ChainsawAsh

Thoughts after seeing it a second time:

First, I’d be doing a “paired” edit of TFA and TLJ, which breaks from what I wanted to do with my personal “saga” edits that I’ve so far refrained from talking about on here. The whole idea with my personal “canon cuts” was to edit each individual film in such a way that it doesn’t egregiously contradict the rest of the overall canon, so someone could pick out just one of my edits and slot it in with the theatrical/SE/whatever version of every other film without breaking anything, or use all of my edits but swap out just one of them with an official cut or a different fan edit, without any problems.

But TFA/TLJ breaks that idea completely, because of how I feel I have to handle the ending of TFA/beginning of TLJ.

So with that preface out of the way, here’s what I’m probably gonna end up doing:

1. Use TFA Restructured as the basis for my TFA, cutting out some cringe-y humor here and there and some other nips and tucks. But that’s beside the point because this is a TLJ thread. I had to mention TFA, though, because I will…
2. End TFA with the Falcon leaving the Resistance base, and…
3. Open TLJ with the Falcon arriving on Ahch-To (from TFA’s ending). So the ending of TFA becomes the opening of TLJ. Continue through Luke and Rey’s meeting and stitch the Ahch-To stuff together so it flows as one scene, until Luke asks “Where’s Han?” Then…
4. Shortened version of the Kylo/Snoke scene, but everything with Kylo’s helmet is gone. In my edit it will be implied that his helmet was never recovered from Starkiller Base. I paid attention to this scene during my second viewing, and after he takes his helmet off, you really never see it on the ground or anything for the rest of the scene, and no important information is delivered through Kylo’s voice-modulated mask, and any important pre-mask-removal Snoke dialogue can be reshuffled in the scene. This also means Hux is gone from this scene entirely.
5. No Kylo elevator scene/mask destruction (as the mask was lost with SKB).

A little iffy on the sequence of events from here, but I think, like Neverar, I’d want to push the Resistance escape from D’Qar as far back as I could. Really, in the edit, I’ll be working backwards from the infiltration of Snoke’s ship by both Rey and Finn/Rose and see how it all shakes out from there.

Leia’s Superman bit will probably be cut, too, even though I didn’t have a massively huge issue with it myself. It’s easy to cut, though.

As for Canto Bight, a lot of it will be cut. I’ll definitely be going from the prison cell scene directly to the trio in hyperspace, with no CGI horse riding or any of that.

That’s all I’ve got for the moment beyond obvious little nips and tucks here and there.

“Spaceflight” - Efence

Criminally short, but wonderful space-y synthwave (I think? I’m getting so lost when it comes to music genres these days…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjjVg9zBnnw

I’ll keep your seat warm for you.

Really? I thought Snoke looked great for the most part. I forgot he was all CG in a couple shots, actually.

MalàStrana said:

It’s true it’s very close to TESB with an entire ROTJ sequence. But during the screening I was more thinking about The Two Towers for some reasons.

Also heavy Battlestar Galactica vibes, though that might be due to the fact that I’ve been rewatching BSG lately.

Depends on why you didn’t like TFA.

adywan said:

ChainsawAsh said:

One other thing I’ll say about my second viewing:

Puppet Yoda looked a TON better than I remembered from my first viewing, but every time the fire was directly on his face, he looked weird. I don’t think I’ll have a problem with TLJ puppet Yoda the way I did TPM’s.

The thing i did notice though was how the pupeteers squashed his face up way too much when they closed his mouth, which gave him this strange “puffed out cheeks with no mouth” look

Yep, this right here is the only problem that I still have with TLJ Yoda. Noticed it both times, but everything else looked fine (bar the occasionally weird lighting) the second time around.

Same theater both times for me, though…weird.

TV’s Frink said:

Wexter said:

MalàStrana said:

JJ is just a (talented ?) fan boy who wants to repeat things we already know. I prefer a bad yet daring movie (VIII) to a more or less good but safe and unsurprising one (VII)

How exactly is a film that lazily retells the story of TESB virtually beat by beat (except for one slight detour to the finale of ROTJ) a “daring movie”?

I don’t know because I haven’t seen that movie yet.

TLJ was very good though.

It’s funny, my mom had the exact same complaint (“It was just Empire with a little bit of Jedi thrown in!”) but none of the rest of us saw that at all. At least, it wasn’t a nearly-beat-for-beat rehash the way TFA was of ANH (and I say that as a big fan of TFA).

One other thing I’ll say about my second viewing:

Puppet Yoda looked a TON better than I remembered from my first viewing, but every time the fire was directly on his face, he looked weird. I don’t think I’ll have a problem with TLJ puppet Yoda the way I did TPM’s.

Saw it again. Liked it a lot more, and I’ve made peace with Luke’s death.

I don’t think he “willed himself into the Force,” but I do think he knew what he was going to do would kill him, and he sacrificed himself willingly.

