Star Wars Episode III: Labyrinth Of Evil (Released) — Page 11

While I do understand your reasons for removing the scene, I am in favor of reinstating it.

In addition to the allusion you mentioned regarding the screams, I also think the scene serves to show the depth of Anakin’s fall to evil. There is a similar heinous act of evil committed by the primary antagonist in TFA, which shows a similar detachment from humanity by way of unconscionable violence (I’m intentionally being vague). This parallel I think is a strong one, and merits keeping the scene in ep4.

The modified presentation you outlined seems like a good compromise.

That’s just my two cents though. I’d be curious to hear others’ thoughts.

L8wrtr does this scene with anakin walking into the room, the kid walking out with no dialogue, and anakin igniting his saber. Works great since the whole scene is overlaid with music and without dialogue so it matches up well. Maybe you can go that route Hal

Hal 9000 said:

MINOR SPOILER FOR TFA

After seeing TFA for a second time, I noticed something subtle that may or may not merit making a redaction to the upcoming V4 release of Labyrinth of Evil.
When Rey responds to the beckoning of Anakin’s lightsaber, you can hear children screaming and protesting. It’s an appropriately striking allusion to Vader’s massacre of the young Jedi in the Temple. In light of this, perhaps it would be worthwhile to reinstate this short scene for my edit. I do like the removal of the younglings, and think it was done rather cleanly, but I do want these to be complimentary to what Star Wars goes on to in the sequel films. I’m of two minds on this question, so I’m throwing it out there for now and will consider it before deciding.
If I decide to, perhaps I could reorder the scene so that we cut from Yoda evading Order 66 to Anakin entering the room with the kids, then to the troopers fighting in the Temple with the children screaming from TFA overlaid.

I’m in favor of reinstating the scene. But will that be the only youngling appearance in your trilogy? Seems a bit odd to only show them once and then kill them.

Yea that sounds like a good compromise. Vague, but in a good way.

Can it still work if Obiwan and Yoda see the footage but Padme isn’t told? While the youngling drama itself is poorly executed (no pun etc), given that it happens in this edit, there’s something mildly satisfying about them realizing how much of a shithead Anakin is, and how badly they all screwed up. Leaving them potentially oblivious lets them off the hook.

I watched it in theaters again yesterday and was trying to determine if it was the kids from Episode 3 and I do believe it is the sound of a young Rey. The same crying type clip is used a couple times pre her touching the lightsaber and once she touches it she gets the visions, one of which is her being left on Jakku and has the same voice as the screaming/crying voice pre-lightsaber touch. So I do believe it is Rey and not Anakin killing younglings.

Hey Hal, will there be any effort to ‘clean up’ the “NOOOOOOOO!!!” in v4. You know the one I’m talking about, right? The “NOOOOOOOO!!!” near the end of the movie? You remember? Nah, you don’t remember.

Anyway, I can’t remember which fanedit it was, but one fanedit’s description stated they ‘cleaned up’ the “NOOOOOOOO!!!”, and shortened it and stuff. I ended up not seeing that particular edit, and every edit I’ve seen either cuts out the “NOOOOOOOO!!!” (L8WRTR and Kerr, I believe) or leaves it in (you… HAL 9000. Not to be mistaken with HAL 9000… from 2001: A Space Odyssey).

Also, would you ever consider putting in an alternate ending with Padme kicking the bucket? I can never trick my brain into thinking that shot from The Other Other Bowling Girl belongs in the film. And it’s bugged me for so long, but I realize it’s because that background is real. That’s a real wall behind Natalie. My brain can’t accept it cause it goes against literally every other shot in the movie! haha You think you can… I dunno, throw in some Dewbacks or something?

I actually did an edit of your NOOOO scene for personal use. In that scene when Vader starts breaking out of the gurney he is moaning and you hear stuff breaking all over as he crushes stuff. I copied that and layer it over the NOOOO. It sounds more like he’s groaning plus the room still sounds like he’s crushing stuff as he’s yelling. It helps a little to those that find that scene dumb like myself. I do agree you need that scene because it promotes the lie that palpatine says he killed her, Vader says he felt she was alive, and then you see her alive. Definitely the way to go.

