Lucas goes soft with his "Special Edition."

Rating: 10/10 (11 July 1999)

The 'new' version version, I guess, primarily exists to fill the Lucas coffers, helping to fund the second trilogy. Most of the 4.5 minutes of new footage works for the better of the film - only one sad moment works against it ("Star Wars" non-aficionados bear with me here): Greedo has been made to fire first at Solo - point bank! - and HE MISSES BY TWO FEET.
Obviously, Greedo's 'new' poor marksmanship would've had him dead as a bounty hunter way back in bounty hunter training. Lucas, in his graying years, has apparently gone soft, and doesn't want any of his world famous characters to do anything icky, like kill anyone without decent provocation. As far as I'm concerned, this new action ruins Solo's entire pirate-like characterization. And it's ridiculous, to boot.
That '70's movie brat grit is all gone, replaced with a plasticity more damaging than anything else George is trying to protect us from. I can just imagine other "Special Edition" moments some sensible person talked him out of: the interrogation droid tickling Leia instead of drugging her, Tarkin flustered because he was "only bluffing" when he told Leia he would destro y Alderaan, and parachutes coming out of all those destroyed fighters.
I still gave it a ten.