Star Wars - Episode III: Dark Force Rising
Updated
User reviews
16 reviews with 9-10 stars
20 reviews
Overall rating
9.3
Audio/Video Quality
9.0(4)
Audio Editing
9.0(2)
Visual Editing
9.7(3)
Narrative
9.7(3)
Enjoyment
9.2(20)
16 results - showing 6 - 10
Ordering
(Updated: September 11, 2012)
Enjoyment
10.0
Review by DarthRazorback — August 15, 2011 @ 11:02 pm
I am giving this one higher marks than other ROTS edits because it is almost all seamless. I don’t agree with all the choices but at least the movie doesn’t look like it was beaten up with the cutting stick like another edit (I won’t name names).
I am giving this one higher marks than other ROTS edits because it is almost all seamless. I don’t agree with all the choices but at least the movie doesn’t look like it was beaten up with the cutting stick like another edit (I won’t name names).
D
(Updated: September 11, 2012)
Enjoyment
10.0
Review by InfoDroid — April 9, 2011 @ 1:30 am
Dear Kerr,
Just got done watching this on YouTube. It’s not an easy film to edit, but you made what I thought were some very innovative choices during a few key moments that I haven’t seen tried before. Your solution to the Palpatine transformation problem, the fast-paced, uncut Mustafar duel and pretty much the entire third act of the film were all examples of how we can turn garbage into greatness just by snipping a few shots.
For example, look how much more effective the Vader transformation is without the “Frankenstein” scene. And you don’t even miss it! Padme’s death also felt so much more poignant.
One thing I was hoping for was a change in the voice of the “surfer dude” Neimoidian on Grevious’ ship. Just a pet peeve of mine. And I thought there was a slight misstep in the order of the birth of the Rebellion scene and Padme and Anakin’s talk at her apartment. I think if you flip the order of those two scenes, it would be much more effective because it provides the causation for Padme to start doubting the Republic’s stance on the war.
But those two tiny quibbles aside, it’s still a ten-star review for me. I think it’s the best edit of ROTS to date. I only wish there was a DVD version available. It would be my preferred version of Episode III.
Very, very good work!
–InfoDroid
Dear Kerr,
Just got done watching this on YouTube. It’s not an easy film to edit, but you made what I thought were some very innovative choices during a few key moments that I haven’t seen tried before. Your solution to the Palpatine transformation problem, the fast-paced, uncut Mustafar duel and pretty much the entire third act of the film were all examples of how we can turn garbage into greatness just by snipping a few shots.
For example, look how much more effective the Vader transformation is without the “Frankenstein” scene. And you don’t even miss it! Padme’s death also felt so much more poignant.
One thing I was hoping for was a change in the voice of the “surfer dude” Neimoidian on Grevious’ ship. Just a pet peeve of mine. And I thought there was a slight misstep in the order of the birth of the Rebellion scene and Padme and Anakin’s talk at her apartment. I think if you flip the order of those two scenes, it would be much more effective because it provides the causation for Padme to start doubting the Republic’s stance on the war.
But those two tiny quibbles aside, it’s still a ten-star review for me. I think it’s the best edit of ROTS to date. I only wish there was a DVD version available. It would be my preferred version of Episode III.
Very, very good work!
–InfoDroid
I
(Updated: September 11, 2012)
Enjoyment
9.0
Review by Diamond Wan — March 6, 2011 @ 10:24 am
Hats off to Kerr- this is an amazing Episode 3 fanedit. Amazing that at 88 minutes in length, it did not feel like a chop-up hack of the original! I have been planning an Episode 3 edit in my head for some time, and Kerr’s edit has a very close feel to what I am planning, and I have to admit, he added several concepts that I may “borrow”.
Quick list of things I loved: Along with all of the usuals that accompany any Episode 3 fanedit (balcony scene removal, less Anakin whining, etc), the opening battle sequence moves at a strong pace and gets to the point, Grievious has been retooled to be far more sinister (and his hacking cough is almost all gone!), the deleted scenes add extra texture as to how Palpitine works Anakin against the senate/Jedi, Anakin’s fall is far more believable, the Obi/Aniakin fight is nicely condensed, (but I still can’t stand those damn floating discs), Padme’s death and the ending works far better.
Wish list: Wish the audio was Dolby Digital 5.1 as opposed to Dolby Surround. Also, the video quality was passable, but barely. Was very obvious that this is at least two generations away from the original DVD quality (The original Ep 3 DVD has the sharpest and best picture of the Prequel Trilogy).
