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KENOBI: A STAR WARS STORY [The Radical "Help Me Obi-Wan Kenobi" Cut] — Page 28

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 (Edited)

I watched this without watching the original series. I enjoyed it, with some reservations. Note that I still haven’t looked at the changelist or the original show. I’m reacting to this as if it was actually a Kenobi movie that came out. I loved the opening 10 minutes or so. The rapid cuts and repetition of Ben’s daily routine juxtaposed with his nightmares was terrific. It definitely adds a psychological context to the whole thing.

Once the narrative actually got going, I did feel like there was a lack of “rhythm” to many sections. I could feel the absence of scenes, even if I hadn’t seen the original series. A big contributer to this was the music. Nearly every scene had music and the audio transitions between scenes sometimes feels disjointed as a result. One example was the scene where Ben digs up his lightsaber. We hear the Force theme, then a snippet of the show’s main theme. Then there’s a cut to the kidnappers arriving on Daiyu. This scene has a score that is not very congruent with the previous scene. The result is a feeling that something isn’t quite right. I personally would remove the music from some scenes, just to let them breathe a little.

Many scenes also seemed to be cut (apparently) short, contributing to that lack of rhythm. We switch to different scenes before there’s a natural ending. An example was when the Grand Inquisitor met Reva on Daiyu. That scene ends with the Inquisitor chastising Reva, but it doesn’t feel like the end of the conversation. The following scene has Reva put out a alert for Ben. There doesn’t seem to be a natural connect between both scenes. Another example was the knife scene with the unmasked Jedi. We didn’t seem to reach a natural close before moving on.

There are also gaps in the narrative that contribute to that off feeling. I noticed that Ben seemed to recognize and mourn the death of the Jedi at the start of the film. I don’t remember there being an implication that they knew each other though. The inquisitors had also unmasked him earlier in the movie (and presumably killed him then), so I’m wondering why they did the whole “there’s a Jedi on Tatooine” routine after that. I’m also incredibly confused at how the fake Jedi helps rescue Leia. We hear him through a comm help navigate Ben through an ocean. However, what he’s saying isn’t clear and it isn’t apparent what exactly the plan to rescue Leia is. I’m also not sure where this fortress is. When Obi-Wan is swimming to the fortress, there are shots of someone sitting at a communications desk of some sort. Is it being implied that the fake Jedi is helping Ben from the inside?

One thing that I think would strengthen the narrative is lacing Vader throughout the movie. That way, the narrative is emotionally grounded between two strong forces, Vader and Ben, right from the start. At present, it’s hard to find a emotional core in the Inquisitor narrative until Vader comes in later. The Inquisitors and the initial conflict of the movie feels a bit nebulous for the longest time. At the very least, establishing a small hint of Vader’s presence before Ben leaves Tatooine would spark our interest.

I really enjoyed the final scene and the final music choices made me emotional. I don’t know if that was present in the show, but it just reaffirmed what a vital component of Star Wars John Williams is. Sorry if I sounded overly critical. I hope some of my reactions prove useful. I did enjoy watching this and it’s a monumental undertaking. Congratulations on the release. I’ll now read through your changelist and watch the original show.

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 (Edited)

I’m on holiday, so I’ve not got much time on my hands to respond to reviews either here or in PM’s, but I’m happy to hear a lot of you like the edit. 😃

For those that have mixed feelings or dislike major beats, then this edit simply isn’t for you - and that is fine.

I am very much satisfied and fulfilled with this version, and this is the Kenobi edit for me. If I do a V3 it will be small, minor tweaks that can improve either tone, pacing or inconsistencies. Nothing structure-wise.

Have a great summer, and may the force be with you! 😃 ❤️

Jedit:

Oh, and @tangelo1023, thank you for your review, but I fundamentally disagree with almost everything you point out (except that you were confused about the comm with Haja, I’ll clean that up some more next time)- and that is fine. This edit is just not your cup of tea, and I hope someone else’s is. Thank you for watching it and taking the time, and although we have different views on the editing philosophy and perhaps even tone for a Kenobi film, we sure do share the same passion.

Have a great day, friend, and thank you for your honesty. ❤️

WHAT HAVE I DONE?
The Ancient Lore
Kenobi: A Star Wars Story
Harry Potter Revisited
Game of Thrones Film Edits
Titanic Restructured
… and more.

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Yes, PM’s sent. Sorry for delay. I’m on holiday.

Btw, when I get back home, I’ll render a “Original Structure” Cut without the alternate escape. Some love it, some hate it - so damn it - I’ll have two available.

WHAT HAVE I DONE?
The Ancient Lore
Kenobi: A Star Wars Story
Harry Potter Revisited
Game of Thrones Film Edits
Titanic Restructured
… and more.

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Time

Anjohan said:

Yes, PM’s sent. Sorry for delay. I’m on holiday.

Btw, when I get back home, I’ll render a “Original Structure” Cut without the alternate escape. Some love it, some hate it - so damn it - I’ll have two available.

that makes me very happy to hear. i hope i didn’t come across as overly critical in my post. i think your edit is inspired. although there are other small changes i would personally make, without the alternate escape THIS is the edit i choose to add to my collection.

