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After the Dark Times
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Faneditor Name:
Original Movie/Show Title:
Genre:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2015. 2017, 2019
Original Running Time:
430
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
113
Time Cut:
317
Subtitles Available?
Available in HD?
Additional Links:
Brief Synopsis:
In the spirit of my bold my take on the prequel trilogy (Before the Dark Times), comes my attack on the sequel trilogy.
Intention:
All 3 Star Wars sequels, dramatically retold and re-crafted into chapters as a love-letter and farewell to our heroes (family?)...all while we usher in the next generation.
Even more so than Before the Dark Times (BTDT), After the Dark Times (ATDT) is a heavy remix with new narratives and new character motivations.
I originally wasn't planning on editing the sequel trilogy (ST) as I find them very hard to engage with and the story really does end after Return of the Jedi (ROTJ)....that's now all changed. I can now actually watch this story and get enjoyment out of it.
My biggest problems with the original ST is of course what we all know - the lack of vision from the outset.
I felt my job with this edit, was to craft a new vision and my 'chapter style' fortunately allowed me to do that successfully (I think).
Even more so than Before the Dark Times (BTDT), After the Dark Times (ATDT) is a heavy remix with new narratives and new character motivations.
I originally wasn't planning on editing the sequel trilogy (ST) as I find them very hard to engage with and the story really does end after Return of the Jedi (ROTJ)....that's now all changed. I can now actually watch this story and get enjoyment out of it.
My biggest problems with the original ST is of course what we all know - the lack of vision from the outset.
I felt my job with this edit, was to craft a new vision and my 'chapter style' fortunately allowed me to do that successfully (I think).
Other Sources:
Samuel Kim's beautiful music. Check out his work here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuoKuTCQ9dmPIgOgyLm9HgQ
Special Thanks:
Much thanks goes to tremault for the incredible poster!
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
Cut together using basic software (iMovie) and Audacity.
Cuts and Additions:
If you've seen my Before the Dark Times edit, you'll know a cut list and additions is nigh impossible. And besides, it would spoil the surprise...
Rather than focus on cuts and additions, let me explain my approach instead:
One focus with this edit has been a conscious decision to actually pull the story down to a smaller scale. I've always struggled with what feels like a need to go 'bigger and bigger' as each episode rolls on. Originally, we go from a new planet killing ummmmm.....planet, to 'the biggest fleet the galaxy's ever seen' where each vessel also has a ummmm....planet killing weapon. Hmmmmm. Gone also is the convenience of the First Order being able to wipe out the Republic from so far away (to me the Republic is a system of principles not a specific planet anyway).
With all this comes a redrafting of what The First Order is. They are now implied to be an 'underground', far-right movement of sorts. They don't believe in the New Republic. They want to see the status quo upended and an 'empire' restored.
Gone is this sense that they are a massive, unstoppable force that the Resistance is losing to. To me, the First Order are more dangerous if they are a smaller but still aggressive threat to the ideals of the New Republic. They are dangerous because of their ideas, not their weapons. With this reduction in 'scale', we can then focus on the story between characters and family members much more. We also have a nice call-back to the original trilogy (OT) where the Rebels were a small rag-tag group. Now, it's the First Order who while small, are a real threat to the peace that has been established at the end of ROTJ.
Gone also is any reference to the Resistance being 'rebels'. How are they rebelling? They never are/were, even in the original cuts of these movies. That just makes no sense. If anything, the First Order are the Rebels (I think Redletter media may have said as much once). The Resistance's motivations are now much clearer. They must stop this uprising of dissidents that threatens peace.
Another focus of mine has been, what is the ST really about? What's our through line? For me, it should have been about saying goodbye to our childhood heroes. To Luke, Leia and Han.
ATDT does just that, particularly in the final chapters. Rey's new journey, allows us to do that properly as she tries to find her place in the galaxy, to reconcile the loneliness of being force sensitive and the responsibility of being the next generation of Jedi, of losing her mentors and teachers (our Luke, Leia and Han), of bringing Ren back from the dark side, defeating Snoke etc.
We begin chapter 1 focussing on what is now a simple tale of Han attempting to bring Ren back from the dark. It's a much smaller, personal mission, not one of destroying Starkiller Base (what Starkiller Base?) Ren is still conflicted, Leia thinks Han can bring him back. Simples.
