All Changes Made to Star Wars

Fan videos, for all their good intentions and dedication, are not always good video essays. More often than not, they aren’t able to turn fascination into an enriching viewing experience. The fandom itself is the subject, not its roots or workings. But Marcelo Zuniga‘s epic comparison video is the exception.

 

Zuniga traces all the changes that have been made to the original Star Wars trilogy since the theatrical releases of those movies. Often using the side-by-side technique, he exposes the many ways in which George Lucas has, over the years, tried to pimp his space opera.

 

Marcelo Zuniga presents these alterations matter-of-factly, without condoning or condemning them. (That too sets this video essay apart from regular fan videos, which regularly rail against these post factum changes). The resulting video essay is better for it: it is not only a useful reference, but also makes one ponder the changes in visual storytelling that have been brought on by the evolution of digital postproduction techniques.