Review Detail

I thoroughly enjoyed the first War of the Stars fanedit, a grindhoused version of Star Wars: A New Hope. An imaginative alternative take on the original film.

This one finishes the original trilogy in a 2 in 1 cut of Empire and Return. It's impressive because it's narratively coherent too. There's some interesting alternate takes on the Vader/Luke reveal, Boba Fett's demise, and others. But overall the story is mostly the same.

While keeping some special effects, deleted scenes, and score changes, it’s ultimately a bit of a disappointment jettisoning much of the surprise and the fun of the original, fully jettisoning the Grindhouse idea. It leaves a mixed bag in terms of overall experience.

It starts off strong with a solid 40 minutes before a long slog and basically watching pieces of Empire and Jedi before ending with a “What If '' alternative universe style ending.

It’s still impressive what’s accomplished here mixing new f/x shots, different shots from the newer prequel films, and creating a brand new ending, it’s just not enough of a change and the deleted scenes aren't enough to make me not wish I was watching the original films.