From chapter 2 onwards, we're then off with Rey on her Jedi journey. Her connection (dyad) with Ren is still there which I quite like as an idea as it's one we hadn't seen before. But she is a nobody, an orphan of a war-torn galaxy, a much more interesting idea that is closer to the both the prequel trilogy (PT) and OT in that the fate of the galaxy hinges on an unsuspecting hero whose destiny was meant for greater things.
Luke is still on the island but people know he's there. Gone are all the macguffins and the 'we need this map/device' to get a character from A to B nonsense. Nowhere in the OT did a character need an object to find a planet/location important to the story (Endor, Dagobah etc). The story just got them there (they have nav computers too!) so let's do away with those shall we?
Palpatine still returns in this edit although this has been recontextualised in a much more satisfying way I feel. I was never against Palps returning but I was disappointed with how this was executed. In my edit, I've been able to tie his return back more neatly to the PT and in a clever way. He's no longer the grandfather of Rey though - that was for me, the most ridiculous part of the Rise of Skywalker (in fact, Rey's parentage was always a boring subplot). And with some clever editing, the destroyed Death Star now plays a much more pivotal role in the story. Rey is drawn there by the Force/fate (or as Ren believes, the lure of the dark side as part of their bond).
We don't meet Po and Finn until later chapters as the story isn't about them. Its clear by the end they're friends with Rey and that future adventures await.
Rather than focus on cuts and additions, let me explain my approach instead:
One focus with this edit has been a conscious decision to actually pull the story down to a smaller scale. I've always struggled with what feels like a need to go 'bigger and bigger' as each episode rolls on. Originally, we go from a new planet killing ummmmm.....planet, to 'the biggest fleet the galaxy's ever seen' where each vessel also has a ummmm....planet killing weapon. Hmmmmm. Gone also is the convenience of the First Order being able to wipe out the Republic from so far away (to me the Republic is a system of principles not a specific planet anyway).
With all this comes a redrafting of what The First Order is. They are now implied to be an 'underground', far-right movement of sorts. They don't believe in the New Republic. They want to see the status quo upended and an 'empire' restored.
Gone is this sense that they are a massive, unstoppable force that the Resistance is losing to. To me, the First Order are more dangerous if they are a smaller but still aggressive threat to the ideals of the New Republic. They are dangerous because of their ideas, not their weapons. With this reduction in 'scale', we can then focus on the story between characters and family members much more. We also have a nice call-back to the original trilogy (OT) where the Rebels were a small rag-tag group. Now, it's the First Order who while small, are a real threat to the peace that has been established at the end of ROTJ.
Gone also is any reference to the Resistance being 'rebels'. How are they rebelling? They never are/were, even in the original cuts of these movies. That just makes no sense. If anything, the First Order are the Rebels (I think Redletter media may have said as much once). The Resistance's motivations are now much clearer. They must stop this uprising of dissidents that threatens peace.
Another focus of mine has been, what is the ST really about? What's our through line? For me, it should have been about saying goodbye to our childhood heroes. To Luke, Leia and Han.
ATDT does just that, particularly in the final chapters. Rey's new journey, allows us to do that properly as she tries to find her place in the galaxy, to reconcile the loneliness of being force sensitive and the responsibility of being the next generation of Jedi, of losing her mentors and teachers (our Luke, Leia and Han), of bringing Ren back from the dark side, defeating Snoke etc.
We begin chapter 1 focussing on what is now a simple tale of Han attempting to bring Ren back from the dark. It's a much smaller, personal mission, not one of destroying Starkiller Base (what Starkiller Base?) Ren is still conflicted, Leia thinks Han can bring him back. Simples.
From chapter 2 onwards, we're then off with Rey on her Jedi journey. Her connection (dyad) with Ren is still there which I quite like as an idea as it's one we hadn't seen before. But she is a nobody, an orphan of a war-torn galaxy, a much more interesting idea that is closer to the both the prequel trilogy (PT) and OT in that the fate of the galaxy hinges on an unsuspecting hero whose destiny was meant for greater things.
Luke is still on the island but people know he's there. Gone are all the macguffins and the 'we need this map/device' to get a character from A to B nonsense. Nowhere in the OT did a character need an object to find a planet/location important to the story (Endor, Dagobah etc). The story just got them there (they have nav computers too!) so let's do away with those shall we?
