I love every change you’re planning on making except the fact that Yoda and the Emperor won’t be fighting.
I just don’t agree with people’s justifications for removing this like that “Yoda is mystical and doesn’t fight.” or “Yoda is too old.”.
My feeling is that he has this one chance to end the empire and the sith forever. So he feels it is his duty (as one of the few remaining Jedi) to try and defeat the Emperor even if the effort kills him.
Now I agree the fight on Mustafar should be completely focused on Anakin and Obi-Wan without cutting between the two fights. One solution I have seen other fan-editors use is to make them two separate fights with the Mustafar landing pad scene acting as a breather in between them.
This just my opinion and don’t take this as criticism of your edit. It’s shaping up to be my fave edit of ROTS.
Keep up the good work. 👍🏻
I do agree with that reading of Yoda’s character, especially in the context of TCW, where I obviously don’t mind a lot of things like that and Obi Wan knowing R2 and stuff. I also like the somewhat symbolic imagery of watching the Senate hall literally being broken down and torn apart in this scene - really kind of signifies the end of this era.
My problem with it is that it kind of breaks the flow of things, specifically emotionally - and when it comes down to it, it is just another action scene. We go beat to beat to beat of Obi Wan and Padme finding out about Vader, to them both wanting to personally confront Anakin, and I’d rather have that play out the whole way through. The Yoda/Emperor thing is just so divorced from everything else, because they were never our perspective in the rest of the film: that’s Anakin, Padme, and Obi Wan. Yoda especially doesn’t do much in the movie. The main question I had to ask myself was what would be added to the story of the Empire’s rise from A/P/O’s perspectives by watching Yoda lose to Palpatine? It really is just another fight scene, one that distracts from the main plot and emotions. I’m not saying he wouldn’t have wanted to do something, but I can’t have him do something at the expense of what should be the focus. Yoda was never a focal point of the movie - besides the Order 66 scene - it’s distracting to have him share the climactic spotlight with Anakin and Obi Wan, even if it plays out before Anakin and Obi Wan duel.
Besides, it’s not like Yoda is being a coward. He even says “Until the time is right” later, so he’s being pragmatic about what they can do here and now. I know the idea is that he only learns to be like that because of his loss to Palpatine, but it’s just unnecessary. Idk, I’d have liked to keep in, but it doesn’t do much for my cut.