Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi: Anti-Cringe-Cut

I have to say this is so much better then the original.
the decision to cut canto bight as a whole was in my opinion a mistake because now finn has nothing to do.
killing leia was good choice in my opinion and making luke's lightsaber green was also a great choice
but rain johnsen disaster cant be completely fixed as killing snoke showed
Overall a great edit also loved that Luke took a moment and mourned Han's death
Great edit.

Thank you so much for removing the horrible sitcom humor.

I don't think I will ever consider this a great Star Wars film, but DonKamillo still managed the seemingly impossible - he's made it watchable. Clearing away the cringe debris has allowed some of the better moments to shine brighter. Best of all, he SAVED the character of Luke Skywalker. For that alone, he's a hero.

*spoilers*
The redone first meeting between Luke and Rey feels a bit awkward, but I'm not sure what else could have been done to clean up the original mess. The fight between Luke and Rey is much improved, as is the confrontation between Holdo and Poe. Finn is essentially an afterthought in this edit, but it had to be done. The film is so much better without Canto Bight. One nitpick that remains is that I wish Luke's "laser sword" line was axed. Just a reminder of Rian's disrespect for the legacy of Star Wars.

The ending in this edit is so much better than the original. I imagine Episode 9 will require some major edits to reflect changes to Luke and Leia in this version, but that's a problem for another day. Hopefully they learn from the mistakes of this film. As Yoda said, "the greatest teacher, failure is." Congratulations on a well done edit of an extremely difficult film!

The following review is has been written while watching the edit, so the thoughts will be brief. Please note that this review will be from the perspective who considers TLJ a near-perfect masterpiece.


SPOILER ALERT
-Nice intro, though you’d think the saber would be green.
-Actually forgot about the “Oh no.” Well done.
-The comm between Poe and Hux was well removed.
-Surprised more of the B.B.8. circuit fix wasn’t cut.
-It’s kind of weird that Luke just stands there and Rey takes the saber back. Nice “I’m sorry,” though.
-The Luke mourning scene was going so well and then the music promised a boom and failed to deliver.
-RIP Leia. Nice farewell with the R2 scene. This does create a slight problem. Because I know Leia is alive in the next one, meaning he’s sort of edited himself into a corner. Same I think with something at the end...
-Surprised how much the Caretakers weren’t cut. Not complaining. Just surprised. Same with Rey “reaching out.”
-Lot of Rey and Luke at once, it feels.
-Interesting vision before the fight between Rey and Luke. Though I’m not thrilled with Luke not pulling his saber. It kind of begs the question as to why he wasn’t more truthful before.
-Poe’s outburst is a little sudden. The re-ordered shots & lines to have Holdo reveal her plans is well made. Though now I must note Poe’s scenes at the beginning with the Dreadnaught and the demotion, really don’t seem like they’ll amount to anything.
-I know this is nitpicking but there’s no explanation as to how the FO knows to shoot the transports.
-I feel like Finn has so little to do in this edit that he could have woken up from his coma significantly later.
-I don’t hate Rose like some people do, but I like how she was used in the edit as a tie in to the beginning.
-Wilhelm scream. Nice.
-Wait, what just happened? Is Finn dead? It’s not very clear.
-Shame not to have that scene between Luke and Leia.
-Oh I guess Finn’s alive.
-Anakin hilt. Green blade. I get it, but I gotta bring it up.
-Is that shot of Luke flipped?
-Yep... Luke’s alive. That’s fine I guess...




REVIEW -

I didn’t dislike it, it was certainly well made. Though I enjoyed it more for what was left in, rather than for what was added or removed. My biggest complaint is that the edit felt kind of empty. Most of the cast didn’t do much, especially throughout the middle.

The Last Jedi is a *very* difficult film to improve since Rian Johnson made so many questionable writing and directing decisions that any fan editor would have trouble making a solid narrative experience but Don Kamillo's "Anti-Cringe" cut definitely makes a strong effort. I don't think I could ever really love this film as there are just too many issues with it but this came pretty close to actually feeling like a Star Wars movie where the original does not in my opinion.

