Has anyone watched this REDUX CUT of Force Awakens yet?
I have watched it, and wanted to let it settle a bit before giving my thoughts, so here they are:
- The Crawl
Nice summation of the state of the galaxy, it does a better job than TFA in setting the stage. It is a bit wordy however, and the absence of any mention of Luke is strange considering that he is the Macguffin of the movie.
- The Starkiller
This scene works exceptionally well, far better than I would have guessed. I would quibble with including Kylo in the proceedings since at this point I would expect him to still be with Luke.
- Rey
It’s nice to see this scene relatively intact. The transition from the Starkiller devastation to Rey is powerful, and though the 3 year subtitle is necessary it feels un-Star Warsy to me.
- Lor San Tekka
This scene feels so much like an opening scene that I don’t think it works that well anywhere else. It also seems to come out of nowhere after Rey’s introduction. I’ve tried a similar cut in my version, with similar results unfortunately.
- Resistance Deleted Scene
It’s nice to see this back in the movie, but it destroys Leia’s wonderful reveal later on.
- Rey finds BB-8
A bit of an odd transition into the scene, but otherwise good.
- Poe’s Escape
Some cuts to Finn’s dialogue are unfortunately noticeable. I appreciate the direction of making Finn a less goofy everyman, but in so doing the movie loses a bit of character.
- The Falcon Flies Again
The restructuring of the first 30 minutes is quite similar to one I’m using in my version, and think it works well. As far as the musical additions throughout the movie, they often feel unnecessary except in certain scenes such as the first Starkiller Scene and in the Rey/Unkar Plutt scene here. For a moment the movie feels like something out of the Hollywood Golden Age, and I absolutely love it.
- The Rathtars
Cutting all of the Rathtar action is a bit extreme. A lighter touch would have kept some character in the scene while reducing the silly CGI monsters.
- Snoke and Kylo
The decision to keep Kylo’s identity a secret has a serious cost - he’s now little more than a basic villain until the end of the movie. What makes this so strange is that this scene heavily implies that he is the son of Han Solo, so the attempt at mystery will probably fail with most.
- Maz’s Castle
Another excellent musical choice in the 2001 soundtrack, though I think this track would make anything vastly more sinister. The Vader cameo is not needed.
- The Castle Attack
It’s interesting to see another take on this scene without the Hosnian destruction. It works better than I thought to simply cut out the sky-gazing. Saving Poe’s reveal is also interesting, but could go either way.
- Rey’s Escape
Using a telekinesis to escape doesn’t strike me as so different from a mind trick to warrant a change.
- Phasma Sounds the Alarm
I find it fascinating that two faneditors came to apply this same edit. It’s destiny.
- The Dogfight
I just wanted to note the classic X-wing display. It’s fun.
- The Forest Battle
The Vader cameo, again, is not necessary, and takes the focus away from Rey.
- The Ending
That’s…different. I won’t spoil it for anyone who wants to see for themselves, but it definitely changes the entire tone of the movie and makes it feel more like an old-timey serial.
- In Summary
There are a ton of great ideas in this edit, and a few inspired musical choices. Most of the restructuring is in the right direction, and it definitely transforms the movie into something worthy of the watch. Even if it’s a bit unpolished, I enjoyed it 😃