Sorry for only giving you a review now – I didn’t get a chance to watch your edit earlier.
This is really great! Thank you for your review. Your are actually pointing out some excellent points regarding my choices… And to be honest, I’m listening, and will probably make a V1.3 version from what I hear… I’ve just exported a V1.2 with a title crawl at the beginning, with a sound tweak… But I feel that I may export another one!! ;-p
When I first watched the series as it aired weekly, I was, to put it mildly, disappointed. The pacing, in particular, made the story hard to grasp for me. When I recently watched the (cleverly edited) series in one go, it surprisingly had a lot of positives: there was actually a good story underneath it all! I was very curious to see if your movie edit could further improve the pacing and make the story even clearer:
Now to your edit (I won’t go into every detail, just what stood out to me): I like your opening, especially starting with the flashback. How Sol finds the girls at the tree is a bit abrupt, but otherwise, I find the flashback very well put together.
I agree with you. I tried my best because I wanted to cut the last bit of conversation they are having about Torbin… When Indara is saying “That’s why you don’t have a padawan” to Sol … And it makes the cut when Sol finds the twins abrupt, I think… I might put it back - 40sec it’s not much at this point! And if it help the pacing…
Your cut of the plot on Olega is masterful and makes everything much more mysterious. However, over all in the first half of your movie, at some points I was concerned that someone who hasn’t seen the series before might be a bit confused by the plot.
Thank you! Indeed, how much mystery is too much mystery? lol… That’s why I chose to establish the existence of the twins with the flashback early on. Hoping to avoid any confusion… The idea that Mae wants revenge is clear… But to be sure, a viewing by someone, free from bias, who didn’t watch to series might help to evaluate…
The second half on the other hand, especially the last third of the film, works just as I hoped – the story is compelling, and the pacing is spot on. Here, too, your use of the flashback fits perfectly. I especially liked your interpretation of the conversation between Venestra and Mae at the end. And the Plagueis cameo is perfectly placed!
Content-wise, there are still things that don’t match my personal taste (like the child actors or Basil), but those are hard to change. And after all, it’s personal taste 😉
It is tough… We are not free from bias, having seen the series… Basil is a tough one… But he is always around somehow… I kept it to the minimum just to make sure the audience doesn’t question his presence later during the plot… When Mae arrives at Kelnacca lair… Basil is there… Also Basil takes back the droid’s head, we assume that he bring it back to the ship, eventhough I don’t show it…
Technically, your edit is top-notch. There’s absolutely nothing to criticize here. Audio transitions are always tricky, but I didn’t notice a single weak point. Only the quality of the copy could be better, but that’s probably due to the export version I had.
TX!!! I worked many hours on that, to make sure it doesn’t sound like an amateur patchwork! lol
Overall, I’m still not sure if I prefer a movie format or a (shortened, more intense) series format for “The Acolyte”. You did cut a few things I personally liked, but understandably, they would have been too much for a movie edit. And a movie for The Acolyte definitely shouldn’t be longer.
My final question… Does the final payoff or emotional impact regarding Sol story arc works better that way… Or you felt the same as watching the series? Be honest ;-p
Your edit offers engaging entertainment and a gripping story – in that respect, I consider it my go-to version for now and give it 8 out of 10 points.
This is a great review, constructive, it makes me think… Cheers!
(sry for the typo, English is not my first language…)