Star Wars - Rogue One: Where Rebels Dare

This is not my first fan edit of Rogue One - I have seen DigModiFicaTion's Rise of the Rebellion. With that said, this, like DigModiFicaTion's edit, are a lot better than the theatrical cut.

When it comes to this cut by TM2YC, I love how they re-arranged scenes, cut/trimmed lines/scenes. It makes the film more watchable/enjoyable. I also love the crawl. I had no problem with the theatrical cut saying Rogue One and moving on to the story, but with the crawl it add that Star Wars flavour.

I can defiantly see myself watching this edit more than the blu-ray I own.

Thanks, TM2YC for a great edit - can't wait to see what else you come out with!

Pros:
- 3rd act is the best part of the film, and it is mostly intact from the original.

Cons:
- Boring character stories and arcs left intact.
- Saw Gerrera... just his character... ugh!
- The Rebellion/Resistance comes over as a bunch of whiners.

Conclusion:
In my honest opinion, the Fan Edit "The Battle of Scarif" is a better fit for this movie. I just can't get through the first 2 acts of this movie. This is not the fault of the Editor, but of the Creators of the movie itself. The characters are bland and boring, the story is to convenient and nonsensical, and last but not least, this movie didn't need to exist. It's a badly explained plot that just derails the Epic Battle in the final act. The editor did his best to make the movie watchable, and for some it has become just that... watchable. That is not enough for me.

Overview - The Rebel Alliance (without any Bothans), pursues a trail as thin as a spider’s thread.
The Empire has a purported “planet killer,” though a rumor whispers there may be a design flaw.
“Rogue” is better than “Farce Awakens,” but I couldn’t like it. The story was clunky, characters were self-absorbed stiffs, and the script seems to idle for an hour before kicking into overdrive.
Still, I had faith in TM2YC. If anyone could redeem this almost gem, I thought he could.

Video - 1280 X 534p AVC. Editing and rearranging is first rate. I rarely noticed changes, and when I did they definitely seemed to tighten the story, improve the pace, or cut the nonsense. I liked what was done here.

Audio - 448 kbps AC-3. 2 Channel stereo. No subs. Dialogue is murky throughout. Whether on Lah'mu, Jedha or Eadu, conversations are a hit n miss affair. Galen Erso, in particular, is seldom the most clear. Events that occur on Yavin or Scarif, however, are generally well miked.
Being a Star Wars tentpole, 5.1 sound would be particularly welcome. I’ll get back to that.
Neither her nor there, an audio commentary could have useful to aspiring editors, explaining work processes.

Narrative - This is a tremendous improvement! The story is unchanged, though considerably tighter. From the opening crawl to delaying Vader’s arrival, all changes strike me as for the better. I found the original fan-service moments patronizing and applaud any removal. I still see a continuity problem of C3PO and R2D2 chilling on Yavin while the Alliance fleet deploys. When did they board Tantive IV?

Enjoyment - The full file included a cutlist (thanks) as well as alternate scenes (most generous). I really like this edit. A lot. The 2.0 stereo left a lot to be desired. TM2YC is one of the site’s best editors, I am certain this is in his skill sets. Moreover, this is Star Wars. I am watching at home on a large set with surround speakers and sub woofer, not on my phone with earbuds. Improve the audio and this would displace my Disney version of “Rogue One.”