Palpatine still returns in this edit although this has been recontextualised in a much more satisfying way I feel. I was never against Palps returning but I was disappointed with how this was executed. In my edit, I've been able to tie his return back more neatly to the PT and in a clever way. He's no longer the grandfather of Rey though - that was for me, the most ridiculous part of the Rise of Skywalker (in fact, Rey's parentage was always a boring subplot). And with some clever editing, the destroyed Death Star now plays a much more pivotal role in the story. Rey is drawn there by the Force/fate (or as Ren believes, the lure of the dark side as part of their bond).
We don't meet Po and Finn until later chapters as the story isn't about them. Its clear by the end they're friends with Rey and that future adventures await.
Trailer
User reviews
5 reviews
Overall rating
8.4
Audio/Video Quality
9.0(5)
Audio Editing
8.2(5)
Visual Editing
8.0(5)
Narrative
8.2(5)
Enjoyment
8.6(5)
Overall rating
7.8
Audio/Video Quality
8.0
Audio Editing
7.0
Visual Editing
8.0
Narrative
8.0
Enjoyment
8.0
Once more we have a fresh new take from the editor that brough us BEFORE THE DARK TIMES.
Tis does not have the impact nor the immediacy of that previous edit, but it does nevertheless achive a skilful condensing of the material into a fresh new approach.
Audio/Video Quality: 8/10
The image appears a touch soft...I'm not certain if it is a source or rendering issue...maybe even stylistic, but I di feel it could be cleaner.
Audio Editing: 7/10
I did find the A.I V.O to not sound much like old luke at all...in fact, for most of the time I thought it was Stellan Skarsgård telling the tale... I think more effort could have been put into generating these vital pieces of exposition. Having used the tools myself I know it is difficult to get the results one wants...but perserverance is required if one is to get the desired results. There were also too many detectable fades that were at the end of dialogue that either cut in too early or do not permit a natural gap for the organic flow to not be distracting. It is not a ubiquitous issue, but it occurs too often and a forensic pass and revision would elevate this to a 10 without question. This also would benefit from some polish on quite a few musical clashes, but again...there is some great work here too.
Visual Editing: 8/10
Once again, this edit progresses at a pace...it is however much looser than its predesessor...which I personally think is a shame.
Its still a great ride and very well constructed but it could benefit from some tightening up while also adrressing some of the abrupt cuts that permiate.
Narrative: 8/10
I found that I could not really extract a narrative thread with the clarity that the previious edit had....maybe I was too familiar with the sources or maybe the VO was not as cohesive as it could have been, but I found that this played more like a "greatest hits" than the montage style of Before The Dark Times...and I found myself missing that extreme compression so skillfully displayed in the previous. There are many great creative slants to this for sure, and I would not suggest to anyone that they should avoid this...far from it... I just wanted more of what was...
Enjoyment: 8/10
If this were the unaltered sequel trilogy, enjoyment would be a 7....so 8 IS AN ELEVATION.
Unusually, my increased enjoyment came from NOT being annoyed at many things that are now gone....PHEW! Once more, with some further trimming I think this could rise to a 9...even 10. There is no question that the editor has revealed a path that can be taken through the sequel car crash....and i did enjoy many aspect hugely. I just can't help but feel that there is an even greater version to be enearthed...and I hope that these constructive comments might help.
I look forward to the trilogy being closed of with the presumed THE DARK TIMES.
OVERALL: Defo Recommended
Tis does not have the impact nor the immediacy of that previous edit, but it does nevertheless achive a skilful condensing of the material into a fresh new approach.
Audio/Video Quality: 8/10
The image appears a touch soft...I'm not certain if it is a source or rendering issue...maybe even stylistic, but I di feel it could be cleaner.
Audio Editing: 7/10
I did find the A.I V.O to not sound much like old luke at all...in fact, for most of the time I thought it was Stellan Skarsgård telling the tale... I think more effort could have been put into generating these vital pieces of exposition. Having used the tools myself I know it is difficult to get the results one wants...but perserverance is required if one is to get the desired results. There were also too many detectable fades that were at the end of dialogue that either cut in too early or do not permit a natural gap for the organic flow to not be distracting. It is not a ubiquitous issue, but it occurs too often and a forensic pass and revision would elevate this to a 10 without question. This also would benefit from some polish on quite a few musical clashes, but again...there is some great work here too.
Visual Editing: 8/10
Once again, this edit progresses at a pace...it is however much looser than its predesessor...which I personally think is a shame.
Its still a great ride and very well constructed but it could benefit from some tightening up while also adrressing some of the abrupt cuts that permiate.