Conclusion: There were a few moments I would remove from this edit, and a few moments I would add back in, but for now, this stands as my “best of” Episode 3 edits, and sits alongside L8wtrs Episode One, and my edit of Episode 2 – It is nice to actually enjoy the Prequel trilogy again – thank you.
Review by Diamond Wan — March 7, 2011 @ 1:19 am
I forgot to mention perhaps my favorite part of Kerrs edit in my previous review – How he handled Palpitine becoming “Prune Face” is a standout – although I eagerly await Bob Garcia’s digital handywork on this scene which looks to top Kerrs excellent editing and digital lighting work.
Overall 9/10
Hats off to Kerr- this is an amazing Episode 3 fanedit. Amazing that at 88 minutes in length, it did not feel like a chop-up hack of the original! I have been planning an Episode 3 edit in my head for some time, and Kerr’s edit has a very close feel to what I am planning, and I have to admit, he added several concepts that I may “borrow”.
Quick list of things I loved: Along with all of the usuals that accompany any Episode 3 fanedit (balcony scene removal, less Anakin whining, etc), the opening battle sequence moves at a strong pace and gets to the point, Grievious has been retooled to be far more sinister (and his hacking cough is almost all gone!), the deleted scenes add extra texture as to how Palpitine works Anakin against the senate/Jedi, Anakin’s fall is far more believable, the Obi/Aniakin fight is nicely condensed, (but I still can’t stand those damn floating discs), Padme’s death and the ending works far better.
Wish list: Wish the audio was Dolby Digital 5.1 as opposed to Dolby Surround. Also, the video quality was passable, but barely. Was very obvious that this is at least two generations away from the original DVD quality (The original Ep 3 DVD has the sharpest and best picture of the Prequel Trilogy).
Conclusion: There were a few moments I would remove from this edit, and a few moments I would add back in, but for now, this stands as my “best of” Episode 3 edits, and sits alongside L8wtrs Episode One, and my edit of Episode 2 – It is nice to actually enjoy the Prequel trilogy again – thank you.
Review by Diamond Wan — March 7, 2011 @ 1:19 am
I forgot to mention perhaps my favorite part of Kerrs edit in my previous review – How he handled Palpitine becoming “Prune Face” is a standout – although I eagerly await Bob Garcia’s digital handywork on this scene which looks to top Kerrs excellent editing and digital lighting work.
Overall 9/10
D
(Updated: September 11, 2012)
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Review by L8wrtr — January 28, 2011 @ 9:07 am
Because I have a workprint of my own for Episode III, I have shied away from watching other editors takes on it. I actually enjoyed Episode III in the theaters, at least when compared to Episode I & II. By its very nature, because of where it must point to (episodes 4, 5 & 6) and because Lucas wasted a lot of time in Episodes I & II, content alone made III the best of the Prequel. But while it was great in the theater, it didn’t hold up well under repeated viewing. The beginning, while closer in feeling to Star Wars action was a bloated mess, Anakin was still a whiner, Padme was weak and uninteresting, and worst of all, Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side felt uneven, there was something there at the base, but it has always just felt off.
As with all of my reviews, they are intended as constructive evaluations of the edit and no offense is intended to the editor.
AUDIO
Audio quality was spectacular. Kerr’s touch was amazing. He added music in the perfect places, never overpowering, but perfect for the scene. Many times his additions were so subtle that I think only people who know the movie with the intimacy of having edited it would notice them. His blending of scenes was fantastic, and his very subtle additions were perfect. 10/10
VIDEO
Overall quality was very good. The new crawl seemed to stutter and surge and at times the quality seemed not quite as good as the original, but overall held up well on my 52″ Plasma. The editing itself was seamless. The transitions, wipes, minor tweaks (and this edit is FULL of tweaks) were transparent and again, really only someone who knows this thing back and forth will notice where he has done his work. 9/10
STORY
How does this compare to the original? AMAZING. BRILLIANT. This is for the time being, my absolute go-to version of E3. It doesn’t hurt that I would guestimate that my work print shares numerous concepts and even identical edits as Kerr’s, but his editor’s knife was absolutely brilliant. Anakin is no longer whining. No longer brooding (in the wrong way) but definitely alone, increasingly isolated and trapped. To some degree his character felt a little hallow, I wanted more depth, but that is not the fault of Kerr, he pulled the most out of what was available, and I’ll take an Anakin that is a little flat, over one that is whining, brooding and intolerably annoying. Padme’s character is slightly improved and benefits from the use of deleted scenes. A particularly impressive improvement is the turning point of Anakin’s life in Palpatine’s office; this was simply JAW DROPPING. When I caught on to how Kerr was handling this I literally applauded from my sofa. Every clip, nip and tuck that Kerr made up to this point had narrowed Anakin’s choices, boxed him into a corner, and made him *gasp*… sympathetic, and so when the moment finally came, it was in fact believable. This achievement alone makes this edit worth it. It is the entire point of the movie, and Kerr’s approach succeeds wonderfully.
