Release it under the ‘Legends’ banner. Sell tickets at half price. Don’t push garbage on us that even you don’t have any confidence in.
If they thought it was garbage and ‘Legends’ material, they would have reshot the whole thing in the first place.
FTFY
“Oh, by the way, I was being sarcastic.”
The Maz scene was the only truly offensive thing in this movie. I imagine that this was the intent though, since Rian has no qualms with destroying the stupid aspects of The Force Awakens in the most savage way possible. What better way to tell JJ that Maz is a videogame NPC than by literally putting her in one?
Ugh, you’re probably right. Same reason it doesn’t work to try to parody Road Runner or Tom & Jerry shorts.
Pragmatically, though, I don’t see this scene successfully being cut. I don’t suppose it would read well to replace the visuals with some sort of audio-only interface, with the equivalent of a floating holographic waveform.
JEDIT: To keep from having three posts in a row. Interesting that Rian Johnson used the same font for his title in the crawl as ROTJ and the prequels, again making TFA sort of an odd one out. What do you think JJ will do for IX?
Your cutlist sounds very close to what I’d want to do, HAL, which makes a lot of sense considering how highly I regard your prequel edits.
Your ideas for trimming the humor are nicely balanced - this movie needs some comic relief, but everyone seemed to react so poorly to certain specific jokes that they want to gut all of them, including the ones that worked.
Thanks! Hopefully you’re right; it’s hard to guess how the tone will be affected until I can sit down and watch a rough cut!
Personally, I’d also cut the “clothes iron” bit and I’d definitely get rid of the “cowl” joke. I don’t mind the Jakku joke, but so much important shit happened on Jakku in canon after Endor that it isn’t really “nowhere,” so I have no problem seeing it go.
I like the clothes iron joke; reminded me of Raiders of the Lost Ark when the Nazi takes out a device and seems to be preparing to torture Marion, but it turns out to be a hanger for his jacket. However benign the joke is, it is still one of far too many fake-outs, so perhaps removing it could help alleviate that.
What are your plans for handling that Leia scene? I like the idea of cutting away after the explosion and the next time we see Leia, she’s being carried away on a stretcher.
I don’t think I’ll alter it. It was not one of the things that bothered me when I left the theater, and were it not for Carrie’s real-life death, it wouldn’t stuck out at all. (Actually, Carrie’s death may have been what MADE that scene work for me; impossible to tell.) It is our one and only opportunity to see Leia wield the Force onscreen, sadly. I’m sure IX would have capitalized on this.
Release it under the ‘Legends’ banner. Sell tickets at half price. Don’t push garbage on us that even you don’t have any confidence in.
If appropriate audio exists, Rose could be made to say, “Poe said this codebreaker would have a red palm bloom on his lapel,” rather than “Maz said…”
It would still likely seem weird to see Finn and Rose take off without knowing their plan. That Maz scene is hot garbage but it might just have to stay.
We’ll see. Hopefully removing the jokes that detract will be enough and I won’t have to remove things that would work well were it not for them.
Star Wars - Episode VIII: The Last Jedi: Legendary
The following information and more can be found at FanEdit.org, home of the fan edits.
Running time is about 143 minutes.
Tagline: It’s time for the Jedi to end…
Synopsis: It’s the same Star Wars: The Last Jedi you pondered over, cleared of distractions. The trip to the casino of Canto Bight is truncated, the Caretakers of Ach-To are removed, and a few scenes are rearranged, allowing Rian Johnson’s story to shine. Strap in for a contemplative journey not experienced since The Empire Strikes Back.
Intention: To address a few standout issues about the film which distract from its focus. This is a fairly conservative edit, doing what is possible to streamline the film without radically altering it.
This is intended as constructive; I enjoy TLJ quite a bit and, given my history with producing fan edits, it was inevitable that I would attempt something like this. What this project is NOT intended as is an indictment of Disney or Rian Johnson. Rather, this is my way of engaging with the film and putting a slight spin on it.
This film subverts audience/fan expectation at many points. While this edit doesn’t seek to reverse this, some instances of this were addressed in order to (hopefully) allow the film to do this while still feeling like part 8 of a 9-part story.
Regarding General Hux: It is not my intention to “rescue” this character, as he is rightfully played as a youthful, arrogant Neo-Nazi buffoon. The changes made to his character in this edit are intended to allow him to remain somewhat threatening, at least up until Kylo Ren takes over as Supreme Leader toward the end.
