Star Wars - Episode I: Shadow of the Sith

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

*This rating was given before reviews were given*

L8wrtr's Episode 1 is my preferred version of the movie. The editing is flawless, story beats/choices expertly mapped out, and the pacing feels natural. L8wrtr takes great care to make his presence invisible, while at the same time being ruthless with as many poor aspects of this terribly flawed movie as possible.

This is the version of Episode 1 I hope to show my future kids.

*8/10 for enjoyment, as compared to 3/10 for the original.

ok, heres my review of mr L8wrtr’s Shadow of the Sith v3. note that I mean no disrespect to the editor and offer my views as constructive criticism as an objective audience only.

!!!SPOILERS ABOUND!!!

The film:
very nice. I am not a huge PT fan and havent watched very many Ep1 edits but this is my favorite of the lot. The pace is brisk and well thought out. everything that could be cut has been in my opinion and the result is a decent version of a film we all hate. Jara Jar has been minimized to a great extent, anakin is tolerable and most of the characters no longer fill you with hate from their silly dialog or questionable actions. This is IMO, the best TPM edit I have seen.

a few really cool areas I’d like to comment on:
-The 20th century fox logo has been replaced w/ a custom L8wrtr graphic as has the Lucasfilm Ltd, both look very slick and are a nice addition.
-The custom crawl was very cool as well, with a new title and new text setting up the film. well done.
-Almost complete battle droid voice removal is a great touch. those guys annoyed me to no end.
-The removal of clumsy jar jar in watto’s shop and at shmi skywalker’s dinner table was exceptional.
-additional scenes such as greedo fights anakin and quigon smashes probe droid were very nice and allowed the editor to remove more garbage scenes in favor of these additions.
-anakin is now a hero during the 3rd act which makes the movie actually make sense.
-removal of the ascension guns, thanks. why were they included originally?
-custom credits very nice.
-bonus commentary is greatly done and is very interesting, explaining many subtle choices that I hadnt even picked up on.

However there were a few minor issues that I noticed, thankfully none really disrupt the enjoyment of the edit:
-slight image stutter on a few wide pans, nothing terrible, hardly worth mentioning
-deleted scene #2 (probe droid) has a slightly different aspect ratio than the film for an 8 second segment.

A few personal opinions where I was not in agreement w/ the editor (not a problem and doesnt effect my rating)
-droid says one roger roger still around 1:14:00. why?
-the dramatic ending of the films tone is completely shattered by the abrupt crash into the typical star wars theme. I understand that this is “the proper way” to end a star wars film traditionally but IMO it just deflates the ending in every way. I think Duel of the fates would be much more appropriate here since we are coming out of a variation of that theme and it is a somber scene foreshadowing the entire saga to come. BANG! Happy Music. It was the only thing that doesnt work for me in this edit, but I respect the editors decision to “stay true” to the ending of all the other films.

The extras:
Theres a fantastic commentary track that spans the feature, explaining what was cut, why, and gives alot of insight into the editors mind and passion for the material, very well done, clear and interesting. I wish more edits featured commentary as its much cooler than studio released commentary IMO.

Deleted Scenes reel, this is a nice inclusion but only angered me after being reminded what I had managed to forget over the last 10 years. The scens are divided up into characters w/ text explanations setting up each reel. a nice addition even if I hate all of this footage:)

Video: 8/10 this color corrected version from Adywan’s source is very nice, black levels are pristine and overall its nice to look at. The deleted scenes vary in quality from 7/10 (almost unnoticed) to 5/10 (wow, thats different) but are of no fault of the editor. the deleted scenes were not in nice quality to begin with and look fine here despite the obvious drop in fidelity.

Audio: 5.1 surround is here although I cannot rate it as the review copy I watched was 2.0 stereo. The stereo sounded great (albeit a bit low) so I really doubt the 5.1 sounds “worse”

Editing: 9/10 exceptional skill from a first time editor. a new viewer would not notice his presence (even if star wars vets cant miss it since we have all seen this film multiple times). no hard cuts/etc. a fantastic first effort. I cant wait to see ep 1 and 2 by L8wrtr.

Entertainment: 10/10 I have never been so entertained by TPM. I actually liked this movie for the first time.
at 96 minutes, there is nothing more that can be cut. As of now, this is my go-to replacement copy of TPM.

DVD: 7/10 simple but well authored, intro clip into a static menu w/ the options: play film, commentary and deleted scenes.

Final Average: 8.5 rounded up to 9/10. a great effort from a new talent. well worth any jaded star wars fans attention.

If you are new to Star Wars fanedits this is where you need to start. This is the only Ep I edit I have watched all the way through, and I feel no need to continue my search. L8 cuts out the silliness and some bloated scenes but leaves the story intact. From the clips I’ve seen of other edits, it seems the editor’s primary concern was to cut out as much as possible. But, this to me just made the movie feel rushed and not enjoyable to watch. Having watched SotS and seen L8′s work on episodes 2 and 3, I can safely say that his primary concern is story. For example, many are unhappy that he left in the virgin birth and prophecy story line. But, I admire that he left it in, even though it could have easily been cut out, because it was a part of the story that GL gave us. Although it was not really developed, the theme of the virgin birth and prophecy flows through the other two episodes, helping tie the PT together. I say bravo and I am really looking forward to seeing your entire trilogy.

As for video and sound I cannot really comment. I have a laptop and a tiny 10 year old tube TV. All I can say is that SotS sounds and looks as good as any other movie I watch.

I have heard a rumor that L8 may revisit this project after he finishes episode 3 so I’m willing to bet many of the issues people have already brought up will disappear. Here is my primary suggestion. Someone above mentioned that the ending felt strange with the main theme cutting in on such an ominous scene. But, I also feel it is strange to have a Star Wars movie end with anything other than the main theme. First, I have to say I really like the movie ending at the funeral. It sets the tone for the next 2 movies. But, I think what would be best is to have a musical climax as the camera is panning over to Palpatine. Every SW movie has the music ending on a high note before it goes to the main theme. What makes the SotS ending awkward is that the final scene is basically silent so the main theme sounds abrupt. If you find a climactic portion of Duel of the Fates to play while the camera is panning over to Palpatine, I believe this will solve the issue. I hope I described that clearly enough :)

I give this edit 9/10. I only knock a point off for some of the minor issues that I’m sure will be corrected when L8 revisits SotS. But, I feel certain that when L8 finishes his trilogy, once more there will be peace in my Star Wars galaxy. In my mind no other edits will be necessary. Thanks for all your hard work.