*spoiler*
There were only a few choices that I didn’t care for. The jump from Padme’s balcony to her arriving on Mustafar was just too much for me. It was the only time where I actually felt rushed. While this edit moves very briskly, I never felt like things were missing, or that corners were being cut. TMBTM has commented that the length of this edit doesn’t ‘feel’ Star Wars-like, and I have to agree, the pace is very fast, but that is really the only choice to make because the thing that draws this movie out is tons of useless screen time. For most of the edit while the pace is brisk, nothing is ever missing, everything lines-up. Every scene leads logically to the next and no important piece of information, or emotion is left out, until the balcony scene. It was the only point in the movie where as a viewer I felt “oh, we’re missing a piece of the story” Not that it was critical, and it in fact leaves it ambiguous, did Padme bring Obi-Wan with her on purpose, or did he sneak on? I think Kerr’s intention is to have her bring Obi-Wan there, but it just doesn’t feel correct and without the transition scene of her leaving and Obi-Wan sneaking aboard, I just felt like that subconscious beat that a good movie has, was off. But really, that’s about it.
His choice to cut out Yoda vs Palpatine is a struggle for me. While watching the movie, it’s not really missed. The pacing of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s battle benefits from the removal. This is the battle that we’ve waited 20 years for. Now it happens in brilliant, fast-paced, every-man for himself fashion, right up to a brilliant finale. But as the movie begins to wrap, you’re left with questions, where was Yoda? Why was he hanging out an a rock with Bail instead of joining Obi-Wan? Surely if they’re going up against the most powerful Jedi ever, they would want their combined abilities. (this is of course a problem that Kerr inherited from the original, the choice to split up and attach each Sith individually was idiotic and forced) so Kerr isn’t entirely at fault here, but his choice to cut out Yoda/Palpatine highlights this problem.
Story Improvement: 10/10
But overall I can EASILY forgive both of these ‘issues’ because the sum of this edit is so amazing.
OVERALL
This is simply the best Star Wars fanedit that I have seen to date because it makes Revenge of the Sith a truly great movie. Not just acceptable. Not just watchable, but worthy of the title Star Wars. It tells the story that we have been waiting to see, but without whining, without insipid dialogue, over-explained context, brow-beating political diatribes. It’s fast, fun, dark and ultimately, satisfying.
10/10
Thank you Kerr. Now I just need a worth Episode II and the Circle shall be complete.
Because I have a workprint of my own for Episode III, I have shied away from watching other editors takes on it. I actually enjoyed Episode III in the theaters, at least when compared to Episode I & II. By its very nature, because of where it must point to (episodes 4, 5 & 6) and because Lucas wasted a lot of time in Episodes I & II, content alone made III the best of the Prequel. But while it was great in the theater, it didn’t hold up well under repeated viewing. The beginning, while closer in feeling to Star Wars action was a bloated mess, Anakin was still a whiner, Padme was weak and uninteresting, and worst of all, Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side felt uneven, there was something there at the base, but it has always just felt off.
As with all of my reviews, they are intended as constructive evaluations of the edit and no offense is intended to the editor.
AUDIO
Audio quality was spectacular. Kerr’s touch was amazing. He added music in the perfect places, never overpowering, but perfect for the scene. Many times his additions were so subtle that I think only people who know the movie with the intimacy of having edited it would notice them. His blending of scenes was fantastic, and his very subtle additions were perfect. 10/10
VIDEO
Overall quality was very good. The new crawl seemed to stutter and surge and at times the quality seemed not quite as good as the original, but overall held up well on my 52″ Plasma. The editing itself was seamless. The transitions, wipes, minor tweaks (and this edit is FULL of tweaks) were transparent and again, really only someone who knows this thing back and forth will notice where he has done his work. 9/10
STORY
How does this compare to the original? AMAZING. BRILLIANT. This is for the time being, my absolute go-to version of E3. It doesn’t hurt that I would guestimate that my work print shares numerous concepts and even identical edits as Kerr’s, but his editor’s knife was absolutely brilliant. Anakin is no longer whining. No longer brooding (in the wrong way) but definitely alone, increasingly isolated and trapped. To some degree his character felt a little hallow, I wanted more depth, but that is not the fault of Kerr, he pulled the most out of what was available, and I’ll take an Anakin that is a little flat, over one that is whining, brooding and intolerably annoying. Padme’s character is slightly improved and benefits from the use of deleted scenes. A particularly impressive improvement is the turning point of Anakin’s life in Palpatine’s office; this was simply JAW DROPPING. When I caught on to how Kerr was handling this I literally applauded from my sofa. Every clip, nip and tuck that Kerr made up to this point had narrowed Anakin’s choices, boxed him into a corner, and made him *gasp*… sympathetic, and so when the moment finally came, it was in fact believable. This achievement alone makes this edit worth it. It is the entire point of the movie, and Kerr’s approach succeeds wonderfully.
