Star Wars: Episode III - Labyrinth Of Evil

I'd first like to preface this review by saying that I am a fan of Hal 9000, particularly his Purist LOTR edits and his excellent Star Wars TROS Ascendant edit. I don't like leaving negative reviews, as I am appreciative of the efforts that a faneditor does for free for the enjoyment of others.

With that in mind, I'll try to keep my review as complimentary as possible while expressing my opinion on the narrative choices of the edit.

On the technical side, this edit was really well done and seamless, but on the narrative side it reeks of a fanboy who thinks he knows more about Star Wars than the actual creator of Star Wars itself. A good effort, but I'll definitely be sticking to George Lucas's vision of "Revenge of the Sith."

All right. This is very different from Hal's TPM and AotC edits, because instead of just trimming the fat, he also changes the plot quite heavily. And that's why I'm not much of a fan of this one.

The fundamental change to the plot is that in Hal's version, Anakin's main motivation to turn to the dark side is political, while love for his wife is secondary. If you think this would improve the movie, then you'll love this version, as V5 is an impressive technical accomplishment in fanediting. If you're like me, however, and think that this fundamental change weakens the plot, then this is probably not the version you're looking for.

Interesting to notice that the way this edit's structured is how Lucas first structured the movie, but feedback from people he previewed the picture to made him change his mind and make Anakin's love for Padmé the primary thing to turn him to the dark side.

Regarding the new ending: it fixes a gigantic plot hole - that Leia remembers her mother - by having Padmé survive! Technically seamless, it strengthens the six movie saga, but weakens the prequel trilogy as a trilogy in a way: it takes away the tragic irony of Vader doing everything he can to save his wife only for him to be the one to kill her, in the awesomely edited ending of the original film.

Besides the fundamental creative difference I have with the editor in regards to the plot, this is another very good edit by Hal taking away most of the stupidity and cheesiness and crafting a much more enjoyable experience in that regard from the original film. Palpatine's incredibly cheesy moments during his fight with Windu/when Anakin turns are highlights. Still, I think he takes away a tad too much from this one.