My thoughts and observations - in no particular order:

1. The Luke-Leia scene towards the end of the movie is removed which is a shame as it's one of the only "real" (Force projection aside) moments of connection that these two amazing characters get. However, I absolutely hated the "Leia Poppins" scene in the original cut so Don Kamillo's editing choice here was a welcome one. It's a far more devastating end to her character in this edit and the way a later scene is edited showing Luke "re-connecting" to the Force and learning of Leia's death was incredible. I would however maybe cut the later scene a moment sooner as I swear you could still see her fingers twitch. I also think it could be better to somehow rework the background of space behind her as it felt like a flashback more than a look at how she is still drifting in space and Star Wars doesn't really do flashbacks - until Rian came along that is.

2. Luke is a much better character overall. Particular scenes that in the original made me angry are much better here, especially the scene where Luke sees a vision of Rey and Kylo during their (Luke and Rey's) fight where he realizes the need for restraint. It always infuriated me that Rey bested Luke easily (and everyone else for that matter...) so to show that Luke effectively allowed himself to be beaten when he could have easily taken her was a brilliant improvement to the movie. Luke also doesn't "turn evil" towards Ben except in Kylo/Ben's version of events. This is a major improvement as I don't believe for a second that Luke would have gone down that path with anyone, let alone his own nephew.

3. The addition of the "Luke has a moment" scene and the Tribe gathering/party scene were well integrated to the movie, especially the latter. I still think Rey looks kind of weird in her running in that scene but the overall tone of the scene and it being Luke's missing third lesson are welcome additions. However, the pacing of the "Luke has a moment" scene is a little off. It felt like not a moment earlier Chewie broke down the door and then Luke was immediately putting it back up again. Maybe it just felt jarring because I remember that whole interaction very differently, but it still worked overall.

4. The removal of Canto Bight mostly works but it's not perfect. I'm glad to see it gone and while it's not missed it does mean Finn has nothing to do for the majority of this movie. I have seen other versions where the Canto Bight side quest still takes place but it cuts right at the part they escape from the prison cells and removes a lot of the other cringey stuff. This sets up Rose a lot better and actually gives Finn something to do as in this movie he has basically nothing to do and then when he does reappear he is wearing a different jacket which is quite jarring since Poe made a point of giving him back the brown leather jacket from "The Force Awakens".

5. The scenes with Poe, Leia and Admiral Holdo were much better. I always felt Leia didn't really add much to the movie after her "Leia Poppins" moment (other than the touching scene with Luke on Crait) so having her removed and making way for Holdo was much better. That being said, it's still quite a jarring cut when Poe goes from saying "That's Admiral Holdo? Not what I expected" to then the next time we see him, and he comes barging into the bridge and there's already some animosity towards Holdo. I'm not sure how best to fix this but I do wonder if some of that conflict could be maintained. In an ideal world, we could dub Admiral Holdo so that when confronted by Poe about the lack of a plan she could say "Has it occurred to you that we may have a traitor on board? How else could the First Order have tracked us through hyperspace? I am not telling anyone what the plan is until I know who I can trust - and that includes you." This would make sense for the animosity between Poe and Holdo and also work well if the subplot with Finn doing a runner at the start of the movie was kept in as Holdo could have legitimate cause for concern that a former First Order Storm Trooper has suddenly left the Resistance ship right at the time the First Order shows up...

6. The back and forth between Rey and Kylo I think was one of the highlights of the original movie and it's been tightened up here though I'm not sure the moment of Kylo wiping sweat from his brow works as well as the original where water from Ahch To landed on his face. After seeing the Luke force projection trick at the end of the movie I re-interpreted this scene originally to suggest that the water isn't really there but it's a projection. But that's just me. Her not acknowledging the fact that he's topless is much better too.

