War of the Stars: A New Hope Grindhoused

I got to hear Obi-Wan Kenobi call Mos Eisley a f---ing s---hole! I recommend this edit!

This edit was a blast! Every single change that TMBTM made to this movie was shocking and hilarious! Be prepared for some unexpected hilarious twists and turns in this grindhouse of the original Star Wars movie. Although I had low hopes going in, the grindhouse video quality and rescoring didn't bother me one bit. Be sure to check out the bonus features as well, they'll be worth your while.

I found this to be a really good use of the Tatooine outtakes as well as using the footage from the TROOPS Fan Film (one of my favorites). The Grindhouse editing made for a very good homogenous look through out the film.

I also very much enjoyed the additional James Earl Jones audio from other movies for Darth Vader. It was a very good fit to the action on the screen and not superfluous in the slightest.

The only two issues I had with the edit was that the subtitles for R2D2 were very inconsistent though out the movie. It was one of the best comedic elements of the film and was sorely missed when it didn't happen for much of the middle of the film. The other issue is there were many missing sound effects in the film. This made some scenes such as the falcon being tractor beamed into the death star fall flat.

The cuts that were made from the original movie were well selected and didn't harm the narrative in anyway. The addition of gore to the film was very entertaining over all. I printed this one to disc and it is on my shelf!

I only wish the film had been edited more. There were moments that were sheer genius, like the binary sunset, Obiwan and the trash compacter, and Biggs's death. I wish there'd have been more fake blood. I also wish the Darth Vader dialogue had been better integrated. And the premise behind Biggs's death should have been taken further, because it was genius. And I literally spat coffee on my computer screen from laughing too hard when the song from the Christmas Special began. Overall, it was really fun. Can't wait to watch the next one (which is downloading right now).

Audio/Video Quality: The video quality is intentionally bad in most places, and unintentionally bad in others. This is a limitation of the source material in some cases, and an artistic decision in other cases. The point is for it to look bad, and it succeeds.


Visual Editing: The visual editing is quite good. New effects have been added, blood spurts and things of that nature have been integrated, it's great. At one point the "film" burns through the projector and we have a (monty python-esque) moment where the projectionist has to restart the footage. [This leaves a small hole in the narrative, and prevents an otherwise impossibly awkward transition. Think of it the same way you think of the "Missing Reels" in Tarantino's Grindhouse.]
Audio Editing: Some of Vader's lines feel very out of place. This works because of the style of the edit. Accept it, move along. None of the overdubbing is distracting enough to prevent you from enjoying the film.
Narrative: This is where this particular film wins. Telling a new story in the star wars universe is a feat in and of itself. Telling that story using only footage from the original films (and deleted scenes and fan films) brings us another level of skill.

The fact that the new story works so well, and is (probably) closer to what Star Wars would have been if George had cared a little less, is really impressive.

Enjoyment:I loved the movie. I love this nature of edit. TMBTM has taken his source material, flipped it on it's head and created something new and other. I want to see more people take this approach (not, necessarily, the grindhouse, but the telling of a new story rather than "fixing" problems with the old story.)

There aren't many people in the world who wouldn't benefit from seeing this film. I've personally watched it three times this month, and it grows in impact, rather than shrinking.

The premise, that The War of the Stars is just another spaghetti space opera, is beautiful. The editing is beautiful. The ending is a bit of a twist, and all the better for it.

This edit is certainly one of my favorites, and really not just one of my favorite edits but one of my favorite films of any kind. The only thing that really beats it to the top (well, aside from Doc Savage:Detartnished) is its sequel.(That's right, there's a War of the Stars part II, and it's even better.)