And yeah, Force spirit Luke is definitely haunting Kylo in IX. It would be a huge missed opportunity if that doesn’t happen, especially since, as has been pointed out, he flat-out tells Kylo that’s what he’s going to do.

darthrush said:

I might just be me brain farting but what is the status on the fixed hood shots of Kylo for the snoke scene?

Quoted because I was also under the impression this was still being worked on and I haven’t seen it mentioned in these “what’s left to do” discussions.

The retimed shots in the firing and destruction sequences are fine IMO, the only ones that desperately need fixing are the shots of the Falcon appearing and Chewie rescuing Rey and Finn after the duel.

Unless those shots are part of one of the other sequences you’re talking about. But those forest shots are the only ones I noticed as being “off” at all.

ChainsawAsh said:

chyron8472 said:

The one real negative of the film is… Yoda. They got the Yoda voice actor from The Clone Wars (whom I hate), and used either another Creepy Puppet Yoda or a CGI adaption of it.

Wait, they did? Why? Oz came back for Rebels, why not an actual film? Sounded like Oz to me…

Wikipedia says it was Oz…but I mean, that’s Wikipedia…

chyron8472 said:

The one real negative of the film is… Yoda. They got the Yoda voice actor from The Clone Wars (whom I hate), and used either another Creepy Puppet Yoda or a CGI adaption of it.

Wait, they did? Why? Oz came back for Rebels, why not an actual film? Sounded like Oz to me…

The score extended.

andyw715 said:

I’m still trying to figure out why I’d want to watch episode IX.

I do despite how unsure I am about TLJ because I seriously have no fucking idea what IX is going to be. I had a feeling for the trajectory of VIII after TFA (even though I was only, like, 30% right), but after TLJ I seriously have no clue where IX is going to go.

Also so I can figure out how I want to edit the sequel trilogy as a cohesive whole. Some things I’d like to change about TLJ might not be doable depending on where they take IX.

Collipso said:

SilverWook said:

Also, it’s funny as heck that a Jedi who grew up on Tatooine regards Jakku as an even more desolate hole.

One of my favorite parts of the movie, Hamill nailed it.

This and tickling Rey with the reed were two of my favorite Luke moments.

Thanks guys! Good to be back.

I’m adopting two kittens on Sunday! 😄

They’re rescues, both about 5 months old, and are already bonded so the woman I’m adopting them from is thrilled that she doesn’t have to split them up.

Paid my landlord the pet deposit today, spending tomorrow cleaning the hell out of my apartment and buying necessary supplies (litter box, litter, food, scratching post, some toys).

Been wanting/needing a pet for a while - I’d prefer a dog but I work/am gone too much for one, so cats it is. With two, they can keep each other company while I’m at work, too!

Unless their foster mom sees something she really doesn’t like on Sunday, I’ll have two new friends to keep my hermit self company in a couple days. 😃

Mocata said:

Leia in space kinda worked for me to be honest, it was like y’know the Force.

Same, this is one complaint I’ve been seeing that I don’t really agree with.

Collipso said:

ChainsawAsh said:

SilverWook said:

Luke did something we’ve never seen any other Jedi do before. He projected a solid version of himself across unimaginable distances and could interact with Leia and even Threepio. That had to come with a price. In the end, Luke saved the day one last time and went out a hero.

I didn’t get that from the movie at all. If that had been communicated more clearly to the audience it might not have felt so insulting to me.

I think the whole reason why there was salt on the ground was so that they could show us that Luke isn’t real in that scene. Plus, it was flashback Luke using a lightsaber that had just been destroyed the scene before. Unless you’re talking about the philosophical meaning of the scene instead of the literal; if so, I’m sorry for the inconvenience.

SilverWook said:

You didn’t notice Luke had lost the gray? Jedi’s don’t stop to use Grecian Forumla. 😉

I meant the death itself. I fully understood the projection thing and that Luke wasn’t really there on Crait. That was obvious from the beard color and the lightsaber he was using.

GlastoEls said:

ChainsawAsh said:

Ha, I had a very immediate, visceral reaction.

That’s good isn’t it?

I don’t know yet. Right now it isn’t, but my opinions have not yet solidified about TLJ.

SilverWook said:

Luke did something we’ve never seen any other Jedi do before. He projected a solid version of himself across unimaginable distances and could interact with Leia and even Threepio. That had to come with a price. In the end, Luke saved the day one last time and went out a hero.

I didn’t get that from the movie at all. If that had been communicated more clearly to the audience it might not have felt so insulting to me.

Ha, I had a very immediate, visceral reaction that quite possibly has clouded my judgment of the movie as a whole.

DominicCobb said:

suspiciouscoffee said:

No, I’m about to go see it right now, so I’ll just take my chances. Thanks for the offer, though; I’d probably take it if I wasn’t seeing it for a few more days or so.

Do tell after, though.

Yes, please, I’m curious as well.