STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS + THE MANDALORIAN seasons 1 and 2 4K UHD REVIEWS
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- This is the second of two Star Wars 4K reviews I've put together in late January 2025. The Mandalorian series received many requests for me to review the 4K home video disc release and thanks to a long time friend who has loaned them to me I have finally been able to look at seasons 1 and 2. It's a very good series and I'll now have to take a look at series 3 because I ended up enjoying it so much. Aspect ratio is 2.40:1 approximately with the first episode of series 2 having the last ten minutes or so in the taller aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Sound is Dolby Atmos but on the Blu-ray discs in the pack it is DTS 5.1.
I consider The Force Awakens to be among the best ever Star Wars films and likely my second favourite after the original. I was happy with the Blu-ray version of this but thanks to a fellow film collecting colleague - Stuart Hilliker - who sent me a voucher to get a couple of 4K's after I did a little 35mm film sound transfer job for him, I purchased this one along with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story which I reviewed a week before this UA-cam upload. It is an excellent 4K disc and so much more involving to look at on the big screen than the Blu-ray. The image aspect ratio is 2.40:1 which remains fixed throughout so the genuine 15/70 IMAX sequence when Daisy Ridley's character Rey and John Boyega's character Fin 'borrow' the Millennium Falcon to escape from the planet Jakku does not shift to a taller ratio. It does however shift into an even more enhanced definition to the rest of the superb full frame anamorphic 35mm during the rest of the production. The sound is Dolby Atmos and it's sensational. On the Blu-ray in the pack it is DTS 7.1.
Great Star Wars releases with The Force Awakens being a real stand-out 4K disc.
Watching Star Wars for the first time in cinemas back in the 70s as a 11year old kid had such an immense effect on most of us from that generation. Literally everything Star Wars made us get into a frenzy buying magazines, toys, figurines, scale models to name a few. Also, I strongly believe, the awe and wonder of it has somewhat culminated into this home cinema hobbyist that some of us have become. Battlestar Galactica was a brilliant movie too.
I think we seem very much the same Mike. The ultimate excitement after seeing it in the cinema was for me getting that first Super 8 release. The feature came out about ten years later so I'd grown up a little by then. I was still just like a child though!
John.
I can remember back in 1977/78 we had a snow day from school, so my Mom loaded up all us kids and some friends and dropped us off at the local cinema where we watched Star Wars for the first time. When the cameras panned downward to see the surface of Tatooine and Leia’s ship passes over head I got a chill, then the Star Destroyer comes overhead and my jaw hit the floor. I was merely 11 yrs old that day we watch SW and Ive enjoyed all the movies, TV series that have been made. Looking forward to Andor season 2 when it comes out.
And if you ever get the chance to see 'Special Effects' on 15/70 Scott, you'll see that recreation of the Star Wars opening looking even more impressive than it did when you first saw it at 11 years old. What a thrill that was but it did take a pretty extensive road trip to get up to Bradford to see it all those years ago. Wouldn't really be possible to do that now due to the over population here making it almost impossible to get around the country.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Do you have Disney + by chance?? If so then you should watch the documentary call Lights & Magic which goes thru the history of Industrial Light and Magic, the techniques used back then when SW first came out and all of the Special and Visual effects used in movies from SW, Indiana Jones etc etc etc. if your into the techincal aspects of movies like I think you are you will really enjoy watching.
I have recently stumbled upon your movie reviews and find them to be excellent. It is refreshing to find a reviewer that does not simply pick apart some minor things in the movies and declares an entire 4k movie to be unwatchable or terrible. It seems to me that too many reviewers now are just trying to be the first to point out mistakes in the films and not giving an honest review. I also agree with you that many of the bad reviews are due to improper setting on the tvs the reviewer is watching. I thoroughly enjoy the format in which you present your reviews. Please keep the great reviews coming!
Good to have you here Erik. I've had quite a few people tell me they've recently found my channel lately. I started it in May 2020 when everything my wife and I did for business was shut down by order of the government. The one good thing from that was that I finally had some time to do something with the home cinema. The worst thing was that we had absolutely no income. We're no longer living in the same location as a result so you might spot that the cinema is somewhat different to how it looked up until just over three years ago. As for the negative reviews you're seeing, this is because moaning about something or generally slagging something off generates views. That means more money. I don't get into that sort of nonsense. If I don't think a disc is particularly good then I'll tell you but I always quantify what I think are the reasons for that. Most people doing 4K reviews thinks all movies shot on film are the same high quality and therefore anything that doesn't match up to the best quality film is "they messed up the transfer!". Look at TENET and see how good film can look when shrunk down to 4K home video and then take a look at my 4K review video and you should understand what I'm saying.
John.
Yes, a lot changed with 2020; I hope we are on a better track for the future now. I have not seen Tenent yet, but I have put it on my list of movies to get because of your recommendation. I appreciate you taking time to respond to my comment and I am excited to watch more of your past and future reviews.
@@e-bolaz The main reason for TENET being the best, or among the best, of 4K releases so far is the 15/70 IMAX film origin. DUNKIRK might rival it. Anything shot this way will be close but there aren't many and so far almost all have been made by Christopher Nolan. Standard 70mm films can rival the 15/70mm quality such as MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS.
I remember the Star Wars soundtrack LP album came out before the movie actually was released and absolutely loved it. It made me want to see the movie even more and finally got to see it on the big screen at the now gone Village Theater which had a big screen and an equally bigger sound. I miss that place.
Dave Prowse and I were talking at a BFCC about 35 years ago and I'd just bought a copy of that LP. He asked me if he wanted me to sign it and so I have his signature on the still of Darth Vader inside the gatefold. Must play that double disc again soon.
John.
Just stumbled across your channel. What a treat! Looked at your special on A New Hope history, formats etc. Took me back you to my youth! Keep up the good work. PS The Last Jedi has been wiped from my memory banks.
Good to have you here but before we go any further that 1977 film will always be known as 'Star Wars' as far as I'm concerned. The re-hashes were a one-off novelty and we should all only be enjoying that wonderful original version of the film... with the possible exception of seeing that revamped Death Star battle at the end.
The Last Jedi isn't as bad as I thought. I always liked the opening but now I quite like it all. Funny how things work out sometimes.
John.
I drove into the big city and watched the opening screening (11am) matinee of the original Star Wars in 1977... loved it!
You might have seen one of the 70mm blow-ups. If not, then possibly a dye-transfer Technicolor 35mm which were struck over here in England I believe. John.
Hi John. I really enjoyed this video, with you talking about your love of Star Wars and introducing your wife to some of your favourite films it was wonderfully off-the-cuff. It's great to see the genuine passion when talking about movies and memories.
Just a couple of technical notes: The Last Jedi was actually shot on a combination of Digital Video, 35mm and even IMAX 70mm. The Rise Of Skywalker was shot entirely on 35mm.
Morning David. I can't believe there was any film at all in The Last Jedi. If there was anything shot 15/65 then it was excised from the finished product because the image quality is simply not there. But feel free to point me to it and I'll take another look. The whole thing apart from the great opening looked so comparatively poor throughout. That didn't help the overall impression of the movie as a whole.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Amazingly The Last Jedi has 40 minutes of IMAX 70mm footage. There are photos of an IMAX 70mm camera at the Ireland location for Luke's hideaway. I'm not sure where else in the film they've used. For some reason, the aspect ratio was masked to match 35mm, so it's never played in the true ratio it was shot in. Production videos also show 35mm cameras being used on the shoot.
