Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith: Reborn

Updated
Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith: Reborn
Faneditor Name:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2005
Original Running Time:
140
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
135
Time Cut:
10
Time Added:
5
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
After 10 years it's about time I could watch the Star Wars Prequel trilogy without feeling physical pain! But not just that, they should be out and out pleasures to watch!

...and so the idea for 'Star Wars:Reborn' arrived.
Intention:
My goal with these edits was to create versions of the PT that were to put it simply 'enjoyable to watch'. I wanted to make good versions of these films that still felt like the same films in essence. The watch word is CHARACTER!

Other great edits streamline the films down to 90 mins but for me a true SW film should give you around 2 solid hrs of entertainment (ROTS:Reborn is a tad over). So rather than concentrate on reducing the time you spend in this universe, instead I've made sure you'll actually enjoy the time you spend here!
Additional Notes:
The original 'Revenge Of The Sith' was the only PT film that even vaguely worked for me, however there were still plenty of things that were not right. In this edit, I've added scenes at the beginning that make Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship more friendly and jovial (To throw the dark ending into sharp relief). All Padme's deleted scenes are restored so she is now more akin to the strong Senator character we saw in Episode I & II (With the added bonus that Bail has more screen time). She actually has a purpose in this edit, to plot against Palpatine's rise (Instead of just sitting in her apartment fretting). Her dialogue is also alot better now, more in character as the powerful Senator she is. I've reworked alot of the Palpatine, Padme and Anakin material in the middle act to make Anakin's decent more believable. You can now see Palpatine stoking his paranoia about his abilities and the Jedi council, while also pushing him to distrust Padme (Now with some justification). We can see that Palpatine is slowly isolating Anakin from everyone that cares about him.

I've made the usual trims to remove bad Digi-Doubles and upped the pace of the Duels in places. I've also seperated Yoda and Kenobi's duels with the sith. This gives Yoda's fight more power, as it no longer feels like a distraction from the main Kenobi vs Anakin thow down. Plus the 'landing-platform' scene now forms a natural breathing space for the audience between the Yoda fight and the final epic duel on Mustafar. Most importantly I have gone through and removed all references to Anakin being called Vader and you do not see him being put into the suit. Because I've created these FanEdits to be watched in Episode order by future young fans... who will still get a mighty surprise at the end of ESB, hurray! (Of course, the clever boys and girls might just work it out! ).
Other Sources:
ROTS 2004 DVD
ROTS 2011 Blu-Ray (And bonus disc)
ROTJ GOUT DVD
ROTJ Soundtrack CD
ROTS Soundtrack CD
Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II Soundfiles
Special Thanks:
Thanks to Nerdman3000 for spotting a MAJOR mistake (Now fixed) before I put this on wide release! ;-)
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
- Deleted material re-instated and dialogue trimmed to make Anakin more likebale in the first and second acts.
- Deleted material re-instated and weak dialogue removed to try and restore Padme to the strong character we saw in the Episode I and II.
- All references to Vader removed to save that surprise for ESB.
- All uses of the phrase "Younglings" removed
- Final two Lightsaber duels seperated so the emotional landing-platform scene forms a natural breathing space
- All subtitles partially or completely rewritten (There are only a few in ROTS)