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Can I get a link to the edit, please?

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PMs sent.

WHAT HAVE I DONE?
The Ancient Lore
Kenobi: A Star Wars Story
Harry Potter Revisited
Game of Thrones Film Edits
Titanic Restructured
… and more.

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Time
 (Edited)

homelyjedi said:

Anjohan said:

Yes, PM’s sent. Sorry for delay. I’m on holiday.

Btw, when I get back home, I’ll render a “Original Structure” Cut without the alternate escape. Some love it, some hate it - so damn it - I’ll have two available.

that makes me very happy to hear. i hope i didn’t come across as overly critical in my post. i think your edit is inspired. although there are other small changes i would personally make, without the alternate escape THIS is the edit i choose to add to my collection.

Absolutely not. Thank you for your honesty. Taste is taste - and making two versions doesn’t cost me many calories, as I simply just have to reinsert an old scene and then move the timeline to fit. The second cut will be even shorter tho, probably going from 2 hours and 14 minutes to 2 hours and 10 minutes or something.

That being said, I’ll remove some stupid things from the rescue in the Second Cut (Original Rescue), like Obi-Wan struggling so hard to fight some random goons, getting captured and all that vodoo.

WHAT HAVE I DONE?
The Ancient Lore
Kenobi: A Star Wars Story
Harry Potter Revisited
Game of Thrones Film Edits
Titanic Restructured
… and more.

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Time

I cut the vanilla rescue significantly in my sub-edit. Basically, ObiWan sets off the explosion, goes into back, opens 1 door, then the one where Leia is, and then leaves with her. There’s no opposition, because it’s all part of the trap.

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vranir said:

I cut the vanilla rescue significantly in my sub-edit. Basically, ObiWan sets off the explosion, goes into back, opens 1 door, then the one where Leia is, and then leaves with her. There’s no opposition, because it’s all part of the trap.

Yes, that’s how I had it too before I did the new rescue. It really works the best. Everything in the original rescue is bad af, which is why I prefer the alternate one, but I understand people wanting the vanilla instead of the chocolate.

WHAT HAVE I DONE?
The Ancient Lore
Kenobi: A Star Wars Story
Harry Potter Revisited
Game of Thrones Film Edits
Titanic Restructured
… and more.

Author
Time

Hey, I don’t remember, in the original show, did young Leia ever know “Ben” as Obi-Wan, or only Ben? What about this edit?

I think if she only knows him as Ben. It would be cool and make her just like her brother, where at first, neither know that Ben Kenobi and Obi-Wan Kenobi are one and the same. This way “You served my father in the Clone Wars” and her only getting excited after hearing about “Ben Kenobi” from Luke, both make more sense.

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Leia is present when others refer to Kenobi as ‘Obi-Wan’. Which also contradicts these statements from ANH:

“Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. A long time”
“I’ve not gone by the name Obi-Wan, since oh before you [Luke] were born.”

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 (Edited)

KaneStarkiller said:

Leia is present when others refer to Kenobi as ‘Obi-Wan’.

I wonder if it might be possible to edit these out/ change to saying, “Ben”? Except from Darth Vader, of course. Makes sense for him to not use the name “Ben”. Leia hopefully shouldn’t be around during these encounters anyway.

KaneStarkiller said:

…Which also contradicts these statements from ANH:

“Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time. A long time”
“I’ve not gone by the name Obi-Wan, since oh before you [Luke] were born.”

Doing what I suggested would would mostly explain away the first one (again, minus Vader, but he’s pretty much lying about everything Vader related anyway).

I’m guessing he started going by “Ben” shortly after dropping off Luke. Close enough to have forgotten exactly when he started using the name.

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Hey Anjohan, would love a download of this! Appreciate it in advance.

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Wow I’ve been amazed with this rabbit hole of edits that I just spent hours going down and I wanted to say I’m very impressed with your talents in editing and I’d love to see what you’ve decided on for the final product! I’m also a first time user of this site but I’m definitely going to be keeping up to date on your other projects you pick up!

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PMs sent. I don’t know why I haven’t received updates from OT.com on mail from this thread, so sorry for the delay.

For future requests, I always recommend just PM-ing me directly.

WHAT HAVE I DONE?
The Ancient Lore
Kenobi: A Star Wars Story
Harry Potter Revisited
Game of Thrones Film Edits
Titanic Restructured
… and more.

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Time

OT member Phase3 had a wonderful suggestion for altering the final duel in the Kenobi series so that we don’t end on Obi-Wan’s baffling choice to let Vader live. The basic idea is to move the burying obi-wan in rocks to the very end of the duel so that after Kenobi walks away from Vader with a sliced helmet, he screams out “Obi-Wan” then cracks the ground with the force, proceeding to bury Obi-Wan, walk away from the fight the victor. Then Obi-Wan climbs out and the fight is over.

If we can make this work, I think it would make the duel even more amazing than it already is (I quite enjoyed the fight outside of the nonsensical ending where Obi-Wan lets Vader live).