@@davidjames579 That's amazing David. But how pointless to shoot those sequences in 15/70 when there was so little to look at. I suppose I might have missed it all because those sequences were so comparatively boring. Evidently something went wrong if no 15/70 prints were struck.
@moviecollector5920 apparently some IMAX 70mm prints were made but bizarrely, they were DMR blow-ups. Even though it had a 15/70 source. It is odd to go from a 5 minute standout sequence in Force Awakens to 40 mins of nothing discernible in Last Jedi. Abrams had shot a lot of Star Trek Into Darkness on IMAX film and loved it, but didn't get the same amount on Force. And when it came to The Rise Of Skywalker none was available to him.
@@davidjames579 Evidently The Last Jedi was edited in a computer and that is why the end product looks so poor. Strangely, the same process was done for NOPE a couple of years ago and yet the end product still looked excellent. Work that one out!
Like the Mandalorian . Good series. Almost at movie level for a tv series. Star Wars movies also very good. Take care John.
That's a good summary Craig. Thank you. John.
Season 1 & 2 of The Mandalorian really was exciting - some wonderful, proper Star Wars moments, especially the climax of Season 2. The third season and Book of Boba Fett were disappointing and the other Star Wars series have been weak in comparison, although the Kenobi series had some great moments. I hope the upcoming Mandalorian and Grogu movie needs to be great. Good reviews as always John 👍
There is a danger that there will be too much Star Wars the way it's going and it will lose its allure. But anything with little Grogu in it should be worth watching. Perhaps double him up with Babu Frik and they'll be onto something!
John.
The 3D version is equally impressive. I myself the 3D enthusiast prefers it over the 4K. But the 4K is still very impressive. I believe The Last Jedi was also shot on 35mm and even 15/65mm IMAX though it never had a 1.43:1 release as the entire movie is locked at 2.39:1
You're the second person to say that there was some genuine IMAX shot for The Last Jedi. I certainly missed it if it made the final cut because overall the image quality is so comparatively dull.
John.
Not only do I agree, but I'd go a bit further: I think the post-converted 3D in Force Awakens is so good that it significantly improves the film: Definitely the definitive version and the only way I ever watch it. Glad to see a fellow 3D fan badgering old John about the wonders of stereo video..!
@@3D_Blu-ray_Bunker I do enjoy 3D as an occasional novelty. To make 3D really work though it takes a huge curved screen. You have to see that to believe it though. John.
@@moviecollector5920 there are set photos of the IMAX camera, however the movie doesn't switch aspect ratios. The actual finish of the movie was also made that all the quality matches, so it's hard pressed to know what exactly is the 15/70mm footage as those would've likely added film grain in post to match the 35mm scenes. The scenes in question were most likely some of the landscape shots of the island Luke is in and maybe the final battle, but we don't know for sure as they were all cropped
@@3D_Blu-ray_Bunker movies shot on film are rare these days, so to get to experience a movie shot on 35mm with anamorphic lenses, and in stereo 3D is an experience all on its own, especially when they're as fun with the 3D like The Force Awakens. It's an excellent experience and one I find myself always putting on the top of my list!
Star Wars has a way of bringing everyone together. ✌🏻🇺🇲
It is a shame that some get a bit hot under the collar about some of the Star Wars films they don't like. I don't like episodes 2 and 3 but a lot of others do like them and that's just as well because if we'd all thought they were poor that would have been the end of Star Wars and a heck of a lot of money down the drain for LucasFilm and 20th Century Fox at the time.
John.
Great vid as always John, I've enjoyed all the Star Wars films(even the last one)..I got The Force Awakens 4k steelbook as a Xmas present but still haven't got round to watching it ,just reviewed 88 Films 4k of American Pie..next up is Captain Kronos 😀
Captain Kronos should be an interesting one Marty. The new owners of Hammer Films look like they've started off on the right path. As for the 4K of The Force Awakens, it's darned good and another example of the superiority of film.
John.
@moviecollector5920 It's a beautiful edition John, you'll have to wait for my vid on how good the transfer is 😁
@@MadMartysMovieReviews-gv6hk That will be the mastering Marty as the cine to video transfer is automated now. The days of a skilled technician standing over an aerial image transfer are long gone. 88 Films asked me to review it but I declined. Turned out to be a good move because they sent me The Amityville Horror instead!
@moviecollector5920 The Amityville Horror is a great looking film,all remasters from now on will probably be automated.
@@MadMartysMovieReviews-gv6hk I don't think mastering will be automated Marty as that requires physical skill. It's just the cine transfers that are now automated because there is no skill required for that other than maintaining the equipment and ensuring it's all aligned as accurately as possible. We've come to use the term 'transfer' for the whole process of putting a 4K disc together when a lot of the time there is no transfer involved at all as the movie has been shot on video. In that case all that is happening is a conversion to the 4K disc format.
I know you're not a fan of 3D John but, since you recently spoke with some positivity about a 3D movie, you might find it (a tiny bit) interesting to hear that Force Awakens was given an absolutely superb 3D post-conversion treatment. So, if you're ever keen to see how good a non-native 3D movie can look, I'd recommend picking up a cheap copy and giving it a look. (This is not a casual recommendation; I genuinely think this film is massively enhanced in its stereo version.)
I do have quite a few 3D Blu-rays but I tend to treat 3D as an occasional novelty. I like The Force Awakens as it is but if I do see a cheapy copy of the 3D somewhere I'll bring it home with me so thank you for the pointer there.
John.
It’s a shame 4K Blu ray doesn’t have 3D maybe 8k screens could make 3d better
@@GringoXalapeno By its very nature 3D is lower quality Gringo. Treat it as a novelty and it's great but if every movie were to come out as a 3D we'd all get tired of it very quickly. Actually, I think that's what happened to the last 3D fad in the end. But it did take longer than it ever did previously. It will return but will only exist permanently if we get 120 degree curved screens back into cinemas. It can't be for every film or video movie though otherwise that would even kill curved screen 3D.
@@moviecollector5920 idk I agree not every movie can or should be in 3d but idk it would be nice if there could be a higher resolution quality in 3d as technology improves 8k seems useless in TVs but probably could massively improve quality of 3d images
@@moviecollector5920 To be fair, it's only the *display* technology that has made 3D lower quality, not its capture/creation technology. So, with a good stereo display, a current example being the Apple Vision Pro (not for everyone, I know), you entirely do away with the issue of light & colour loss, and the result is an image that is clearly superior to its 2D counterpart. We just need non-headset display tech that's as good as the AVP! For me, The Force Awakens on 3D Blu-ray is a way better looking than the same film on 4K Blu-ray: When it's done well (which it certainly is in this film), I'd take an entire extra dimension over HDR and a mild resolution boost all day every day...
Great review again John , when you get through all these series, have a look at kenobi you may enjoy it 👍
If a friend purchases a copy and loans it to me Paul. I don't really watch series any longer as I'd rather spend any time I have available watching films and movies. John.
The new Absaroka Star Wars series on Disney is absolutely brilliant. Lots of action.
Hopefully my friend Robert will purchase that one too!!! John.
