20-years later, fans still really hate theStar Warsspecial editions that George Lucas forced upon us in 1997. The biggest crime is that he altered the original film prints, so the original cuts of the movies have yet to be officially released in any sort of modern format. Though, many dedicated fans have done their best to amend this. Super fan Adywan is one of the most shining examples and he has just finished work on the long-awaitedThe Empire Strikes Back: Revisited, a painstaking fan edit that is intended to present fans with “what the special editions should have been.” And you can see it for yourself, if you’re willing to jump through some hoops.
According to a recent post on the official Facebook page forStar Wars: Revisited, this new version ofStar Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Backis now available. The creators provided some links to download the newly edited version of the movie, which incorporated newly created models and “upgraded” shots in order to create something much more in line with theoriginal theatrical release, but with some less offensive improvements. A complete list of changes, and there are more than 200 of them, can be viewed onStar Wars Revisited Blog. So far, the fan response has beenoverwhelmingly positive. Here’s what the creative team had to say about the release.
As much as fans may want to seeThe Empire Strikes Back: Revisited, which follows the “Revisited” version of theoriginal 1977 Star Wars, it is certainly operating in some sketchy areas, legally speaking. Disney currently owns the rights toStar Warsand releasing any version of these movies is certainly not legal, but Adywan and his team are doing their best to make it clear they aren’t doing this for profit and aren’t trying to step on any toes. That is why they aren’t directly providing copies to anyone and why they aren’t accepting any money.
Illegal or not, this is something thatStar Warsfans arguably deserve. Even though these versions are intended to “exist within its own canon,” they are filling a void. As it stands, the only way to watch the original, theatrical versions of theoriginal Star Wars trilogyis a very poor DVD version that was transferred from a LaserDisc copy. Beyond that, it’s VHS or an actual LaserDisc copy, which is far from ideal, given that we live in the age of Blu-ray and digital HD. And, as it stands, Disney and Lucasfilm have no plans on releasing the unaltered versions of the originalStar Warstrilogy.
This is just one of many examples that prove theStar Wars fanbaseis like no other in the history of pop culture. If you want to get your hands on a copy ofThe Empire Strikes Back: Revisited, the links probably won’t stay online forever before they start getting taken down. You can check out the full Facebook post from theStar Wars: Revisitedgang below, which includes any information you’ll need to see this version of the movie for yourself.