7. The final battle scene on Crait is better because at least now I don't have to listen to Rey being a backseat driver and telling Chewie how to fly the damn Falcon. It's also good that she isn't also incredible here also (shooting down 3 TIE's at once anyone?...) as let's face it, she really is a Mary Sue. I didn't really mind the Porg's first time round (and still don't here) but as they're massively cut down in this version they suddenly appear a bit too much it seems. Minor quibble though. I also feel that Finn should have died in this movie right at the moment I think we all thought he would. It would require a new VFX shot to accomplish it but I think it would be a more fitting end to his character and hammer home how he is willing to die for the Resistance. Though until we know the plans for Finn in Episode 9 I guess a major storyline change like that would have to wait.

8. Removing Captain Phasma just goes to show how little she added to the movie anyway so good job removing all of that. Likewise, with that god-awful Maz Kanata scene and the "Broom-Boy" at the end.

9. The humour is near spot-on for me. This of course is a personal taste thing but for me all of the lines and bits that worked in the original movie like Luke saying "That is pretty much nowhere", Leia saying "Wipe that concerned look of your face Threepio!" and Luke toying with Rey when she claims to feel the Force and it's just a blade of grass. Removing all of the awful parody stuff and Marvel-esque humour (though I do like Marvel movies it feels out of place in this movie) was a great improvement.

10. Luke doesn't die now and he has a green light saber! I can totally appreciate how this will have an impact on the film that follows but for me it's a much more hopeful ending. Luke having the green light saber was an improvement too though being able to change the hilt to match his ROTJ light saber would be a good visual effect to include for a future effort. In an ideal world though I want to see Luke bring down one or more of those new AT-AT walkers using the Force. Some think it might be over-the-top but I think it would show just how far he's come from being unable to remove his X-Wing from the swamp on Dagobah to bringing down a behemoth First Order AT-AT using only the Force. A hefty VFX shot would be needed for this but I think it could be done.

11. General Hux is massively improved and still carries a lot of weight in this version. Rian Johnson chose to ridicule him which is a huge writing mistake to do that to your villains. I only wish we could have a better explanation for why they don't just destroy the Resistance ships sooner that doesn't require the stupid "limited fuel" and "their ships are faster than ours" garbage. Bigger ships (First Order) = More thrust. Weight isn't an issue in space. Just saying. I always envisioned a line that went something like "Sir, why don't we just destroy them?" being answered by Hux with "We will destroy them soon enough Captain, it's only a matter of time. Their annihilation is inevitable" as some sort of twisted pleasure in knowing that he will kill them all but will drag it out like a cat playing with a mouse. This seems like something he would do and he has the same over-confidence that we also saw in Tarkin in Episode 4 right before the Rebels blow up the Death Star.

12. I think the duel scene in Snoke's throne room is overall very good - both in the original and here - though it's too choreographed and has that glaring error with the guard that has two daggers not stabbing Rey when he could (though I don't know how you could fix this to be honest). The main gripe I have here is that I would remove the part where you can see the light saber turning on the arm of the chair as it telegraphs to the audience what's going to happen and completely ruins the surprise that Kylo is actually going to kill Snoke. By all means keep in Kylo moving his hand as there's enough time for the audience to not quite comprehend what's going on but I'd definitely lose the shot of the light saber turning beforehand. I'd also remove the later scene of Snoke's legs randomly falling off the chair later as it's played for a gag that doesn't really work. Not sure if this is possible to fix in an edit or not though.

13. The one scene that doesn't really work for me but I think you made a good effort was the scene with Luke handing the light saber back to Rey. It just doesn't quite look right with her stepping forward then stepping backwards again (if I remember correctly). I think a better compromise would be to somehow have her still extend the light saber from the end of Episode 7, have him take it, look down at it and contemplate what this could mean before ultimately deciding to drop it on the grass at his feet and walking away. As you'd not need to see Luke's face when he drops the light saber this could work. I see it like this: Use a stand in (dressed appropriately to match Luke) and shoot him from roughly knee or waist height with the camera focusing on the light saber and then drop said light saber prop on to the grass and then cut to Luke walking away as he does in the movie. This would show the same disregard for what it means that I think Rian was going for but without the god-awful disrespect that came with the "joke" of that scene.

14. I agree with some of the other comments that in places the audio sounded a bit more “crunchy” or “squashed” though I’m not expert on this and can’t confirm specifically what caused it.