Another enjoyable review John. I thought that Daisy Ridley as Rey was a brilliant bit of casting. She's so beautiful and portrays Rey as a bit vulnerable yet at the same time such a strong character, one new she was going from being a type of hermit to one of doing great things. Adam Driver as Kylo Ren was a sensitive portrayal of a man who seemed to be torn. One almost gets the sense that he didn't really want to do those evil things yet allowing himself to be controlled by the "dark" side he ends up murdering his own father. In my opinion that made for an interesting character. Much like Darth Vader who was also torn inwardly and ultimately saved his sons life from destruction by the Emporer. He was the "other" that Obi-wan mentioned to Yoda when Luke flew off to save Leia. So I guess the ultimate moral here is that we all make decisions when it comes to good choices or bad choices there's always consequences. To do good or to do evil. Daniel
I thought Leia was 'the other' referred to by Yoda Daniel but you're probably looked into it all more than I. In the end, the last three Star Wars movies pretty much mirrored the original three with The Force Awakens almost being a remake of Star Wars. It worked extremely well though so I don't think that matters much.
By the way, I'm not getting notifications from UA-cam about replies so I don't know if I'll spot them all. Only way to be sure I'll see something is via a new comment until UA-cam fix whatever problem they currently have.
John.
Leia could be the other referred to but I rather think it was meant as a surprise in the final chapter which would be the Darth Vader character who allowed his better nature and love for his son to prevent his destruction. Anyway that's my take. Daniel
@@danielparker3842 Ho ho. You think more thought goes into these things than I do Daniel because I always had the distinct impression it was being made up as they went along. Which is why some of it was a bit of a mess.
The quote of the day "star wars is in pretty good hands " lol
Who would have thunk it though? With it episodes 2 and 3 being so awful and then turned around immediately with The Force Awakens. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Take a look at star wars the acolyte .
It's refreshing to hear John's comments as all we seem to hear on UA-cam is people saying how the Disney Star Wars movies and TV are making life unbearable. I don't understand the hatred ,I find Disney's SW things to be thoroughly entertaining and after finding nothing but a sea of negativity it's nice to find someone gaining genuine joy in watching these. As far as I'm concerned it is in good hands because of what I get out of it. But I fail to understand why people who don't like it keep watching. By now if you're not liking it it's not going to change, so perhaps stop torturing yourself, and watch something you like, or content yourselves with the SW things you do like.
@@davidjames579I'm with you, I couldn't fathom out the hate either. The new cast were great with comedy in their scripts.
Kylo was an interesting bad buy, with aspirations of Vader. Loved him losing his temper with the light saber in the room with a computer thing.
The only thing I didn't like about the force awakens was (as John said) a planet sized death star.... Yawn. It was like the writers had ran out of steam creating some good characters then thought "what will the plot be?" Until someone raised their hand and said "let's make it about a bigger death star."
@@kiddcapri1711 My feeling of the similarities to Star Wars in The Force Awakens is that it's basically a remake. This isn't the first remake either and if you take a close, critical look at Return of the Jedi you'll see that film is essentially the same only nowhere near as good other than the special effects which are possibly the best ever. As for the widespread criticism of anything Disney do with Star Wars, I think people are too easily led these days. Everyone needs to not take any notice of other opinions and judge for themselves. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that people should not read or watch reviews of anything they think they might be interested in actually seeing so that they're not influenced by a negative review on the web. In terms of UA-cam I can tell you categorically that if I were to put up a video slagging off a new release then it would garner far more views than a genuine review. That means more money and that's what it's all about for many UA-camrs.
John.
Fascinating john that you have such a different take on Disney with starwars. For most it feels they are burning it out like the mcu but you see it positively. It is lovely to hear someone with their own take and not influenced by social media bias. I think if there is another movie it should completely severe any ties to the other films and set it in a different part of the starwars universe. There is a huge amount of potential. One final comment on rise is that clearly when you watch the force awakens and last jedi there is no intension for ray to be the emperors daughter, it's simply a device to bring him back and deal with the issues of last jedi. There is no question that ray was intended to be lukes daughter in the force awakens but last jedi went off so wild that they has no way of coming back
I hadn't thought of any of that. Good insights that may help me to enjoy those three films - well, two films and one video - even more the next time around. The Rise Of Skywalker was a bit of a mess because of the damage done to the characters within The Last Jedi but it's so spectacular that I don't really care. Anything with Babu Frik appearing is something I'll watch and enjoy irrespective of whatever else is going on. The most hilarious character in any Star Wars ever as far as I'm concerned.
Disney might be overdoing it now but they spent a lot of money buying the rights from Mr. Lucas so we can't blame them. And while there's an audience, the best of luck to them. Eventually something Star Wars will come along that's almost as good as The Force Awakens.
John.
I believe the force awaken is shot on 35mm for most of the film with the imax scene.
I think so too John, 35mm and then 15/65 for that five or six minute genuine IMAX sequence. Probably the best quality Star Wars of all but the original three films were all very good.
John.
@moviecollector5920 I agree
there was enough to enjoy in all 3 films for me and loved all 3 mndo seasons and the book of boba. they are doing new films good video
Thank you Chris. I think The Rise Of Skywalker has rather put them into a corner with regard to new films but I hope someone comes up with something original if they are progressing new feature ideas. John.
Hello John. I actually re-watched Rouge One. I found it quite enjoyable. It's only my second time watching, and I enjoyed it more than the first time. To me, it's the only Star Wars film that actually feels like a war movie. It's quite impressive in that way. As for the force awakens, I thought it was great when I first saw it in the theater. It's really too bad that the makers of the last jedi didn't see fit to continue in the direction FA seemed to be going.
Some people are telling me that they don't like The Force Awakens Timothy so even a very good Star Wars film like that divides opinion. Rogue One gets a generally good response from everyone but I think all of us feel the Peter Cushing reproduction works against it. No one else seems to have picked up on the poor image quality compared to the original films and The Force Awakens. As for the follow up to that one, I think someone thought it would be a good idea to do another dark, sombre middle film just like was achieved with The Empire Strikes Back but second time around it didn't work.
John.
@moviecollector5920 so true. It did not work. I hate it because it destroyed all the potential that force awakens set up, and for what was done to Luke.
Do you think that 3d could look better if shot in 8 or 12k video then projected onto an 8k screen
3D never looks particularly good, whatever you do with it Gringo. Even 15/70 3D looks a little substandard compared to what you'd think it should look like. It's inherent in the process and always has been.
John.
@ i was thinking it would probably start at 8 or 12 k but in the process of 3d make it look as good as 4K or slightly better than 2k
@@moviecollector5920 i was thinking that hi resolution 12k or 8k digital could do for 3d what 70mm film did for composite shots and special effects start extremely high fidelity and work your way down from there loosing less than you normally would in the end product
@@GringoXalapeno I don't think it's worth the time and money when it comes to 3D Gringo. It's more for youngsters and occasional releases. It's never looked as good as normal film releases and that seems to be the nature of it.
@@moviecollector5920 if anyone is going to do it’ll probably be James Cameron
Sorry John, forgot to add that my 4K Star Wars film series are in a box named ‘The Skywalker Saga’ rather than individual releases. All 9 films have 3 discs - 4K, blu-ray and bonus - and there is an extra bonus disc. But the three discs for each film are identical to the individual release packs.
Finally, you must lift up the 35mm cans to show us all in a future video - once you obtain a 35mm print of ‘The Force Awakens’! Good night…
Gawd, that means you've got episodes 2 and 3 in that pack Stephen! I would like to have a 35mm of The Force Awakens but even if a copy did materialize I dread to think of what the asking price might be these days.