Hal 9000 said:
The Emperor says something about Padme, and Vader responds with, “She no longer has any meaning for me, Master.”

Oh shit! He got James Earl Jones to do a re-record?? haha Now I definitely have to see that to see how they pull it off. That’s a bold move, Cotton!

Oh wait… I guess they just took audio snippets from the OT… “That name no longer has any meaning to me.” I’m a moron…

One thing I’m curious about is if anyone ever successfully edited the Ani/Obi fight to remove the swinging from lava ropes whilst on the giant lava arm that was floating down the lava river, only to soon fall down the lavafall. Go from them fighting outside the lava facility, to them already on the lava platforms. The only way to do it would be to actually include the duel between Yoda and Palpy, since you need something to cut back to, but I wonder if there’s any way even then to make it work. I might try my hand at it. I dunno. I mean, you got them fighting outside the facility, then what? They jump on a skinny pipe, and they’re fighting on that. Then they jump on the giant arm, fight on that. It breaks off due to lava doing lava things. They continue fighting. Swing on ropes; fighting. You’d think by the time they were on little lava platforms Obi would say, “This is getting ridiculous! Wanna just talk about it over a beer?” That fight is just too much, man. Everyone’s like “This is the best fight ever!” And I’m like, “In a Suda 51 game, sure!”

Glad to hear the youngling scene is staying out. Its omission was one of my preferred things about this edit, as it consequently throws more focus on Anakin’s throttling of Padme as the crucial point of no return. It just makes more sense, because of the trilogy’s focus on Padme, that his attack on her (and not nameless children) be the moment that he has completely fallen to the Dark Side.

Also, there was really no need to make Darth Vader a homicidal child murderer in the first place.

Hey Hal. Lurker and fan here. I want to give another vote of support for omitting the younglings, in my case as a way of keeping the film a little more acceptable for my 7 year old to watch. I have actually made a few additional edits to Episode 3 piggybacking on a mash up of yours and L8wrtr’s Episode III. But as a story point, I support the earlier comment that it now all hinges on Anakin’s attack on Padme.

FYI, I also use a mash up version of II with my own trims around the slaughter of sand people to keep the movie much closer to PG, but in that one I actually reinstated the younglings since I figured my son would find it cool to see little kids using lightsabers. The fact that they are not explicitly massacred in your Episode III therefore doesn’t strictly eliminate the reality that Anakin does in fact massacre them. But at least that’s up to interpretation now, and it’s not really something that my son is questioning (yet).

Thanks so much for your continued work, and kudos for maintaining such excellent image quality throughout your releases.

Ok, I have watched your v3 edit. It’s a vast improvement over a very strange and fascinating movie (visually astonishing), where key scenes are awfully executed and transitional scenes are actually quite good. The best idea of your edit is the removal of all action material involving Yoda. It’s perfect and the editing is highly profesional. Adding the Seed of Rebellion material is also a very good call.

I’m just confused with a few edit ideas:

• at the beginning when Ben, Anakin and Palpatine are taken prisonners to Grievous, it’s very odd to reuse the footage of the elevator scene, because it doesn’t make sens. The original energy field trap seems the best way to conclude the scene, while removing the “battle droid kicks R2” part would be great;

• I undestand why you removed the death of Padmé, but in the internal context of the movie it does make sens (moreover Leia doesn’t quite understand Luke’s question about her “real” mother in RETURN OF THE JEDI). The footage from another movie to imply Padmé would still be alive is really distracting, I don’t think it works well. The same goes for the Coruscant shot remplacing the Death Star: I don’t get the point of Palpatine and Tarkin starring at Coruscant from a Star Destroyer ship. The Death Star is totally logical in the original shot.

Besides that, it’s a very good work you’ve accomplished.