15. Finally, I think you should remove the “Anti-Cringe Cut” from the opening crawl. The pre-titles with the same thing accomplish much the same job. When the movie starts I don’t want to feel like I’m watching a fan edit and reminders like what’s in the opening crawl do just that.

All-in-all though I’d give this a very solid review! I enjoyed it a lot and while it’s not perfect I think more of that fault can be attributed to Rian Johnson than Don Kamillo as ultimately there’s only so much they can change and adapt from the source material. Great work and I can't wait to see a V2 if you ever decide to do one!

Editor, DonKamillo, has done a superb job in bringing out a decent film from a largely awful one and showed how a movie can be saved in the editing process, just like the original 1977 'Star Wars' was.

Gone are the insipid attempts at humour, written by a guy (Rian Johnson) who just isn't funny, and the unbearably twee nonsense, like the porgs. The fish people on Ach-To have a smaller presence, too. But I'll admit that they didn't bother me that much in the first place and I quite liked them, if the truth be known.

The most crucial part of this edit, though, was the complete deletion of both the (almost) universally hated Canto Bight scenes and the completely redundant mutiny side story, which only exist so that Finn and Poe Dameron have something to do, as the writer clearly didn't know how to use them, because the focus of his story was on Rey and Luke's interaction on Ach-To. Quite rightly too, it should be said. Kamillo has also has inserted the deleted scenes of Luke's moment of grief for Han and an extra lesson for Rey on the nature of impulsiveness. Why these were cut from the original theatrical print, I'll never know.

Also excised, almost as completely as Canto Bight, is Rose Tico. A controversial character - to say the least - Rose adds, absolutely, nothing to the film in any sense and it's very clear from her deletion in this edit. Written as a prop, purely for Finn to interact with, she - literally - might as well not have been in the picture at all. However, in Kamillo's cut she does show up at the end on Crait, which creates the problem of the "who is she and why is the camera focused on her?" effect. All of a sudden, there's this girl with lines that we've not seen before and it's a touch jarring, I have to say. I'd have endeavored to cut more of her, as her scenes here make little sense without the introduction to her that takes place in the theatrical cut.

Another deletion and a surprisingly effective move, was the "murder" of Princess Leia. While it's not a route I would have taken myself (although I would have cut the "Leia Poppins" fiasco), it does work relatively well here. Once Leia is blown out of the bridge of her ship, she's seen floating in space and quite dead. Thus eliminating one of the cringiest moments anybody has seen fit to put into a Star Wars film. However, while it's very well done, it (and to some extent the deletion of Rose) creates certain problems, which I'll admit, are mostly of a personal nature. When I watch a fanedit of a film, that has sequels and prequels such as Star Wars does, I am always aware of the impacts of the cuts or additions that the fanedit possesses. Cutting an entire character or scene that may have crucial elements that are expanded on in a future film is extremely problematic and diminishes the life of that edit drastically. So, the elimination of Leia from 'The Last Jedi' may look extremely odd, if and when she shows up in the theatrical release of Episode IX (a dead Carrie Fisher notwithstanding). The reduction of Rose will look out of place too, as she's bound to have a bigger role in The Last Jedi's sequel. Likewise, another massive change to the original narrative (not killing Luke Skywalker at the end of the film) will absolutely create a schism when he inevitably appears as a Force ghost in the next movie. Thus, it makes great additions, or in this case subtractions, in a given fanedit null and void, most unfortunately.

But, as said, those issues are rather personal tastes and, presently, this version of 'The Last Jedi' is my "go-to" one. But, I fear that it can only remain so, until Episode IX is a reality. The film still suffers from terribly egregious moments, but these are built into it by the poor and careless storytelling that the original cut incorporated and there's nothing that DonKamillo could have done about that.

Elsewhere, the video quality was excellent and I noticed very little in the way of blocking or banding and the editing was well handled for the most part. The audio is good, by and large, but at times did sound a bit more crunchier in certain places than my original Blu, as if it was slightly overloaded. But that's a minor issue really.

On the whole, though, it's a very enjoyable version of 'The Last Jedi' and a commendable piece of editing work.