Narrative: 8/10
I found that I could not really extract a narrative thread with the clarity that the previious edit had....maybe I was too familiar with the sources or maybe the VO was not as cohesive as it could have been, but I found that this played more like a "greatest hits" than the montage style of Before The Dark Times...and I found myself missing that extreme compression so skillfully displayed in the previous. There are many great creative slants to this for sure, and I would not suggest to anyone that they should avoid this...far from it... I just wanted more of what was...
Enjoyment: 8/10
If this were the unaltered sequel trilogy, enjoyment would be a 7....so 8 IS AN ELEVATION.
Unusually, my increased enjoyment came from NOT being annoyed at many things that are now gone....PHEW! Once more, with some further trimming I think this could rise to a 9...even 10. There is no question that the editor has revealed a path that can be taken through the sequel car crash....and i did enjoy many aspect hugely. I just can't help but feel that there is an even greater version to be enearthed...and I hope that these constructive comments might help.
I look forward to the trilogy being closed of with the presumed THE DARK TIMES.
OVERALL: Defo Recommended
W
(Updated: December 10, 2023)
Overall rating
5.4
Audio/Video Quality
7.0
Audio Editing
5.0
Visual Editing
5.0
Narrative
5.0
Enjoyment
5.0
Audio/Video Quality: 7/10
The image looks similar to some HD streaming services albeit a bit softer when it comes to fine details such as edges.
Audio Editing: 5/10
There are a lot of abrupt cuts throughout this edit. Voice overs also become a distraction as the tone of the voices are inconsistent. I think this is possibly due to some AI dialogue replacement as well as movie sourced audio that has a different tone and energy being combined. Additions to some scenes such as Leia abruptly calling Han a flyboy as she walks away from him just feel a bit forced. One of the most concerning moments is when Rey sees Luke for the first time. The music cuts here are very abrupt and clash.
Visual Editing: 5/10
This edit departs from the neck break speed visual editing and as a result I'm not really sure if this is a long form Musical Journey style edit like Before the Dark Times or if this is more of a reader's digest version of the films. Continuity of character movement within scenes is often overlooked in order to force the new visual structure and narrative. As a result, the visual editing often feels jumpy and disjointed. Some scenes are allowed to breathe, others are not. It becomes confusing visually.
Narrative: 5/10
I'm not really sure that I'm understanding the main goal of the edit for this one as I felt confused watching it. Characters aren't really introduced as much as we are dropped in on them and we are expected to know some quality of their story already. The rearranged scenes also don't feel like they have a continuity to them. In the previous Before the Dark Times edit it appeared that this was purposeful as the edit was more of a special project long form montage, this doesn't have that feeling though. I do like some of the ideas of the narrative, but unfortunately I don't feel they were able to be sold as they relied primarily on voice over dialogue which felt inconsistent with the scenes that were left untouched.
Enjoyment: 5/10
While I wasn't the biggest fan of Before the Dark Times, this one just felt off and more of a proof of concept to me. I wouldn't mind revisiting it again in the future if the audio and visual editing were able to smoothly support the narrative goals of the edit. I did enjoy what I believe was AI voice cloning of new dialogue. While it didn't match some of the actor sourced dialogue, it is exciting to hear the new possibilities available to the community.
The image looks similar to some HD streaming services albeit a bit softer when it comes to fine details such as edges.
Audio Editing: 5/10
There are a lot of abrupt cuts throughout this edit. Voice overs also become a distraction as the tone of the voices are inconsistent. I think this is possibly due to some AI dialogue replacement as well as movie sourced audio that has a different tone and energy being combined. Additions to some scenes such as Leia abruptly calling Han a flyboy as she walks away from him just feel a bit forced. One of the most concerning moments is when Rey sees Luke for the first time. The music cuts here are very abrupt and clash.
Visual Editing: 5/10
This edit departs from the neck break speed visual editing and as a result I'm not really sure if this is a long form Musical Journey style edit like Before the Dark Times or if this is more of a reader's digest version of the films. Continuity of character movement within scenes is often overlooked in order to force the new visual structure and narrative. As a result, the visual editing often feels jumpy and disjointed. Some scenes are allowed to breathe, others are not. It becomes confusing visually.
