Batman Begins: Dark Cut

A wonderful edit that does exactly what it sets out to do.

Altering Rachel's voice is ingenious. Nothing sets this edit apart more than her change in character. Such a small thing, yet a great effect. Overall, the audio editing is perfect. Adding the video game-lines works fine and helps sell the self-driving Batmobile. A slight change in audio fidelity is noticeable when the video game-lines are inserted, but if one is not listening for it...

The visual editing is great and all the inserted shots works fine, from the sniper to the HUD. All the trims feel justified and are not done for the sake of trimming.

I think Batman Begins is a good movie, but JMB's Dark Cut tightens and makes it great.

What a treat JMB has given us! So far, this is my favourite fan edit and, in my opinion, an improvement on the original version of Batman Begins.

Cheesy lines and cliche jokes have pretty much all been removed, resulting in a consistent tone throughout the movie. Very atmospheric.

I really liked that Batman was even more of a loner in this edit (having the AI drive the batmobile at the end instead of Gordon, and tweaks to several scenes involving Rachel)

The adjustments made to the last scene with Rachel (in the rubble of Wayne manor) were especially impressive and actually resulted in an ending (in regards to their relationship) that made more sense and felt more in line with the essence of Batman (from the comics).

Rachel's voice! With JMB's adjustments to her voice, I could actually take her seriously rather than feeling like I'm listening to an annoying child.

I like that the over-the-top-ness of the bad guys (main villains like Falcone and Scarecrow, as well as henchmen) was toned down. I found them kind of silly in the theatrical cut.

And while I really liked the rooftop part of the batmobile chase scene in the theatrical cut, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the chase sequence worked without that segment (and the god-awful acting by the cops). I really liked that Rachel no longer asks "what are you doing?" and Batman says, "shortcut".

There were various adjustments made to imagery and audio throughout, but they were never out of place. The editing seemed quite professionally done. The only time an edit seemed slightly choppy was when Batman told Alfred (via radio or something) that the batmobile was his failsafe (when he was going after Ras in the train). Even then, it wasn't blaringly obvious or intrusive, and in terms of the plot and nature of Batman, it actually made more sense than having Gordon drive it.

Overall, an exceptional fan edit that I think is a lot better than the original version. I wish this is the version that I had seen in theatres. From now on, I will be watching this edit when I want my Batman fix.

Thank you very much JMB.

Batman Begins: Dark Cut by JMB
review by blueyoda

Prologue:
Let me begin by saying that I only saw Batman Begins once. I’m one of the few who was annoyed by the movie. Although it was undeniably the best, most faithful adaptation of the comic book ever commited to screen in terms of tone, some things irked me enough that I never felt the need to see it a second time; Kathy Holmes’ atrocious performance and Batman’s cluelessness being two major points.

I am a huge fan of the Batman, mostly because of the comic book; The Dark Knight Returns, Year One and The Killing Joke are the “definitive” comics that left their mark on me when I was younger and shaped my idea of who Batman is and why he does what he does. I was really hoping that movie would capture the essence of what has made Batman such an enduring character for more than 70 years and although it succeeded in many aspects like the music, lighting and overall mood it let me down so hard on other, much more important elements like Bruce Wayne’s whole character arc and the way he becomes Batman that I never went back to it. This edit completely changes that.

The edit:
There are many, many small changes in this movie that completely change our perception of it. Batman is a much leaner, much more focused and dangerous character than in the theatrical version of the movie. I remember not thinking much of the dock fight in the theater but here the scene is incredibly effective, almost playing out like a horror movie. Batman is now a force of vengeance, the symbol Liam Neeson taught him to be, a shadow from which no criminal is safe. Like the best boogeymen in movies he is unseen but terrifying and from then on it is clearly established that this is a man who has become “more than a man”. He has become fear itself.

