7th POST
Okay, onto THE LAST JEDI now…
There’s a WHOLE HEAP of changes and stuff I’d prefer to get rid of throughout this movie someday…so just as J.J. rounds the SEQUEL trilogy off with THE RISE OF SKYWALKER finale, I’ll now describe the BIGGEST alteration I’d prefer to make to THE LAST JEDI for myself…to show how I’d keep Luke dressed in his darker robes THROUGHOUT, and ONLY reveal him wearing his lighter ‘Jedi robes’ near the end of the movie, when he eventually saves the day…WITHOUT him being ‘momentarily tempted’ to kill his nephew, NOR being evasive about it to Rey in any way!
To do this, I’d split up ‘the search for Luke’ differently during the first two movies…and START OFF by ending THE FORCE AWAKENS with Rey and Chewie just BEGINNING to look for him, in the same kind of way that DigModiFicaTion did for his ‘Heir To The Force’ edit. -
…Rey and Chewie prepare to take off -
…as Leia and the rebels watch them leave -
…and the Falcon jumps to lightspeed -
…as Rey and Chewie’s search for Luke BEGINS -
NOTE - I’d prefer to totally discard the original ending of this movie where Rey travelled to the island and found Luke…because he was already dressed in his ‘Jedi robes’ at that point for one thing, which is one of the things I want to eliminate in this entire restructure…and because I found it frustrating that we didn’t get ONE SINGLE WORD out of Luke before the end credits kicked in, as I yearned to hear his voice! So as great as it was to see him again after all those years, I’m content to lose that footage for an ALTERNATIVE introduction to his character at a later point in the SEQUEL trilogy instead.
HOWEVER - I’d include Rey’s journey to ‘Ahch-to’ and some of her initial climb up the island in a restructured version of THE LAST JEDI for myself, to make it look as if her journey to find Luke took LONGER once the Falcon took off…as we anticipate seeing him during that movie instead.
…and we FINISH on a circular ‘iris’ wipe to the end credits music…
(I’ll come to the various OTHER changes I’d prefer to see for THE FORCE AWAKENS another day, by the way)
…and then THE LAST JEDI begins in the usual way -
…and the movie CONTINUES ON until we eventually get to the point where Finn has recovered, as Poe goes over to assist him…and Finn eventually asks “WHERE’S REY?”
…and then we continue on as normal, as dawn breaks on an island which comes into view -
NOTE - At this point, I’d prefer to use the footage from THE FORCE AWAKENS to make it look as if Rey’s journey to ‘Ahch-to’ took LONGER…but rather than join the footage of Rey and Chewie travelling in hyperspace to immediately after the shot of Finn and Poe, I’d prefer to KEEP the atmospheric island shot and music cue which appears at this point above…which would work for me as a kind of precursor of where Rey is headed, before we see it’s location more fully when the Falcon eventually reaches the planet, and heads towards it. -
…and then we CUT* to THE FORCE AWAKENS footage of Rey and Chewie in hyperspace as Rey stares ahead expectantly -
…as the Falcon drops out of hyperspace to reveal the watery planet ‘Ahch-to’ -
…and the Falcon dives down towards the island -
…and then we continue on as normal, as Rey looks back at Chewie and Artoo beside the Falcon -
NOTE - Although the Falcon landing place shots are mismatched between THE FORCE AWAKENS and THE LAST JEDI, I’d prefer to KEEP the shot above to retain the flow of the music at this point, and just ignore the difference by the time we see the Falcon again later on. If it bothered me that much, I would just cut directly to the close-up of Rey below as she begins to climb the island instead, immediately after we see the Falcon reach the island.
…and then we continue on as normal, as Rey begins to climb up the island -
…and we end on this shot from THE FORCE AWAKENS -
NOTE - Rey would normally have reached the stone settlement at this point in THE FORCE AWAKENS, as seen in this shot - CLICK HERE , but I’d prefer to reveal it in this next shot below instead.