Narrative: 5/10
I'm not really sure that I'm understanding the main goal of the edit for this one as I felt confused watching it. Characters aren't really introduced as much as we are dropped in on them and we are expected to know some quality of their story already. The rearranged scenes also don't feel like they have a continuity to them. In the previous Before the Dark Times edit it appeared that this was purposeful as the edit was more of a special project long form montage, this doesn't have that feeling though. I do like some of the ideas of the narrative, but unfortunately I don't feel they were able to be sold as they relied primarily on voice over dialogue which felt inconsistent with the scenes that were left untouched.
Enjoyment: 5/10
While I wasn't the biggest fan of Before the Dark Times, this one just felt off and more of a proof of concept to me. I wouldn't mind revisiting it again in the future if the audio and visual editing were able to smoothly support the narrative goals of the edit. I did enjoy what I believe was AI voice cloning of new dialogue. While it didn't match some of the actor sourced dialogue, it is exciting to hear the new possibilities available to the community.
User Review
Format Watched?
Digital
D
Overall rating
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
8.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Similar to Before the Dark Times, this edit faces some choppy scene editing, but the good news is that it is far less frequent here than there
That said, this is a greater movie than the sequels we got...
And this is coming from someone who considers the sequels we got great movies to begin with :D
That said, this is a greater movie than the sequels we got...
And this is coming from someone who considers the sequels we got great movies to begin with :D
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
A
Overall rating
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Nicely done, i very much enjoyed this edit. Far better than watching those 3 movies again in their entirety. I'll keep this one, i'm certain i'll watch it again.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
D
Overall rating
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Okay... wow. Impressive this edit is.
I have been wracking my brain to try and create a super-cut goodbye to the OT characters using the Sequel films. But... the best I could come up with... is a montage for each character showing them older and what they would visually look like while using text to recap some of their larger accomplishments. Anything more than this becomes very difficult due a lack of necessary pieces. But man... this edit by Lt.Dan has a whole other vision that accomplishes much of what I was hoping to do. The difference is that he wanted to salvage a story OUT of the ST, while I was hoping to ignore it altogether. And much to my disbelief, I think his vision is far more satisfying.
This edit accomplishes three major things that actually make for an enjoyable experience in viewing the story of the sequels.
1. It focuses on our old heroes from the OT. Understand, this is not a changing of the story type of edit. The same major beats play out. If you didn't like the fate of the major characters, not much changes here. But the achievement, is that it doesn't feel like the OT characters are being shuffled off to make room for the inferior new ones. Instead, it feels like, no matter what else happened in the galaxy after ROTJ, no matter what other adventures they went on, this is the final capstone on the lives of Luke, Han, and Leia. As the editor stated (and he succeeds wildly here): this is a film giving us the ability to say goodbye.
2. It simplifies the story and shrinks it to a level that actually ELEVATES the drama and characters being presented on screen. With the Republic being aloof to much of what's going on, Leia becomes a daring "head of the spear" in the fight against a radical terrorist organization looking to overthrow all the efforts of our heroes in the OT. Therefore, this re-emerging of 11th hour villain (Palps) feels like this crazy desperate act... as opposed to bad writing trying to reveal a great big master plan. This also allows (no matter what failings Luke, Han, and Leia have here) our older heroes to not have their legacy and heroics wiped out. They took down the empire and restored the republic. The OT is no longer a meaningless wash as the republic still stands... and the small battles here are about wiping out any threats against it. To this end, Han is the ever loyal and loving man fighting for his family and trying to singlehandedly stop the developing threat before it really gets going. Gone are his days of "loser dead beat dad" smuggler rehash arc. And FINALLY, Luke gets some much-needed attention. His arc is essentially the same... but he feels less like an afterthought. With less attention on everything else, Luke has a ton of screentime. And even better... this movie feels like Luke's story in some sense. He is the narrator of the whole movie (using AI voice). The effect is certainly not perfect... but I don't even care. The results work so well that I can easily forgive the "not quite" Mark Hamill voice lines. By doing this, Luke gains the status of ongoing steward of the Jedi legacy; something like a chronicler or caretaker... guiding Rey, heir of the Jedi order, to her destiny.
3. Rey, Rey, Rey. This is the crowning achievement of the edit. Rey is a likable character. She's not perfect. A little shallow. But that's not the editor's fault at all. By stripping away all of the mystery box crap... all of the "my parents" nonsense, and all of the obnoxious Mary Sue garbage, Lt. Dan has given the character a whole new lease on life. Again, this is a brief epilogue story focusing on our OT heroes. So, it makes sense that Rey is not a super deep and developed character. She is, simply put, "next gen Jedi student" of Luke and Leia. Period, and it works so well.
