Star Wars - Episode II: The Republic Divided

Recently I decided to revisit the Star Wars prequels again, after a good 2 or 3 years of having not watched them. However, I knew that I wouldn’t want to watch the theatrical cuts again, so I thought I’d give L8Wrtr’s prequel trilogy another watch.

Of all the prequels, Attack of the Clones is probably the film I have the most problem watching. The theatrical cut is full of terribly written dialogue which makes the love story between Anakain and Padme a complete failure, plus Lucas’ handling of the teenage Anakin is clumsy at best and he comes across as unlikeable and basically a pain in the ass.

L8wrtr’s fanedited version is a complete revelation , it really is. Not only does he somehow manage to make the romance between Anakin and Padme more natural and almost believable, he also manages to bring out more from Hayden Christensen’s performance. More is indeed less when it came to the dialogue that he had to deliver, so the fanediting here is quite sublime and adds considerable weight to the characters and their plight.

There are so many intricate nips and tucks here that it’s impossible to mention them all, but basically trimming down the action sequences and excising needless plot exposition are two of the key factors here. The story is still convoluted, but is far easier to follow and appreciate than it was in the theatrical cut. Plus, the droid factory sequence is hugely improved and as for the Yoda/Dooku scene – that now works a treat and feels more natural.

The only real downside here is just one edit which involves Padme and Anakin when they are looking longingly into each other’s eyes in front of the fire… it’s so quick that the scene just doesn’t work and in my humble opinion should have been removed altogether. Such as shame, as the rest of the edit is basically perfect.

The Republic Divided is an excellent fanediting achievement though and is the only way I like to watch Episode II now. Great work L8wrtr.

This is a close 2nd for my go to Episode II edit, although I may have to watch Hal9000's again to be sure.

Quality was good, but not quite as good as I'd expect for a blu ray, though still better than dvd. Some other edits just seem crisper.

Editing was top notch bar a couple of things. At the start of the film there were a few odd issues that I noted:

- Strange green lines flash just after disclaimer
- 20th Century Fox logo flashes just after L8wrtr logo
- Backdrop for open Star wars logo is very pixelated
- A ghost of the starting crawl flashes up at around 2:27 (blink and you'll miss it)

Other than that there was just one jarring transition - the very short scene with Anakin and Padme in the fire lit lounge.

On a personal level I missed the action sequence between Jango and Obi-Wan, Padme shouldn't say "... Truly, deeply..." and the droid factory is a visual abomination.

Narrative seemed more cohesive than in most edits, though due to the source material it can never be perfect.

Overall, highly enjoyable. Something L8wrtr nails with this and Phantom Menace is pacing. Both are mercifully short without there being anything particularly noticeable missing. The films just plod along in a very entertaining manner despite the absence of an interesting plot and before you know it they're over - and you feel relatively satisfied.

Good stuff. Now, onto Episode III...

There's little else I can add that hasn't all ready been said, the original movie was really awful but this edit vastly improves matters. Perhaps the only thing I'd like to have seen would've been the inclusion of the Anakin and Padme trial. It's a short scene and would have provided a nice bridge between the Padme, Dooku negotiation and the kiss scene. In saying that though this is definitely my favourite version.

A review of the SL DVD release.

This is my go to Episode 2! Thankyou L8wrtr. I'm listening to the audio commentary right now!

A couple little nitpicks a other than that it's perfect, well for me anyway.

- A faded upside-down "crawl" appears flash frame
- I felt "He hired me on Kamino" subtitle could of been on screen a little longer
- Little audio hiccups, such as sounds from cut scenes and music being noticeably faded or cut.

I can't wait to download the Blu Ray and you're other Star Wars releases.

this is the best in L8 edits of the Star Wars prequels greatly improving the original. Anakin is less of a sulking teenager and a lot more likeable. the deleted scenes as with EP III are a welcome inclusion as they improve the romance between Anakin and Padame.

as others have said they are some niggling errors that are frustrating. I felt the subtitle to the dying shape shifter (her name I don't know) was too quick, and as another viewer committed a little more detective work by Obi-Wan would have improved the story.

Anakin and Padame seem to know C3-PO rather well considering this character was somewhat shortened in EP 1

the fire place scene really didn't need to be there, without this scenes the balcony scene would have worked as a kind of have they / haven't they slept with one another. as it is it's forcing the issue that they have just slept with one another but it's done in such a clumsy manner

I wondered if the scene between Anakin and Padame after he's returned could have been removed, one of main problems with the prequels is the fact that Padame knows that Anakin is a killer yet she still falls in love with and even marries him. this narrative would have worked well with the viewers knowing what our main character has done while Padame doesn't

the final 30min are fantastic, once again listening to the commentary track you beginning to realise just how much has been cut without ever realizing. bobba fett picking up his dead dad's head would have been a welcome cut.

overall like with all three edits I feel to much has been cut while the other two edits only slightly improved the originals this maybe the version I’ll continue to watch

my original EP II score 6/10
my fanedit EP II score 8/10