Star Wars - Return of the Jedi: Possessed

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.

This was very nice work. I enjoyed most of the changes here. Much faster pace, less Ewok cheese, I loved almost everything about it. There was however one change that I did not agree with, that is what took my enjoyment down to an 8. I won't say it here and spoil it for others. Other than that one thing, and it is just personal preference, this was a great edit.

It was a really good edit, with some especially nice ideas, which I won't spoil here. And I just love the remade lasers and lightsabers, which give a more modern look to the movie.
My only small problems with it are a couple of scenes where the color correction seemed a little bit off, and some audio transitions which felt a bit odd (but that's maybe because I'm so used to watching these movies that I notice every change).
Overall, an enjoyable edit!