Star Wars: Rebels - Episode I: Spark of Rebellion

Audio/Video Quality: 9
The quality looks very decent but not quite as sharp as I think a 5.5GB, 720p, 98minute, 2.35:1 encode should look IMO.

Visual Editing: 7
The conversion to the classic SW scope aspect-ratio worked a lot better than I thought it would. Overall there were quite a few awkward looking crops but it was worth it for the more "movie" feel. However there are just a few really badly cropped shots where half of people's heads go AWOL (e.g. Ezra at 01.03.56 and Sabine at 01.23.35) that could and should have been dealt with better. This thing needed to be carefully re-framed shot-by-shot, for every single one, which would have been time consuming but nobody said Fanediting had to be rushed.

The actual editing of scenes was close to perfect though. I've watched this show a number of times, but I still was never sure where some of edits had been made to splice episodes together.

Audio Editing: 9
Almost all seamless. I thought the musical transition from the opening crawl to the Star Destroyers sounded a bit rushed but that was one of the only flaws I spotted. Also the ending credits music just ended, bam and sudden silence. It was the end though, so not much harm done there.

Narrative: 8
The blending of the multi-episode material was seamless for the most part. I knew Ezra was a strong through-line but I didn't think it would gel this much. Great job! Clever choice to end on the pull-out shot of Ezra like you did. However there were a few narrative goofs...

00.43.24 - Mentions Ezra and Zeb stealing a Tie. An event that doesn't happen in this edit.
01.24.58 - Mentions Clone Base from events that didn't happen in this edit.
01.30.08 - Maybe I missed it? But is this the very first and only mention of "Fulcrum", right at the end? It's just kinda dropped in there with no explanation.

Enjoyment: 9
I loved this. 'The Force Awakens' aside, this is the closest thing I've seen to a real honest-to-goodness Star Wars movie in feel and tone, since the Original Trilogy. Check this out everyone!

If you've seen one of Smudger9's Clone Wars edits, you know what to expect from HarryBowls' Rebels edit: a fun, well-crafted TV-to-movie edit that occasionally shows its seams. This edit chronicles the growth of Ezra Bridger and the Ghost Crew through the first half of season 1 with all the fluff and saturday morning cartoon antics removed. The general arc of the film worked even if it did feel a bit "episodic" rather than a typical three-act structure. The only reason I don't rank this as highly as Smudger9's edits is because I found the audio editing a bit jarring, with a few segments where the dialogue was removed by the editor and sound effects cut out or the music changed volume. Ultimately though, these instances weren't as frequent or noticeable enough to ruin the experience for me. I do recommend this edit if you want to see what Rebels is about but you're sheepish about committing to the series.

An excellent edit of the uneven first season of Rebels, taking away the lousy humor and uncomfortable moments to leave a much more focused, interesting and fun experience.

The editor found the core of the story, through the force and the rebellion into something much more poignant and complex than originally seen in the unedited episodes.

I wholeheartedly recommend this edit and anxiously await the second part and more future installments.

Wow! What a great edit!
I like this show but thought to much fluff to watch it again.
You have fixed it and I look forward to future episodes. Bravo!

I know this wasn't the editor's intention, but this edit replaces the prequels for me. This concludes my review.

P.S. Seriously, I enjoyed this edit. The story flows as if it were a true Star Wars motion picture. Wookiee thumbs up (that's just how I'm built—don't judge) for trimming superfluous dialogue from the original episodes.

P.P.S. Going into this viewing, I was aware of other reviewers' comments that the cropping was pretty well done but not consistently applied. However, when I watched it, I got into the story and the joy of being in the Star Wars universe and forgot to look out for these flaws. . . and whaddyaknow, I didn't notice anything was amiss. Visually, this is a great-looking edit with a widescreen, cinematic feel.

P.P.P.S. I look forward to more edits by this jeditor.