One of the biggest change in this edit is to Kathy Holmes’ character. JMB, in a stroke of genius, has altered her voice in every single one of her lines of dialog to make her sound deeper and more intelligent. Gone is the giggly cheerleader voice that took me out of the movie and made me cringe at every single one of her appearances; her character now has depth. Saying her character is improved would be a gross understatement; her performance is completely transformed into something that, not only no longer sticks out like a sore thumb, but is actually believable and up to par with the other great performances in the movie. This is truly the essence of fanediting; being able to think outside of the box to create a better viewing experience for the audience.

The other major change is the Batmobile. It now has a life of its own, quite litterally; Gordon no longer drives it at the end, it drives itself. Like Batman, it has become much more dangerous and is now a symbol of fear, becoming more than just a vehicle. It is now a monstruous beast, Batman’s faithful stead born out of the same darkness and who’ll follow him thru hell. I cannot underline how big an effect this change makes to Batman’s character who is now completely in control of the situation. No longuer dependant on other’s collaboration, Batman knows exactly what he’s doing and you better not stand in his way.

Editing: 10 of 10 – Seamless. No lost frames, not hard cuts and a much tighter movie and it is hard to believe this is a firstling effort.
entertainment: 9 of 10 - see below.

Image and video quality:
Perfect image quality. If the avi looks this good, this will simply look stunning on DVD.
Video quality: 10 of 10

Audio editing and audio quality:
I did not notice the other reviewers’ qualms about the videogame audio used; everything flowed beautifully to me. Perhaps a second viewing would make me notice it but in the heat of seeing this new take so masterfully done, it has gone by unnoticed by this reviewer. One part, which only lasted a few seconds, could have been more “rounded” but it came and left so quickly that it didn’t have time to really draw me out of the movie.
audio editing: 9 of 10
sound quality: 9 of 10

Presentation:
The avi is as good as an avi can get. I did not care much for the end credits which to me felt a little too bold and in your face, giving it a TV feel, but by then the movie was over and this is honnestly just nitpicking.
9 of 10

Final result: 9 of 10

This is a replacement disc for me. This movie was enjoyed with someone who is not a fan of superhero movies and who had not seen Batman Begins. Typically she will talk endlessly during any movie that doesn’t draw her in but here she was silent the whole way thru – except during the dock fight when Batman takes out the first thug where she burst out in exitement: “You’re all f*cked!”.

This is the Batman I’ve always wanted to see on screen. The whole story now makes sense and respects its own plan laid out in the first part; for Bruce Wayne to instill fear into the hearts of criminals, he must become more than a man. He must become a symbol. Fear itself. And this is exactly what this edit achieves to make us believe. Batman Begins: The Dark Cut is now a movie worthy of its best source material and along with Donner’s Superman movies, one of the best superhero movies I’ve seen.

Batman Begins: Dark Cut by JMB

review by boon23

Prologue:
I have been involved in the discussion of this project since it was announced a long time ago. I am also probably the only FE member who has watched the first release of this fanedit as it was sent to me by jmb. It was a fullscreen version, but it blew me away and I was patiently waiting for the final widescreen release with all the cool changes and improvements. JMB is one of the most devoted faneditors I have ever met. On the way to this release he went through so much fault and error, yet he never gave up and I have a huge respect for that.
I consider BATMAN BEGINS a great movie and more consistent and thrilling than DARK KNIGHT. This is not always the best premises for watching a fanedit that is supposed to even improve on the original, but because I knew the first version, I was aware that it was indeed possible.

As for all my reviews: this is just my personal opinion of this fanedit. I cannot tell anybody else, if he or she will experience it in the same way or the opposite. So my review is not objective and does not reflect the opinion of fanedit.org.

!!!!This review contains heavy spoilers!!!

