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- Star Wars - Return of the Jedi: Possessed
Star Wars - Return of the Jedi: Possessed
Updated
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1983
Original Running Time:
134
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
115
Time Cut:
19
Available in HD?
Additional Links:
Brief Synopsis:
Return of the Jedi: Possessed is edited to be closer in tone and pacing to the classic Episodes IV and V. The story beats and plot are all the same, but it is less silly, campy, and cheesy.
Intention:
I have wanted, and attempted to make this edit, for over a decade. I finally decided to go for it. Basically, I was never satisfied with Return of the Jedi as the conclusion to the trilogy. It was frustrating, because I felt it had the potential to be truly great, but that all the greatness was bogged down by unnecessary campiness and cheese. I didn't want to make the film too dark or joyless, I just wanted all of the things that were distractingly silly to be cut away. Taking great inspiration from the famous edit Attack of the Phantom, I decided to try to make Return of the Jedi as great as it deserves to be by cutting away the elements that were holding it back.
Special Thanks:
Telecine7 for re animating the lightsabers and blaster shots
ChainsawAsh for creating the cover art
Collipso for helping me screen it
ChainsawAsh for creating the cover art
Collipso for helping me screen it
Release Information:
- Digital
- Blu-Ray
Special Features
Various documentaries and features are on the Blu-Ray release, as well as interviews.
Cuts and Additions:
Basic cutlist, though incomplete:
*All lightsaber blades and blaster shots are reanimated, as well as a few VFX enhancements courtesy of Telecine7.
*Very light color regrade.
*Salacious Crumb no longer has any cutaways or close ups of him laughing at the character. You can still see him in the background and hear him laughing with the crowd a few times.
*Many cuts and rearranging of footage for the entire Jabba's Palace portion of the film to make it less silly, and conceal some of the bad muppet looking creatures.
*The Sail Barge battle is completely re edited. It is more intense now.
*Rebel briefing scene edited heavily to remove campiness.
*Han and Lando's scene together removed. I hated to do this because it was their only scene together, but it just wasn't a good scene.
*Heavy trims to the scenes aboard the stolen shuttle.
*Leia's scene where Wickett discovers her removed. Her appearance is a surprise to the audience as well as Luke and Han.
*Many trims to the ewoks and endor as a whole, especially the battle, to be less campy, silly, and make the ewoks more menacing and less cutesy.
*Various trims throughout the entire film to improve tone and momentum, but I was very careful not to make the pacing too fast.
*A few new surprises.
*All lightsaber blades and blaster shots are reanimated, as well as a few VFX enhancements courtesy of Telecine7.
*Very light color regrade.
*Salacious Crumb no longer has any cutaways or close ups of him laughing at the character. You can still see him in the background and hear him laughing with the crowd a few times.
*Many cuts and rearranging of footage for the entire Jabba's Palace portion of the film to make it less silly, and conceal some of the bad muppet looking creatures.
*The Sail Barge battle is completely re edited. It is more intense now.
*Rebel briefing scene edited heavily to remove campiness.
*Han and Lando's scene together removed. I hated to do this because it was their only scene together, but it just wasn't a good scene.
*Heavy trims to the scenes aboard the stolen shuttle.
*Leia's scene where Wickett discovers her removed. Her appearance is a surprise to the audience as well as Luke and Han.
*Many trims to the ewoks and endor as a whole, especially the battle, to be less campy, silly, and make the ewoks more menacing and less cutesy.
*Various trims throughout the entire film to improve tone and momentum, but I was very careful not to make the pacing too fast.
*A few new surprises.
User reviews
7 reviews
Overall rating
9.3
Audio/Video Quality
9.3(7)
Audio Editing
9.4(7)
Visual Editing
9.7(7)
Narrative
9.3(7)
Enjoyment
8.6(7)
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Overall rating
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
9.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
9.0
This was a great, subtle edit of Return of the Jedi. I was thinking of revisiting my old ROTJ edit, but there's no need now, as this is far better.
Most of the changes aren't very noticeable and may take you by surprise. Overall, you can just feel that the pacing is better, that the tory is working more. It's a very clever edit and I feel it's an improvement over the original.
My only nitpick is that a few shots with some SE CGI still remain, one noticeably in Jabba's Palace. I'd personally try to remove every trace of modern CGI except possibly the planet montage at the end. For some reason, that feels like it fits.
Most of the changes aren't very noticeable and may take you by surprise. Overall, you can just feel that the pacing is better, that the tory is working more. It's a very clever edit and I feel it's an improvement over the original.
My only nitpick is that a few shots with some SE CGI still remain, one noticeably in Jabba's Palace. I'd personally try to remove every trace of modern CGI except possibly the planet montage at the end. For some reason, that feels like it fits.
S
Overall rating
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
9.0
Possessed's edits are seamless and effective. Technical quality is top notch, both audio and visual. Even if one might personally have different things they'd keep or change to ROTJ, it's hard to argue that this isn't a better version of the film. If you're looking for a quality Special Edition of the film without all the trash in the official version, look no further.
D
Overall rating
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
9.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
9.0
Terrific.
The editing is excellent, the cutlist is inventive and the pacing is just perfect.
A few scenes lack definition but the colors are the best I've seen in ROTJ, especially on Endor.