John.
Thanks for another fantastic video, John. I know this isn't Star Wars-related, but I was curious-have you ever seen the Japanese film Battle Royale?
No, I haven't seen Battle Royale. I have seen one of the English language re-makes/re-workings of it, 'The Hunger Games'. I've had another one sat up there on the shelves for many months now but I'll generate the enthusiasm soon. John.
Thanks John. It a lot better than Hunger games. But it’s very bloody.
@@rockontommy93 Well I do tend to like foreign language films from the Far East. Actually I have the 88 Films Blu-ray release of 'Rouge' sitting on the shelf awaiting a watch. That might be tonight's screening. John.
That was an entertaining review John, quite the chuckle in the last several minutes… yes, I too remember the “Oh no, we have to wait 3 years to find out if Han Solo gets released from the Corbonite block (but, of course, we all knew he would, just wanted to know the how…).
Can’t say I’ve watched any of the new steaming series, but based on your reviews maybe Andor and Mandalorian are good places to start? But it will have to be from streaming as I believe the disc packs are out of print and I don’t want to pay evilbay prices… have great evening, Cheers
Series aren't films or movies Stephen so it's not quite the same thing. Fortunately, there aren't 24 episodes in each series so it is possible to get through them in a month or so each if you can make the time. John.
You always make fantastic videos ❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you Timmy. John.
Great video. Instead of going to all that expense of creating a CGI Peter Cushing, they could have just given you a call John..!
I think film makers are easily duped by computer effects houses telling them they can create an artificial human. It's still going on today. John.
@@moviecollector5920well gareth Edward’s started as a vfx artist so if anything he probably duped himself he is a brilliant filmmaker just nobody is perfect
@@moviecollector5920Rachel was cgi in blade runner 2049 so it could be done but not necessarily fool proof
@@GringoXalapeno I thought even Rachel looked too obviously fake in that Blade Runner sequel Gringo. Show the artificially created humans in the background or reflected in glass or on a fuzzy computer monitor and it's possible to get away with it. Just don't put them up front on camera as it rarely works out.
John.
@ the people at corridor digital who are experts on vfx didn’t know she wasn’t real until it was pointed out to them but since that’s their profession and specialty maybe they’re more forgiving
The Force Awakens is still the peak of Disney Star Wars, for me. The sequels dropped the baton somewhat, which did put me off Force Awkens as well, for a time. But going back and watching it again with my kids made me remember that it's actually a very enjoyable film.
I never really enjoyed Rogue One like everyone else seemed to. The characters just felt so bland and boring. The fact that every single one died at the end had literally zero emotional impact on me. I haven't even attempted to watch Andor because of how dull I found him in Rogue One.
I think it's the comparatively poor image quality that might make you feel Rogue One is a bit lacklustre. The ending was inevitable really as it had all been telegraphed in Star Wars so it wasn't viable to change it and have anyone get out of there alive.
The Force Awakens is the second best Star Wars film as far as I'm concerned. But I like quite a lot of 'em!
John.
I never minded waiting the three years between West End visits (later to the Odeon Marble Arch) for the 70mm prints of the original three films. The wait for Eps 1,2 & 3 was a bit long and I didn't like them nearly as much, so the final three I mainly left to TV showings. The only multiple ratio film I really liked was the "Expanding 70mm2 brainstorm!!
A good review though, just a pity about the news of Brian Murphy's death today, at least we won't get CGI/AI imitations of him.
I did update the BFCC site about Brian, Brian. It was good that he made the mainstream news even thought it was so sad to hear about it this morning. As for Brainstorm, I only ever saw the expanding ratio of that one on the Kempski Super 8 release. I should have bought a print of that one but didn't.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Having gone to see the 70mm print at the Warner West End, I thought the extract of the Kempski print I saw at a Widex (though it wasn't bad for 8mm) too low to consider buying.
Nice video John. It's really annoying that Disney are not releasing The Book of Boba Fett on 4K UHD at the same time as season 3 of The Mandalorian later this month. I don't understand why since the story of Mando and Grogu continues in Book of Boba Fett and needs to be seen before Mandalorian season 3.
I expect it's down to sales forecasts and it's not worth it David. Putting out any home video disc is major work let alone a 4K version. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I guess so. Still annoying though. I think all the Star Wars TV series have sold out their initial releases on steelbook 4K UHDs so far.
@@davidfildes5863 I expect they'll return. I think standard Blu-rays are good enough for series so maybe that's the way to go. Far less work and quality control to issue them too. John.
Thank you John.
Thanks Cheekster.
Great Reviews John . I've mixed feelings with the films I must have watched all 3 in the cinema with my Son and Nephew 4/5 times each film to try and get my head around them . Mandalorian however I like all 3 seasons .
The Force Awakens is a bit special Andy but I suppose it has to be seen in a genuine IMAX to get the full impact of that IMAX sequence. The other movies are less impressive but it's only really The Last Jedi that was a disappointment. John.
@@moviecollector5920I was blind when I left the cinema with The Last Jedi I thought it was a top 4 Star Wars film definitely changed my opinion over the years .
@@moviecollector5920i actually admire the last Jedi for the risks it took but unfortunately not all of them paid off the rise of skywalker felt empty to me and the return of palpatine undemined the ending of return of the Jedi for me but to each their own
@@andylikesstuffchannel The Last Jedi does have what is possibly the best opening 15 minutes or so of any Star Wars movie Andy. It's not all bad and there is much to enjoy within its overly long running time. John.
@@GringoXalapeno I agree with you regarding the return of Palpatine Gringo. But that film was a bit of a rescue job after the downbeat middle film The Last Jedi. They're all so spectacular to look at though and particularly that last film The Rise of Skywalker.
John.
FYI grogu was an animatronic puppet and obviously was exceptionally done
I thought that was obvious Gringo so sorry if I said something daft without thinking. It happens! John.
@ yeah im just confirming it was a puppet I hope I didn’t come off aggressive
@@GringoXalapeno Not at all. You just made me think that I might have said something slightly incorrect. By the way, I'm not getting email notifications of replies from UA-cam so I'm having to scroll through all the comments manually. I'll probably miss any further replies once I get to the bottom of the list this time until whatever the problem is gets sorted. A new comment will be required each time to be sure I'll see it.
John.
Ahhh.
I'm glad you enjoyed them.
I have to admit when TFA first arrived, Iwas a repeated viewer and it was one of the last films i got to see with my Dad before he passed watching TFA at the 3d IMAX at Waterloo.
I still have The blu ray, and 3d blu ray as like you say they are great transfers, even the DVD is stunning and looks incredible on a 16:9 CRT.
Sadly though for me the disappointment of the next two "entries" are so appalling i can't watch any of those films. The excitement at the end, wondering what happens next ? was flushed with the slap dash nature of the movies and a clear sign Lucasfilm has no idea what its doing.
The movie costs around (after TAX return files confirmed ) £446m to make
Andor with its "streaming" budget for season 1&2 is now reported as $645m.
I do plan on checking out Andor when season 2 is out to see the story completed in one go.
Then sadly i think that's it for Star Wars.
Mando and Grogu next year will need to be better than season 3 which is a massive drop in quality.
FyI that Katie is in the show as she voiced Bo-Katan in the Clone Wars show which is awazing!
