Review Detail

While I do like this like this edit, I don't think it's my ideal edit of the film.

The audio quality is somewhat mixed. A lot of the times it's good, but whenever something like an explosion happens the music and other sfx are blown out and the audio gets distorted. At some points, voices are really quiet. This mostly happens with side characters that only have a line or two. For example, when the girl in the command center says, "We have enough fuel for just one jump." and, in the same scene, the Ackbar like character has a line that is just barley audible. There are other instances after this scene where this happens but they are few and far between.

The Poe/Holdo subplot edit is good. The added deleted scenes between the Luke/Rey and the fish nun, Finn and Poe on the bridge, and Luke mourning Han are scenes that should've been apart of the theatrical cut. A lot of smaller cuts did feel noticeable but that's probably because I'm flirting with my own TLJ edit and I know this film a bit too well. I know Canto Bight is a point of contention among fans but I think it and the original Poe/Holdo subplot should be left in. Not because they were particular amazing, it's just without them this film just feels kind of anemic. I thought viewing an edit with them removed will change my mind it only really reaffirmed it. The Luke/Rey and Kylo/Snoke plots are really good already so it's not too bad. I didn't really like Luke's force vision. Maybe I'm misinterpreting it, but we already know Luke knows Rey may turn to the dark side. Why would he need to be reminded by Yoda to stand down? Hell even if he didn't know why would he need to be reminded to stand down at all? I think the theatrical cut worked fine and this extra bit was not needed. I probably dislike this edit the most. Leia's death felt off too. I think a different music track being played here could've helped sell it. The cut directly to Luke in the Falcon just made it feel less authentic. But also with the limited footage it would be a hard sell to begin with. I think just keeping the piano bit that plays originally when Leia as floating space, then trasnitioning to Luke in the Falcon while it still plays would work better.

The removal of Canto Bight, the edited Poe/Holdo subplot, and Leia actually dying have a kind of domino effect the rest of the film. Especially the ending. The ending feels incomplete. Finn is gone most of the movie and then he's just on Canto Bight all the sudden (in a First Order get up no less). Then when the resistance is on the Falcon it just feels abrupt. This is the "domino effect" as this scene kind of has to be abrupt because Leia can't be their because technically she's dead. I think changing the music that plays here to something more somber could help with selling this as the music is trumphant when it doesn't really feel that triumphant. The track worked in the orginal because of Leia's bit about "We have everything we need." but the most triumphant thing about this scene now is the glow of the kaiber crystal (if you can catch it). Maybe instead of having it be revealed at the end that Luke is infact alive, intercut with the Falcon and Luke getting up and looking towards the sunset. You can show that Rey's smile is because she knows Luke is okay or something like that and just use the music from the Luke death scene. Not sure how well this would work, but it's an idea.

It will be interesting to see how episode 9 turns out and if DonKamillo will do an edit of it. If I end up enjoying that, I think I'll enjoy the Anti-Cringe Cut more.