Review Detail

I admit that my expectations for this edit were high ever since I saw the thread for it in the FE.org forums, and I'm happy to say that this edit met my expectations and even gave me a few welcome surprises I didn't expect!

For starters, I love and respect the black-and-white aesthetic this edit went for. It did a lot to give this edit a film-noir feel that made me think of some of my favorite Batman comics, from The Long Halloween to Hush. Of course, this is an edit of Batman & Robin, so just to clarify, this still isn't a whodunnit. It is limited to the source material we all know (and most likely, hate). But the decision to make it black-and-white really does a good job of keeping this one in line with the atmosphere we all associate with Batman.

But even if I were to brush aside the B&W, and focus on the edit itself, I'm still impressed with what's been done to fix this movie. Yes, the sillier, more cartoonish moments have been reduced here (at least, as much as can be done to reduce it), but what caught me by surprise is Bruce Wayne's character arc as well as the theme of trust. It's enough to make this edit required viewing for any future faneditor! I'm also going to repeat dwight-fry's sentiments down below on how warm the bond with the good guys is in this edit. I loved this aspect of the group, and I'm glad that this edit highlights it.

The choice to place the focus on Mr. Freeze was a surprising one, but looking back, I'm glad MusicEd went with it. Mr. Freeze is arguably my favorite Batman villain because his issues are the most sympathetic of the lot. He isn't some deranged sociopath or a guy trying to cause trouble via riddles. He's just trying to save his wife. And I appreciate seeing more of that aspect (and less of those ice puns) in this edit. Sure, it would be better if Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't cast in the role, but it's a solid improvement, and the best it can possibly be.

Of course, this is still an edit of Batman & Robin, and as hard as it tries, some moments of campiness are going to be there no matter what. The worst scene I can think of is when Poison Ivy lies to Freeze about Batman killing his wife. A lot of the saturday morning cartoon logic in that scene is still pretty bad. But I don't think it can be removed, since it takes the plot from point A to point B. With that said, though, MusicEd made the right decision to treat it like something from The Animated Series, and it helped to make most of the remaining silliness easier to swallow.

I have very few complaints about this edit, and considering the source material, that's some high praise coming from me. Batman & Robin: Deep Freeze is a miracle in fan editing, and one I intend to see again!