The new Rai movie is now on its 4th lot of writers and is now rightfully pushed back again as no one is slightly interested in seeing steal of Luke's EU Jedi academy stories.
Shawn Level and Ryan Gostling are making a movie "soon" as is James Mangold, but he has already announced he will not honour any law in Star Wars.
So think I'm out for now unless there's new leadership and major changes to their stories, scrap that useless excuse of incoherent "trilogy" and make either George's original crime boss underground trilogy or any of the EU books that my family and i have just started reading together with Heir To The Empire and is so much more fun than what we got and are loving it so far.
The force awakens is a well made greatest hits of Star Wars and evokes a lot of the fun and adventure of the original. Just a shame its let down so badly by what followed.
I might one day be able to rewatch it as i have three editions lol.
The Steelbook, 3d and the Big Sleeve.
Maybe if a cheap 4k or if its on at Christmas?
Anyways.
I loved your take and am glad that your still enjoying them and always looking forward to seeing whats next on this wonderful channel.
Watch all three of the last films on consecutive evenings and you may find you are not so disappointed. I thought The Last Jedi was pretty awful when it first appeared but it's not nearly so bad as I thought. Rise Of Skywalker is actually very good and one of the better Star Wars films. Even if you don't like it, there's Babu Frik towards the end and he's the best ever Star Wars character so that's good enough for me.
Don't know what I'll do next. Hoping to do a 35mm vs. 4K of The Terminator with Simon again towards the end of this month.
John.
@moviecollector5920 Oooooooo. Very nice choice there. That I'll be a thumb up before the video even starts. Excellent news! Thank you again for the video tonight and taking the time to reply as always. And any new videos coming soon. But the Terminator is again a wonderful choice. Still have my THX Mono Mix Laserdisc and the definitive edition DVD set.
I hear the 4k is bringing back the Cameron argument back, but far more subtle and very acceptable in execution. But if you do your comparison, would be interesting to see how suddenly the 35mm might highlight how much fine detail is truly there (or not)?
@@jefffan171 I have The Terminator on Super 8 and I can confirm the quality of that is quite exceptional. It was taken from a 35mm print as Orion couldn't supply a 16mm negative for whatever reason. I don't know if it was a fine grain master print but I might get a better idea when I see Simon's 35mm print. I have had a peak at the 4K disc and it's evidently had a little re-working done to it but I think it will look excellent on a huge screen. The trouble for home video is that most of us are watching on comparatively tiny screens so these 'clean-ups' can look more excessive when they're compressed down to our diminutive tellies and home cinema screens compared to how they'd look with the image degradation that results when enlarged to the biggest cinema screens. But I'd always prefer to watch a film that has been shot and finished on film when attending a screening in a cinema.
Great review John :)
I didn't really like Rouge One cuz the story is a bit confusing in my opinion. The Force Awakens, on the other hand, is much better and more entertaining.
Rogue One does zap around a bit too quickly for much of it but probably for those of us who know the original film off by heart it didn't take much brain power to follow the basic premise of it all. I'm a bit sad like that when it comes to that original Star Wars work of art. The Force Awakens is the better film but it also has the advantage of far superior image quality and that always helps. It may actually be better than Star Wars owing to that 15/70 sequence.
John.
@@mirvmn2 Yep the pacing of Rogue One Is all over the place.
The first 25 mins is like a sprint.
8 mins with Galen, 1 min with Jyn, then a whole 2 mins with Andor ,followed by 1.30 on Jedha , another 1.30 min with Jyn off to a labour camp.
A whopping seven mins on Yavin followed by Two mins with Saw. Etc etc.
It does settle down a bit but first time had to rewatch parts as switch off for two mins and they have crossed the galaxy 🤔.
Still one of the Best Star Wars films made.
Personally " Solo " doesn't get enough love.
BTW H Ford wanted to be killed off as far back as Empire but Lucas said no.
Once Disney has SW he came back on condition he was killed and Character arc concluded.
I enjoyed TFA but I felt it went seriously downhill with the remaining two films. Personally found Rogue One the best film since the original trilogy. Nice to hear your thoughts, I also enjoyed the Boba Fett TV show - if you’ve seen that although it is universally panned. It’s nice we are all different and can respect each others views. Keep up the great work John. Be nice to get your thoughts on the upcoming Alien TV show too :)
Evening Key. Somehow I don't think I'll be watching the Alien television show but you never know. I always liked The Rise of Skywalker but I can understand people not enjoying it much after the disappointment of The Last Jedi. Having just watched all three of the films (or rather the two films and one video) again, I enjoyed them all. It helped to know there was something after The Last Jedi ready to go on screen the following evening so it simply wasn't anywhere near as disappointing. And I have always felt the opening 15 minutes or so of that one was the best opening of any Star Wars ever. Rogue One suffers owing to the comparatively poor image quality which is much like The Last Jedi. Star Wars movies need to be shot by people who are capable of using film.
John.
Nice another fantastic video 😮❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I hope so Timmy. It took quite a lot of hours to whip this one into shape. John.
Great reviews as always! When are you going to let us support you and add a community paid option to your channel 🙂
I've always felt that if UA-cam advertising can't fund this little venture then it's time to call it a day. I think it's covered the costs over the past six to twelve months but I'm having to be a little more careful and selective to achieve that. Thank you for your thoughts though.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 well I'd be happy to join if you ever decide to offer a payment option. I get enjoyment from watching your reviews and your recommendations on what to spend my money on!
I see that Felicity Jones, of Rogue One fame, is one of the stars of the new release The Brutalist. Much has been made in the publicity surrounding this movie of it being filmed in Vistavision. It will be interesting to see if this is the start of a mini revival of this format. What are your thoughts on this? It might be worth seeing on a big screen - although 3 hrs 35 mins is a long, long running time, even with an interval.
I hope I largely covered The Brutalist in my recent review of the 4K of North By Northwest. VistaVision should be used a lot more than it is. It would even facilitate better looking movies at genuine IMAX houses providing there is still money available to print the blow-ups. Blowing up lowly 4K videos doesn't really cut it but a film fomat with a 1.50:1 aspect ratio and about 25% the quality of 15/70 would look so much better than any video to get the treatment.
John.
@ Thanks for the reply John, I will catch up with the North by Northwest review.
Hi John! I'm giggling again now thinkin of all the films I love and show my wife and she hates hahahah. Hmmmm "really? You didn't like Apocalypse Now? hahahah lol... Ok Great review I'm glad to hear your thoughts on Mandalorian and really want your thoughts on the wrap up season 3. Couldn't agree more about KS she was great and i'd never thought it could work but as Starbuck in BSG the remake she nailed it.. I really enjoyed the Mandalorian and agree with most the third season is definatly the weakest with a couple installments really cringy but dang it's Star Wars.. who can get enough.. Really hope all is well and wish you guys the best D in BC!!
I'm not sure my wifey likes Apocalypse Now either Dave but she does appreciate how good it is as a film and as a work of art. In fact, she's got so appreciative of war films that put you into the battle that she thinks everyone should get the same education in that regard to get a basic idea of the horror of war. The Pacific series is probably the one that made the biggest impact on her in that regard.
I certainly had reservations about turning Starbuck into a gal for that Battlestar Galactica remake. I didn't keep those reservations for very long. Katee Sackhoff was brilliant.
