Here's Why The 50th Anniversary Re-Release Of Star Wars Is One Of The Most Important Events In Cinematic History
Lucasfilm announced yesterday that the #1 thing die-hard Star Wars have been clamoring for and demanding for decades is finally coming: the original 1977 theatrical cut of ‘Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope’ (or as it was known back then, ‘STAR WARS’) is coming back to theaters on February 19, 2027 - as part of the franchise’s 50th-anniversary celebration.
If you’re wondering why they don’t just wait for May 4th, or May 25th (which is the actual 50th anniversary of its release) - Shawn Levy’s ’Star Wars: Starfighter’ movie starring Ryan Gosling hits theaters on May 28th.
Allow me to explain why this is such a big deal….
For decades, the "definitive" versions of the original Star Wars trilogy that we’ve been watching are the edited, CGI-enhanced “Special Edition” versions that first released in 1997 and have been added onto a bunch since then - not the movies that first blew minds in the late 70s/early 80s.
George Lucas did these before the prequels came out, and the attraction of that re-release is what got many people into Star Wars in the first place….
….but I just don’t think anyone realized at that point that Lucas would go out of his way to make sure the Special Edition versions would be the only ones ever seen again. I believe the only time the original versions of the films were ever released post-LaserDisc was on the bonus features of one DVD set in 2004, and it wasn't even a great transfer quality-wise.
Since I grew up with the Special Editions, they’re pretty much all I know, and I think there’s some awesome additions to the movies in them (making The Emperor look better in 'Empire', improving the overall Cloud City aesthetic, allowing Ewoks to blink, etc.) - but there’s undoubtedly some horrible choices littered throughout them as well. The CGI Jabba the Hutt looks horrible and super out of place in ‘A New Hope’ AND ruins the reveal of what he looks like in ‘Return of the Jedi’, they put Hayden Christiansen's head onto Anakin Skywalker's body in 'Jedi' which takes you out of the movie every time, and worst of all - Greedo shoots first.
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Far and away, the biggest controversy to come from the Special Editions is the change to Han Solo's on-screen introduction. In the original cut, Han shoots Greedo under the table after being shaken down and threatened by him on behalf of Jabba the Hutt. He gets up, flips the bartender a credit, and delivers the iconic line: "Sorry about the mess"; it's the coolest shit of all time….
In the re-release, this moment is re-edited so that Greedo fires the first shot (a mere millisecond before Han) and misses when Han hits a CGI head bob to dodge the blast, so that Han's shot was in self defense. In the Disney+ version, Greedo also randomly says "Maclunkey!" right before the shots are fired…
Not only does the horrible head bob and missed shot at point-blank range look ridiculous, it removes a lot of what makes the scene cool when it's under the "self defense" context! I know Han Solo's supposed to be a hero to kids and all, but at this point in the movie, he's still a cold hard scoundrel! Would he pull this move a few years later, in the 'Return of the Jedi' softie-Han era? Probably not! But when we meet him in that cantina, he's definitely the kind of guy who would shoot Greedo under the table no questions asked - and not the kind of guy who would wait for the first shot to come his way.
Lucas re-edited and re-released FIVE separate versions of that scene over the years….
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Things like this are what have driven Star Wars fans mad for decades, but George never budged on re-releasing the original versions of the films. In 2004, he even doubled down and said, “Sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it, but I want it to be the way I want it to be.” - so for a long time, the theatrical cut re-release seemed like a pipe dream. Even when Disney took Lucasfilm off George's hands it seemed there was some unspoken agreement to never let the OGs see the light of day.
There's a whole generation of fans that have clawed through bootlegs, VHS tapes, DVDs, or fan edits - just to try to watch one of the famous movies of all time the way it way seen when it was released. Is that not INSANE?! Imagine if all of a sudden you couldn't watch The Godfather without a CGI monster popping up halfway through? Couldn't watch Casablanca without a recently added dance number thrown in? It'd be nuts! And don't get me wrong: again, I love a lot of the things about the Special Editions. I just don't love that they are the only option.
Seeing the “real deal” projected on a big screen again is the closest thing to time travel a cinema can offer, and you know I'll be there again and again to experience it in 2027. I mean, between 'Mando & Grogu', 'Starfighter', and this - we're about to have an incredible couple years as Star Wars fans. Disney Boys are THRIVIN!
