Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise Of Skywalker: Ascendant

I thought this film was largely a trainwreck when I saw it in the theater, but Hal9000 (with the help of many others) has once again managed to strip away the fat and produced a vastly superior film that is a worthier ending to the whole Skywalker Saga than the theatrical cut gave us. Bravo to everyone involved.

This was an amazing edit. The added force ghosts alone are a huge improvement. My only gripe is Rey's crackling lightsaber, but that's down to personal preference.

This edit blew me away! Hal9000 and the team of passionate faneditors managed to slow down this movie's frantic pace enough to actually develop its characters and internal logic. The result is a crisper, far more enjoyable film that closes out The Skywalker Saga in a much more appropriate way.

The addition of new FX shots and the restructuring of scenes does not feel jarring. The quality is professional and if one is unfamiliar with the theatrical cut, it's very easy to confuse this version for the original version of the film.

After the past couple years of watching clips, giving feedback, and even contributing material to this edit, I finally thought "hey, I ought to watch this." Obviously, I'm glad I did.

This edit is really remarkable, and something of a landmark in the history of our little hobby here. While the majority of the changes are subtle, to the point where a casual fan might not even notice anything has changed (although I would argue they would still find the film a better experience whether they realized or not), the changes that are made are impressive in their ingenuity and technique. What Hal has done here, which I have hardly seen done elsewhere, is essentially wrangle an entire community of talented individuals - be they editors, VFX artists, sound designers, and even some actors - to make the most out of a film that is very difficult to fan edit (lacking deleted scenes when the main problem is the film feels too short).

Not every change I would make, and I think there are a few key changes that really should have been made that weren't, but you won't find me arguing this isn't much better than the original. While the whole team of fan editors on this get my praise, obviously Hal gets the main credit for managing the project, sifting through the clutter of a thousand ideas, and executing the final product with skill. Most of all, though, it's a testament to his ability, his past work, and his character that so many came out of the woodwork to help. Exciting stuff.

I've only seen the theatrical version once, and I hated it so much that I vowed to never watch it again. I said the only way I'd ever watch it was if a "Special Edition" of it was made that fixed some of the narrative issues and included Force Ghost Ben Solo at the end. When I found this edit, and read the changes made, I thought I'd give it a try.

I was not disappointed. I watched it 3 times in a week, and I consider this the true cut, the cut that should have been. (Well actually the cut that should have been was Ben and Rey living happily ever after, but I digress) Hal 9000 showed care and attention to detail in this edit, and it shows. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who'd like to give TROS a second chance.