John.
i will have to give the movies on 4k a rewatch myself it has been a while since i watched them, loved the story about your wife
You should have seen wifey's face when she watched this video with me Paul. Thankfully it made her laugh in the end. John.
Movie Collector does another Star Wars review!? What a great day! 💙
Love these so much! Thank you! Would love you to do the rest of the Star Wars Saga. 🙏🏻
Love your setup by the way. Must be magical watching film on there. 🤩
I have the first three Star Wars films on Super 8 Andrew. Full length 'Scope prints and it's quite special to have them. I love The Phantom Menace too and have that on 35mm. It's actually the teaser trailers that were issued on the start of reel 1 of that film that you see in the Movie Collector opening of each UA-cam video. But I don't like the two sequels to Phantom Menace. I don't think too much of The Last Jedi and if I want to get a little too critical, Empire has a few flaws and Jedi is basically a remake of Star Wars. Force Awakens is pretty much a remake too but who cares when they're so entertaining?
If I can ever think of an excuse to review 4K discs of Jedi and Empire I'll do it but I can't stand those re-hashed versions of the films.
John.
You must watch the final three episodes of The Book of Boba Fett before watching season 3 of Mando - it’s basically Mando season 2.5. If you go straight to season 3 you’ll have missed an important bit of the ongoing story. I love your channel. Thanks for all your work.
Thank you Jason. I don't usually watch series at all any longer but if more freebies come along for me to take a look at then you can be sure I'll be grabbing anything with Star Wars on the case! John.
salut bonne video sur star wars toujour bien
Merci Alain. J'aime plutôt Star Wars! John.
Star Wars The Force Awakens is not the classic movie Disney wanted it to be. All I remember about it is my wife swore it was called "The Four Jamaicans".
Perhaps it has to be seen at a genuine IMAX first in genuine IMAX. But I have to admit that I enjoyed the 4K just as much in here on a far smaller screen. John.
@moviecollector5920 perhaps the poor quality sequels ruined my appreciation. I do remember them capturing the look and feel of the original more than the prequels could.
@@FatNorthernBigot I didn't like The Last Jedi at all when I first saw it but now I've warmed to it. The Rise of Skywalker was a sort of rescue job and in that regard I think the makers did the best job they could. But now I've just watched all three on consecutive evenings I feel a bit differently to the three movies and taken all together it's a lot of fun and works much better than I thought it did. The Force Awakens was brilliant on its own but now that too seems to be even better.
John.
Great video John. I also need to rewatch the Star Wars movies at some point. Not so much of a fan of the TV series as generally I like a quicker paced story... but like you I thought the "new" Star Wars stuff wasn't perfect, but still well worth a watch.
I think Force Awakens is the only one I don't have on 4K.. might have to rectify that.
Evening Darren. Series aren't movies so they're always padded out somewhere to fill a television slot even if they're made for streaming web sites. The Force Awakens is a bit special for me. The closest we've come to a film the standard of the original and surpasses it in one respect owing to that genuine 15/70 IMAX sequence.
John.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is the next SW film. Directed by Jon Favreau. Due out May '26.
Thank you for letting me know Thomas. That doesn't sound particularly thrilling but you never know. Let's all hope it's shot on film for superior imagery just like the original films and The Force Awakens. John.
Streamed the Mandalorian and enjoyed them but don’t think I’ll get the 4K, everything getting too expensive.
I expect a standard pack will be released eventually Gary and it will then be much cheaper. Actually, I think a Blu-ray only pack would be more suitable as it's only a series. John.
Nothing wrong with streaming...
I prefer physical media, for quality and having a tactile item to collect.
Have 300 UHD and 400 blu rays.
But I have Disney+ and Netflix and I think it's good value.
Andor is SOLD OUT, but was £49 , now £99 on eBay...
I own some TV as IMHO it has movie production and the writing is great.
True Detective,Ray Donovan, mini series like " The night of " and S Kings " Outsider ", but only on Blu ray, works for me and the prices are good " West World" all four sessions £29...
I take physical media always ,preferred Andor.
@rikaardyyz3039 Ah, True Detective... those series have all been exceptional but I haven't seen the Jodie Foster one yet. That's a Blu-ray I plan to get and will make the time to see. John.
Sorry John, The Empire Strikes Back is the finest of the Star Wars films with possibly the finest soundtrack of all time, what a fantastic John Williams score. Rogue One is pretty great, but as for The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi etc.... utter rubbish but thats fine, they're clearly not made for Original Trilogy fans like me. Just makes what the guys (Lucas, Kershner, Williams, Dykstra, etc) did with the Original Trilogy even more impressive.
No need to be sorry Ian. We all like different things. Empire is flawed but so is The Force Awakens. There are issues with all the Star Wars films if you want to analyze them closely enough. The best is undoubtedly the original but I think you know that really it's just that you like the special effects better in Empire. A lot of people feel the same as you. Jedi is a poor film if you really want to go into it deeply but we still love it.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I Agree. For me, the original film is by far the best: As far as I'm concerned, Empire Strikes Back is where the rot set in and things got silly, with its chatty Force Ghosts, actual telekinesis, no satisfactory ending and, of course, the start of the revisionist & ridiculous soap opera domestic revelations. Return of the Jedi was a lot worse, but the damage had already been done before it was made. I wish we lived in a world where Lucas had moved on to completely different projects after '77, and Star Wars stood alone as a single un-sequeled, un-prequeled, un-special-editioned classic.
@@3D_Blu-ray_Bunker I know what you mean but there was a lot of money to be made out of a few sequels and we did get Industrial Light & Magic out of the process which facilitated films like Raiders of the Lost Ark. Star Wars changed cinema and although there have been ups and downs we did get The Force Awakens and a few other good Star Wars flicks too. Something akin to the impact and success of Star Wars would be very welcome today if cinema is to be saved in any significant form for the future.
John.
The Force Awakens has all the flavour of a Star Wars movie. But for me there are too many throwbacks. Another masked villain, another Death Star like weapon. Another saviour on a desert planet. For all it's technical wizardry, practical effects it lacked the creative flare of George Lucas.
It's almost a remake Stephen. But when it's this good, I don't care! The second best Star Wars film for me. John.
Have you ever seen any Akira kurasowa films that influenced this show
I don't know. I certainly see the Shogun Warrior films in it though. John.
@ it’s still a shame eastern films are niche by western audiences so many great gems like seven samurai and roshomon
@@GringoXalapeno In case I didn't say this in a reply to you earlier Gringo, I do have the Hong Kong film 'Rouge' awaiting a screening. It's an 88 Films release and I purchased it from them direct last week after John at Mondo Chelloveck Movies talked about it in one of his recent videos. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Hong Kong has some really good movies in the 80’s and 90’s especially in the action genre some of the best fight choreography ever
@@moviecollector5920 that’s great Hong Kong had a lot of gems in the 80’s and 90’s especially in the action genre extremely impressive choreography some of the best ever
The Force Awakens isn't one I can really see as a part of George Lucas' world, but it is very fun and nails the feel of Star Wars. I do look at it fondly. Helped that there was a lot of mystery surounding it before the later 2 films came out. Listening to everyone's different theories was great. Also takes me back to the hype surrounding the build up to it's release. Mandalorian I definetely enjoyed the first 2 seasons of. lol Got annoying when you had to watch other mediocre shows to get to season 3, only for season 3 to be rather dissapointing as well. At least for me. Anyways, great review as always!
