**Spoilers in these ramblings**

I was curious how the Grindhousing of SW would play out. Is it a phucking shithole? Often with fan edits, there's a concept but it's not quite followed through or gets muddled in what the creator can accomplish. For me, The Wars of the Stars works. Mostly because the concept is strong. Grindhouse cinema was escapism which had a twisted view point which often became synonymous with graphic depictions of violence, gore, horror and other unappealing aspects of reality. People went to the theaters knowing they were going to see some excapist fantasy played out on the big screen. Why kill someone yourself when you can release those emotions while watching a movie. The Grindhouse cinema of the early/mid 70s latched onto peoples desire for this kind of somewhat pessimistic release.

...then came Star Wars.

The movie has been said to have been successful because it did bring back the positive messages people like to say they believe and follow. So then how would TMBTM accomplish twisting one of the quintessential stand up and cheer, happy feeling movies into something more sinister and devious. I was doubtful.

...and you're going to have to watch the edit to find out how it was done.

But for me the pay off works, quick little flicks of a few scenes here are there really modify character development, their actions and the edits in tWotS reinforce and build upon each other. Some might see it as a compilation of viral video moments (and several of them would gain a lot of page views) but the editing choices, film visual manipulation and audio reassignment do add up to a very different movie then where TMBTM started. TMBTM has exploited this tale for his own storytelling legacy.

Luke's development arc, is decimated to make the character the dim wit who falls for the waving hand and suggestive phrase. He's not the winner anymore, or a looser he's 'the Used'. All those bad feelings which used to signify the character perceiving something in the future, in tWotS the bad feelings is because something bad DID just happen, and no one seems to care. And this is reinforced in the Awards Ceremony (with lovely new music) still cheery and full of praise but the previous actions hang over the sham spectacle. That's Grindhousey, you're cheering for the murderer and sick inside because of it. (and not in the Clerks kind of way, although that does apply) And that pay off is sealed with the R2 subtitles, which I found I would have liked to have seen more of.

For me tWotS also works because of the stories behind the initial screening of the original SW. GL had shown his circle of the friends Star Wars before special effects were added. (most seemed to not get it, one of those was Brian dePalma was making Carrie at the time, a more grindhouse like film) How close this was to the Lost Edit before the second team started editing the movie, we'll probably never know. This first edit most likely focused in on Luke's character growth more with the inclusion of the Tatooine cut scenes to flesh out his circumstances and relationships. The War of the Stars brings them back as setup for the big pay off.

Even liked the kitsch of the twin sun scene which was moved (and effects added). Great new sequence/storyline created by moving a pertinent scene to a new location where it pulls out an alternative message. Would have thought the rest of Troops would have been shown. The music choice really had that 70s vibe, of slow building significance in the form of a guitar durge. And the lyrical tie in of 'seasons' resonates the point. tWotS's Luke lacks many of the gifts as original told. It's a devious change of character.

Technically, seeing where TMBTM started out (30s silent edition) this is a great progression of skill development. (missed Sharksploitation Jaws) Enjoyed almost all of the music choices and atmospheric audio additions. (don't get the new cantina music connection) The musical additions don't rely on one critic. Some are there for a joke, some for atmosphere, others invoke the grindhouse era.

The Puggo 16mm restoration starting point is the perfect backdrop for the edit. Some of the other material could have had a few more imperfections to get to the Puggo level. (ie the Interactive Video Board game footage)

Liked the additional Vader lines, although there's been at least two short viral videos of other James Earl Jones alternative movie dialogs over DV scenes, these worked well. Was hoping we'd see Vader's pet somewhere along the way to work one of those lines into an in edit joke. and without all the father stuff, DV comes across as the last mystical jedi user.

Could have been more gore. (all those Stormtroopers get blood bathed, but Chief Blast doesn't get added spectacle. missed opportunity to reinforce a point. [Chief Blast is a scene (modified in the Special Editions) which has been cut down to limit the 'violence' level of ANH])

For those who appreciate lo-fi, there are inclusions of many failed cut scene or blooper shots to keep you chuckling periodically. All about tarnishing the movie people hold up on the Pedestal of Perfectitude.

Still thinking about how other characters come off in this version, Han and Leia more or less are unchanged while Ben gets reduced.

It was fun watching the movie to pay attention to what's been added/subtracted and how that changes your perception. And there's continuous changes to work your mind around. Would this work as a film without understanding the original Star Wars, maybe not, and that's why it's been subtitled 'A New Hope Grindhoused'. This is probably where the majority of fan edit criticism might rely upon. The need for the final movie to be this magical stand alone object, instead of one which builds upon the past. They are view points in eternal conflict. On the mystical appropriation/reuse scale, tWotS exists somewhere between The Phantom Edit and Jedi Love.

So thanks to GL and Lucasfilm for the raw materials, and fans preservation communities like OTcom with members like Sluggo and OCPmovie who have preserved, upgraded and compiled along the way, and cheers to TMBTM for putting together an interesting version of an old tale. As someone who's tired of ""original"" entertainment this is my kind of idea of a good time.

and I watched the bonus video before watching the movie. pwwwwwt.