NeverarGreat

I wouldn’t say it’s completely irrelevant. Many people noticed that the Luke scene had to be re-shot for TLJ and the scene did look and feel quite different in many ways from that of TFA, that’s one of the reasons I repurposed the TFA scene as a vision/dream.

I will say that this particular point of editing is a non-issue though. There’s no reason that just because two completely different scenes are intercut means that they are taking place at the same time. It could be true, but it just as easily could be false.

A practical anything in those movies would have been better than CGI.

Scottish9000 said:

Can I also get a PM for the workprint? Thanks!

PM sent!

https://i.imgur.com/ghyoKQ1.mp4

I’m still on mini-hiatus!

PMs sent!

Fair enough. And like Starkiller said, it’s a problem of the movie that we’ll just have to accept.

But if he doesn’t do that, how can he blame himself for what has happened and exile himself? After all, the only failing would be in not seeing the darkness in Kylo to prevent the massacre, and is that really enough? Did he just say ‘well Snoke and Kylo really got me good, time to go die in exile’?

It’s a catch-22

If you explicitly reference the horrors of Ben’s later actions it makes you wonder why he would exile himself rather than try to prevent it.

On the other hand…

If you don’t explicitly reference these events you might wonder what could possibly make him want to kill Leia’s son.

You could go with the implication that Luke is merely looking into Ben’s mind and doesn’t see anything of the future, but if this were the case Luke would surely see the light which defines Kylo’s struggle, just as he sensed the light within Vader.

I can’t see a way to navigate this act which remains legible with what we know of Luke from the OT.

Lest we forget, the concept art for TFA was far more interesting than what we got, so it’s really difficult to even speculate on the look of the final result.

Hal 9000 said:

I know you’re alluding to something, but I can’t remember where I got that exact phrase.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeRyfOtpc8Y

Hal 9000 said:

I agree in principle. It would also fit in with Snoke-as-Palpatine-wearing-VR-headset, as he ordered the same thing before.

I see you are a man of culture as well.

PM sent!

RogueLeader said:

Thanks Idir!! I was wondering where that photo came from.

The Exegol set looks quiet different without it being so blue. I would love to see someone that has a knack with color grading do something more interesting color-wise with Exegol.

I prefer the neutral lighting of the sets to the grading in the film almost without exception. They look almost like real places before the unnatural colors are applied.

NotFreeman’D said:

If its not too big of an annoyance could i get a link to the workprint? Thank you in advance!

PM Sent!

Sorry, I couldn’t help it 😉

I think the reason people don’t like this discussion is because it’s happening again. And while some people will say that it’s just rehashing or undoing previous discussion, it’s actually expanding on it.

Maybe that’s why so many people found his character distasteful - he was the only one refusing to be part of the 'memberberries pantomime parade.

idir_hh said:

After watching this a second time I’d like to give my overall thoughts and some input.

I think you are close to achieving your primary goal for this edit - bringing out the films subtext - and specifically for me, the undertones of Rey’s character, her loneliness, vulnerability and longing are very well demonstrated through the various dialogue cuts, reaction shots, sounds and visions.

NeverarGreat said:
Rey’s Daydream (version 5)

Man do I love this, its such a striking visual. I assume you cut this for fear of revealing her powers too early in the film, the feeling I got from it was that Rey was imagining far and different places perhaps as a past time, as the film progresses though it slowly unravels that there is something more to it as the same island pops up again and again.

• Integrate Leia’s deleted scene with Kor Sella directly after Finn disembarks from the Falcon.

It felt a little odd cutting from Finn disembarking to leia and korr sela than back to Finn and Poe.
I think it would flow better if it played out with Finn disembarking - He finds Poe - their scene play out than cut to the deleted with leia and kora with finn and poe coming down to speak with her right after.

• Preface interrogation with Rey fitfully dreaming of her recent vision of Luke and R2 as well as visions of the island and the interior of the Jedi tree.

Maybe simplifying to an establishing shot of achto with the jedi texts would suffice.

• The second Snoke scene has Hux sent to prepare the weapon to destroy the Republic with no mention of a reconnaissance ship and no knowledge of the location of the Resistance, and ends with Snoke taunting Ben by calling him ‘Solo’.

I liked how Kylo’s heritage was not revealed in the first Snoke scene and I think throughout the course of the film his heritage reveals itself so for me the Solo taunt kinda takes away from that.