Total - 151 major changes
Cuts and Additions:
- 00.00.00 Old ROTJ Fox fanfare used
- 00.00.10 OT Lucasfilm logo used
- 00.03.19 Chattering Vulture-Droids shot removed
- 00.03.38 More Vulture-Droid chatter removed
- 00.04.44 "Let them pass between us" line pushed back
- 00.04.20 More Vulture-Droid chatter removed
- 00.05.20 Buzz-Droid sniggering removed
- 00.05.35 "Move to the right..." line removed
- 00.06.10 "Move to the right..." line removed
- 00.06.24 Two shots of Buzz-Droid attacking R2 removed
- 00.06.28 Anakin coaching R2 and two R2 dueling with Buzz-Droid shots removed
- 00.07.06 Added OT hero music theme for Hanger battle
- 00.07.27 "R2 locate the Chancellor" line and footage removed
- 00.07.28 Droid groaning removed
- 00.07.31 Locating-the Chacellor-sequence of shots removed
- 00.07.43 Grievous-on-bridge scene pushed back
- 00.07.44 'Grievous Slaughters A Jedi' deleted scene partially re-instated
- 00.08.23 "I look forward to adding..." line removed
- 00.08.45 'Escape From The General' deleted scene partially re-instated and audio remixed
- 00.08.45 "Don't fire..." and Grievous leaving re-cut
- 00.08.53 Water-tunnel-escape sequence removed
- 00.08.54 Re-cut shaft-escape sequence to remove all safety-line and greenscreen shots
- 00.08.56 Rotoscoped out "Episode III" stamp from Anakin shot
- 00.08.59 Rest of water/Droid shots and exploding bulkhead sequence removed
- 00.09.18 Shortened Grievous' walk onto the bridge
- 00.09.19 "What's the situation..." dialogue and almost all the rest of the scene removed
- 00.09.25 'Elevator Antics' deleted scene partially pe-instated
- 00.09.59 Rest of the extra elevator footage ang hanger escape removed
- 00.10.19 All footage of R2 hiding from Droids in the hanger bay removed
- 00.10.31 Recut R2 footage and re-dubbed Obi-Wan's dialogue
- 00.10.32 Shot of R2 approaching terminal brought forward
- 00.10.43 Recut R2 footage and re-dubbed Obi-Wan's dialogue and cut more hanger footage
- 00.11.00 Recut R2 footage and re-dubbed Obi-Wan's dialogue and R2's beeps
- 00.11.07 Droids shouting at R2 removed
- 00.11.12 Droids grabbing R2 removed
- 00.11.24 R2 spraying oil removed
- 00.11.30 R2 flying and exploding Droids removed
- 00.11.31 Added footage of lift stopping and remixed Audio
- 00.11.16 Needless digi-double Dooku acrobatics removed
- 00.12.58 Shortened digi-double Obi-Wan falling back
- 00.13.18 Shortened two shots of digi-double Obi-Wan flying
- 00.13.27 Shortened shot of digi-double Obi-Wan being crushed
- 00.14.26 "I shouldn't" line removed
- 00.15.24 "He seems to be all right" line removed
- 00.17.46 Shortened shot so we don't see R2 flying again
- 00.17.58 "Wait a minute..." and "Apparently not" lines removed
- 00.18.23 Droid kicking R2 over removed
- 00.18.37 "The negotiator..." footage removed or recut and Grievous' vocals remixed
- 00.18.38 Droid saying "Excuse me" removed
- 00.19.38 Shots of decapitated Droid still fighting Kenobi removed
- 00.19.44 Shots of decapitated Droid still fighting Kenobi removed
- 00.24.47 Silenced Jar-Jar "'scuse me" line
- 00.25.57 "Don't say things like that" line removed
- 00.26.20 "Your trembling" line removed
- 00.26.06 "Something wondeful has happened" line removed
- 00.26.47 Grievous arriving on Utapau scene pushed back to after Anakin's scene with Yoda
- 00.27.12 "I want to have our baby..." dailogue and footage removed
- 00.30.05 Sexist line about Padme getting fired from the Senate for being pregnant, removed
- 00.34.28 'Changes To The Constitution' deleted scene partially reintegrated and music added
- 00.35.54 "It's upsetting..." line removed and footage re-dubbed
- 00.36.17 "They see your future..." line removed and footage re-dubbed
- 00.36.19 "They see you as..." and "I've sensed that" lines dubbed over long shot
- 00.37.38 Shot of Kenobi shaking his head at Anakin's empty chair pushed back and replaced with later shot of Mace shaking his head
- 00.37.41 Shot of Anakin sitting split in two and Kenobi shot inserted in the middle so our heros make eye contact
- 00.37.44 Start of briefing dialogue redubbed over shot of Anakin
- 00.38.25 'A Stirring In The Senate' deleted scene fully re-instated
- 00.43.52 "What is it?.." dialogue and rest of scene removed
- 00.44.20 Opera scene re-coloured to reduce artificial pink tinting
- 00.51.29 'Seeds Of Rebellion' deleted scene fully re-instated with establishing shot from AOTC added
- 00.51.30 Anakin's second dream removed
- 00.51.31 Padme arriving home scene brought forward
- 00.55.39 'Confronting The Chancellor' deleted scene fully re-instated
- 00.59.30 Lizard CGI-Showreel 360 removed
- 01.00.51 Two shots of Obi-Wan having a think removed and de-robing shortened
- 01.02.01 Several shots of Grievous twirling his lightsabers removed
- 01.08.48 Long shot of Lizard and Bike racing removed
- 01.08.51 Two more long shots of Lizard and Bike racing removed
- 01.09.44 Several shots of Grievous knocking Obi-Wan around removed
