For nearly 2 years, I have been re-editing The Last Jedi. It is now available!

Since Episode VIII released on Blu-ray and digital, there have been several “The Last Jedi” fan edits. It might be the most fan-edited film since the prequels. Some of these edits have been better than others, but I generally believe some of them to be improvements on the theatrical release for various reasons.

They have contained less poorly placed humor. They have removed the Canto Bight subplot, reduced Holdo’s role, and taken away Leia’s brief flight. Some edits have been more ambitious than others. YouTuber Hal9000 released a decent edit, as did Reddit users u/noodle-flinger and u/ClarkZuckerberg. I used their edits as a spring board for my own, lifting some alterations and continuing to rework the film in its entirety.

Over these past nearly 2 years, I have spent a lot of time editing and revising my own version of the film. It is the highest possible render quality taken from the Blu-ray version, and has a runtime of 1 hour and 35 minutes, 39 with credits. I am very pleased with how it has turned out.

I worked on this edit, specifically with those in mind who didn’t care for The Last Jedi and those who had a lot of issues with it, either as fans or just as audience members (like myself). I want to provide a version of the film which respects the audience’s time, in case they want to revisit it before viewing “The Rise of Skywalker” which comes out in two weeks.

If you would like a copy, let me know.

A preview of the various edits can be watched here, although there are many more changes in the actual film:

Alterations include...

My edits:

• Recut opening sequence as Poe and BB-8 approach Hux, cutting out comedic beats
• Cut Hux facing Snoke’s hologram comedic beat
• Inserted and re-edited Luke mourning deleted scene
• Inserted Poe and Finn deleted scene
• Cut Leia slapping Poe
• Cut Finn trying to leave the Resistance
• Cut Canto Bight scenes
• Cut the majority of Holdo's subplot, as Leia is no longer knocked unconscious in this version
• Cut the fish nuns entirely, as they were included originally for comedic gags and interrupted serious moments
• Cut repetitive dialogue between Rey and Luke about where she came from
• Cut Chewie’s porg/campfire gag, as I thought it felt more akin to a Lego Star Wars video game than an actual movie
• Cut a brief line from Luke to R2 on the Falcon about how he would never return, improving the flow of the scene
• Cut Rey’s line to Kylo telling him, "Put on a cowl or something."
• Cut repetitive dialogue by Rey asking Luke if he was responsible for Kylo Ren (while re-editing, it seemed as if these lines were to over-explain information to the audience)
• Inserted the Emperor’s laugh in the flashback as Luke reads Ben Solo’s mind
• Cut Rey’s line, “Then he is our only hope” as well as the following shot of her pulling back the lightsaber and walking away
• Cut dialogue from Kylo Ren to Rey in the elevator as he brings up her parents, as a way to improve the flow of the scene
• Cut Snoke’s dialogue as Kylo prepares to execute Rey and replaced it with the score, also cut and rearranged shots to build suspense
• Inserted a Wilhelm scream, as this was the first Star Wars film to lack the iconic sound effect
• Cut Kylo’s dialogue to Rey about her parents, as I believe this to be an underdeveloped and weak plot point that does not advance the story or even the trilogy as IX seems to have something to retcon about that conversation
• Cut Poe’s “big ass door” line
• Cut Rey’s reaction to shooting down Tie Fighters, as a moment earlier she was in distress
• Cut the porgs aboard the Falcon on Crait
• Cut Leia line to Luke, “I changed my hair.”
• Cut Luke brushing off his shoulder
• Cut C-3P0’s “to one” line after Poe tells him to “shut up”
• Cut Hux asking Kylo, “Are you done?”
• Cut Kylo throwing Hux, and the comedic beat from the driver which follows, “Right away, sir.”
• Cut slow motion shots of Luke dodging Kylo’s lightsaber
• If you would like to know why I made the alterations which I made, I wrote a piece all about it.

u/noodle-flinger's edits:

• Rewritten opening crawl to give more political context:
  • A galaxy in chaos! Both the evil FIRST ORDER and the brave RESISTANCE have been catastrophically decimated, each desperate to snuff out the other and fill the power vacuum left by the extinction of the Republic. Leader of the Resistance, General Leia Organa, lives in hope that her brother, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker can return to restore peace and order to the galaxy. As the First Order speeds toward the Rebel base, the fate of the galaxy rests on their escape….
• Removed the flute run at the beginning that's the same as ANH. Replaced with the start of the First Order theme cut from TFA.
• Removed Kylo Ren's theme when the First Order arrives at D'Qar because Kylo Ren is not present. Replaced with First Order leitmotif from the end of "Main Title and Attack on the Jakku Village" from TFA.
• Tone down the humor in spots where it doesn't fit tonally, e.g. Poe and Hux prank call and the Ach-To nun getting hit with the rock are both gone.
• Cut Leia slapping Poe.
• Cut the green milk scene from Rey following Luke montage.
• Trim Finn's fake-out sacrifice so that it doesn't give you a chance to root for him to go for it.

u/ClarkZuckerberg's edits:

• Cut Poe joking with Hux at the beginning
• Cut Finn/Rose side arc altogether including Maz as it served no purpose and was just fat. Rose thus turns into just another Resistance member like Connix.
• Cut Luke tossing lightsaber over shoulder. He now drops it.
• Added Finn and Poe deleted scene to give Finn more screen time
• Cut Poe/Holdo “fuel” arc as it also served no purpose and felt wasteful in it’s time. This includes cutting Leia being blown into space and subsequent “Carrie Poppins” scene. Thus the last we see of the Resistance until evacuating the small ships and Holdo sacrificing herself, is after Kylo decides NOT to shot and neither do the tie fighters (in this version). This leaves Finn/Rose with the resistance for the whole movie without leaving any continuity errors. Holdo role significantly changes from admiral to close friend of Leia who sacrifices herself for the Resistance.
• Added “Luke mourning Han” deleted scene
• Cut Ach-To nuns, and removed Luke saying “what is that?”
• Cut Luke/Rey joke bout “reaching out” and slapping on the hand
• Cut Holdo/Leia awkward joking about “may the force be with you” and just let Holdo say it.
• Cut Snoke laying on the floor
• Cut Finn trying to crash into the battering ram and Rose saving him. They are presumed to turn back with the other ships when Poe tells them to as Finn does not argue otherwise. This also removes him dragging Rose back.
• Had to zoom/scale the explosion to crop Rose and Finn out when the battering ram blasts the giant door open but it looks quite natural IMO.
• Removed broom boy ending as it felt like an epilogue which felt out of place for the middle movie of a trilogy, and especially in a Star Wars movie.
• Added 2 wipes (diagonal and left-to-right) where needed and a custom end “close out” circle to fit the end of the movie