While Disney Plus's eagerly-awaited Star Wars spin-off Obi-Wan Kenobi thrilled many fans, some were left feeling rather underwhelmed by it all.
Most were delighted to see the return of Jedi Ewan McGregor, but there were plenty of disgruntled rumblings about the show's pacing, plot and whether the series stuck to the saga’s strict mythology.
One fan was so incensed by the finished product that he cut up all six episodes and edited them together himself, turning it into a tight 2.5 hour movie.
Filmmaker Kai Patterson has posted Obi-Wan Kenobi: The Patterson cut to his personal website and made it free to stream (if you have a Disney Plus account, of course).
Launched in May this year to huge fanfare, the original Obi-Wan Kenobi saw Ewan McGregor reprise his role as the titular Jedi master, while his former wayward protégé Anakin Skywalker had Hayden Christensen return to the franchise after last appearing 17 years ago in prequel Revenge Of The Sith.
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The new series is set a decade after Sith, with Anakin now fully embracing the dark side following his grim transformation into the evil Darth Vader.
Its fairly hefty six-episode run (for what some would say is a relatively slight story) perhaps inevitably meant the show sagged a little in parts.
As a result, many fans agree that this new fan-version has made Obi-Wan a more enjoyable and cohesive story, though some noted there are certain edits that make it all feel a bit rushed.
Grayson on Twitter said: "I just watched Kai Patterson ’s re-edit of Obi-Wan Kenobi. While imperfect, by cutting down the show into a two and a half hour film, and thus taking out the filler and unnecessary baggage, it was an improvement. Overall, the edit proved that the project should have been a film".
Mika said: "Just finished the 2.5 hour Kai Patterson edit of the Obi Wan show, far more enjoyable than the Disney+ version and if you haven’t watched either I’d recommend it over the six episode series".
Media and tech website The Adventures of Vesper enjoyed the cut, praising its improved pace, but said sometimes it was too quick, with some scenes feeling hurried.
The fan edit was a real labour of love for Patterson, who says: "The Obi-Wan show, in my opinion, suffered from things that were easily fixable in the script and in the edit.
“(There was) awkward pacing, whole scenes that ultimately amounted to nothing, goofy dialogue and directing choices, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and change what I could."
He added: "I want to be very clear, this is my own artistic interpretation of how these scenes could be strung together to make something that works better for me personally. This is all done as a fan, for the fans, and I am not making any money from it."
Originally pitched as a film trilogy
Interestingly, Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally pitched as a film trilogy, but was canned after spin-off Solo performed poorly at the box office in 2018.
Patterson told his fans: "I am so excited to be able to share this fan edit with those who have a Disney Plus membership! I have done this re-edit out of the love I have for Star Wars and the excitement I have for the new content we’re getting from Lucasfilm.
"I want to be very clear, this is my own artistic interpretation of how these scenes could be strung together to make something that works better for me personally.
"This is all done as a fan, for the fans, and I am not making any money from it. I really hope you enjoy this 2.5 hr movie interpretation of the Obi-Wan Kenobi Show".
You can still watch Obi-Wan Kenobi in its original format on Disney Plus.
And despite some fans’ misgivings, a second season is reportedly already in the works.
*What did YOU think of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series? Do you agree that it was badly paced? Have you seen the new fan-edit? Was it better? Let us know in the comments below.
