One of the most controversial re-releases of all-time, the special editions of the original “Star Wars” trilogy have long been criticised by fans. While not as bad the re-release of “Return of the Jedi”, “A New Hope” still got some unwelcome changes. However, not every change made was awful.

Young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill “The Guyver”) leaves behind his mundane life as a farmer on Tatooine and finds himself at the centre of the rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire. Joining forces with Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness “Little Lord Fauntleroy”), Han Solo (Harrison Ford “Patriot Games”) and others to rescue Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher “Drop Dead Fred”) from the villainous Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones “Conan The Barbarian”).

Obviously, the characters and performances are just as great as ever with so many memorable lines. This new version does little to change the characters but instead, it’s more about adding in new stuff. Some really terrible C.G.I. aliens get added and they just stick out like a sore thumb. They look awful compared to the brilliance of the practical effects. There is also an atrocious digital effect on Han Solo during his encounter with Greedo. However, the film does add Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett. Originally, when the scene was shot, Jabba was just going to be a fat man but that obviously changed in “Return of the Jedi”. Now, we get this scene with a digital overlay to make Jabba the slug monster we know. The effect is poor but his scene is a nice addition.

The original version of “Star Wars” (it was just called “Star Wars” back in 1977) is a true masterpiece. Most of the additions made here just hurt the movie. The scene with Jabba is a good addition but the rest of the changes are poor.