The humor in this film has been pruned, though a great deal of humor has been retained. Star Wars has always relied on humor, though has never strayed into Spaceballs territory. For example, as much as I enjoyed the “iron/spaceship” gag, it felt like something from a parody of Star Wars rather than something within it. This was my guideline. Humor is very subjective, so I attempted to thread the needle as best I could.
This edit does not attempt to alter Rey’s character in any meaningful way. Her natural talent for using the Force and heroic escapades are necessary to get the film’s story in motion. Her triple-TIE combo shot was removed from the battle of Crait in the conventional interest of “less is more,” and is not intended as a commentary of Rey herself. Also, the removal of a single detail during Kylo Ren’s conversation with her about her parents is not intended to in any way alter the fact that her parents were “nobody,” but merely to address a potential continuity oddity when compared to TFA depicting her parents as leaving Jakku in the process of abandoning her.
All things considered, this fan edit is intended as a lightweight alternative to other edits which remove large swaths of the film. Similar to my edits of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, if you are hoping for a massive overhaul that fundamentally alters the movie, this isn’t the edit for you.
Other sources: Various sound effects from the Star Wars franchise and elsewhere
Special Thanks:
Everyone at OriginalTrilogy.com who contributed, including:
Poppasketti (FX shots and ideas)
DarthRush (FX shot and ideas)
Pleasehello (FX shot)
Snooker (Fx shot)
ChainsawAsh (DTS audio)
MalàStrana (English and French subtitles)
Natedug (Cover artwork, style mimicking Sherman’s TFA:R artwork)
Skenera (color correction)
Krlozdac
TiMartyn
NeverarGreat
One69chev
Collipso
BMadden
Drakul
StrafeSawdoffe
TV’s Frink
HerekittykittyX
DominicCobb
Jarbear
LordRorek
Imadethisfortheanticheeseedit
Zachary VIII
OutboundFlight
TiMartyn
RogueLeader
Handman
Dr. Krogshöj
Nightstalkerpoet
EddieDean
DZ-330
Nd4spd
ChiefWamsutta
Valheru_84
TK-422
Possessed
CourtlyHades296
AbramPT
CarterStarkiller
Cheebo
Snoke&mirrors
Sir Ridley
Anjohan
Kaweebo
Oojason
TheLostJedi
Littlev87
Dat_SW_Guy
Toastedzen
Adywan
Tobar
Ziggyonice
Arosa1091
Chyron8472
TK251
Bop
Gimpy
LeonardoRamos
Octorox
Jrs81
Bromeo
Iryin01
Noodle_Finger (editor behind a prior edit of TLJ)
Special features:
Fan Editor’s Commentary track
Chapter stops
Subtitles (English and French)
Cuts and Additions (changes for V4 have an asterisk*):
⁃ Trimmed the opening ‘prank call’ joke to prevent it from venturing into SNL territory while retaining the core of the humor
Trimmed Paige kicking the ladder slightly
Added Rey’s voice calling out to Finn immediately prior to him waking from his coma, to gently tie into his Force sensitivity that was not bridged between TFA and TROS (Thanks to poppasketti)*
Used poppasketti’s audio to change the emphasis as Luke tosses the lightsaber
Removed Luke’s quip about Jakku being “pretty much nowhere”
Reinstated the ‘Luke Has a Moment’ deleted scene (Audio transition tweaked slightly by poppasketti)
Reinstated the deleted scene where Poe gives Finn back his jacket (with scene transition provided by OT.com user pleasehello) (Audio transition tweaked slightly by poppasketti)
Removed Rose responding to Finn’s MTFBWY with “…you too”
Tightened Finn and Rose’s reaction to Maz’s line “Oh yes, he can” for slightly better timing
⁃ Removed both appearances from the ‘Caretakers’ on Ach-to (with a visual effects shot courtesy of OT.com user snooker)
⁃ Trimmed away the lone porg who gives Chewie the doughy eyes, though leaving the joke intact otherwise
⁃ Removed Luke’s line to R2, “Nothing can make me change my mind.”
⁃ Cut down the first sequence at Canto Bight to focus on finding the codebreaker. For V3, reinstated a modified version of the balcony scene overlooking kids and horses being beaten, though removing strong hints that Finn and Rose will be able to act upon the town before they leave
Blended the original Anakin lightsaber ignition sound with the existing different sounds for two shots
Made it appear as though Finn and Rose follow DJ out of the cell, briefly elude the guards, and the scene ends. Next time we see the trio, they are already in hyperspace (also removing the implication in the later scene that BB8 helped steal the ship).