I think The Force Awakens is in second place in terms of my favourite Star Wars films. I know it's a bit of a re-run of the original but it's so good that I don't seem to mind. The Mandalorian is good too but I'm a little concerned that so many have reported that the third series is not as good. It's a shame it was made if that's the case but as long as it makes money, that's the main thing.
John.
Thanks for reminding me John about The Force Awakens, it does look fabulous on a big screen...its also in 3d???
I hope there's not a 3D of it Phil as it's a film and not a faux 3D video. It looks fabulous on the 4K but obviously nothing like it did in the Ronson Theatre IMAX. John.
I agree with you: I too really like The Force Awakens and too say the young actors are really good together. The ending to that film with Luke Skywalker on the cliff is beautiful.
The Last Jedi: the opening to that film with Luke Skywalker (again, on the cliff) is pathetic. I think the actors deserved better, especially Daisy Ridley since she was the lead character/heroine of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
The Rise of Skywalker: that was a sigh of a film (again, the actors deserved better).
I believe many hardcore Star Wars fans who'd envy you for having the ability to screen the original (unaltered) version of Star Wars/A New Hope on Super 8.
A 35mm print of The Force Awakens _with_ *SDDS* would probably knock you and your wife to the rear wall of your home cinema.
I once again thank you for sharing your genuine love of film and cinema.
Evening Erik. I wonder if you were too watch the last three movies on consecutive evenings now whether you'd have a similar impression to me. The Last Jedi is not as bad as I thought and I actually quite like it now. Rise of Skywalker was a rescue job after Last Jedi and although the non-stop action is a little too over the top at times, it's so spectacular that it doesn't really matter. Babu Frik is the highlight though. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thank you for the encouragement.
Great work....I really enjoyed the force awakens myself..... must check out the maldalorian series.
I don't know exactly why so many people claim to not like The Force Awakens Roy but I think it will gradually be re-evaluated once the prejudice against Disney is in the past. John.
They’ve announced a Daisy Ridley led New Jedi Order film. The release date hasn’t been announced yet. Latest news is they brought in a new screenwriter for the story. I hope that it actually gets released.
That sounds quite promising Jeff. Another comment told us that there is going to be a feature length Mandalorian and Grogu which doesn't seem to be quite so enticing to me, but you never know. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Quite a few Star Wars movies have been announced of late. We should after The Mandalorian And Grogu get a film set around the origins of The Force, directed by James Mangold, who I know you liked his films Ford V Ferrari/Le Mans '66 and Indiana Jones 5. He should bring his now renowned use of Digital Video looking like film.
I think the last jedi has a terrible story but also has some amazing visual moments, but the tone of this and rise are completely wrong. With rise it just has the most ridiculous story with insane moments. The kiss at the end in context of the previous films is just horrible and many booed in the cinema when that happened. The ridiculous ending with the thousands of star destroyers etc and the silly way marker that they just happen to find in 100 million tons of desert sand. The cast all do work so well and the humour is on point and the acting is great which makes all three films watchable. Interestingly the prequel trilogy suffers the opposite. The stories and setup are great and consistent with the lore but the acting, dialogue and characters are in places very poor. One of the reasons I like rogue one so much is that it has the best of both worlds. I love the characters so much and the story, setups and action are superb. Its the only starwars movie that feels like a war movie and expresses the scale of what is truly happening before starwars so perfectly. The original trilogy is improved by rogue one but I feel very damaged by the last 3 films
The opening battle in The Last Jedi may be the best Star Wars opening of them all. After that, I felt it was all downhill originally but now I rather like it all. I think I'm over the shock of how bad I thought it was when it was first released. Rogue One has many flaws within it and perhaps the biggest is the comparatively poor image quality. This is one area where The Force Awakens is certainly above the others and probably on a par with the original three films. The Phantom Menace was another good entry but the little boy was too good and there was simply no way his character could gradually just turn into the evil Darth Vader. Something extreme needed to happen to his mind to cause that change but the two sequels basically buggered that up. They were also pretty lousy movies which didn't help either. But that's just my opinion. What I can say for sure is Attack of the Clones is the worst looking projection I've ever seen in a cinema. And that was at the Odeon Leicester Square.
John.
I do love Force Awakens on 4k
It was even better at the Ronson Theatre IMAX. One of only three genuine IMAX cinemas in the UK currently. John.
be sure to watch Book of Boba Fett before watching season 3 of Mandalorian, otherwise, you'll be a little lost.
I might one day but I don't really have time for series. I barely have time to watch films these days but all these myriad Star Wars things that are being churned out are looking like a little too much to me right now.
John.
I find the Disney Star Wars films are very poor!! Apart from Rouge One. Just like so many other true fans, I think they misstated great opportunity in having the original cast back for one last trilogy….
Then again, they're certainly better than episodes 2 and 3. Don't forget how awful they were. John.
@ I disagree on that one John. I still prefer them over 7,8 & 9. Sorry!!🙏🏽😊
@@Bejay1966 We're all different so nothing to be sorry about. Attack of the Clones at the Odeon Leicester Square is the worst image quality I've ever seen in a cinema so that certainly didn't help my rather low opinion of it. John.
The Farce awakens was not a bad film, but the bad dialogue was a disappointment. Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley stood out for me, and John Boyega is too poorly scripted to be anything but a token necessity. I'm not a fan of the Dismal-era of content, but this one does look good on screen. Rogue one is a better movie, bar the Peter Cushing debacle 🙃
Rogue One looks so poor compared to The Force Awakens though and that works against it somewhat. I thought John Boyega's character was brilliant. I think that film had a lot of naysayers before it was ever released which is what tends to happen these days. That would never affect my opinion of a film but a great many others are too easily led. Look at it again in twenty years time and you may see a different film in there.
John.
@moviecollector5920 I enjoyed the farce, more than the sequels, but I feel his importance dwindled further on. Saying that not much happens for most of the old characters in the original trilogy. I've only seen rogue 1 on Disney so I can't even comment on the Blu-ray, but just watching Black Panther on Blu-ray, and the 4k filming needs softening as it does look like they are just in a studio in parts rather than a movie. It must be great to see the slight cloudiness on 8mm compared to pin sharp 4k now. 🙃
@@MunKeeButt67 You're right about 4K being pin sharp most of the time. I've been enjoying some Blu-rays recently which are evidently transfers of 35mm general release prints. They look more like film as we knew it than the ultra-pristine 4K's much of the time. Abba The Movie is the best example of this I've seen recently. I never much liked that film but the Blu-ray is a revelation and is just like having a personal 35mm print. I'm thinking about including something about this in a future video.
John.
@moviecollector5920 you should, your videos are always very informative and interesting. I'm not bashing Disney Star wars, I'm just not interested in it. There is a wealth of new sci fi and even old available now to keep me busy. Logan's run being one. I need to rebuy Rollerball, which as a youth , I thought would be more about the violent game than James Caans' character. Very envious of your poster 🙃
@@MunKeeButt67 I have the German 4K release of Rollerball and it's pretty darned good. Some neg dust and dirt has been left on it which makes it look even more like a film print than most 4K disc releases. A wonderful film and possibly the most prophetic film ever made. John.
Season 3 contains the single worst episode of TV I've ever seen, not just Star Wars, TV as a whole.