Great job on the disc image as well.
Best Return of the Jedi fanedit out there.
Thank you once again Possessed for the great work!
The editing is excellent, the cutlist is inventive and the pacing is just perfect.
A few scenes lack definition but the colors are the best I've seen in ROTJ, especially on Endor.
Great job on the disc image as well.
Best Return of the Jedi fanedit out there.
Thank you once again Possessed for the great work!
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Blu-Ray
T
(Updated: July 25, 2021)
Overall rating
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
8.0
The editing is technically flawless. Anyone watching the film for the first time would not notice any irregularities. As a repeat watcher, I can't call it perfect, but I recognize that there are some disagreements between fans about what moments are 'iconic' and deserve to be in the film.
Anyway, if you want a better version of Return of the Jedi, this cut will fit the bill, and in excellent video quality, too. See it and judge for yourself. This might be your go-to version of the film.
Anyway, if you want a better version of Return of the Jedi, this cut will fit the bill, and in excellent video quality, too. See it and judge for yourself. This might be your go-to version of the film.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
No
Format Watched?
Digital
M
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Curiously, just the day before I truly watched this edit I was talking about how it's nearly impossible for a fan edit to actually replace the original version of a movie to me, and the reason this is curious is because this ended up being one of those occasions. You see, in order for a fan edit to really become my go-to version of a movie, obviously aside from the editing having to be impeccable, one of two things have to happen:
1. It's a movie I don't care about too much.
2. It's mostly trimming the fat and necessarily not wanting to alter the story that is being told at all.
No Star Wars movie would ever fall under that first category, so the second one it is. Most Star Wars edits have impeccable editing but don’t tell the same story, simply by the nature of fan editing. But Possessed's masterpiece definitely does both. Before this edit I held darthrush's excellent 'Remastered' edit to the highest regard when it came to Return of the Jedi, but it has been surpassed in just about every way by this - be it in picture quality (Possessed is presented in 1080p, Remastered only in 720p), audio quality (Remastered's mix had a few small issues, while Possessed has a fantastic Dolby Surround mix throughout) or just the trims themselves. For example, Possessed eliminated merely 5 or so minutes from the opening sequence in Jabba's palace and it feels like I dropped the weight of a truck while watching that part. The movie no longer drags and as a result it more naturally flows from the previously disconnected acts 1 and 2 a lot better.
Being more specific, Possessed made incredibly clever cuts be it to poorly timed humor from the droids throughout, the insufferable little annoying creature at Jabba's Palace, or just rearranging shots really creatively like in the Alliance briefing or the Boushh negotiation. The audio utilizes the excellent 1997 mix as the base, but Possessed blends elements from the 1983 six track and stereo mixes very well too, like in the Dagobah scene between Luke and Ben, where the score improves the weight of the scene.
And since the edit changes nothing narratively from the original movie there's virtually *nothing* here that will be missed in any way, shape or form. Nothing for you to scratch your head with, or wonder where it went. If you haven't seen the movie in a while or don't have all the details printed in your brain I'll confidently say you won't tell there's anything missing, you'll just feel a much bigger punch from just about anything the movie throws at you, and be carried from one part of the story to another much more lightly and easily. An excellent fan edit, and one that I will be watching in place of the original whenever not looking for the original unaltered experience for the foreseeable future.
1. It's a movie I don't care about too much.
2. It's mostly trimming the fat and necessarily not wanting to alter the story that is being told at all.
No Star Wars movie would ever fall under that first category, so the second one it is. Most Star Wars edits have impeccable editing but don’t tell the same story, simply by the nature of fan editing. But Possessed's masterpiece definitely does both. Before this edit I held darthrush's excellent 'Remastered' edit to the highest regard when it came to Return of the Jedi, but it has been surpassed in just about every way by this - be it in picture quality (Possessed is presented in 1080p, Remastered only in 720p), audio quality (Remastered's mix had a few small issues, while Possessed has a fantastic Dolby Surround mix throughout) or just the trims themselves. For example, Possessed eliminated merely 5 or so minutes from the opening sequence in Jabba's palace and it feels like I dropped the weight of a truck while watching that part. The movie no longer drags and as a result it more naturally flows from the previously disconnected acts 1 and 2 a lot better.
Being more specific, Possessed made incredibly clever cuts be it to poorly timed humor from the droids throughout, the insufferable little annoying creature at Jabba's Palace, or just rearranging shots really creatively like in the Alliance briefing or the Boushh negotiation. The audio utilizes the excellent 1997 mix as the base, but Possessed blends elements from the 1983 six track and stereo mixes very well too, like in the Dagobah scene between Luke and Ben, where the score improves the weight of the scene.
And since the edit changes nothing narratively from the original movie there's virtually *nothing* here that will be missed in any way, shape or form. Nothing for you to scratch your head with, or wonder where it went. If you haven't seen the movie in a while or don't have all the details printed in your brain I'll confidently say you won't tell there's anything missing, you'll just feel a much bigger punch from just about anything the movie throws at you, and be carried from one part of the story to another much more lightly and easily. An excellent fan edit, and one that I will be watching in place of the original whenever not looking for the original unaltered experience for the foreseeable future.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
C