Added Emperor laughing over Luke’s vision as he gazes into Kylo Ren’s mind in flashback (idea from TiMartyn)
Added a center wipe transition from the scene with Finn, Rose, and DJ in hyperspace to the fleet losing their medical frigate
Used a few shots from a deleted scene to remove the iron/spaceship gag, which borrowed from an old spoof which laughed at Star Wars rather than along with Star Wars (film speck removed by OT.com user poppasketti)
⁃ Trimmed some of the comedy with BB8 being placed under a basket
⁃ Trimmed the heavy, direct hinting before Snoke’s death, using musical score from TFA (courtesy of OT.com user poppasketti)
⁃ Removed the detail from Kylo Ren that Rey’s parents are buried in the Jakku desert, as this seems at odds with the vision we saw in The Force Awakens and further details revealed in The Rise of Skywalker.
⁃ Moved the scene with Luke and Yoda to immediately prior to Leia looking out over Crait (using audio and video provided by OT.com user Darthrush)
⁃ Removed Finn’s line about the battering ram canon being “old Death Star tech,” and reinstated Poe’s line, “A what now?”
⁃ The crate Luke sits on as he talks with Leia is now stationary and motionless, unaffected by him (effect provided by OT.com user poppasketti)
⁃ Removed Rey’s triple-TIE combo shot, with the Falcon’s involvement in the battle being first revealed with its shadow sweeping by and a single TIE being shot down
⁃ Trimmed Hux ordering fighters to follow the Falcon, leaving this poor tactical move to be attributed to Kylo Ren’s emotional priorities
⁃ Removed Finn’s line, “Oh, they hate that ship!”
⁃ After Rose saves Finn, removed her line about not “fighting what we hate” and “saving what we love.”
Removed ‘Matrix’ shot where Luke dodges Kylo’s saber in slow-motion (idea from TiMartyn)
Removed spot on the sun as Luke gazes out after collapsing, which caused some presumably inadvertent misdirection for some upon first viewing (courtesy of OT.com user poppasketti)
The shot of the rebel alliance insignia ring at the very end has been removed, since it ties into a sequence removed from this version of the film (thanks to poppasketti)*
Snuck in a Wilhelm scream… somewhere in the movie.
Looks like we’ll be in for a little bit of a wait for that line. I have a total of three people I am waiting on for submissions, all of which plan to do so but can’t until at least next week. V2.1 won’t be out in the next few days as I’d hoped, but that is all right. What matters is that it will have everything needed and be of top notch quality. I probably won’t do a V3, so I don’t want to skimp on this one. This slight line change is worth waiting for.
^ Oh, I agree, ImperialFighter. Seems like a very risky alteration to make! Just livening things up with a joke.
Just a thought darthrush - I liked the way it seemed that Rose had given her life to save Finn when watching the movie (except it was then revealed to be yet another bit of misdirection from the makers, as she hadn’t…) - but if you make it look like she actually died in your edit, won’t that risk a continuity problem with the next sequel which she is highly likely to feature in?
In the spirit of TLJ, that’ll just be up to whomever fan edits episode XI to deal with. 😉
Have plans for editing the Hobbit already been described somewhere I can reference? I find that interesting.
As with other TLJ edit projects that are being planned, let me know if I can be of any help. I’m hoping for a slew of well-done, polished TLJ edits for people to choose from, and the best resources to cull from for my own endeavor. (Even if it is just for myself!) 😃
We all borrow from each other in more ways that can be retraced. There’s no way I won’t do an edit myself eventually, and I’ll definitely be using the best ideas and resources available. I’d rather not release it than not make it the best it can be.
As with Handman, let me know if I can be of any help at all. It’s for selfish reasons, you understand. 😉
I enjoyed it.
I don’t see why it’d need to be. No one would think it was him unless they already knew.
Is it, “The Republic is no more”?
It might be weird to go straight from, “The Republic is no more” to, “We have their location…” I think the scene is perfectly fine as it is in V2(.1), but I can’t rule out the possibility that compelling things like this will emerge.
Which line is that?
Another random thing, after just coming home from a final theatrical viewing… when Luke is staring into the sun at the end, there’s a black speck there. 1st viewing I thought it was a ship coming in, then I assumed maybe it was something on the screen. But it’s definitely there, and at the end of a movie that has screamed “JUST KIDDING” a dozen times up to that point, I’d like to see it removed.
