LordPlagueis said:
The Hux monologue is a thousand times better than the Hux prank call, which turns a menacing fascist general from The Force Awakens into a bumbling idiot.
I’d prefer if the Hux scene was cut completely. Hux was menacing in TFA, we don’t need to re-establish that.
I thought the "activating magnetic bombardment was a nice touch.
This isn’t Star Trek though, it’s fantasy. Not everything needs an explanation.
I am not against the Finn-Rose subplot, but I hated the Maz Kanata hologram action scene and DJ’s stuttering.
I hated a lot more than that: Rose fangirling over Finn, the wacky casino, the unnecessary war profiteering message, freeing the animals and not freeing the slaves, Phasma returning only to die again, and BB-8 in an AT-ST.
Ivan Ortega’s cut of Finn’s sacrifice was far preferable to the theatrical version. Stopping Finn from sacrificing himself endangered the Resistance and dishonored her sister, who similarly sacrificed herself. Although I prefer edits where an AT-At shoots down Finn, this is an improvement.
Why can’t an AT-AT shoot Finn down? Other edits have shown how easy it is. Including footage of Finn dragging Rose back to base just asks more questions than it answers.
The mention of spies is necessary to explain why Holdo never reveals her secret plan.
No, it isn’t. Poe’s recklessness destroyed half the fleet and got him demoted. That should be enough of a reason why Holdo never tells Poe the plan.
I am surprised anyone would complain about Ackbar replacing Holdo in the hyperspace kamikaze. Holdo never had a character arc: She refuses to reveal her secret plan for no reason and then dies. If an established character sacrifices himself instead, the scene carries a greater emotional weight.
It’s less Holdo’s arc and more Poe’s arc. Holdo is a plot device that teaches Poe not to let his emotions control his actions. If Holdo, a character that Poe thought couldn’t be trusted, sacrifices herself to save the fleet, it emphasizes that lesson. Ackbar taking Holdo’s role in the suicide run is just blatant fanservice that sacrifices storytelling.