A Few Words About A few words about...™ Star Wars: Return of the Jedi -- in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Chewbabka]

Hey guys,

I picked up the Skywalker Saga box set that includes all the Star Wars films on blu ray and the 4K UHD discs when it first came out in 2020. At the time, I did not have a 4K display yet. Late last year, I upgraded to a 4K display and I finally got to watch one of the 4K discs last night.

I did watch episode 4 and 5 via an earlier version because I was curious how they looked on the display. But when I started to watch Jedi on the 4K dsplay, I decided to start over and watch the 4K UHD. To say the 4K is an improvement in the image quality is an understatement . However, I wonder about the amount the grain gone and how dark Darth Vader’s black helmet and armor appears. I’m not one to complain that 4K discs I’ve seen look dark, because I don’t think they do. But this film does look a bit dark. I wondered if all the image tinkering done had darkened the dark areas of the image a bit. The daylight sequences look fine. I’m not sure without remembering what this film looked like in the theater when I saw it. It does look solid!

I remember seeing a few traveling mattes during the theatrical release, and I saw it on that other version. But the traveling matte around Vader’s shuttle as it travels to the Death Star at the start of the film is all gone In this new 4K edition.

I’m not a big fan of the 1997 alterations to these films either, but for Jedi. I thought it was OK, with the exception of the above discussed Lepti Nek sequence, I just skip that part.

After watching this 4K disc of Jedi, I’m going to have to set a time to do a watch of Episode 1 to 6 from the 4K set. I do like what Lucas was trying to do with the prequels. And it was nice to see it pay off in Jedi. I think episodes 7 to 9 starts off strong, but 8 and 9 fall apart.

At some point, it will be nice to see the original trilogy in HD or 4K as it was in 1977 and 1980 and 1983. After all we finally got Star Trek The Motion Picture Directors Edition remastered and completed. So Star Wars no-longer Special Editons will be cool. I don’t subscribe to Disney, but seeing how much they are mining the franchise, I’d think eventually they’ll find a way to revisit the original trilogy.

I’ve only watched Empire in 4K, and my assessment wasn’t so much that grain was gone, but that it was totally frozen in place. Most apparently on Hoth.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

it was totally frozen in place.

It was foreshadowing Han Solo's fate.

 

[Chewbabka]

It was foreshadowing Han Solo's fate.

Ahhh now it makes sense. I fully support the new mastering now. George was finally able to execute his original 1980 vision with the advent of freeze-grain technology.

 

[Tommy R]

Ahhh now it makes sense. I fully support the new mastering now. George was finally able to execute his original 1980 vision with the advent of freeze-grain technology.

“This is what I always intended but there was no time, money or the technology to do it.” -George Lucas in justifying ANYTHING.