Star Wars: The Darklighter Cut

For a film many of us certainly know line-for-line, the Darklighter Cut is a fresh way to take in A New Hope that I HIGHLY recommend for ANY Star Wars fan, especially those who grew up with the theatrical or pre-SE cut of the film. This edit emphasizes how easily a few lines of dialogue can reshape one's perspective of the film, and this presentation is definitely a more personal one. The rest of this review will focus on the story as impacted by the edit; no notes regarding audio and visual quality.

I love the additions, especially Luke's reaction to Biggs's death; as another reviewer said, the way that moment is presented theatrically feels like it's missing the reaction you'd expect if Luke lost his best friend--maybe that's an appropriate reaction from Luke if Wedge was gone, not Biggs! I was familiar with the other additions with the exception of the added dialogue from Red Leader regarding flying with Anakin. I'm sure I've read about those lines before, maybe I've seen a video, but never have I seen it coupled with those other pre-flight scenes.

The ONLY deleted scene that took me out of the experience was the old lady shaking her fists at Luke after the near-hit. Without having an impact on Luke or Biggs, I wonder if that scene is worth removing in a future edition?

I appreciate that Luke is thrust into the spotlight even more. I think seeing him alongside his "friends" and Biggs enriches each moment with Luke for the rest of the film. We see Luke pushed around by Cammie and Fixer, so I think it's especially funny to see how he's treated by Leia as he "rescues her". The guy can't catch a break! Also, the one-on-one moments between Biggs and Luke early in the edit made so many moments between Han and Luke even RICHER throughout the film.

It was perfect, the deleted scenes were what I needed this for, and found all the other additions to be splendid. I especially liked the bit you added where Luke reacted to Biggs dying, always felt they brushed over that when they were supposed to be best friends growing up

A blast from the past! The closest possible edit to what the theatrical Star Wars would have looked like if the Biggs scenes were included. Though the picture quality was unfortunately degraded and the audio was a little wonky, the Biggs scenes helped flesh Luke out more and added emotional weight to Biggs's death during the Death Star battle.

I highly recommend to any Star Wars fan and those looking for a time machine trip back to 1977.

I admit that I came into this edit with a bias. I believe that the definitive way to experience the original 1977 classic is through Harmy's Despecialized Editions (unless some studio exec finally decides to release the original cuts). Or, if you want that dirty film look, Puggo Grande's 16mm preservations. I'm not a fan of the special editions at all, and I think the original was perfect as is. I'll even go so far as to commit blasphemy and say that Adywan's Revisited saga was still no match for the theatrical version. So I went into this edit with some low expectations. Now that I've seen it, I have to admit that while my heart still belongs to the theatrical, this is the closest an extended version of Episode IV has gotten to changing my mind. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say I might give this one a rewatch!

For those who are too bored to read the description, this is basically the theatrical cut, but with the entire Biggs subplot added back in. And no, I'm not talking about that extra scene in the special edition where Luke reunites with his buddy (although that scene is in here). There are several extra scenes that have been added to the beginning of the film, all involving Luke's friendship with Biggs. The first 15-20 minutes of this edit will give you most of what's new here, but with that said, these extra additions are really good! We learn more about Luke's application to the academy, why his friends are gone, and what role the Empire plays in all of this. All of which expands on Luke's character and gives us a greater understanding of his situation. And yes, the extra insights into Luke's friendship with Biggs give the ending more impact as well.

If I have to be a perfectionistic jerk and point out anything nitpicky about the new additions, I will say that a lot of the new footage is dated. That is to say, it's very much in the 1970s. The theatrical cut of A New Hope has a timeless feel to it that is hard for any film to duplicate. The only way you could really tell it was made in 1977 was mostly the hairstyles. But these extra scenes are pure '70s all the way, baby! Biggs even talks in '70s lingo! So if you want that timeless feel preserved (or you don't like '70's pop culture that much), this one ain't for you. Of course, none of this is the fault of the faneditor. That's just how the subplot was written and shot.

Otherwise, this is a great extension to an already great film. If you always felt like the film needed more insight into Luke Skywalker's character, definitely give this one a watch!

I was hit with a huge wave of nostalgia upon seeing that old Twentieth Century Fox logo and seeing that non special edition footage, really felt like I was reliving some great memories of my childhood though as to the inclusion of the deleted scenes they really help to make Luke’s and Biggs friendship more meaningful and when it comes time for Bigg’s character to be killed of it now hits much harder than it did originally as I can now sympathise with Luke on the joy of being reunited with a close friend again only to experience the pain of having lost that friend again and knowing that this time they won't come back.

Luke also has a little more depth and growth thanks to these scenes accompanying the rest of the movie though I do wish you could have found a way to remove all the visual lines and black crackles that plagued the footage of the deleted scenes though I am aware that there’s only so much editing software can do well at least until better editing software comes out.