Oh, and count me in for test footage or anything else.
So I just got a Youtube ad for HBO Nordic about showing the OT and PT films and I noticed that the colours on the OT clips looked quite normal. I haven’t actually watched the official blu-ray version, but aren’t ANH pretty weird-looking colour-wise? In the Despecialized Edition comparison video ANH has a purple hue to it. The same clip of Leia talking to Vader on the Tantive IV that was used for the comparison was in this promo/trailer and it looked quite normal. There was a shot at the end showing the DS explosion with the Praxis effect, so they were obviously SE clips (not that I expected anything else). So has there been an “improved” release of the SE OT recently or am I just imagining things?
That comparison video makes the BluRays look worse than they actually are, and I can’t remember the technical mistake that made it that way. Unfortunate.
Does it not diminish the OT, if the ST continues to recycle some of the OT’s best moments
Only if you allow it to, my friend, only if you allow it to. 😉
I suppose you’re right. As the famous Inspector Clouseau said to his former boss Dreyfus:
“Out with the bad, in with the good!”
Pervert.
Nice! Thanks for creating and sharing these. 😃
To be fair, that was just for purposes of helping him get into character.
I’m having a hard time finding characters I would actively be opposed to dying in XI. If they want to kill off any and everyone, I say go for it, new and old alike.
As Luke fades away, add Star Trek transporter effect. Is there any footage available of Mark Hamill in a Star Trek setting?
Also, could Kylo Ren yell, “No… NOOOooOooooOO” as he kills Snoke?
FWIW, here’s my current intended cutlist for an edit of THE LAST JEDI. Of course, any of these may or may not be feasible once I actually have the ripped film to address in a NLE.
Reign in the SNL opening with Poe and Hux.
Remove or trim BB8’s wack-a-mole repairs (as part of broader effort to remove ‘Droids’ stuff, just like in AOTC and ROTS)
Only because I’d already be editing the film at this point and not because this is in any way called for, try to have the first scene with Luke appear overcast as TFA was. Whatever filter used to achieve this could be gradually faded out over the course of the sequence.
Somehow remove Maz’s Battlefront Skype call, if at all possible.
Possibly replace ignition sound of Anakin’s lightsaber. (I do not recall whether this is needed, and a close re-listen to TFA showed me that they appear to have blended the original ignition sound with a new sound, which I can accept. If that’s the case in TLJ, that’ll work. If not, I plan to replace the ignition sound with that from TFA. I do, however, recall the quick red-guard headshot sound effect as being a non-ignition sound effect, which I will leave alone because I understand why its like that.)
Keep the scene with Chewie about to eat a porg, though remove the final porg giving him the sad eyes.
If deleted scenes make this possible, give Rey her promised third lesson from Luke.
Undecided on removing the entire horse chase. If so, simply have Finn and Rose follow DJ out of the cell and we will revisit them later already in hyperspace. If the horse chase stays, perhaps cut away from DJ after he asks BB8, “Did you do this?” in order to remove more ‘Droids’ stuff. If the horse chase stays, either remove the final scene with broom boy, or else just remove the closeup with the ring.
Remove BB8 commandeering an AT-ST, and ensuing jog toward an escape shuttle.
Remove Poe’s “big ass door.” Hopefully that shot is static, so a simple crossfade or similar trickery will make it work, saying “Let’s just hope that door holds out,” or whatever the exact line is.
Similarly, remove Finn’s unnecessary line about the battering ram being “old Death Star tech.” (Let’s never reference the Death Star in another ‘saga’ film ever again.)
I’ll ask anyone here who is willing, to stabilize the crate Luke sits down on while talking with Leia. The filmmakers bothered to not have him physically interact with the ground, or make walking foley sounds, so this seems like a small but positive change to make. (You just gotta do stuff like this while you’ve got everything cracked open.)
Remove the porg smacking against the Falcon window.
Possibly remove the dice from the end. I guess it’s there to make you think Luke is physically present, then Leia leaves them behind, and then they disappear? I don’t know. It was one last thing to not understand in the movie. (Just kidding; the Jedi texts make a split second cameo after this point. Speaking of them, I won’t remove them because I’m sure they’ll play a role in XI, and people will ask how Rey has them just like people ask where 3PO’s red arm went in VIII.)
Unfortunately, I don’t really have any forthcoming ideas for real creativity aside from just removing things. I’m sure ideas will float up to our collective consciousness in time.