For those who know, all I'll say is Jack Black & Lizzo 🤢🤮
Don't forget the television stations here are still churning out endless crap like Eastenders and Coronation Street Andy. I'd rather watch the worst Star Wars ever than that mindless rubbish. Then there are all the game shows and reality shows. Things really are awful now.
John.
I liked rouge one but the rest of disney starwars is terrible especially the last jedi one of the worst movies ever made but everyone's opinions are different so enjoy anyone who likes the new movies and shows
Give The Force Awakens another try in a few decades Mark. Too many people seem to have been put off it by internet negativity. There's too much of that these days. Far too much. Rogue One is only really let down by the comparatively poor image quality.
John.
Another top video!
I totally agree. I had a ball with the sequel trilogy on the big screen and on 4K. There are things what threw me with them, but I'd rather watch the sequels than Lucas' prequel trilogy by a long shot.
I've still yet to pick up The Mandalorian on 4K but I've watched them on Disney+ twice (3 times so far on Andor).
I really like The Phantom Menace but the other two... good grief! I actually had a look at the Blu-ray of The Phantom Menace about five years ago and can you believe that even that film has been re-worked and re-edited. I barely got ten minutes in and had to turn it off. I've only ever seen it on film and that's what I'll be sticking with. I'd like to have a 35mm print of The Force Awakens too but I don't suppose there are many copies of that out there in the wild.
John.
@moviecollector5920 I totally feel that with The Phantom Menace. I kind of enjoyed it initially (because it was new Star Wars) and thinking it could get better with subsequent films. It got worse with Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. I could be here for a whole day, pointing out how wrong it went.
I think the build up and anticipation of each new prequel film outshines the finished products.
I have a HD scan of a 35mm Episode 1 print (sadly I don't have the space or set up like you do). The DVD was altered, then the Blu Ray, and then the 4K looked good, but fell flat.
@@djmitz9213 The image quality of The Phantom Menace is a bit poor overall owing to all the computer tinkering that went on but compare it to what came after with Clones and Sith and it's brilliant. The flaw with the lovely little boy ultimately becoming the most evil villain in the galaxy is obvious but apart from that and some dodgy computer created characters The Phantom Menace contains some of the best Star Wars sequences. The sound from the 35mm print is sensational in here. Better than any home video disc.
@moviecollector5920 Agreed. Some shots looks good - the remainded just sticks out like a sore thumb and time will never be kind to those aged digital effects (I skipped through the film just yesterday as a curiosity) - but somehow I can still watch Jurassic Park in awe... 🤔🤔
The great thing after 4 decades of fandom is we can limit where we start and finish with the franchise. Andor/Rogue One onwards... A lot of the other spin-off stuff is a tough one time watch: Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, The Acolyte.
I need a beer...
@ Funny you should mention Jurassic Park because I well remember the reports about the sequence with the Brontosaurus's or whatever they are when Sam Neil first sees them upon arrival on the island. People raved about that scene and yet, at The Empire on that huge screen with the best possible projection it was so obviously fake. I suppose we were watching a fine grain master print and most saw general release prints but even on my Super 8 print it looks the same. Perhaps too many people were simply impressed by computer effects work and couldn't see the obvious downgrade in image quality. Phantom Menace is similar in that regard... but I still think both films are very good.
John.
@moviecollector5920 thanks for another great video and the info on the aspect ratio of Rogue One.
Like you say, nothing beats Star Wars and Empire but to me TFA has mostly that same magic. Maybe it was because I went to the premier with my two sons for their first ever Star Wars movie in the theater. That was magic: seeing a new Star Wars movie with my two sons. Like you I liked the new cast together with the original cast but man did they f@ck up their storyline in The Last Jedi to completely crash in that last one which I tend to block from memory (much like the final Season of Game of Thrones!😄).
Look forward to your next video and hope you and the mrs are fine, happy and healthy.
I suspect you'll quite like The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker when you watch them again Pieter. The problem was the two year wait for The Last Jedi and then all the flaws in that one. Cleaning it up as best anyone could for the third film was all that could be done and it's so spectacular that you can't help but like it. And it also features Babu Frik of course so that sets it apart. The Force Awakens is the second best Star Wars film for me.
John.
@ second best in general or of the “new ones”?
To me nothing beats Star Wars and Empire and then come Jedi, TFA and Rogue One. Also somehow like Solo which I found quite enjoyable and with a true Star Wars feel to it that Last Jedi and especially that last one sorely lacked.
I tried those two again on 4K after seeing them in the cinema but I find them disastrous. Sorry. And yes Babu Frik was the only small (literally) highlight.
@@pieterbalk-ht7kq Second best of the whole lot Pieter. I do like The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi but mainly for the special effects rather than the stories. The Force Awakens is another re-run of Star Wars really and that was largely the same with Return of the Jedi but who cares? Rogue One had comparatively poor image quality for much of it which is a shame. Parts of it looked great though.
John.
@ funny you say that as I also had high expectations of Rogue One on 4K and found it disappointing aswell.
@@pieterbalk-ht7kq I remember it not looking exactly brilliant in the BFI IMAX as a 15/70 blow-up Pieter. I now know why and that's because it's mainly a low quality video. John.
john before you watch season 3 you need to watch the book of boba fett because it joins season 2 and season 3 of the mandalorian with the storyline and characters
I'll watch any Star Wars series if I'm handed a copy Danny. I rarely bother with TV series or streaming series at all any longer. I'd rather spend any spare time I have watching films and movies. John.
You should get "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm" (1962) on Blu-ray because it is in Cinerama and also get the Warner Brothers Archive version of "Meet Me In St Louis" (1944) for it's 3-strip Technicolor quality.
I would have already purchased Brothers Grimm if it had have been released over here. I would have gone to see it at the Bradford Cinerama too but unfortunately they weren't screening a film print (i.e. 3 film prints and one full coat mag 35mm for the sound) so that would have been a waste of time and money. Kim at Bored_Tech will be releasing a fabulous Cinerama video he's shot at Bradford soon. You're going to like it!
John.
I’m gonna die not seeing the actual 1977 original film of Star Wars.
I’ll just be stuck with the 1997 re release 😢
I think a local charity shop here has a copy of the original on a DVD Daniel. No doubt it's the LaserDisc master but it's a way to see the original and best. Perhaps you should look out for a copy near you as there are loads of copies being slung out now.
John.
I managed to pick up these two seasons on 4K but couldn't get Andor before it sold out.
Unfortunate that Disney are only making these TV releases in limited batches but they have another batch out of Mando which makes me think Andor will be back in stock soon. It's like the Disney vault all over again!
A heads up If you plan on watching Mandalorian Season 3, it is required to watch The Book of Boba Fett beforehand as it is essentially Mando 2.5 and Season 3 picks up after Fett ends, you'd be very confused starting Season 3 otherwise.
Also Disney is increasingly crossing over elements from the previous animated shows Clone Wars and Rebels to these modern Star Wars series' making it hard for most of us who haven't consumed 10 seasons of childrens TV to follow.
I'm beginning to feel like I don't want to do any more Star Wars for a while. If a film comes out (more likely a video these days though sadly) I'll always want to see that but series take so long to get through and I don't really have that much time to spend on them.
John.
@ I feel the same way John, especially with Disney’s Star Wars and Marvel shows that require you watch a dozen other series/movies to enjoy.
That being said I enjoyed Colin Farell’s The Penguin series spin off from the recent Batman film.