• Leia’s ‘…again. Our system is the next target’ is replaced with Snap asking if Leia has had word from the Republic, to which she answers ‘No’.
  Generally I think the stakes need to be emphasised a more concerning the imminent attack on Republic.

• Insert deleted scene of Kylo on the Falcon, altered to include new music and sound effects indicating his happy memories on the ship.

Could probably do better without the over-dramatic head turn, flows better without it.

• New sequence on the bridge where Kylo offers the lightsaber to Han in one final test. Once Han touches the saber,
  Kylo can access his memories and hears both Leia’s faith in him and Han’s pessimism, and it is this which hardens Kylo’s resolve.

The voices could be lowered just a tad

• Move Leia’s reaction to Han’s death to right after the explosive detonation.

This felt a little off for me, seeing leia’s reaction in the direct aftermath of her husbands death in resonated with me more.

• Remove indications that the planet is collapsing around Rey and Kylo, including all shots showing the cliffhanger. The lines about Rey needing a teacher remain, however, augmented with the final instance of the sinister whispers and echoes of her many traumas. She uses this to tap into the Dark Side and overcome Kylo.

I think the many voices can be a little distracting and its a little hard to make out what they are saying, I think less is more would be the best option in this case .

• After the shot of Chewie mourning for Han, there is an extended sequence of BB-8 returning to a comatose R2 in an effort to awaken him. Rey sees this attempt and the scene cuts to night at the base with R2 hooked up to a computer terminal which is helping search his backup data. As this happens, Rey has a dream/vision of waking up on Luke’s island and finding Luke himself. She holds out the lightsaber. R2 awakens and the map to Luke is revealed.

To be honest I’m really torn on this sequence. On one hand I feel like the original ending with Luke is the perfect payoff for this Isolated adventure yet on the other hand the dream Sequence is better in the context of the Last Jedi.
Would be great if you released two versions to satisfy both sentiments as I’m many would like to watch this back to back with all TLJ edits.

Thank you for the detailed critiques.

Despite how much I like the Reydream sequence it feels too soon for her to have any odd behavior with regards to the Force. Although now with TROS and her heritage, maybe it’s worth reevaluating this.

The Leia deleted scene is definitely in its final form. Several attempts by several editors were made to do just what you suggested, but I think we each came to the conclusion that in practice the linkage between ‘I need your help’ and then going to Leia is too strong to break.

The preinterrogation dream is still a work in progress for sure, and you’re right that less is more.

Would you suggest that the deleted Kylo scene would work better without the last few shots of the scene, or just the head turn? Because it might feel weird to go from his reminiscing to outside the Falcon with no buffer.

The voices in the lightsaber fight is something I was actually planning to change. I agree that less is more, so I might try a version where it’s just the darker music and ambient sounds.

I could definitely release two versions with regard to the ending, you’re right about that.

nevertellmetheodds said:

Could I please get a link to the workprint?

PM sent!

And how would this change be accomplished, practically speaking?

The whole Snoke/Palpatine connection could really be more interesting.

For example, we could have Snoke be inhabited by the spirit of Palps, created specifically as a sacrificial vessel for Kylo to destroy. Under the TROS rules, if Kylo were to kill Snoke/Palps in anger, the Sith would possess Kylo and Palps would win. Snoke’s desire to turn Kylo fully dark is a necessary component of this plan. Since Snoke is killed by Kylo before he is dark, the spirit of Palps must return to Exegol and his ruined body once more, but through the Snoke plan he learns firsthand of Rey’s power.

To make this idea explicit in TFA/TLJ would go a long way to making the trilogy feel connected by a central villainous plan - the plan of Palpatine attempting to gain immortality first through the Skywalker line, then through that of his own granddaughter. It probably wouldn’t even be that hard. Snoke has a lot of mannerisms that mimic Palpatine already, so all that would be needed would be some explicit lines or words from Palpatine layered under Snoke’s lines like Gandalf/Sauruman from the Two Towers, and a burst of blue spirit energy when Snoke dies. TROS wouldn’t necessarily need to be changed in this regard, though it would be neat to have some confirmation that Snoke was Palps all along.

That is a change I could get behind.

Have the Blu-ray branch at this point so that each time she says a different last name.

‘Rey’
‘Rey who?’
‘Rey…Binks’