…and then we CUT* to this shot from THE LAST JEDI, as the music rises and we see a stone settlement -
…and then we continue on as normal, as Rey reaches the settlement and enters a deserted courtyard surrounded by several stone dwellings -
…where she suddenly hears a scraping sound and looks round -
…and we see a door close shut on a stone dwelling -
…as Rey approaches the door -
…and says “MASTER SKYWALKER?..I’M FROM THE RESISTANCE…YOUR SISTER LEIA SENT ME…” -
…and continues to say “…WE NEED YOUR HELP” -
…as she knocks the door with her staff when there’s no response -
…and then says “HELLO?..” as she looks around -
…and then we continue on as normal, as we see a porg squawking -
…and we end on this shot -
NOTE - I’d discard the next shot of the porgs checking out the lightsaber which appears at this point - CLICK HERE , as well as the shot of Rey picking it up which comes just after - CLICK HERE
…and then we CUT* to Rey contemplating Luke’s lightsaber as she sits near a cliff edge -
NOTE - Rey doesn’t offer Luke his blue lightsaber back in my version, as he’s just not interested in his ‘Jedi’ past, nor her mission, nor in leaving the island throughout her time there…although it could also be imagined that she offered it to him ‘offscreen’, and he just told her to keep it, as he didn’t want it. Either way, she ends up hanging onto it herself.
…and she sees Luke’s X-wing submerged in the sea, and thinks about her next move -
…and then we continue on as normal, as we see some random items inside the dwelling -
…and we hear a ‘knock, knock’ sound as we see hands on a folded ‘Jedi robe’ -
…and then we hear another ‘knock knock’ sound as we finally get our FIRST introduction to Luke Skywalker…who responds “GO AWAY!” -
…as his door suddenly gets smashed in, and Luke turns around -
…as Chewie enters roaring, followed by Rey -
…and Luke says “CHEWIE…WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” -
…as Chewie grunts and we end on this shot -
NOTE - I’d prefer to discard the next shot of Rey saying “HE SAYS YOU’RE COMING BACK WITH US!” which appears at this point, as I’d rather continue Luke and Chewie’s interaction a little, WITHOUT Rey translating.
…and then we CUT* to Luke asking “HOW DID YOU FIND ME?” -
…and then we continue on as normal, as Rey says “LONG STORY, WE’LL TELL YOU ON THE FALCON” -
…and Luke looks at Rey saying “FALCON?..” -
…as Chewie sighs despondently -
…and Rey looks saddened, as Luke says “WAIT…” -
…and he continues to say “…WHERE’S HAN?..”
…and then we continue on as normal, as the first scene featuring Kylo Ren begins -
…and then the movie CONTINUES ON as Luke proves difficult, and Rey fails to convince him to help out several times…until we eventually reach the point where Luke reluctantly agrees to give Rey three lessons, telling her that he WILL teach her the ways of the ‘Jedi’, and why they need to end…and after his FIRST lesson with Rey (where he frustratedly walked off on her because she was easily tempted towards a ‘dark place’, and we discovered that Luke had ‘closed himself off from the Force’) , we later reach a point in the movie where Luke is willing to resume with his SECOND lesson with her…
…as Rey follows him to the top of the island and Luke says “LESSON TWO…”
…as he continues to say “…NOW THAT THEY’RE EXTINCT, THE ‘JEDI’ ARE ROMANTICISED, DEIFIED…IF YOU STRIP AWAY THE MYTH AND LOOK AT THEIR DEEDS…THE LEGACY OF THE ‘JEDI’ IS FAILURE, HYPOCRISY, HUBRIS…”
…and Rey walks towards him saying “THAT’S NOT TRUE!”
…as Luke continues to say “…AT THE HEIGHT OF THEIR POWERS THEY ALLOWED DARTH SIDIOUS TO RISE, CREATE THE EMPIRE, AND WIPE THEM OUT…IT WAS A ‘JEDI MASTER’ WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TRAINING AND CREATION OF DARTH VADER…”
…and Rey says “…AND A ‘JEDI’ WHO SAVED HIM…”, as she sits down beside Luke and continues to say “…YES, THE MOST HATED MAN IN THE GALAXY, BUT YOU SAW THERE WAS CONFLICT INSIDE HIM…YOU BELIEVED THAT HE WASN’T GONE, THAT HE COULD BE TURNED!”
