Review Detail
9.3 27 10
Overall rating
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
8.0
Enjoyment
8.0
I was obsessed with this movie when it came out. I was never really into comic books, so my only real exposure at the time to Batman was from reruns of the 60s live action show and the Super Friends animated show. Needless to say, Burton's Batman was the antithesis of what I knew Batman to be. And it was awesome. I watched it several times in the theatre, had all the action figures and even collected the trading cards. My VHS copy was heavily worn. Somewhere along the line I became a teenager and mostly forgot the childhood obsession I had with the movie. I've probably only watched it a handful of times in the last 20+ years. There have been a few of fanedits of this film in the past and, for the most part, they weren't very well done. Suffice it to say, I was a little skeptical with this edit, but I gave it a shot. And I'm glad I did.
A/V Quality: Perfect.
Visual Editing: I didn't notice the colour correction. This is a good thing. The before and after shots in the bonus features were really eye opening.
Audio editing: Perfect.
Narrative: This film is so ingrained in my mind that any changes feel odd, but not necessarily in a bad way. Removing a forced romance is almost always a good move and it is not missed one bit. But, you also lose a lot of the Bruce Wayne scenes in the process and subsequently, you get the feeling that you don't really know much about the character. Yes, it adds to the mystery, but that's not necessarily a good thing. I'd say the end justifies the means in order to get rid of the romance. I liked pretty much all the cuts that were made except for one: the reveal of Jack as Bruce's parents' killer. As I said, I'm not into comic books, so getting the movie closer to the source material does nothing for me. From a storytelling perspective, it's a great twist and makes the hero/villain relationship go beyond the basic good vs evil and brings it down to a personal level. I think removing it hurt the narrative. Other than that, I loved the cutting done to the bell tower scene, but I think you went a bit too far. Now, instead of being the ultimate climax to the film, it plays out almost like just another action sequence.
Enjoyment: Despite my small criticisms above, I thoroughly enjoyed this edit. The technical aspects are perfect and it was a great way to experience the film again. Some aspects are better than the original and some are not. I don't think it will replace the original, but a worthy alternative version. I'd highly recommend to any Batman fan.
Bonus Features: Including a blueyoda short along with this was a bold move. Blueyoda is a master, and his short is great. I almost enjoyed it more than the main feature. If this was included with Batman Consecution, it would easily be one of the best edits on the disc. As I said before, the colour correction comparison was really eye opening and incredibly well done. And the alternate Joker reveal was really interesting, but you made the right choice in not including it.
A/V Quality: Perfect.
Visual Editing: I didn't notice the colour correction. This is a good thing. The before and after shots in the bonus features were really eye opening.
Audio editing: Perfect.
Narrative: This film is so ingrained in my mind that any changes feel odd, but not necessarily in a bad way. Removing a forced romance is almost always a good move and it is not missed one bit. But, you also lose a lot of the Bruce Wayne scenes in the process and subsequently, you get the feeling that you don't really know much about the character. Yes, it adds to the mystery, but that's not necessarily a good thing. I'd say the end justifies the means in order to get rid of the romance. I liked pretty much all the cuts that were made except for one: the reveal of Jack as Bruce's parents' killer. As I said, I'm not into comic books, so getting the movie closer to the source material does nothing for me. From a storytelling perspective, it's a great twist and makes the hero/villain relationship go beyond the basic good vs evil and brings it down to a personal level. I think removing it hurt the narrative. Other than that, I loved the cutting done to the bell tower scene, but I think you went a bit too far. Now, instead of being the ultimate climax to the film, it plays out almost like just another action sequence.
Enjoyment: Despite my small criticisms above, I thoroughly enjoyed this edit. The technical aspects are perfect and it was a great way to experience the film again. Some aspects are better than the original and some are not. I don't think it will replace the original, but a worthy alternative version. I'd highly recommend to any Batman fan.
Bonus Features: Including a blueyoda short along with this was a bold move. Blueyoda is a master, and his short is great. I almost enjoyed it more than the main feature. If this was included with Batman Consecution, it would easily be one of the best edits on the disc. As I said before, the colour correction comparison was really eye opening and incredibly well done. And the alternate Joker reveal was really interesting, but you made the right choice in not including it.
A