Sorry, but I feel like it’s too late for us to change our minds about the new Tatooine shot. It’s an edit that was first thought of months ago. The hard work of two amazing VFX people on here was used to make the shot, and in my opinion it really improves the movie by removing any doubts about whether Rey is going to stay on Tatooine. It also gives the saga an ending that fits the adventure spirit of the western movies it’s based on, with the heroes riding off into the sunset in the last shot of the movie. I’d hate to see it removed, since it’s one of my favorite changes in this version.
Thanks for your perspective. I do get the western motif, it’s neat. I simply feel that the original ending shot is superior in terms of aesthetics and tone. I’d like to find out if others here feel similarly and I think it is a discussion worth having. Maybe you’ve all had this exact conversation before and in that case I apologize as I don’t want to belabor the point.
Trust me, even though I’ve never done any real 3D modelling/animation, there was enough camerawork, editing an 2D animation that I can relate to all of the hard work that must have gone into these few seconds. But I’ve also had situations in which I had put countless hours into making something work and then coming to the realization that it would be better to do it all over or to cut it completely.
Of course it’s always possible for someone to make an alternate version.