This is a very enjoyable watch, and probably now my go to way of watching the sequel story. Hats off to Lt.Dan.
I didn't give it a perfect score though. And I do want to address some of my hangups. Maybe Lt.Dan can address why some of the choices were made to help me understand his intention for the story.
1. There are some GREAT things that were accomplished in the ascendant cut of TROS that should almost be mandatory inclusions for any ST edit. The two I cannot help but feel would have added a lot here... is the inclusion of the Jedi ghosts to help REALLY kill Palps. Even if it was just Luke... it would have really added to the story (from my perspective anyways). The second is the touch up of Luke on Ach To. He was clearly wearing a BAD wig in the actual film. But the fixing of his hair in those force ghost scenes allows us to take him seriously as opposed to cringe and laugh. Again, this is a personal thing, so I can't knock the edit too much for it. But still, this could have elevated the edit big time.
2. Fin and Poe feel a little TOO tacked on right at the end. I'm wondering if there is ANY way to just actually introduce them a bit earlier. Give them names, maybe? I dunno. Maybe this is picking too small of a nit. It just feels a hair strange. Maybe if I didn't know them as major characters already, they wouldn't feel undercooked as minor side characters?
3. I think the Palps confrontation and death could have been smoother. The fact that the granddaughter subplot is gone, means there really doesn't have to be too much dialogue here. The "I'm a jedi" just seems a bit out of place. As does Palps talking about her being a scavenger. How does he know? Who cares at this point? To all eyes on the situation, it's just a jedi vs. the Sith Lord. Keep it just that simple and I think the fight would be stronger. Just a thought.
4. The Skywalker saber. How does Rey get it? Does Luke give it to her on Ach-To? Did Leia give it to her before she left to find Luke? Either way, I think there could be a way to convey that to the audience. AI line by Luke that he gave it to her... "I'm passing on my legacy... and my family blade." Something like that. Or... use footage of TROS to show Leia handing her the saber... maybe?
And... how does Ben get the saber from Rey at the Palps fight? I think you could have included the original concept that was in TROS. You already set it up with the water on Kylo's face from Ach-To. I'm just not sure what the intent is here. Am I missing something?
5. This is not so much a criticism of the edit, as it is a desire for something beyond what was presented (kind of unfair, I know lol... but here it is anyway). And I do think this edit sets the stage for something transcendent beyond TROS's ending. I wish, especially since the AI voice effort is on full display here, that we could have found SOMETHING more satisfying than "Rey Skywalker." Again, just a personal take.
All that being said, this edit is fantastic. I only include the quibbles to present the editor with some notes where he may have blind spots (this happens to me all the time while editing) in the hopes that if he ever does a redux... it will be even better than it currently is. And as of right now, I really love it.
Lt.Dan... hats off to you, my friend. Thank you for allowing me to actually enjoy the ST and LIKE the character of Rey. Well done good sir.
I have been wracking my brain to try and create a super-cut goodbye to the OT characters using the Sequel films. But... the best I could come up with... is a montage for each character showing them older and what they would visually look like while using text to recap some of their larger accomplishments. Anything more than this becomes very difficult due a lack of necessary pieces. But man... this edit by Lt.Dan has a whole other vision that accomplishes much of what I was hoping to do. The difference is that he wanted to salvage a story OUT of the ST, while I was hoping to ignore it altogether. And much to my disbelief, I think his vision is far more satisfying.
This edit accomplishes three major things that actually make for an enjoyable experience in viewing the story of the sequels.
1. It focuses on our old heroes from the OT. Understand, this is not a changing of the story type of edit. The same major beats play out. If you didn't like the fate of the major characters, not much changes here. But the achievement, is that it doesn't feel like the OT characters are being shuffled off to make room for the inferior new ones. Instead, it feels like, no matter what else happened in the galaxy after ROTJ, no matter what other adventures they went on, this is the final capstone on the lives of Luke, Han, and Leia. As the editor stated (and he succeeds wildly here): this is a film giving us the ability to say goodbye.