- 01.14.20 Shot of Palpatine pausing before he strikes removed
- 01.15.16 Fake looking digi-double Palpatine acrobatics removed
- 01.19.31 "Henceforth you..." line removed
- 01.20.55 "Do what must..." line removed
- 01.23.22 Side shot of Lizard removed
- 01.26.50 Kid's "Master Skywalker..." dialogue removed
- 01.33.55 "Darth Vader" line removed
- 01.35.48 "Welcome Lord Vader..." line removed
- 01.35.54 Silent reaction shot of Guneray inserted and subtle zoom applied
- 01.36.19 Senate sequence recoloured to be much darker, less saturated and more sombre (Less pink)
- 01.36.46 "Not even the Younglings survived" line removed
- 01.37.21 Again Senate sequence recoloured to be much darker etc
- 01.37.59 Again Senate sequence recoloured to be much darker etc
- 01.39.54 "Lord vader" line removed
- 01.40.26 "Consumed by Darth Vader" line removed and footage recut
- 01.40.33 "I don't know where to look" line removed and footage recut
- 01.41.22 "I have seen him... killing Younglings" and "Not Anakin..." lines removed and footage recut
- 01.43.51 'Magic Button' shot removed
- 01.43.55 Two shots of Obi-Wan climbing into a cupboard removed
- 01.44.12 Palpatine's office sequence recoloured to be much darker, less saturated and more evil (Less pink)
- 01.44.38 Shot of Anakin looking at Padme landing on a monitor removed
- 01.44.39 Yoda's arrival in Palpatine's office brought forward, recoloured and Anakin hologram (Plus sound) added to first few frames
- 01.45.23 Palpatine taunting Yoda scene brought forward and again recoloured to be much darker
- 01.45.51 "Not if anything to say.." line removed and "At an end your rule is" line brought forward
- 01.45.52 Yoda flinging Palpatine accross his office removed
- 01.45.55 Shot of Palpatine laughing inserted
- 01.45.58 Long shot of Palpatine acrobatics removed
- 01.46.09 "Darth Vader" line re-dubbed to "My apprentice"
- 01.46.37 Yoda vs Palpatine on the rising column sequence brought forward and again recoloured to be much darker
- 01.47.05 Closeup of Palpatine grimmacing removed and replaced with two recut, flipped and recoloured shots of Palpatine leaping off to the left to evade Yoda
- 01.47.06 Yoda leaping after Palpatine shot brought forward, flipped and again recoloured to be much darker
- 01.47.07 Yoda evading Palpatine's thrown objects sequence brought forward and again recoloured to be much darker
- 01.49.57 "That you killed Younglings" line removed
- 01.51.30 "You're breaking my heart, you're..." line removed
- 01.51.53 Removed "No" line and added force-choke sound FX
- 01.51.54 Shot of Padme shaking her head shortened
- 01.51.56 Shot of Padme again shaking her head and saying "Anakin" removed
- 01.52.00 More Force-choking sound FX added
- 01.53.45 Several Kenobi vs Anakin duel shots removed to better synch with next duel sequence being brought forward
- 01.54.12 The three 'Boardroom Pro-wrestling' scenes removed
- 01.54.13 Damage to Mustafar computer shot brought forward
- 01.54.35 Palpatine's search for Yoda brought forward but "Tell Captain..." line pushed back
- 01.54.43 Yoda organising a lift from Bail sequence removed
- 01.56.02 "Lord Vader" line re-dubbed to "My apprentice"
- 01.57.11 Reaction shot of Kenobi flipped
- 01.57.14 Shot of Kenobi about to leap flipped
- 01.57.16 Mini-Duel swinging from the ropes removed
- 01.59.07 "I have the high ground" line removed
- 02.00.51 Shot of Anakin rolling onto his back brought forward
- 02.00.53 Start of Kenobi and R2 shot shortened to accomodate rolling shot
- 02.01.14 "Obi-Wan, is Anakin alright?" line removed
- 02.01.45 Yoda on moonbase sequence brought forward and Palpatine's arrival pushed back
- 02.02.48 Three opening shots of Anakin writhing around removed from Palpatine's arrival sequence
- 02.02.46 Shot of Anakin beside lava river inserted with Obi-Wan cropped out and Clone audio re-dubbed
- 02.02.52 "He's still alive" line removed and footage re-cut and re-dubbed
- 02.03.14 Palpatine's return to Coruscant pushed back
- 02.03.18 "For reasons we can't explain..." lines removed
- 02.03.22 "...she's lost the will to live" lines removed
- 02.03.44 First cut away to Vader's 'Birth' removed
- 02.04.12 NEWSUB "It's a baby boy."
- 02.04.14 "Luke" and "Helo Luke." lines removed
- 02.04.29 NEWSUB "Push... push..."
- 02.04.36 NEWSUB "Push."
- 02.04.44 NEWSUB "He has a sister."
- 02.04.46 "Leia." line removed
- 02.04.47 Second cut away to Vader's 'Birth' removed
- 02.04.55 "There's good in him" line removed
- 02.05.17 Third and final cut away to Vader's 'Birth' removed
- 02.05.18 Tantive IV's Arrival on Naboo estabishing shot removed
- 02.07.36 'Exiled To Dagobah' scene restored (It was in the UK Theatrical cut but removed in the 2011 Blu-Ray)
- 02.08.10 Vader and Palpatine Star Destroyer/Death Star sequence removed and Tantive IV shot shortened
- 02.08.56 Kenobi on Tatooine finale re-coloured to appear a little less artificial
- 02.10.13 Final cheeky credit for yours truly
Cover art by TM2YC (DOWNLOAD HERE) image

