Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerhas been out for several weeks now and, much like its predecessorThe Last Jedi, opinion is divided. The hashtag #ReleaseTheJJCut is now trending all over the internet, with rumours abound that what we saw in theatres is not necessarily what was intended, with many claiming there are various deleted scenes that fill in the gaps that the movie leaves behind.
Well, try not to get too upset, but Visual Effects Supervisor Patrick Tubach has recently opened up about the challenges of makingThe Rise of Skywalker, discussingIan McDiarmind’s return as Emperor Palpatinespecifically, and killing those deleted scene dreams.
“I don’t think there’s anything you haven’t really seen. J.J. would always shoot variations on scenes - that’s the natural moviemaking process. But to my knowledge there’s no alternative version [of Palpatine’s story]. We change camera angles, we change lighting, maybe there’s a dialogue variation. It’s just naturally what we do.”
It certainly sounds likeEmperor Palpatine’s storyhas come to a definitive end, though of course we did think the same thing when he was thrown down that endless shaft at the end ofReturn of the Jedi. Though how exactly hemade his triumphant returnto a galaxy far, far away forThe Rise of Skywalkeris something that is left irritatingly unexplained, but sadly Tubach seems to suggest that we will never see these details revealed on screen.
Now, it should be noted that he says there is no alternative version ‘to his knowledge’ and so perhaps there is some footage out there that Tubach is unaware of. Rest assured his words will do nothing to silence those who want the so-called ‘JJ cut’ to be released, but no doubt some of them will feel a little disheartened at his dismissal of the idea.
If it is any consolation, Scanlan adds that the now 75-year-old Ian McDiarmid had a rather wonderful time revisiting his villainous side, even if it meant spending much of his time on a rig hovering in the air.
“He was totally game for everything. We did some digital augmentation for some shots, but for the most part we hung onto his performance. He’s fantastic.”
At least somebody had a good time, because the critics certainly did not asThe Rise of Skywalkercurrently sits adisappointing 54 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite audiences giving the movie a much juicier 86 percent, many have been calling for Disney to release J.J. Abrams' cut, which many hope will also explain why Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico has such little screen time, as well as the Palaptine mystery.
For now, #ReleaseTheJJCut will just have to join #ReleaseTheSnyderCut in a race to see which one is released first, if ever. This comes to us fromYahoo.