…as Luke responds “…AND I BECAME A LEGEND…FOR MANY YEARS THERE WAS BALANCE, AND THEN I SAW…‘BEN’…MY NEPHEW…WITH THAT MIGHTY ‘SKYWALKER’ BLOOD…IN MY HUBRIS I THOUGHT I COULD TRAIN HIM, I COULD…PASS ON MY STRENGTHS…‘HAN’ WAS…‘HAN’ ABOUT IT, BUT…LEIA…TRUSTED ME WITH HER SON…I TOOK HIM…AND A DOZEN STUDENTS…AND BEGAN A TRAINING TEMPLE…”
…as he stands up and walks away a little, and continues to say “…BY THE TIME I REALISED I WAS NO MATCH FOR THE DARKNESS RISING IN HIM…”
…and he continues to say “…IT WAS TOO LATE…”
…as Rey quietly asks “WHAT HAPPENED?..” and we end on this shot -
…and then we CUT* to a ‘flashback’ of Kylo asleep, as we hear Luke say “I SENSED IT BUILDING IN HIM…” -
…and his voice continues to say “…I’D SEEN IT IN MOMENTS DURING HIS TRAINING…BUT THEN I LOOKED INSIDE…”
…as his voice continues to say “…AND IT WAS BEYOND WHAT I EVER IMAGINED…”
…and we hear the sound of lightsabers and anguished cries, as Luke quickly pulls his hand back in shock, and his voice continues to say “…SNOKE HAD ALREADY TURNED HIS HEART!..”
…and we end on this shot -
…and then we CUT* to the exterior shot of the training temple, as Luke’s voice continues to say “…I WENT TO CONFRONT HIM…AND HE TURNED ON ME…” -
…and then we continue on as normal, as Luke yells “…BEN…NO!..” and Kylo uses the ‘Force’ to bring the building crashing down on top of him -
…and in the blackness, we hear Luke’s voice say “HE MUST HAVE THOUGHT I WAS DEAD…” -
…as we see Luke’s metal hand rises out of the burning rubble, and his voice continues to say “…WHEN I CAME TO…” -
…as Luke staggers to kneel beside Artoo in front of a scene of devastation and dead bodies, as his voice continues to say “…THE TEMPLE WAS BURNING…HE HAD VANISHED WITH A HANDFUL OF MY STUDENTS…AND SLAUGHTERED THE REST…LEIA BLAMED SNOKE…BUT…IT WAS ME…I FAILED…” -
…and then we continue on as normal, as we revert back to Luke ruefully continuing to tell Rey “…BECAUSE I WAS LUKE SKYWALKER…JEDI MASTER…” -
…and he continues to say “…A LEGEND…”
NOTE - So that’s the SINGLE version of the ‘flashback’ I’d prefer to see Luke relay to Rey at this point, which tells the whole truth from the start, without any evasiveness on Luke’s part…as I’d much rather that he DIDN’T contemplate killing his nephew with his lightsaber there-and-then as he slept…even for a ‘moment’, thanks!
…as Rey says “THE GALAXY MAY NEED A LEGEND…I NEED SOMEONE…TO SHOW ME MY PLACE IN ALL THIS…” -
…and Luke listens silently -
…as Rey stands up saying “…AND YOU DIDN’T FAIL KYLO…” -
…and she continues to say “…KYLO FAILED YOU…I WON’T!”
…as Luke continues to listen silently -
…and we return to Rey once again -
**…and then I’d definitely prefer to continue on with the DELETED ‘Third Lesson/Caretaker Village’ sequence at this point, except with a couple of minor alterations which I’ll come to shortly.
Here’s the best clip I could find of it for the sake of showing it** -
Third Lesson/Caretaker Village clip - CLICK HERE
NOTE - I really like this scene a LOT overall, and would absolutely want it in my version of the movie…as I want Rey’s final words in it to be the catalyst which finally brings Luke around…NOT Yoda’s intervention, which I’m discarding anyway…because I don’t want Luke to be wearing his ‘Jedi robes’ at that point yet…but also because I really dislike the fact that Yoda’s ‘Forceghost’ had the ability to powerfully control a lightning bolt in the ‘living’ world to destroy the tree!