*spoiler*
There were only a few choices that I didn’t care for. The jump from Padme’s balcony to her arriving on Mustafar was just too much for me. It was the only time where I actually felt rushed. While this edit moves very briskly, I never felt like things were missing, or that corners were being cut. TMBTM has commented that the length of this edit doesn’t ‘feel’ Star Wars-like, and I have to agree, the pace is very fast, but that is really the only choice to make because the thing that draws this movie out is tons of useless screen time. For most of the edit while the pace is brisk, nothing is ever missing, everything lines-up. Every scene leads logically to the next and no important piece of information, or emotion is left out, until the balcony scene. It was the only point in the movie where as a viewer I felt “oh, we’re missing a piece of the story” Not that it was critical, and it in fact leaves it ambiguous, did Padme bring Obi-Wan with her on purpose, or did he sneak on? I think Kerr’s intention is to have her bring Obi-Wan there, but it just doesn’t feel correct and without the transition scene of her leaving and Obi-Wan sneaking aboard, I just felt like that subconscious beat that a good movie has, was off. But really, that’s about it.
His choice to cut out Yoda vs Palpatine is a struggle for me. While watching the movie, it’s not really missed. The pacing of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s battle benefits from the removal. This is the battle that we’ve waited 20 years for. Now it happens in brilliant, fast-paced, every-man for himself fashion, right up to a brilliant finale. But as the movie begins to wrap, you’re left with questions, where was Yoda? Why was he hanging out an a rock with Bail instead of joining Obi-Wan? Surely if they’re going up against the most powerful Jedi ever, they would want their combined abilities. (this is of course a problem that Kerr inherited from the original, the choice to split up and attach each Sith individually was idiotic and forced) so Kerr isn’t entirely at fault here, but his choice to cut out Yoda/Palpatine highlights this problem.
Story Improvement: 10/10
But overall I can EASILY forgive both of these ‘issues’ because the sum of this edit is so amazing.
OVERALL
This is simply the best Star Wars fanedit that I have seen to date because it makes Revenge of the Sith a truly great movie. Not just acceptable. Not just watchable, but worthy of the title Star Wars. It tells the story that we have been waiting to see, but without whining, without insipid dialogue, over-explained context, brow-beating political diatribes. It’s fast, fun, dark and ultimately, satisfying.
10/10
Thank you Kerr. Now I just need a worth Episode II and the Circle shall be complete.
L
(Updated: September 11, 2012)
Enjoyment
10.0
Review by buddythegoon — January 27, 2011 @ 7:16 pm
I feel like a moron. I was thinking when I looked this edit up that I’ll just download the compressed version, since it will take so much longer to download the DVD version, plus if I don’t like it, then I’m not saddled with 4 gb of data for it.
Well, that was stupid.
This is freaking awesome. It epitomizes the philosophy that less is indeed more. As many of Anakin’s (and others) horrid lines are removed as possible. Needless exposition and/or restating of plot points by characters are also removed. We see actions and their consequences, consequences, mind you, that seem more logical than they did in the original cut.
No longer is Anakin whining like a baby over everything that happens to him. He is now brooding and confused (for all his lack of acting skill, the one good thing Hayden Christensen can do is look confused). He keeps most of his concerns to himself, letting them simmer in his mind while Palpatine continues to manipulate him. Instead of corny, lovey dovey talk, we see Anakin distancing himself from his wife and she from him as the secrets they keep from one another multiply. All the while, even though it’s a short while, the viewer actually gets to see why Anakin, with all these great things going for him – Jedi hero, loving wife, baby on the way – eventually decides that he can only trust Palpatine. The trust theme becomes so much bigger, even the the time for build-up is smaller. This is truly masterful work.
