When it comes to massive Hollywood blockbusters, oftentimes the studio and the filmmakers want to keep some mystery to the magic. It’s no secret that a movie’s form can change drastically throughout production and post-production, and significant alterations can be made late in the game through reshoots and additional photography. But most of the time, everyone involved would like to keep that under wraps and simply present the finished film as-is.
That’s not the case withStar Wars: The Last Jedi, which maybe didn’t go throughsignificantalterations in post-production but did have its share of changes. The Blu-ray release of the film includes nearly 30 minutes of deleted scenes, including two entire sequences that were removed from the movie. They’re all laid bare on the home video release, complete with an introduction by writer/directorRian Johnsonas well as optional audio commentary on each.
WithStar Wars: The Last Jedihitting 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 27th, I’ve gone through all the deleted scenes to provide a bit of a rundown. Now it’s more fun to actually watch these rather than read about them, so my synopsis of each will be brief. This is more about whether these deleted scenes deserved to be removed, or if the film would’ve been better had they been left intact.
So with that, let’s dive into theLast Jedideleted scenes.
Alternate Opening
What’s Happening?:This is an alternate opening to the film, in which the story begins with Finn (John Boyega) waking up in his healing tube and walking around the base in his water suit.
Do We Miss It?:Nope. While portions of this scene remain in the movie, it’s an odd way to kick things off and lacks the momentum of the final opening scene, which instead gets us right into the action of one of the film’s best set pieces. This one’s fine on the cutting room floor.
Paige’s Gun Jams
What’s Happening?:This was a casualty of the alternate opening scene being removed, as it offered a different introduction to Rose’s sister Paige Tico. It’s incredibly brief.
Do We Miss It?:No. Johnson eventually settled on introducing the bombers later into the opening set piece, and Paige’s final introduction is far more impactful.
Luke Has a Moment
What’s Happening?:This scene takes place shortly after Rey arrives at Luke’s hideout, and shows Luke going into his hut alone to quietly grieve Han Solo’s death.
Do We Miss It?:Kinda yeah. While the scene itself doesn’t make sense in the context of the finished film since Johnson decided to alter the narrative structure of the storylines a bit,Mark Hamillgives a wonderful performance here and we do finally get a moment to watch Luke grieve the death of his best friend. Again, it doesn’t really fit into the final cut of the movie so it’s understandable why it was cut, but it’s a really nice moment.
Poe: Not Much of a Sewer
What’s Happening?:This is a connective tissue scene between Finn and Poe (Oscar Isaac) towards the beginning of the film, in which Poe gives Finn his jacket back and reveals that he sewed up the jacket himself. Cue swooning from Poe/Finn shippers.
Do We Miss It?:Yes. While there’s really no narrative reason for this scene to exist, it’s a really nice beat between Finn and Poe in a movie that doesn’t give them a ton of time together. The gesture of Poe sewing up Finn’s jacket speaks volumes to their relationship.
It’s Kind of Weird That You Recorded That
What’s Happening?:Finn is sad and looking at the locator beacon when BB-8 shows him a recorded video of Rey telling an unconscious Finn that she’ll see him again. This scene was meant to sell Finn’s decision to abandon ship and go find Rey.
Do We Miss It?:Despite a pretty great punchline, not really. It’s not needed, as we already understand why Finn wants to leave, and you may easily feel how this would have slowed down the pacing of an already lengthy movie.
The Caretaker Sizes Up Rey
What’s Happening?:One of the caretakers gives Rey a dirty look.
Do We Miss It?:Nope. It’s funny, but it’s a bit digressional.
Caretaker Village Sequence
What’s Happening?:This is one of two whole sequences that were cut out of the movie, and it took place right before the scene where Rey and Kylo interact and Luke catches them. Rey sees ships sailing into the caretaker village, which Luke tells her are raiders. She says she has to go save them, to which Luke replies that’ll only make matters worse. She ignores his warning, only to discover the caretakers are just havin’ a dance party. Luke was foolin’.
Do We Miss It?:No. This one also feels unnecessary, even if the caretaker dance party scene is really funny and a great showcase of the creature effects work. We already understand why Rey is unhappy with Luke, so we didn’t need yet another reason for her to get mad at him. Again, the movie is long enough, so this feels superfluous.
Extended Fathier Chase
What’s Happening?:This is the very first original version of the Fathier chase sequence, which was originally much longer.
Do We Miss It?:Definitely not. As someone who lovesThe Last Jedi, I can say quite confidently the Fathier chase is the one point of the movie where it starts to drag. It’s just uninteresting, visually and otherwise, and it lacks much drive because we kind of already know where this is going. Johnson made the right call in shortening the whole sequence, and even then it feels kind of long.
Mega Destroyer Incursion – Extended Version
What’s Happening?:This is an extended version of the sequence where Finn (Boyega), Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), and DJ (Benicio Del Toro) sneak onto the Mega Destroyer. They escape a snoopy First Order commander (played byThe Witch’sRalph Ineson) only to find themselves locked in an elevator with stoomtroopers, one of whom recognizes Finn.
Do We Miss It?:Yes. This is one of the funniest scenes in the entire movie, and I’m 99% sure the stormtrooper interacting with Finn on the elevator isTom Hardy(which means the other stormtroopers in the scene arePrince HarryandPrince William). It’s a scene that begins incredibly tense, and ends with a really funny punchline and a hilarious performance from Hardy.
Rose Bites the Hand That Taunts Her
What’s Happening?:Rose literally bites Hux’s hand after she and Finn are captured.
Do We Miss It?:Nope. It’s unnecessary and a little weird.