So here’s the ALTERATIONS I’d like to make to the Third Lesson/Caretaker Village scene -
1. I’d discard the unfinished shot of Rey running on the beach in the distance…and would join the end of the footage where she’s running with Luke’s blue lightsaber in close-up, directly to where she starts to run up stone steps towards the entrance instead, which should work fine enough in motion for me.
2. I happen to really like the look of the Caretaker Village set where Rey and Luke talk, but I’d discard the unfinished shot where Rey walks away from him, as the sea etc. doesn’t match the earlier view…and would join from the end of where Rey has turned her back to leave after exasperatedly telling him “I UNDERSTAND THAT ACROSS THE GALAXY OUR REAL FRIENDS ARE REALLY DYING!..THAT OLD LEGEND OF LUKE SKYWALKER THAT YOU HATE SO MUCH, I BELIEVED IN IT!..I WAS WRONG!”, directly to the final close-up of Luke’s face instead.
It’s at this point that I’d prefer to have Rey give up trying to convince Luke to leave the island with her, as she’s totally disillusioned with him now…WITHOUT any further lying ‘relevations’ from Kylo, or ‘hand-touching’ with Kylo, or confrontation with Luke, all of which I’d prefer to discard.
…so after a disillusioned Rey has given Luke a piece of her mind and walked off, we then see a close-up of Luke’s humbled reaction, and we end on that shot…
…and then we CUT* back to green laserbolts being fired, as we CONTINUE ON with the ‘space chase’ which appears at this point in existing movie -
…and then we continue on as normal from here, as Hux destroys the rebel’s helpless medical frigate…and we eventually conclude the ‘Canto Bight mission’, as we see several fathiers look up at the night sky as the 'codebreaker’s stolen ship flies off to safety -
NOTE - I’d certainly prefer to include the Canto Bight ‘side-mission’, rather than try to discard it, as I want to show how the friendship builds between Rose and Finn…and I’m guessing it’s likely to be expanded upon a lot more in THE RISE OF SKYWALKER anyway…but I’ve got a shortened, heavily-tweaked version of it in mind, which I’ll eventually cover here sometime too.
…and then we continue on as normal, as the scene ‘transition wipes’ to the island at night -
…and we end on this shot -
NOTE - Luke would normally come out of the shadows to rejoin with the ‘Force’ at this point in the existing movie…but I’d prefer to DELAY that moment until a bit later for myself.
…and then we CUT* to a very disillusioned Rey walking away, until she suddenly stops -
…and we end on this shot -
I’m discarding the entire scene of Rey getting into a ‘Force-connection’ conversation with Kylo which appears at this point, so that means two things thankfully…it means I can get rid of ‘topless Kylo’ being told by Rey to cover himself up - CLICK HERE …and also means I can get rid of the image of ‘scary Luke’ attacking him for no reason in his lying version of the ‘flashback’ too - CLICK HERE
This next cut is one of my favourites…because if I never have to watch those particular scenes again, it will be too soon!
…and then we CUT* to a tearful Rey deciding to TURN AROUND and head off in another direction -
…and then we continue on as normal, as Rey approaches the ‘dark place’ she felt in her unsuccessful first lesson with Luke -
…and she jumps down towards the ominous hole -
…as she walks to the edge of it, and kneels down to look inside -
…as she looks closer into the hole -
…and is suddenly sucked into it -
…as she plunges into the water below -
…and then scambles ashore in the cavern -
…as she finds herself facing a mirrored surface, and walks towards it to see several duplicates of herself -
…as she touches her reflection -
…and finds herself on the other side of it -
…as she turns to see the illusion of many duplicates of herself stretching into the distance -
…and we end on this shot -
NOTE - I like this variation of when Luke went into the ‘dark place’ on Dagobah in RETURN OF THE JEDI, as it comes across as quite creepy overall…but I’d prefer that it didn’t go on for SO LONG…so I’d discard the shots of Rey twisting her hand around which appear at this point…as well as all the finger-snapping shots and speeded-up multiple shots of her too, which I’m not keen on either…which means that I can also get rid of Rey’s voice (in another ‘Force-talk’ with Kylo it turned out) saying “I SHOULD HAVE FELT TRAPPED OR PANICKED…BUT I DIDN’T…IT DIDN’T GO ON FOREVER, I KNEW IT WAS LEADING SOMEWHERE…THAT AT THE END IT WOULD SHOW WHAT I CAME TO SEE…”, seeing as I don’t want her to be ‘Force-talking’ to Kylo at this point in the movie.