I also have to put in a special comment about lightsaber battles. Red Letter Media brought up an overarching issue with the Prequels that I agree with wholeheartedly, i.e. the lightsaber battles essentially lack heart. They look and feel over-choreographed, where as Luke’s fights with Vader in the OT look more raw and emotional. I don’t know if Kerr felt the same way, but his edits to the two major lightsaber battles bring back the emotional aspect as best as can be for the prequels. Windu and Palpatine now have a lightsaber battle, not a wire fight/modern dance/gymnastics exhibition. It’s now quicker and more wicked. The other jedi masters, with the exception of smiley braintail guy (there’s naught one can really do about that guy – I’m really OK with just assuming he sucks at lightsaber battling), also appear more surprised by the attack, which has become an essential element in most Episode III edits.
Similarly, Obi Wan’s fight with Anakin is tighter and angrier. These guys are now in a fight, not a video game. They’re not concerned with how good their force push abilities are, just blocking the next strike. There are a few force jumps in there at appropriate points, but now it’s almost as if the first guy who tries to get fancy in the fight gets 3/4 of his limbs cut off. The edit to Obi Wan’s action after attaining the “high ground” (which thankfully he no longer deems it necessary to explain) is also interesting and effective. By removing dialogue, Kerr has still made it look like Obi Wan knows, or as least suspects, Anakin’s next move. The transition between Obi Wan’s (feigned?) move to walk away and his fast move to chop Anakin to pieces is a little rough, but totally forgivable. I also wish that Kerr would have fit Anakin screaming “I hate you!” in there somewhere, but again, that’s totally cool.
As a final nicety, Kerr has said, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” to leaving in any part of James Earl Jones’s “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” We get to see Vader’s birth, and the first trademark breath. That’s it. Simple. Effective. Beautiful. Those three words really sum up the whole of the edit.
I’m giving this a 9.5 out of 10, which rounds up to 10 anyway.
I feel like a moron. I was thinking when I looked this edit up that I’ll just download the compressed version, since it will take so much longer to download the DVD version, plus if I don’t like it, then I’m not saddled with 4 gb of data for it.
Well, that was stupid.
This is freaking awesome. It epitomizes the philosophy that less is indeed more. As many of Anakin’s (and others) horrid lines are removed as possible. Needless exposition and/or restating of plot points by characters are also removed. We see actions and their consequences, consequences, mind you, that seem more logical than they did in the original cut.
No longer is Anakin whining like a baby over everything that happens to him. He is now brooding and confused (for all his lack of acting skill, the one good thing Hayden Christensen can do is look confused). He keeps most of his concerns to himself, letting them simmer in his mind while Palpatine continues to manipulate him. Instead of corny, lovey dovey talk, we see Anakin distancing himself from his wife and she from him as the secrets they keep from one another multiply. All the while, even though it’s a short while, the viewer actually gets to see why Anakin, with all these great things going for him – Jedi hero, loving wife, baby on the way – eventually decides that he can only trust Palpatine. The trust theme becomes so much bigger, even the the time for build-up is smaller. This is truly masterful work.
I also have to put in a special comment about lightsaber battles. Red Letter Media brought up an overarching issue with the Prequels that I agree with wholeheartedly, i.e. the lightsaber battles essentially lack heart. They look and feel over-choreographed, where as Luke’s fights with Vader in the OT look more raw and emotional. I don’t know if Kerr felt the same way, but his edits to the two major lightsaber battles bring back the emotional aspect as best as can be for the prequels. Windu and Palpatine now have a lightsaber battle, not a wire fight/modern dance/gymnastics exhibition. It’s now quicker and more wicked. The other jedi masters, with the exception of smiley braintail guy (there’s naught one can really do about that guy – I’m really OK with just assuming he sucks at lightsaber battling), also appear more surprised by the attack, which has become an essential element in most Episode III edits.
Similarly, Obi Wan’s fight with Anakin is tighter and angrier. These guys are now in a fight, not a video game. They’re not concerned with how good their force push abilities are, just blocking the next strike. There are a few force jumps in there at appropriate points, but now it’s almost as if the first guy who tries to get fancy in the fight gets 3/4 of his limbs cut off. The edit to Obi Wan’s action after attaining the “high ground” (which thankfully he no longer deems it necessary to explain) is also interesting and effective. By removing dialogue, Kerr has still made it look like Obi Wan knows, or as least suspects, Anakin’s next move. The transition between Obi Wan’s (feigned?) move to walk away and his fast move to chop Anakin to pieces is a little rough, but totally forgivable. I also wish that Kerr would have fit Anakin screaming “I hate you!” in there somewhere, but again, that’s totally cool.
As a final nicety, Kerr has said, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” to leaving in any part of James Earl Jones’s “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” We get to see Vader’s birth, and the first trademark breath. That’s it. Simple. Effective. Beautiful. Those three words really sum up the whole of the edit.
I’m giving this a 9.5 out of 10, which rounds up to 10 anyway.
B