Star Wars.... in 3D

[Ignatius_S]

Lucasfilm Ltd. announced today that the live-action Star Wars Saga will be converted to 3D! There are few movies that lend themselves more perfectly to 3D; from the Death Star trench run to the Tatooine Podrace, the Star Wars Saga has always delivered an entertainment experience that is completely immersive. Presented by Twentieth Century Fox and Lucasfilm Ltd., the cutting edge conversion will take that immersion to the next thrilling level, with Industrial Light & Magic supervising the project. Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace is expected to be released theatrically in 2012. A release date has not yet been determined.

"Getting good results on a stereo conversion is a matter of taking the time and getting it right," said John Knoll, Visual Effects Supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic. "It takes a critical and artistic eye along with an incredible attention to detail to be successful. It is not something that you can rush if you want to expect good results. For Star Wars we will take our time, applying everything we know both aesthetically and technically to bring audiences a fantastic new Star Wars experience."

http://www.starwars.com/movies/saga/announce3d/index.html

[falafel]

This would be hilarious if it wasn't so bafflingly predictable.

[Ginyard]

Could be good, unless we get an eyeful of Jabba spit.

[Ignatius_S]

Jar Jar Binks in 3D, it's what the kids want.

[VegaLA]

Sorry.
3D really has overstepped the line this time huh?
Really, i'd like to see Georgie boy do something new and different. Failing that another Star Wars movie after ROTJ would be nice.

FuckSheep!

[small_world]

I'm suprised the anniversary Back to the Future isn't going to be in 3D.

[mobias]

You got to hand it to the man, he sure knows how to squeeze more money out of his films (and his fans) I bet you anything they will be re-edited yet again and will have all knew special effects yet again. 

[Santa's Boyfriend]

Failing that another Star Wars movie after ROTJ would be nice.

No, it wouldn't.

Seriously.  You don't really want that.

[George Oscar Bluth II]

They think people are going to pay actual money to see Phantom Menace again?

[VegaLA]

No, it wouldn't.

Seriously.  You don't really want that.

Think POSITIVE man! It could be the best thing ever!

Spoiler alert

Yeah allright, I can't even kidd myself.

[close]

[Ginyard]

You're all excited to spend your money on premium seats at the IMAX so you can listen to Brian Blessed rattle his dentures as a giant underwater gungan slug.




^{Fucking Jedi mind tricks. They never work.}

[sirhenry]

Sums it up perfectly:

"Watching TPM (The Phantom Menace) in 3D would be like the car actually crashing into your face as opposed to just unfolding before your eyes," British Star Trek actor and science fiction fan Simon Pegg said on micro-blogging site Twitter.

[boxofslice]

Put me in the 'couldn't give a shit' camp.  Really, do something fucking else George Lucas instead of trying to squeeze every last drop of cash out of a 30 year old franchise.  If I was him and doing this, I would feel completely dead inside.

[Johnny Textface]

I don't get this. Wasn't Avatar filmed with special 3D cameras to get the effect? If it was - why did they bother when they could have just converted it after shooting on normal cameras?
Will the Star Wars 3D effect be as good as the effect in Avatar?

Surely George Lucas must have ideas for other films that are not Star Wars related? If not he must be a very frustrated individual.

[Ignatius_S]

...Surely George Lucas must have ideas for other films that are not Star Wars related? If not he must be a very frustrated individual.

Well, Lucas does have 50% of the credit/blame for the last Indiana Jones film.

[An tSaoi]

I don't get this. Wasn't Avatar filmed with special 3D cameras to get the effect? If it was - why did they bother when they could have just converted it after shooting on normal cameras?
Will the Star Wars 3D effect be as good as the effect in Avatar?

Retroactive 3D gives a much poorer effect than films which were filmed for 3D. Essentially they have to cut out all the foreground elements like a pop-up book, so it actually looks quite poor. It's widely regarded as a bit of a sham to try and spruce up sub-par films for release. Clash Of The Titans and The Last Airbender are examples of films that were shot normally but converted to 3D.

[George Oscar Bluth II]

I was working in a cinema at the time of Clash of the Titans, and it was probably the most complained about film during my two year tenure there because of how laughably shit the 3D was.