…and then we CUT* to Rey clenching her fist -
…and then we continue on as normal, as Rey approaches the mirrored surface again -
…and reaches out to touch it -
…as she whispers “LET ME SEE THEM…”
…and she continues to whisper “…MY PARENTS…”
…as she continues to whisper “PLEASE…”
…and two shadows appear in the mirror, while Rey watches intently-
…as the two shadows approach and meld into one -
…as the shadow turns out to be a reflection of Rey -
…and she drops to her knees in deep disappointment -
…as she says “I THOUGHT I’D FIND ANSWERS HERE…I WAS WRONG…”
…and we end on this shot -
NOTE - I’d discard the entire scene of Rey ‘Force-talking’ to Kylo and touching hands as Luke interrupts which appears at this point - CLICK HERE , and I’d ALSO get rid of the entire scene where she confronts Luke just afterwards - CLICK HERE
…and then we CUT* to the Falcon taking off as Rey decides to leave the island, and Luke watches from afar -
…as Luke turns away -
…and then we continue on as normal, as the island comes into view -
…and we end on this shot at the point where the wind whistles and there’s a brief lull in the music cue that plays -
NOTE - I’d definately discard the entire scene of Luke meeting up with Yoda which appears at this point - CLICK HERE, as I don’t want to see Luke wearing his ‘Jedi robes’ yet…but also because I’d rather he resolved to ‘rejoin’ with the ‘Force’ and help out the rebellion on his OWN accord, with Rey as the catalyst…WITHOUT having to be prompted into it by Yoda’s musings…and ALSO because I really dislike the fact that Yoda;s ‘Forceghost’ was shown to be able to powerfully affect the ‘living’ world by controlling lightning to strike the tree!
ADDITIONALLY - I’m not going to feel bad about losing him in this, as I’m guessing that he’ll make another brief appearance of some sort in THE RISE OF SKYWALKER anyway!
…and then we CUT* to Luke appearing out of the shadows into the moonlight, as the wind whistles -
…as he finally decides to ‘rejoin’ with the ‘Force’ -
…and we see Leia’s brain activity start to fluctuate -
…as Luke continues to concentrate -
…and Leia’s ‘Force-connection’ response to him continues as she whispers “Luke…”
…and Luke’s eyes open suddenly as he whispers “Leia!..”
…and we end on this shot -
…and then we CUT* to the 'codebreaker’s stolen ship flying in hyperspace -
…as Rose and Finn make their way back to continue their mission -
…and the movie CONTINUES ON from here, until we eventually reach the point where Luke has decided to get involved…as he appears as an ‘Force’-connected ‘astral projection’ of his younger self…complete with an ‘astral projected’ BLUE lightsaber…
…and saves the day by distracting Kylo long enough to give Leia and all the other rebels a chance to escape…
…as we see that Luke has FINALLY embraced his ‘inner Jedi’, and chosen to put on the ‘Jedi robes’ from his stone dwelling for this supreme effort…
…as the movie CONTINUES ON from here, and the rebels find a way out of the Crait base, as the exertion of Luke’s ‘astral projection’ over such a great distance ends up killing him…and he becomes ‘one with the Force’…
So Luke unfortunately ‘passes on’ thanks to Kylo…and I’m intending to describe the way I’d prefer to restructure the likes of the Crait battle and Luke’s whole ‘projection’ encounter with Kylo leading right up to his death, when I have more time another day.
But in the meantime, I’ll finish this off by showing how I’d prefer to alter the VERY END of the movie for myself too -
…Kylo and his troops appear, and search the rebel base -
…as Kylo kneels down in the rebel control room when he sees something -
…and then looks up when his ‘Force-connection’ to Rey suddenly begins to re-establish -
…as Rey looks back silently, and closes the door of the Falcon -
…as Kylo sees his father’s ‘dice’ disappear -
…and we ‘transition wipe’ to the Falcon escaping -
…as it jumps to hyperspace and we end on this shot -
NOTE - I’d prefer to discard some of the shots in the next sequence which appear at this point…such as Poe hugging his alien pal, and then introducing himself to Rey…to allow for a more sombre mood overall when we see Rey at this point…before the hopeful ‘group’ shot eventually appears to cheer things up!