Excerpt

User reviews

2 reviews
Overall rating
 
8.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0(2)
Audio Editing
 
8.0(2)
Visual Editing
 
9.0(2)
Narrative
 
8.0(2)
Enjoyment
 
8.0(2)
Overall rating
 
8.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
The final part of TM2YC's SW "Reborn" series is more polished and (IMHO) a greater success than his Episode II. It's a mixed bag though, with some changes that I actually didn't like, and some elements not changed that I wish HAD been.

Coming in, I wasn't actually looking for much, as I think Episode III is by far the best of the prequels, and actually my favorite SW film after the original trilogy. For me, the main issues were all centered around the resolution of Anakin's storyline. Firstly, like Episode II, he still has some cringey scenes with Padme. There's some pretty bad dialogue and the evolution of their relationship doesn't quite track. Secondly, he seems very ambivalent about which side to trust, then after the fight with Mace Windu is suddenly saying "Master" and killing children. It's much too abrupt. (And the prosthetic makeup in that scene is horrible.) Thirdly, the frequent intercutting between the 2 final Jedi battles deflates the epic feel of Anakin's in particular, which I wanted to see as one long fight. TM2YC's edit looked to address all these points, plus add in deleted scenes to flesh out Padme's role, so I was very interested in it.

I should say that all the quibbles I had from the previous Reborn fanedits are present here too, but less so. There are still a few wipes that are edited to be a 1/2 second too fast, only 2-channel audio, and (sometimes) a noticeable quality difference in both the visual fidelity and audio (high pitch) of the deleted scenes. These have improved from the previous Reborn edits though, I think owing to the growing skill of the faneditor.

I had a few larger issues with the edit from the beginning, however. Firstly, some of the score is changed and it just doesn't fit the beats of the scene as well. It's particularly noticeable when the full Rebel Alliance theme swells and Williams' score hasn't even built this up and introduced the elements yet in the trilogy. It's too cheery, as are several of the scenes in the beginning. This is ostensibly a very serious life-or-death mission to save the Chancellor, and Jedis are dying. TM2YC rightly takes out the R2D2 slapstick from this opening, but inserts goofiness from Anakin and Obi Wan. The awkward droid noises and Abbot and Costello baseball routine with super speed escape feel terribly jarring. Then the elements that explain R2's delay are also partially removed. In Anakin's duel with Dooku, his hesitation and Palpatine's prompting is removed. The net effect is the opening 20 minutes almost ping pong back and forth between levity and abrupt darkness. It didn't work as well for me as the theatrical version.

