Star Wars: The Last Jedi Editor Confirms Subtle Reversed Shot No One Noticed

Star Wars: The Last Jedi has proven to be the gift that keeps on giving, as almost three years after it was unveiled to audiences, fans are still finding subtle details that elevate the entire experience. The most recent example of filmmaking expertise was pointed out on Twitter by user Matthew Thomason, who pondered if one scene featured reversed footage to help convey Kylo Ren‘s commitment to killing Snoke, resulting in editor Bob Ducsay confirming that this brief shot was, in fact, reversed. Given the number of various ways in which the film was manipulated, even writer/director Rian Johnson wasn’t sure if the shot was reversed, who ultimately commended Thomason for observing the visual gag.

The shot in question is when Kylo Ren sees his lightsaber tumble before him, with his eyes shifting from the weapon and up towards Supreme Leader Snoke. Thomason pointed out how Kylo’s eyes moved in a strange way, as his pupils seem to shift so quickly that his eyelids are slow to react, creating an unnatural effect. The fan pondered how this could have been done intentionally as a way to convey that Kylo’s convictions to kill Snoke were so strong that his eyes targeted his former mentor with such passion that even his eyelids couldn’t anticipate how quickly his convictions shifted.

After Thomason tagged both Johnson and Ducsay in the thread exploring this moment, Johnson admitted, “God we did so many things like this, I honestly can’t remember, but yeah I think it’s reversed. Bob do you remember?” Ducsay then added, “Yes. It’s reversed. It is in fact the reason there’s so much snap to the look.”

As has been the nature of every Star Wars film released by Disney, fans have had conflicted reactions to every element of each experience, and while some fans have made their opinions loud and clear about their disappointment over the narrative trajectory of The Last Jedi, it’s hard to deny the amount of thought and care that went into bringing the experience to life.

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Star Wars franchise.

Did you catch this moment? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!