I created a mock-up of this idea. The changes so far:

-Reversing the flow of Kenobi retreating so it links smoothly to the later part of the duel.
-Flip shot of ground breaking for visual continuity.
-Removed Vader’s line “And that is why you will always lose” as he breaks the ground, rough sfx replaced (can be polished later)
-Cropped out vader of wide shot of ground breaking for visual continuity.
-Removed vader’s line “Did you really think you could defeat me?” after he buries him.
-Rearranged shots of Vader walking away for better flow

The one key change remaining to tie this whole idea together is somehow changing the final shots of the rock burying so that Vader’s helmet is still sliced in half. I don’t know who would have the special effects skills to do this but perhaps a community effort would achieve this.

Mock-up of the rearranged duel: https://streamable.com/myzuo3

Return of the Jedi: Remastered

Lord of the Rings: The Darth Rush Definitives

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darthrush said:

OT member Phase3 had a wonderful suggestion for altering the final duel in the Kenobi series so that we don’t end on Obi-Wan’s baffling choice to let Vader live. The basic idea is to move the burying obi-wan in rocks to the very end of the duel so that after Kenobi walks away from Vader with a sliced helmet, he screams out “Obi-Wan” then cracks the ground with the force, proceeding to bury Obi-Wan, walk away from the fight the victor. Then Obi-Wan climbs out and the fight is over.

If we can make this work, I think it would make the duel even more amazing than it already is (I quite enjoyed the fight outside of the nonsensical ending where Obi-Wan lets Vader live).

I created a mock-up of this idea. The changes so far:

-Reversing the flow of Kenobi retreating so it links smoothly to the later part of the duel.
-Flip shot of ground breaking for visual continuity.
-Removed Vader’s line “And that is why you will always lose” as he breaks the ground, rough sfx replaced (can be polished later)
-Cropped out vader of wide shot of ground breaking for visual continuity.
-Removed vader’s line “Did you really think you could defeat me?” after he buries him.
-Rearranged shots of Vader walking away for better flow

The one key change remaining to tie this whole idea together is somehow changing the final shots of the rock burying so that Vader’s helmet is still sliced in half. I don’t know who would have the special effects skills to do this but perhaps a community effort would achieve this.

Mock-up of the rearranged duel: https://streamable.com/myzuo3

I’ve totally missed this.

It’s not a bad idea, and if I revisit the edit I might look into taking a similar approach.

WHAT HAVE I DONE?
The Ancient Lore
Kenobi: A Star Wars Story
Harry Potter Revisited
Game of Thrones Film Edits
Titanic Restructured
… and more.

Author
Time

Anjohan said:

I’ve totally missed this.

It’s not a bad idea, and if I revisit the edit I might look into taking a similar approach.

Cool, I think this will improve the story A LOT.

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Anjohan said:

darthrush said:

OT member Phase3 had a wonderful suggestion for altering the final duel in the Kenobi series so that we don’t end on Obi-Wan’s baffling choice to let Vader live. The basic idea is to move the burying obi-wan in rocks to the very end of the duel so that after Kenobi walks away from Vader with a sliced helmet, he screams out “Obi-Wan” then cracks the ground with the force, proceeding to bury Obi-Wan, walk away from the fight the victor. Then Obi-Wan climbs out and the fight is over.

If we can make this work, I think it would make the duel even more amazing than it already is (I quite enjoyed the fight outside of the nonsensical ending where Obi-Wan lets Vader live).

I created a mock-up of this idea. The changes so far:

-Reversing the flow of Kenobi retreating so it links smoothly to the later part of the duel.
-Flip shot of ground breaking for visual continuity.
-Removed Vader’s line “And that is why you will always lose” as he breaks the ground, rough sfx replaced (can be polished later)
-Cropped out vader of wide shot of ground breaking for visual continuity.
-Removed vader’s line “Did you really think you could defeat me?” after he buries him.
-Rearranged shots of Vader walking away for better flow

The one key change remaining to tie this whole idea together is somehow changing the final shots of the rock burying so that Vader’s helmet is still sliced in half. I don’t know who would have the special effects skills to do this but perhaps a community effort would achieve this.

Mock-up of the rearranged duel: https://streamable.com/myzuo3

I’ve totally missed this.

It’s not a bad idea, and if I revisit the edit I might look into taking a similar approach.

I’m glad you might consider this idea Anojan!!!
I love the duel but the idea that Obi-wan fully accepts that Anakin is dead and Vader is all that’s left, yet he refuses to kill him for no reason. It is a huge issue for me and hopefully my little workprint shows the direction a fanedit could take to solve this issue.

The one hard part that would fix everything together is the vfx work of replacing vader’s mask with the half-cut version. With those vfx shots, the idea could be fully implemented, so the issue is finding someone of talent who is passionate enough to work on those shots.

Return of the Jedi: Remastered

Lord of the Rings: The Darth Rush Definitives

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Anjohan said:

Hal 9000 said:

I could see that clip working in the context of a movie version that doesn’t have dramatic cliffhanger endings.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see what format “Obi-Wan Kenobi” will be the most fitting as.

Well there’s VHS, Betamax, HD DVD, DVD, Blu ray, and Laser Disc. just to give you an idea.