I watched the GOUT the other day, and I had forgotten about that last shot of Tarkin with that shit-eating look on his face just before the DS goes boom. While it's debatable if the new shot of the ships flying off is an improvement, off all the cut shots, I think that was quite unfortunate to see Tarkin's final moment go.

Since it seems to be up for discussion again, I'm going to share some of my thoughts on SW:R.

As for the music. I think "Battle of the Heroes" is an excellent addition. It adds drama to the moment, and if you view it with the PT in mind, it carries on an emotional resonance from the last time these two fought.

I have mixed feeling about the insert of "The Imperial March." I like the sequence (great FX work!) but musically it does take away from the Death Star theme... not a theme really, but that three note "DAH-dah-DAAH!" that signifies the Death Star. That little leitmotif can't compete with the awesome grandeure of the March. It's a small trade, and if I was the man making decisions, I'd still keep Ady's new sequence, music and all.

On the other hand, I don't care for the Emperor theme in the briefing room. The Emperor isn't there. "Battle of the Heroes' plays when Obi and Darth do battle again. "Imperial March" plays when the Empire is shown to kick ass. Emperor's theme plays when... some dudes have a staff meeting. It just doesn't feel right to me.

And checking out DoubleOh5's visual companion, I am f-----g amazed at the new shots Adywan created durign the final battle. I had no idea how much he'd done... I just knew the whole thing rocked.