The middle section of the movie features a lot of deleted scenes reintegrated, which was done pretty well and I was very grateful for. Padme is more than just a motivator for Anakin now, and we get to see Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa helping to found the Alliance. Great stuff. On the other hand, this section does have the cheesy Anakin/Padme stuff, including one hairbrushing scene that has no purpose and just needs to be entirely cut out. Better to keep in a prophetic nightmare of Anakin's that was removed. It's important to keep feeling that he's convinced he's seeing a future he has to do anything to avoid.

There is really good placing and inclusion of deleted/extended scenes with Anakin and various Jedi/Palpatine that help to show the various forces lining up against each other. This is all great, but my issue is with the Mace Windu confrontation. I'd love a montage after Anakin confronts him, showing everything bad he's ever done intercut with his face in agony and him thinking of Padme. Short of that little piece of work, I just want more ambiguity about how much he's following Palpatine at this point. The deletion of several very explicit lines from both of them would leave the viewer believing Anakin is following him for now, but not necessarily his "apprentice" and using "the dark side". And a zoom/crop could reduce the horrible makeup shots. Similarly, it's too much to show Anakin right after this turning on his lightsaber to attack 4-year-old kids. It could be cut at him opening the temple doorway and not show them.

This brings us to the finales, and there's a lot of good here, but some choices that didn't work for me as well. We see the whole Yoda/Palpatine battle play out with no cutting, which is great, and I noticed that TM2YC did a lot of subtle work here to improve the fight. I appreciated this much more than when he tinkered with other action scenes (like Grievous/Obi-Wan) which I mostly missed the elements of and thought were lessened. I did miss the scene after this where Yoda calls Bail, as without it Bail just shows up like a psychic Jedi and it seems like bad movie writing. (This is also an example of a callback/forward to scenes in other SW films, several of which have been deleted from the Reborn edits, to my disappointment.) Where he does escape with Bail intruded into the Anakin/Obi Wan fight, and I wish it had not been placed there. Having that fight ALMOST all together was great.... but then this edit had to chop parts out. I love the whole fight, and it was made a lot less epic here, which is a real shame. Several of the lines between the two men are taken out as well, including Obi Wan's "high ground" line. Years from now when the meme is forgotten, it'll seem weird that Obi Wan warns Anakin not to try anything... why? Is he suddenly so much better that he can kill him in one swing? Without these lines, Anakin's death seems a bit abrupt, as does Obi Wan's willingness. They're unnecessary trims that lessen the effect of the whole resolution for me.

Except for the "Noooooo" I didn't mind Vader's inclusion in the film...it's a very cool scene. But TM2YC has convinced me with this edit... it's better to leave the mystery. However, I don't think he goes far enough. There's a shot with Anakin being taken on a stretcher with a breathing mask on, a clear sign he's alive. He also moves slightly when Palpatine is bending over him. A couple more seconds of cuts would truly preserve the mystery. On the other hand, it's a total mystery why Padme dies. The removal of her "losing the will to live" line and not replacing it with a droid dub/sub giving some medical reason just leaves a hole. Her choking took 2 seconds and I wouldn't buy it even if I hadn't seen Vader choke somebody for 30 seconds and that guy still survive. The inclusion of the deleted scenes after this and keeping the babies names unsaid is great however, and a really nice way to end the trilogy.

TLDR: This edit is a technical improvement over the Episode II Reborn edit, and quite good. There are some deleted scenes I'm grateful for and some I didn't like. Some elements were taken out that I missed, while some edits were welcome improvements. All told, I think it's a net improvement over the theatrical version, but it leaves me thinking that there's gotta be an edit out there that I'd like more... or room to make one! Certainly beggars can't be choosers, and I appreciate the phenomenal skill and effort that went into this series. It didn't nail it for me, but there's a good chance it will for someone else.

User Review

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(Updated: July 28, 2013)
Overall rating
 
8.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
7.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
TM2YC's Revenge of the Sith: Reborn is a fine addition to the existing array of Star Wars fan edits, and serves as a satisfying conclusion to his Prequel Trilogy.

TM2YC states that his intention for his PT edits was "to make good versions of these films that still felt like the same films in essence." Furthermore — for TM2YC — "a true SW film should give you around 2 solid hrs of entertainment." In this edit, I believe he essentially achieves both these goals.

