Star Wars - Episode I: Return of the Sith: Revisited Edition

When I saw this edit the first thing that struck me was the quality. Let me put this straight, It was superb. I saw no flash frames, It was in chapters (Not sure how you did that but it made it look proffesional which I liked), and It was clean and in 1080p. I'm not sure about the audio editing but it seemed great to me.

But the actual edit is a slightly different story, I know you have tried to make this a better movie, and you have succeeded. The problem is is that it still is a bad movie. One thing you did well was giving it the same overall the same tone as the original 2 films, thats great the problem is that there is still bad dialouge, monotone main characters, and a lack of tension. I know you wanted to keep this a you know a normal movie length, but you could of added some deleted scenes to make up for the short length. The dialouge between Anakin and Padme is still awful, and you didn't think to change the Neimodians voices, or change Jar Jars voice to make him not racist and actually funny. The change of opening crawl is a solid thumbs up for me though, and the start of the movie did feel exiting to a degree and the Neimodians are kinda strategically clever this time round. So I thought it was Ok and an improvement from the original, but still not very good.

There is a lot to love about this edit. As you can see from the runtime, the cuts are deep. This changes the pacing from the dull slog of the theatrical release to a real roller coaster ride. It moved a little fast for my taste, but then again, that was probably necessary to successfully remove so much of what I hated about Ep I: midichlorians, virgin birth, the chosen one, Captain Obvious (Ric Olie), bantha poodoo, Boss 'Bbbbbbbbbbbbb' Nass and Jar Jar's stupidity.

Removing Darth Sidious was a good move. It largely worked but unfortunately left Darth Maul without motivation. Keeping at least part of Sidious and Maul's 'At last we will have our revenge' scene would have established a nemesis for Qui Gon and a Sith counterpoint to the Jedi's mission, while adding a lingering dread to the story. It would also have balanced Maul's later appearances in the film and provided a coda to Yoda's final scene where he notes 'Always two there are'. But I liked how you kept (and added) scenes with the probe droid searching Mos Espa for the queen. Its menacing black shape floating through the streets helped restore the tension lost by removing Sidious and foreshadowed Qui Gon's later encounters with the Sith.

The pod race edits were miraculous. Thanks for excising the two-headed announcer, but leaving the Tusken Raiders and Aurra Sing cameos. I would have preferred limiting Jabba to his introduction and race announcement. Spitting at the gong and sleeping at the end of the race were useless comic relief. It makes him look like a loser instead of a ruthless, tyrannical gangster.

The final battle between Sith and Jedi also worked really well. The pacing was smooth and consistent. Leaving Qui Gon's meditation with Maul pacing outside the shield broke up the action enough to build tension without destroying its flow.

I wish the space battle at the Droid Control ship lasted a little longer (but with less of Captain Obvious - 'It's one of ours!', 'That's the enemy!', 'I'm breathing air!') However, you did a great job transforming Anakin from a stowaway pushing random buttons into a pilot in command of his ship. Most of his cockpit scenes and dialog from the Theatrical release were useless, but a lot of them would have been fine without his dialog. For example, 'Spinning's a good trick' is ridiculous, but watching him fly the starfighter (without talking) and execute barrel rolls to avoid laser fire only confirms his flying skills and force instincts.

A few of the visual cuts in the edit were jarring, but for the most part, they contributed to the roller coaster pacing. However, the audio was seamless. Seciors did a fantastic job syncing his new edits with the score.

Overall, this is one of the more enjoyable Episode I fanedits I've seen, and I enjoyed this version of Episode I as much as any fan of the OT can. Nice job!

Thanks Seciors for this unbelievable edit. I know its hard to save these prequels but you did an excellent job. I know have a new Episode 1 for my collection and the old one deleted. Keep up the good work. A++++

This is my favorite Episode I edit by far. Seciors has managed to achieve that delicate balance of improving the pacing greatly without making the movie feel rushed. Also, technically the editing is superb. Everything fits together seamlessly and it really does seem like an original movie, not an edit!

Plot points that were improved: Hiding Palpatine's identity which helps put more of the focus on Darth Maul which is never a bad thing, also no midichlorians and no virgin birth.

In the end this movie achieves what the original missed, a fun fast paced adventure that hints at plot twists and dark turns up ahead without actually giving it away.

Wow. Just wow. Episode 1 is still ridiculously over-complicated with no clear baddies and goodies (my kids kept asking me) and the Padme/Queen thing (my kids kept asking me) - BUT, it was an enjoyable story with enough flash-bangs and pace to ensure we weren't bored.
The film rollicks along at a great pace without feeling rushed, and never gets too bogged down in the frankly boring story.
Taking out Darth Sidious was a stroke of genius - he is completely unnecessary. Knowing that the Sith have arrived is enough.
And I LOVED the edit of the pod race. Not too long, not too short, and just enough of the announcers and stadium reactions to keep you up to date with what's going on.
The edit was seamless, the quality was excellent, audio without a hitch. Seriously impressive.
Flawless.