…and then we CUT* to inside the Falcon as C3PO stands beside Artoo who’s whistling -
NOTE - I’d prefer to discard the first half of the shot above where C3PO says “SUCH A FRIEND…”, and just start at the point where we only hear Artoo instead.
…and then we continue on as normal, as Chewie hugs Leia, and she warmly responds “CHEWIE…”
…and we end on this shot -
NOTE - By the way, if I’d chosen to hear C3PO saying his “SUCH A FRIEND…” line, I would have placed him saying it AFTER we see the shot of Chewie hugging Leia instead.
ADDITIONALLY - The shot above always felt like ‘compensation’ for the fact that Chewie and Leia seemed to walk past each other with no acknowledgement near the end of THE FORCE AWAKENS. But I’d discard that shot from my ideal version of THE FORCE AWAKENS anyway, so this moment feels natural since Chewie’s been away quite a while on his mission to find Luke.
…and then we CUT* to Finn rummaging about -
…as he finds a blanket to put over Rose, and Rey looks on -
…as Leia sits down beside Rey -
…and Rey says “LUKE IS GONE…”*
…as she continues to say “…I FELT IT…BUT IT WASN’T SADNESS OR PAIN, IT WAS…PEACE AND PURPOSE…”, and Leia replies “I FELT IT TOO…”, as Rey asks her “HOW DO WE BUILD A REBELLION FROM THIS?..”, and Leia puts her hand on Rey’s, and says “WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED…” -
…as Rey gives a little smile at her reassurance -
…and we get the hopeful ‘group’ shot to cheer us up -
…as we end the movie on the Falcon flying in hyperspace -
NOTE - I’m fine with ending this instalment on the Falcon too, as I definitely don’t want to end things on the ‘broom boy’ scene…because that whole sequence feels more like a full stop to the story, instead of a continuation at this point…and I’d prefer to end things with the regular characters, rather than some random kids.
…and we finish on a circular ‘iris’ wipe to the end credits music…
So that’s that then.
I’ve somehow managed to avoid the majority of trailers and spoilers for THE RISE OF SKYWALKER so far, and will be going to see it over the weekend with a couple of family members. I’m looking forward to hearing John Williams’ final score for the ‘Skywalker saga’, and at this point I’m wondering several things -
1. Will Kylo be ‘turned’ to the ‘light side’, and ‘redeemed’ by the end of the movie? - I hope not…as he’ll certainly get no forgiveness from me for killing off his old dad in the first SEQUEL instalment, and being the cause of Luke’s death in the second instalment too! I’d rather he stayed an irredeemable meanie till the end.
2. Will ‘Forceghosts’ continue to wield amazing power that can affect the ‘living’ world at will? - I hope not…or Yoda might as well just zap Kylo with an electric bolt from the heavens whenever it suits him.
3. Will Leia’s previous footage be integrated in a manner which works well? - I really hope so.
4. Will Luke get some decent scenes as a ‘Forceghost’ in this? - Again, I really hope so.
5. Will we see a heap of certain ‘Forceghosts’ turn up for a final ‘group shot’ ending? - I guess I’d be okay with that, depending on how it’s done.
6. Will we finally find out who Rey’s parents were?..and will she be related to the ‘Skywalker’ clan if so? - Hell, I barely care at this point.
7. Will I feel the urge to overhaul a heap of moments throughout this final instalment too? - Probably, and I’m certainly expecting to!
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all, and NEXT UP I’ll go into my proposed NEW OPENING for SOLO sometime in the new year… 😃
EDIT - Well ‘THE RISE OF SKYWALKER’ was released since I made this post, and I’ve decided that the only way to make a more satisfying re-watch of it for myself is to COMBINE a restructured version of it with a restructured version of ‘THE LAST JEDI’ to turn both movies into one ‘mega-movie’ finale to the overall ‘Skywalker’ saga - where Rey DOESN’T declare that she’s a ‘Skywalker’ right at the end - because it’s going to be one lengthy ‘combined’ movie now, with only the ‘THE LAST JEDI’ title and scroll wording at the start.