Jon Favreau's really controversial opinion…

Jon Favreau just weighed in on the topic of Star Wars releases, including whether Star Wars should get their original theatrical versions re-released. We'll talk all that and more on today's Star Wars video!

[EarhirX]

After we got married, I made my wife go through the Star Wars movies in the machete order. She’s was mildly enjoying them up until the last scene when Anakin’s (Hayden Christensen) ghost appears and she broke down crying at that moment. I am certain that had it been Sebastian Shaw she would have just been confused

[khinzaw]

They should just do a release where you can watch all release versions.

[thejordyoshi]

I'm not a big Star Wars guy, but I would like to see the movies in their original form just to see what Lucas accomplished as a young, indie filmmaker forging this huge universe with limited resources.

[datdude]

It would be great if a release happened with all versions included

[chrisg]

I’d love to get a theatrical version. I’m a bit older than you (only by a few years) but I recall watching the original theatrical release on VHS over and over again as a kid.

So you’re right. People do want what they grew up with.

[Mr_Mcgee_]

I’m glad you brought that up, it would be such a shame that in 100 years there are versions of Star Wars that don’t exist and are lost to history simply because we didn’t preserve them. Even if you always are going to watch the newer ones, even if you’d like them better, it is better to preserve the original, and the other subsequent releases, purely for historical purposes.

[westcoastcaper]

I've always wanted a mixed release. There were a few things from the Special Editions that were actual improvements but a lot of negatives as well (I'm looking squarely at you musical number in Jabba's Palace). If you look at things like the updates to Cloud City in Empire, you can't tell me that the plain white and grey, windowless halls were better than the open views of the city outside.

[ninjkitywarlock]

I'm in my early 20s and would very much love to have easy access to the original versions. I grew up with the Special edition that my father had gotten but had watched every version before I was ten. I'm kinda big on feelings of nostalgia and that older style and like to experience a taste of earlier eras. As well as someone that loves the OG trilogy had has other friends that are big fans that get together for watch parties we would all love to sit down and binge the OG OG movies.

[danielleighton]

They really should be released. Not only for preservation but also to compare to the modern versions.

[hocusmocus]

I think the original theatrical cuts should still be available for the sake of media preservation, if nothing else. I don't think a Special Edition cut should replace the original film in any situation, even if they're "better" whether that's in the eyes of the audience or the director. Arts in all forms are an important part of history, and should be preserved in as many forms as possible, in as many revisions as possible

[MistiMc]

As an 80's kid I've been a lifelong Star Wars fan. Thankfully, they've made a lot of amazing series the last few years that feel more like the original trilogy. ❤

[ThinWhiteAxe]

To quote Luke: "I care."

I'm a zoomer BTW.

[MrSaints]

I miss empire Vader saying BRING MY SHUTTLE, instead of alert my star destroyer I am on the way or something like that.

[MrBrothasky]

I'm honestly not sure if an original theatrical print really exists anymore. I remember hearing that they had to completely restore much of the film during the making of the '97 release. The footage from the original prints was highly faded and damaged in areas. I could be wrong, but that was my understanding of the situation. I remember a limited DVD release of theatrical prints in the 00s, but they really showed the wear and tear in the transfer.

[MoovyTV]

Thank you SO much for sharing my interview :-D A huge honor to not only be quoted by your prominent, awesome channel, but also to have my debate with Favreau become the focal point of an entire video.

Based on what you say, you may just be a few years younger than me (I was born in '84), because I watched the hell out of the original theatrical editions before getting the Special Editions (well, the ORIGINAL Special Editions, since they've obviously been revised several times since) in 1997 and watching them in theaters that very same year.

