Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith: Rebalanced

This cut of Revenge of the Sith is a happy medium between the original theatrical cut of the film and Hal9000's revisionist cut, with two major differences from both: the removal of the 'chosen one' narrative from the film, and the removal of the 'Franken-Vader' scene. If you consider the Yoda/Sidious battle integral to the film's climax, you get it here, and with an improved cut of the film to boot. Great quality, too.

Highly recommended to theatrical purists! This might be the fan edit you're looking for!

I disagree with the edit on principle, which is why enjoyment and narrative are relatively low here. It's technically perfect, and if you want the different motivations for Anakin, this is as good as it gets. It's not for me, but if you're unhappy with theatrical ROTS, I'd definitely recommend.

After watching Hal9000's fantastic edits of Episodes I & II, I finally was able to conclude a prequel marathon that I thoroughly enjoyed with Siliconmaster's masterful edit of Episode III!

I have not seen many Episode III fanedits, as I would always give up after disappointing experiences with I & II, but Hal9000's edits of I & II changed that. Seeing what Hal9000 accomplished in I & II without significant restructuring or too much cutting, I decided to go with Siliconmaster's edit of III as it seemed to be even lighter on the changes and cuts, and I feel III is the strongest of the prequels in its original form. Now even stronger, as the best elements have been reinforced and strengthened (the characterization and motivation of Anakin in particular).

There may have been a transition or two where I noticed a cut, though nothing memorable enough to detract from the experience. So insignificant, in fact, that it may have just been my knowledge of the original made me notice them at all. In any case, this edit was of the highest quality and only gets a point off for enjoyment due to personal preference concerning 1 or 2 brief scenes that I personally would remove if I had these editing skills.

As with Hal9000's Episodes I & II, Siliconmaster has elevated this film (and the prequel trilogy) to a place I never though possible: a worthy companion to the original trilogy!

This will not be a long review. Loved it. Was more mature IMO, darker in a sense. Some scenes were really short, but the fault comes from the original movie. So... thanks to the editor ! Good work !

I always liked the "Revenge of the Sith" and Hayden Christensen's Anakin always worked for me (in the "attack of the Clones," too). Sure, there were some quibbles with ROTS. The slapstick was not great, nor were the Jar-Jar cameos, but these were not a deal-breaker. It was, I felt and still feel, the best of the PT movies.

For me the problem in ROTS was not Anakin, or Padme, or Palpatine, or Jar-Jar. It was always the Jedi Council, as it waffled and whinged and seemed unable to see what was going on in front of its collective nose, leaping off to far-flung star systems at the drop of a hat, while ignoring the threat across town and the Sith Lord who pops in for chats. To be fair, this problem did not start in ROTS, but it seemed more starkly obvious in the context of the ROTS narrative, which exuded dread and doom. It's hard, reading the script again, to find exactly the exact words and moments when this image of the Council emerged. Perhaps it was partly the result of the bloated exposition that dragged the film to a crawl at times. Perhaps it was partly a carry-over from the preceding prequels, where no one seemed to get a sense that Anakin's problems went a lot deeper and were a lot more serious, than a dash of fear and anger. After all, Luke had both in spadefuls, but they did not translate into paranoia, rage, jealousy, massacres, almost strangling a pregnant wife etc. The whole "Chosen One" narrative was never an adequate cover for this ongoing inability to read the situation -- something everyone does at times, but not altogether what you might except of a powerful military-mystical order with thousands of years of experience, an endless war with a dangerous rival, top-ranking military generals and a big dose of precognitive abilities.

Well, this fan-edit nails the problems. It pounds along at a relentless pace, it's clear upfront and from day one that the Jedi know Palpatine is a serious danger and don't trust Anakin, and are actually taking action. There is more silence, more brooding, less spelling everything out in triplicate. Palpatine is more subtle, Anakin is darker from the start, Yoda and the Council are more dynamic, Padme is tragic. The descent of Anakin is more subtle, too: his fears entail far more than the possible loss of his wife and child, his motives likewise are more complicated. Rages and paranoia burst out of him, and are clearly framed as way more than a doting dad-to-be worried about his wife's upcoming labour or someone with a bit of work stress, and passed over for a promotion. His descent includes thinking, really believing, that what he does in the end -- an apprenticeship, a coup, massacres of friends and children and allies -- is necessary but still awful. It is not just a means to an end. This complexity and contradiction, also on display at times in the OT, makes him more than a cartoon villain. He is sincere in his horrors.

Last, the spectacular set-pieces stand out with crisp cutting ... and let me say here, wow, this is a smooth edit, immersive, really just incredible.

What can I say, I loved this version! Miss it at your peril! Now if only I could see the "Sanded Down" AOTC fanedit, which some have called a worthy companion to this masterly job.