jedi the most is the fact that it doesn't have the memorable scenes the first two have. Everyone remembers the first time they watched Star Wars seeing the Imperial ship come flying into the screen. Everyone remembers Luke getting his hand lopped off followed by the "I am you father" bit from Empire. About the only thing most people remember about Return of the Jedi is the forrest and the Ewoks. And of course the speederbikes because every kid wanted one... I know I did!
In no way, shape, or form do I consider this a bad ending film to the trilogy. If I had to rank the three, I'm probably going Empire, New Hope, and then Jedi, but it's just due to personal preference. The special effects in Return of the Jedi are far greater than in the other two. The storyline between Luke, Vader, and the Emperor is every bit as good as any other storyline throughout the whole trilogy. My only complaint is that this is the movie that R2D2 gets forgotten. He has many memorable parts in the first two movies and is the hero on more than one occassion. He seems to be just taking up space in this movie.
All in all, it's a great end to a great trilogy. This movie features the final battle with Vader and the final dog fight with the new Death Star. Almost all the loose ends are tied which is why it was necessary for 3 prequels, a billion videogames, books, comics, and everything else imaginable. The original Star Wars trilogy revolutionized the way movies were made and you really do owe it to yourself to go out and buy these flicks. Everyone should have a Star Wars movie marathon night at least once in their life...

Video & Sound
Unreal - I've never any of these movies in any format other than crappy VHS. Much has been said about the restoration process of this movie, but they ain't lying! I was just blown away by how well this looks. While it's not quite reference video quality, it's as good as most movies that get put out today. When you consider it's been over 20 years since they were first filmed, really what they've done is nothing short of amazing! Another note - this is the first time I've ever seen this flicks in widescreen (2.35:1 anamorphic style) which is THE way to go.
While the video may looked great, it does have a few flaws. The sound on the other hand? Nothing. This is absolutely one of the greatest home theater surround sound experiences I've ever been lucky enough to take in. Nearly all the sounds in all three Star Wars movies, from the lightsabers to the lasers to the spaceships, are all really cool sounds. You'll often hear that a soundtrack is cool, but rarely are the sound effects anything more than a slight enhancer. The surrounds and the sub are used very effectively. There is a reason that THX, a Lucas company, is one of the leaders in sound technology. It should also be mentioned that this soundtrack is absolutely classic. While you might here these songs during a college football game or elsewhere, I think it's real important to remember these great tunes came from this movie and they are all used in a very fitting way. I'm not the first person to say this, but John Williams is the man.

Extras
Each of the three films contains a commentary featuring George Lucas and various members of his production teams. Unfortunately, they weren't all in one place at the same time so their is no interaction, but they are great commentaries nonetheless. George Lucas has a majority of the information. He's very informative and interesting to listen to. You really can tell he loves his movies. If you're a Star Wars fan, I'd highly recommending checking any of these three out.
The best extra is the "Empire of Dreams" documentary. Coming in at two and a half hours, Empire of Dreams is every bit as interesting as the movies themselves. The whole first hour is dedicated to George Lucas's career before New Hope as well as the making, marketing and the huge reaction that the movie received. The rest of the documentary, of course, follows movie two and three. It is all very well done and a must watch for anyone who claims to even remotely be a Star Wars fan.
Next up is a featurette entitled "The Characters of Star Wars." It's interesting because it shows other actors (Kurt Russel for example) auditioning for parts which actually was in the Empire of Dreams documentary. It's an okay feature, but nothing special. The next featurette is "The Birth of the Lightsabre" which is very cool. Basically, you get to see how special effects are done in the days before CGI. Very cool stuff! The next one features - "The Force is with Them: The Legacy of Star Wars" - has a bunch of big name Hollywood directors talking about the films and how they affected them. Once again, this is very cool stuff. The last bit included is theatrical trailers and tv sports. It's interesting because almost every trailer before the 80's really stink. I honestly don't know how this sold the movie all that well, but I guess whatever works.

Closing Thoughts...
The Star Wars trilogy are the movies from my youth. Unlike a lot of movies from back in the day, they still are great flicks. It took forever to come out on dvd. It took me a while to get around to reviewing it because there is just so much here. The good news is these gems of the cinema got a worthy release. I can't honestly think anyone who has seen the movies and like them is going to pick this package up and be disappointed.

Overall Score...
Movies - 10
Video & Sound - 9
Extras - 10
Overall - 10