Before I get too hyperbolic or mislead you as to what this version is – it is still The Empire Strikes Back that we know and love, but it so beautifully presented and polished as to shine. The sensation of experiencing the movie afresh is perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Adywan’s version - although on the flipside I’m not sure that I could go back to watching the original after being so thoroughly entranced by Revisited. Even if you have seen ESB a dozen times or more I guarantee that watching Revisited will feel like seeing it for the first time. There are a few Special Edition ‘changes revoked’ in Revisited (when Luke comes to the aid of R2 on Dagobah his original 1980 dialogue “You’re lucky you don’t taste very good” is restored, as is Boba Fett’s original Clint Eastwood-esque voice) but for the most part ESB Revisited isn’t about restoring - it is about enhancing.Īnd wow – what a difference these enhancements make.

Fan grievances over the Special Editions are well noted (with crowbarred-in incongruous CG and some clunky retconning - most infamously Han’s dispassionate dispatch of Greedo) but The Empire Strikes Back arguably came off the best of the three in terms of avoiding any really contentious changes. The Special Edition re-releases of the original trilogy back in 1997. It has clearly been a labour, but a labour of love, and after viewing the movie I can say that all those years of tinkering, polishing, correcting and perfecting really have resulted in something very special.Īnd it was something ‘special’ that set the Revisited project in motion. Here we are nearly ten years later and the finished sequel has just been released.

Fx guru Adywan (Adrian Sayce) began work on the movie soon after releasing its predecessor, Star Wars Revisited, to fan acclaim way back in 2008. Review: I have been following the progress of The Empire Strikes Back Revisited for what seems like much of my adult life. The Empire Strikes Back gets a meticulous makeover courtesy of fan editor Adywan. The Empire Strikes Back Revisited (2017) – Review by Matt Fox (May The Toys Be With You)

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