The edit:
There are so many small but important changes to the movie that it is unnecessary to list them all, just that they work marvelously. Just 2 of many examples: Ken Watanabe’s appearance is a lot improved. The dock fight is so much more powerful and the lame one-liners are never missed at all. JMB managed to give a lot more depth to this movie and I enjoyed watching it for the most part.
The idea to not have Gordon drive the Bat mobile was well done and worked well, yet to me the entire final battle scene felt more flat than it was in the original. The panic over Gotham did not get to me so much, I was less thrilled and somehow pulled out of the movie.
The voices from the game did not work too well for me.
Rachel’s deeper voice is a very nice idea, however at some points she sounds artificial and there are several scenes, when an audio change (as if switching from mono to stereo) can be heard.
To me the edit was great for about 105 minutes and lost a lot of its drive in the last 15 minutes. Still it is an awesome job.

editing: 8 of 10 (beautifully edited, but the finale of the original had to me a lot more impact)
entertainment: 7 of 10 (original 9 of 10)(I love the original movie and although this one has many improvements, I will still rather watch the original).

Image and video quality:
The image quality is perfect and there are no hard cuts at all in the movie. The entire editing was done with an incredible amount of care and considering the huge changes a piece of art.
Video quality: 10 of 10

Audio editing and audio quality:
The audio was unfortunately a problem at times as mentioned above. The change of Rachel’s voice did not work perfectly IMO and lead to some occasions that pulled me out of the movie. The game voices did not match the movie voices. There are a few scenes, where an audio channel switch is noticeable. But for 95% of the edit the audio is perfect and it was a great effort to make this possible.
audio editing: 8 of 10
sound quality: 9 of 10
resulting in a 9 of 10 for overall audio

presentation:
It’s an avi and it looks great. Cover art is attached and the info given is very detailled. The DVD will come with a few nice extras and animated menus. The beginning was altered and the end credits were self created, looked great and were perfectly synced with the music.

This results in a 10 of 10 rating from me for presentation.

Final result: 8 of 10 (because I do not rate a fanedit more than 1 point higher or lower than its entertainment to me).

This is hereby approved for fanedit.org.
Thanks, jmb, for creating and releasing it. We have been waiting for this for a long time and it’s a really nice fanedit. Recommended.

for people who fanedit and like to watch fanedits their number one reason for doing so is to re-watch a film with a different experience to when they first saw the film. i fondly recall seeing the batman begins at the cinema for whatever reason i didn't rush to see it but instead saw the last screening of it. they was just me and a mother with her two sons at the front but i remember just being blown away with what i saw and that ending which led us into the sequel i still believe to be one of the best endings to a film i've seen. so of course i bought it and fast forward some years later and i'm looking to re-watch the series i thought why not try a fanedit version.

the problem with this trilogy is that it has to pander to the summer blockbuster audience so often these films have humor that seems so out of place. thank god this edit cuts this out (the homeless guy and the jacket) though the cuts made are all done very well because i've seen this film a few times now it often took me out of the film (i didn't read the cut list before hand) but this happens a lot with fanedits and is in no way a negative against JMB.

so the big selling point is the voice change to Rachel, for me it's not a major concern when i first saw the original but obviously for JMB it was. so doe's it work? strangle enough i found it doe's, while cuts may have took me out of the film the new voice i found fits perfectly. i'm sure the more times i re-watch the edit the more i'll pick up the imperfections. i pretty sure you could show this edit it any casual fan and they wouldn't know the difference until you told them at the end.

the only change to the story that i feel didn't work was removing Gordon from the Batmobile. while it's done really well and to a degree i myself didn't like his involvement on repeated viewings, his removal here impacts on the characters final. overall i just felt that why did batman want gordon to have the antidote. in the original batman of course needs gordon but here it just seems like batman saves gordon and rachael but to hell with everyone else. now all gordon doe's is knock-out / chain his work college so he doesn't kill anyone.

overall i say this is a really good fanedit, it takes what was a very good film and improves certain aspects to it. i'm not sure when it comes to re-watching batman begins again that i'll go back to this version but i can say that i enjoyed watching edit and would recommend it to anyone who would like to see a different take on batman begins