Could this deleted scene from The Last Jedi have saved the entire film?
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) is the most controversial film ever regarding the franchise. Since its release in 2017, this movie has divided fans and even almost brought some careers to an end.
From a messy storyline to throw-away character arcs, there’s a lot to stay about this movie that will start a debate again (leave that for the comment section below).
A deleted scene from the movie has recently surfaced, leading many to believe that this scene could have potentially saved the entire film.
Is that even possible? Let’s speculate.
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The Most Hated Star Wars Film of All Time Could Have Been Different –
Now, I’m not going to declare that this scene will single handle fix the entire movie; I’m not that arrogant with this information. But this scene could have set it enough to feel like a better film.
I’ll explain more in a bit; for now, check out the scene I am referencing below:
STOP UR TELLING ME THEY FILMED LUKE’S WHOLE REACTION TO FINDING OUT ABOUT HAN’S DEATH AND THEY DIDN’T INCLUDE IT??? WHY DID THEY CUT THE BEST STUFF FROM THIS MOVIE 💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/UX9WJquKgI
— leo / mads (@lukeishope) April 24, 2023
Yes, the clip is barely 30 seconds long, but it provides the audience with something we all wanted: a moment for Luke, who has spent over 40 years with Han Solo, to grieve his death on screen.
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Luke Skywalker in ‘The Last Jedi’
Not everyone was happy with Luke’s story arc in The Last Jedi. Everyone was taken aback by his response to Rey giving him his old lightsaber back and him just casually tossing away like nothing.
Many Star Wars fans were quick to point out how crazy and unlike Luke, that scene was.
It felt like the lead-up from The Force Awakens (2015) was utterly wasted, and the hype from that ending scene did not give fans the satisfying buildup we were all hoping for.
Other fans who love the movie were quick to discuss how nuanced and brave that was for director Rian Johnson to flesh that scene out in that manner.
But the reality is that not even Mark Hamill enjoyed playing Johnson’s version of Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi.
Suppose you look at Star Wars in its entirety. In that case, you see that Luke was meant to be a character who never gave up or allowed his emotions to overwhelm him entirely, yet we have a sad, burdened, broken Luke that did not appeal to the most fanbase.
Why This Deleted Scene Could Have Fixed the Entire Movie
The reason why I mentioned this deleted scene from The Last Jedi fixing the entire movie was purely off, in my own opinion. But as an avid star wars fan who’s watched these sequel trilogy films from the mindset of a film critic and not a fan, I can honestly say that this scene should have stayed in the movie.
During the final act of The Last Jedi, we see Luke come face-to-face with his nephew, Ben Solo. They have an exchange of words that can be summed up with the following:
Luke senses the torment, chaos, and suffering shrouding Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) as he deals with the burden of killing his father to show Supreme Leader Snoke (a puppet used by The Emperor as he hid in the shadows).
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Throughout the scene, you hear Luke say things that Han used to display and mostly told Ben growing up. As an example: “See you around, kid.” This line was said to Luke by Han, which in turn was most likely told to Ben Solo throughout his upbringing.
By having this scene in the film, we get a more fleshed-out Luke who had a moment of clarity and realization: I need to help the resistance – my sister needs me now more than ever. My nephew might still have some good in him.
This would have also impacted scenes between Rey and Ben as Rey mentioned multiple times throughout the film how she hated Ben for killing Han and how this will haunt Ben forever.
Lastly, this scene alone would have given us a more emotional attachment to Luke, Rey, and even Kylo Ren.
But these are my personal opinions.
What are your thoughts? Could this deleted scene from The Last Jedi have saved the entire film?