While the majority of this edit remains true to the original version of the movie, TM2YC does make choices that differentiates his edit from the original in significant ways.

First, he has included most (if not all) of the deleted material from the DVD releases. He also includes a scene from the BD disc, which, while unfinished with regards to technical quality, nonetheless adds narrative depth to the story. Finally, TM2YC attempts to retain the "surprise" that Darth Vader is Luke's father by removing all mention of Darth Vader, as well as the naming of the twins, from the edit.

AUDIO/VIDEO QUALITY - 7
****************
REVIEWER'S NOTE - I have spoken to the editor concerning this issue prior to posting this review; his feeling is that the story he wanted to tell was more important than A/V quality (especially given his desire to use a great many DVD scenes which are SD source). I respect that opinion, and agree that ultimately the story and technical editing are what makes a fan edit enjoyable; however, since this category exists, I must address this issue honestly.
****************
This edit is presented in 1080p HD, with many upscaled-from-SD deleted scenes included.

For the most part, video quality was very good throughout most of the edit. However, I must point out that there are moments (especially during times of great movement or large amounts of action) where there is noticeable degradation of picture quality, as well as visible compression artifacts that are distinctly not what one might experience when watching the original source. Thankfully this mostly is limited to the first 15 minutes or so of the edit, since this is when we have a lot of action and explosions on-screen during the space battle. Yet brief moments of this issue does exist throughout the edit.

Additionally, the visual quality of the deleted scenes varies. Some moments are excellent and to my eye can pass off as HD; others however have a muddied SD feel to them. The most noticeable "deleted scenes" quality problem occurs during the aforementioned inclusion of an unfinished scene from the BD release, which does serve to enhance the narrative (see below for more on this) but nonetheless slightly degrades the overall visual quality of this edit.

With regards to audio quality, it was fine (though surround sound would have been a nice addition, but not a necessity, and I deduct no points for this choice).

VISUAL EDITING - 9

Overall, the visual component of the editing was well done. There were few minor issues I detected, but nothing extremely distracting. While only 10 minutes was cut out of this edit, I found it to be visually well done, and the additional 5 minutes added were for the most part seamlessly integrated.

AUDIO EDITING - 8

In terms of audio editing, I feel there were some noticeable issues, but overall not terrible by any means.

For example, there were some of hard audio cuts, and at least few of them are probably noticeable by non-fan editors. I also noticed one line that was obviously cut off before conclusion.

Generally speaking, most of the audio editing with regards to the musical transitions were well done. TM2YC also chose to add some OT music from ROTJ. Some of these moments worked extremely well, such as the Jedi's arrival on Grievous' ship when they pop out of their ships and attack the droids. Other times, I could take it or leave it. But these moments were not intrusive, and thus to me were an artistic choice that was generally well executed from a technical perspective.

However, some of the audio transitions regarding the underlying score when visual edits occurred (or musical replacements were inserted) were not smoothed out enough to my ear. But these were the exception to the rule.

All in all though, editing Star Wars audio is a very, very tough thing to do, and so I am willing to cut the editor some slack in this area. :-)

NARRATIVE - 8

Essentially this is a very close edit to the original theatrical release; indeed, TM2YC uses the original theatrical crawl to begin the story. Also remember this was one of the editor's up-front intentions (to feel like the "same film" in essence). At the same time, there are some specific differences which I will discuss here in terms of how well they fit in to the narrative.

First, many additional deleted scenes were included. During the opening battle, TM2YC chose to use the scenes where Obi-Wan and Anakin have some joking moments, which did serve to add some levity to their relationship. Unfortunately these scenes have some strange qualities to them.

The first scene shows us the jarring execution of a Jedi by Grievous. The juxtaposition of this event with the immediate playful (and I have to say, a bit corny) "silent signal" communication between Anakin and Obi-Wan (beard stroking, hair pulling, eyebrow swiping, etc) seemed a bit, well, unsettling. The second scene is where Anakin and Obi-Wan are trying to get in touch with R2 and trying to interpret the beeps made by R2 as whether they mean to go up or down. I found this kind of a strange moment as well, as Anakin seemed to be emulating R2's beeps (I guess it's a Jedi power?). While I appreciate the attempt at adding some (much needed) humor to Episode III, and lightening the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin, I can see why these specific deleted scenes were deleted. :-)

TM2YC wisely removes the whole R2 and the droids oil-spurting-burning sub-plot. Thank you! He also removes Jar-Jar's single line, another positive change. There were also small edits here and there that seemed to work fine, and either enhanced or had no negative effect on the narrative.