Like you I also appreciate lots of the changes – not least the removal of matte lines and other "errors", and some of the CGI additions to the Death Star battle I like as well. But yeah, the plusses are far outweighed by the negatives. Now, this will probably make me sound like a bitter old fan, and I do appreciate PARTS of the prequel trilogy, and I don't think any of those three movis are remotely BAD (just pretty mediocre and forgettable, at least character and story wise), but I don't see them as canon myself. I think there's a much more interesting backstory to Anakin and Obi-Wan out there, and I prefer to dream it up myself than having the prequel trilogy's tale of a bummed out, robotic and totally unlikable teenager who becomes a homicidal maniac and kills all his friends and dozens of children because of a bad dream. So that's why it annoys me to see Hayden Christensen – I've NOTHING against the man himself, but it just reminds me of some really bland, forgettable movies at the very end of a beautiful trilogy where I should really be immersed in THAT part of the storytelling.

But Vader's at the end of Return of the Jedi is even worse to me. Not only due to the technicalities of it (it's obviously just been inserted into the mix without any care, so it completely drowns out John William's score and the sound effects while its playing) but also the emotions of it – instead of having Vader fight an internal struggle between the evil and good parts of himself and ultimately, beautifully deciding on the latter, he just turns into a cartoonish character who feels a weird need to loudly announce to the world that what the Emperor is doing is really bad. It punctures the atmosphere and believability of the ultimate moment of the climax of the ultimate trilogy.

And based on the reactions here and other places, I have to disagree with Favreau that there isn't a demand for a proper re-release of the theatrical cuts, and that not many people care. There obviously is and they obviously do. And I know I can look up the despecialized editions, but as an avid film collector with 3.000 Blu-rays in my library (you can see many of them in the background during the Favreau interview :-)) I really want the experience of having my favorite films in my hand in a proper way, not having to sync up my tv with my labtop while illegally downloading an MKV that may cut out during streaming or something. Still hoping that it'll happen one day!

Thanks again for the video and keep up the great work!

[Jaidezilla]

One reason to re-release the original theatrical version is because in the original version of Star wars Han Solo not only shoots first but he is the only one who shoots. I have the special edition DVDs released in the late 90s early 2000 whenever it was where you got the theatrical release and you got another disk with the digital update with all the extra scenes and whatnot. In the digitally modified versions greedo shoots first. In the versions that are on Disney plus now they both shoot at the same time. Just interesting because it changes the entire way Han Solo is portrayed.

[BrentsonJr]

I mostly agree with what you say, except Yub Nub. Yub Nub slaps. I would love a version that transitions from Victory Celebration to Yub Nub when we get to Endor.

[Noxx]

I'm a millennial and I grew up with the original theatrical versions via the 1995 VHS. And while I was hyped to see the special editions in theaters, I kind of soured on them as I grew up (also I was probably effected by the fact that I watched the 1995 VHS over and over again, not the special editions). Though I agree, Harmy's Despecialized Edition is great and fills the role just fine. It'd be cool if they did officially release them, but it's not an pressing issue.

[nedalsoned]

the original cuts won oscars. i fully agree with harmy that its cultural vandalism to not have those films available to the public

[joejoeshabadoo]

Overall having the originals released in restored high quality versions is better for everyone. The Special Editions had some improvements (Cloud City hallway was mentioned, cleaning up some see-through elements in the snow speeder), but the Special Editions are DIFFERENT MOVIES (capitalization because I don't have a "bold" option).

From the obvious differences -- Greedo scene, extra Jabba Scene in A New Hope, longer Wampa scene, Emperor Darth scene in Empire, the nearly unanimous disgust towards Jabba Palace Musical -- to the more subtle differences that change pacing which makes it a different movie -- adding the longer Mos Eisly intro & adding longer lead up to Death Star attack.

Movies feel long or feel short based on their pacing, not their run times. Besides the originals being better versions of the movies, it would be interesting to see how younger audiences felt about the originals without all the janky shitty CGI and the extra stuff that make the movies worse. I love the Godfather and I was born in the late 80s, growing up on Back to The Future and Star Wars.

I'd put my money on there being a general shift towards preferring the original trilogy over the Special Editions for younger audiences. ANH & TESB were made for kids but in a mature way. The Special Editions just made them worse.