[papalaz4444244]

When will this current 3D craze just fucking DIE.

[Phil_A]

When will this current 3D craze just fucking DIE.

Perhaps the total disinterest in a rereleased version of the Phantom Menace will be what finally kills it.

Yeah, I know. I can dream.

[Uncle TechTip]

When will this current 3D craze just fucking DIE.

When idiots stop paying the premium?

I saw Toy Story 3 in an extra dimension and left with an incredible headache. Now I have to watch it again because my original experience was spoiled by the 3D and the micro-adjustments your eyes have to make to the perceived depth that is actually at the same focal point.

It's pish and it's ruining cinema as an art form.

[Bad Ambassador]

Surely George Lucas must have ideas for other films that are not Star Wars related? If not he must be a very frustrated individual.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Tails

[Doctor Stamen]

Put me down as another that doesn't understand the appeal of 3D.  It rears its ugly head every 20 or 30 years then dies off again.  Nearly everyone I know has bought a new HD TV in the last 5 years or so, nobody wants to fork out for a replacement that quickly.  Sky are forcing it down people's throats in every ad break now, just fuck off!

Besides, if I did want to watch anything in 3D, it certainly wouldn't be The Phantom Menace.

[weirdbeard]

It's amazing how Sky and the TV manufacturers have already collaborated to launch a domestic home service.  Remember we've only had HD broadcasts since May 2006.   Before that we had 8 years of 16:9 and before that 31 years of colour TV.  Personally I think they're taking the piss and I hope they collapse on their faces - the TV companies especially for trying to flog these during the World Cup, and Sky for being their usual greedy, arrogant, anti-competitive selves.  Apparently Sky are targeting 200,000 3D subscribers by mid-2011, well if they manage to flog these things and the vastly overpriced TVs in the middle of a colossal recession, and they manage to get millions to wear those ludicrous glasses, then we might as well get the Sky logo tattooed onto our respective genitals and be owned by them.

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Yeah if 3D TV ever takes off I really will lose all faith in people's ability to think for themselves. I'll count it as having 'taken off' if the BBC ever launches a 3D channel. I'm certain it'll never happen.

[Zero Gravitas]

I don't get this. Wasn't Avatar filmed with special 3D cameras to get the effect? If it was - why did they bother when they could have just converted it after shooting on normal cameras?
Will the Star Wars 3D effect be as good as the effect in Avatar?

Well I thought it was funny.

[Santa's Boyfriend]

Sky are forcing it down people's throats in every ad break now, just fuck off!

What they're not mentioning is that it's not a HD service.  A Sky HD box has enough bandwidth (or whatever) for a 2D HD signal but not a 3D HD signal - a 3D SD signal uses about the same as a 2D HD signal because of the extra information needed to show that many extra frames.  Or something.  Anyway, it's not an HD service.  Presumably they'll milk everyone for a 3D HD service at some point in the future.

[An tSaoi]

SKYWALKER RANCH – George Lucas has fiddled with his creation that is beloved by millions of fans, once again. In new editions of episodes four through six, digital updates will be applied to add new characters and special effects. The kiss between Luke and Leia in Empire Strikes Back will be digitally altered to be done only on the cheeks, a new scene showing Boba Fett blasting his way out of Sarlacc's pit will be added to Return of the Jedi, and, in what can only be described as a giant "fuck you" to fans, Jar Jar Binks will be added to a scene in A New Hope.

The new editions will see a brief theatrical release shown only in theaters equipped with a Sony Astonilypse Digital Projector. This will limit the release to Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and, for some reason, Gary, IN.

http://www.vilificationtennis.com/star-wars-fucked-with-yet-again-by-george-lucas/

Now I'm sure this is totally unsubstantiated bollocks of the highest order... but I wouldn't put it past him to do something like that.

[AsparagusTrevor]

It's certainly a joke article, but I'm sure Lucas will have fiddled with the Blu-Ray releases in some way.

[VegaLA]

Oh, Bobba Fett.

Spoiler alert

Bobba Fett

[close]

[mycroft]

From the original press release posted above:

from the Death Star trench run to the Tatooine Podrace, the Star Wars Saga has always delivered an entertainment experience that is completely immersive

This sentence, to me, is one of the most depressing things I've ever read.