One of the goals TM2YC stated was to strengthen Padme's character by restoring her deleted scenes acting as a senator. From a narrative point of view, this is a success. We do get the feeling that Padme is very much still involved with politics, something that is lacking in the original release. Even though the deleted scenes are not in HD, they do enhance the narrative and thus are a valuable edition in this respect.

Another goal TMY2C states is to provide additional depth to Palpatine's manipulation of Anakin's descent to the Dark Side. One of the ways the editor accomplishes this is by including the aforementioned BD deleted scene where Palpatine has summoned Anakin to tell him he is appointing him to the Jedi Council. The deleted material consists of extending the start of this scene, and I agree with TM2YC in that it provides some very nice dialog and background information that solidifies the feeling that Palpatine has been working hard to give Anakin what the Jedi are not -- a friend who supports and appreciates him and his abilities. It is too bad this scene has been provided to us (by Lucas) in an unfinished format, since I think it definitely is worthy of inclusion with regards to the narrative.

Other nice narrative choices made by the editor include the separation of Yoda's battle with Palpatine to make it an independent sequence. Obi-Wan's final battle with Anakin is already a very long one, and to juxtapose these two battles (in the original) was a very poor choice in my opinion, which TM2YC addresses with this change.

Finally, I'd like to address TM2YC's biggest narrative change -- the removal of Anakin becoming "Darth Vader." I am happy to report that this change seems to fit in perfectly well with the narrative. Now the story merely presents Anakin as a Jedi who was turned to the Dark Side of the force, and became Palpatine's apprentice. Thus the reveal of the Darth Vader in Episode IV retains its full impact as an unknown but evil character.

I am not convinced that the "reveal" is truly safe, but that is really beyond the scope of the review for this specific edit.

In terms of what TM2YC within THIS edit (removing Darth Vader, and also removing the naming of the babies), he has done no narrative damage, and does accomplish the goal that after watching his PT, one will not know that Darth Vader is Luke's father.

ENJOYMENT - 8

Enjoyment is obviously a purely subjective issue. I am happy to report that I enjoyed this edit, and see it as an improvement on the original, which I would probably rate around a 7.

First, for the aforementioned visual quality, I have deducted 1/2 point. I also deducted 1/2 point for the aforementioned editing issues.

Personally, I find roughly the first half to two thirds of the movie a bit boring due to all the politics. I think TM2YCs added deleted scenes help flesh out the politics, but at the same time points out how the politics are a bit confusing, as we now have not just the separatists as the enemy of the Republic, but also the Loyalists (now there are two of them!). For this, I have deducted 1/2 point (without TM2YC's changes it would be a full point, so I do acknowledge that TM2YC improved an element of the narrative that I don't enjoy).

Finally, things I don't enjoy about the original are still mostly intact, which include the Chosen One prophesy, talking droids, the incessant coughing of Greivous and the annoying yelps by Obi-Wan's lizard creature. I deducted 1/2 point for all of these.

All in all, this is a lightly edited version of ROTS that nonetheless improves the narrative by astute cuts and mostly positive additions, while at the same time offering us a well executed and bold change to the story of Anakin Skywalker as represented by the PT.

Very nicely done, TM2YC!

OVERALL RATING - 8

Overall, I think TM2YC did a very good job with this edit. I appreciate his attempt at hiding the ultimate "reveal" for chronological order viewing, and also I appreciate his use of deleted scenes to flesh out the narrative he chose to tell. Plus, along the way, he has displayed some fine editing and storytelling skills.

Nice work, TM2YC!

RECOMMENDATIION

I can recommend this edit to those who enjoyed the original movie, and would appreciate or are interested in a version that removes (from the perspective of the audience) the plot point of Anakin becoming "Darth Vader."

My one caveat is that one must not expect pristine image quality, and instead choose to watch this edit primarily for the story, which I do think is well executed, and provides an overall different perspective to how this movie fits into the bigger PT+OT story arc.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
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