2. It simplifies the story and shrinks it to a level that actually ELEVATES the drama and characters being presented on screen. With the Republic being aloof to much of what's going on, Leia becomes a daring "head of the spear" in the fight against a radical terrorist organization looking to overthrow all the efforts of our heroes in the OT. Therefore, this re-emerging of 11th hour villain (Palps) feels like this crazy desperate act... as opposed to bad writing trying to reveal a great big master plan. This also allows (no matter what failings Luke, Han, and Leia have here) our older heroes to not have their legacy and heroics wiped out. They took down the empire and restored the republic. The OT is no longer a meaningless wash as the republic still stands... and the small battles here are about wiping out any threats against it. To this end, Han is the ever loyal and loving man fighting for his family and trying to singlehandedly stop the developing threat before it really gets going. Gone are his days of "loser dead beat dad" smuggler rehash arc. And FINALLY, Luke gets some much-needed attention. His arc is essentially the same... but he feels less like an afterthought. With less attention on everything else, Luke has a ton of screentime. And even better... this movie feels like Luke's story in some sense. He is the narrator of the whole movie (using AI voice). The effect is certainly not perfect... but I don't even care. The results work so well that I can easily forgive the "not quite" Mark Hamill voice lines. By doing this, Luke gains the status of ongoing steward of the Jedi legacy; something like a chronicler or caretaker... guiding Rey, heir of the Jedi order, to her destiny.
3. Rey, Rey, Rey. This is the crowning achievement of the edit. Rey is a likable character. She's not perfect. A little shallow. But that's not the editor's fault at all. By stripping away all of the mystery box crap... all of the "my parents" nonsense, and all of the obnoxious Mary Sue garbage, Lt. Dan has given the character a whole new lease on life. Again, this is a brief epilogue story focusing on our OT heroes. So, it makes sense that Rey is not a super deep and developed character. She is, simply put, "next gen Jedi student" of Luke and Leia. Period, and it works so well.
This is a very enjoyable watch, and probably now my go to way of watching the sequel story. Hats off to Lt.Dan.
I didn't give it a perfect score though. And I do want to address some of my hangups. Maybe Lt.Dan can address why some of the choices were made to help me understand his intention for the story.
1. There are some GREAT things that were accomplished in the ascendant cut of TROS that should almost be mandatory inclusions for any ST edit. The two I cannot help but feel would have added a lot here... is the inclusion of the Jedi ghosts to help REALLY kill Palps. Even if it was just Luke... it would have really added to the story (from my perspective anyways). The second is the touch up of Luke on Ach To. He was clearly wearing a BAD wig in the actual film. But the fixing of his hair in those force ghost scenes allows us to take him seriously as opposed to cringe and laugh. Again, this is a personal thing, so I can't knock the edit too much for it. But still, this could have elevated the edit big time.
2. Fin and Poe feel a little TOO tacked on right at the end. I'm wondering if there is ANY way to just actually introduce them a bit earlier. Give them names, maybe? I dunno. Maybe this is picking too small of a nit. It just feels a hair strange. Maybe if I didn't know them as major characters already, they wouldn't feel undercooked as minor side characters?
3. I think the Palps confrontation and death could have been smoother. The fact that the granddaughter subplot is gone, means there really doesn't have to be too much dialogue here. The "I'm a jedi" just seems a bit out of place. As does Palps talking about her being a scavenger. How does he know? Who cares at this point? To all eyes on the situation, it's just a jedi vs. the Sith Lord. Keep it just that simple and I think the fight would be stronger. Just a thought.
4. The Skywalker saber. How does Rey get it? Does Luke give it to her on Ach-To? Did Leia give it to her before she left to find Luke? Either way, I think there could be a way to convey that to the audience. AI line by Luke that he gave it to her... "I'm passing on my legacy... and my family blade." Something like that. Or... use footage of TROS to show Leia handing her the saber... maybe?
And... how does Ben get the saber from Rey at the Palps fight? I think you could have included the original concept that was in TROS. You already set it up with the water on Kylo's face from Ach-To. I'm just not sure what the intent is here. Am I missing something?
5. This is not so much a criticism of the edit, as it is a desire for something beyond what was presented (kind of unfair, I know lol... but here it is anyway). And I do think this edit sets the stage for something transcendent beyond TROS's ending. I wish, especially since the AI voice effort is on full display here, that we could have found SOMETHING more satisfying than "Rey Skywalker." Again, just a personal take.
All that being said, this edit is fantastic. I only include the quibbles to present the editor with some notes where he may have blind spots (this happens to me all the time while editing) in the hopes that if he ever does a redux... it will be even better than it currently is. And as of right now, I really love it.
Lt.Dan... hats off to you, my friend. Thank you for allowing me to actually enjoy the ST and LIKE the character of Rey. Well done good sir.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
T