Batman: Descent Into Mystery

For me what makes a great fanedit is to offer the viewer an alternative to the original and not to replace it. The Batman film of 89 will always have a special place for me, I still have memories of the large cues which stretched around the cinema, and the news paper clippings I collected made it one of the most anticipated films for me. This was also one of the first films in the UK that carried a 12 certificate and being around 10 or 11 at the time I had to wait until the end of its run before my father took me to see it (the age restriction limit was a lot tougher back then)

So looking at Dwights cultist there wasn't a lot on there that I felt made it a bad film, I mean the relationship between Bruce and Vicki didn't bother me nor did Batman killing The Jokers goons. I've never been a big comic book reader so the idea of making this Batman closer to his origins again wasn't greatly appealing. However with that being said I go back to my opening sentence for me a great fanedit offers the viewer an alternative to the original and this is a great fanedit.

Having watched a work print version a while I recall switching off the edit and started to flick through the original and to my surprise I couldn't believe how much footage had been removed without me missing it. This is a film I’ve seen countless number of times during the years and to see a version that removes the love relationship between two main characters so well done and is the highlight of this edit.

Even some of the joker scenes most notably the museum section which I really liked I didn't particularly miss. This is because the edit doesn’t suffer from any obvious cuts and keeps the flow and the pace of the film at a fast pace.

The only negative for me was the use of the flashback scene in which Bruces parents are killed, it left me a little confused as to whether Bruce knows that Jack/Joker is the man responsible for their deaths. I put this down mainly to myself not being able to fully detach myself from the original film, but I do fell the scene wasn't necessary.

Overall I can only backup what over people have said about this edit not only is it one of the best edits of the year but will be remembered as one of the best edits of all time. I now look at my original batman copy as a extended version but it will be a hard decision to make when it comes to watching Batman again. The short edit The Killing Joke by Blueyoda is also a welcome highlight.

BATMAN DESCENT INTO MYSTERY

I had the extreme honor of watching this fan edit yesterday, and after ages of anticipation,
I can honestly say, I was not disappointed.

This is a solid, entertaining edit.

Dwightfry set out with a list of specific goals for this edit, I believe has achieved each one very successfully.

The color correction work is very nice, the colors are deeper, cleaner and richer. The video quality is excellent.

The audio work is strong and professional. Considering Dwight had a couple of really tricky scene transitions with little or inappropriate audio cues to work with, the end result is surprising, clever and masterful.

The menu design is simple and functional. There are some nice bonus items, including a Joker (Heath Ledger) short by BluYoda.

As for the edit itself, it works wonderfully.

The two main objectives narrative wise were to remove the Vicky Vale/Bruce Wayne romance and to trim Batman's actions so they are more in line with the accepted traditional comic book version.

Dwight is highly successful in both objectives. The new narrative flows smoothly, I did not even realized certain scenes were missing until after the edit was over and I started thinking about what I saw or did not see. So that is a fantastic testament to Dwight's storytelling ability! Great work!

The story stays focused on the Joker and Batman, keeping the tension level high. Though the one downside of no romance story, is there is even less Bruce Wayne, making the movie feel even more about Jack and less about the Bat. But at the same time, it creates more of an air of mystery around Bruce and Batman. He feels almost more like a Force of Nature, than just a man.

Which leads nicely into Dwight's second objective, making Batman closer to his comic book origins and removing the gun wielding Batman element. As every Bat Fan knows, Batman abhors guns! He would never use one. He certainly would not mount them on his Batmobile or Batwing and fire them into a crowd of people. This is the one element of the Tim Burton films I hated the most, and Dwight has masterfully removed them. Thank You! There are many other little tweaks and trims throughout that bring this movie Batman closer to his graphic novel counterpart that I think Batfans will catch and enjoy.

As I said before, this is an excellent edit. It engages and entertains. The new story works and it is technically solid.

I recommend it to all Batman Fans.

THUMBS UP!

Thanks for the great show Dwight!

This is a great edit of the film but with just a few issues.

Batman 1989 is not my favorite Batman film but I think the film had the best impact on the character. Most of my issues with the film are due to the accuracy of Batman himself, but with The Descent into Mystery edit fixes a lot of the issues with the original film. Changes include Bruce not sleeping with Vicki Vale, and Batman not killing "a whole lot". Another thing I liked about this edit is how much credit is given back to the real creator of Batman, Bill Finger.
Unfortunately some of the cuts that were made I think could of been worked on a little better. Like the whole tower scene was cut too short, and you could of kept Axis Chemicals exploding by just cutting out a few seconds.

Overall I loved this cut of the film and I would go as far as to use it during Batman movie marathons. Dwight Fry did a great job on this edit and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

As a fan of the comics, the intent of the cut is obvious, but the editor ends up tearing the heart from the original movie and creates a sterile watch.

Firstly, there is no compelling reason to cut the Bruce Wayne / Vickie Vale relationship. Without it, Bruce becomes a one-dimensional character with little development. Without Vickie providing a background to it in her investigation, the death of his parents is utterly without place within the context of the story. The absence of a romantic relationship also creates an oddness in the edit's continuity at times (Vicki goes to the museum and waits for nobody in particular, for example). Alfred is almost pointless if he cannot coax Bruce to pursue Vickie, as is Knox (as the "other" man).

Secondly, the Batman / Joker relationship in this story is shallow without the parent connection, even if that connection is distasteful to a comics purist. Batman passionately beats the hell out of the Joker in the climactic scene in the belfry, with no dialogue in a jarring manner. Without that verbal back and forth, the scene lacks tension. There is little to underpin Bruce's obvious anger aimed towards him.

The editor tries to paint Batman as an invincible monolith, as he sometimes is shown in the comics, but I would argue Batman's best interpretations show him as vulnerable and human. Even when Batman is brought crashing down in the Batwing, we are not allowed to see his injuries as per the original cut, nor his struggle against the Joker's goons in the belfry. There is never any fear that this Batman might fail, which in combination with Bruce's stunted character development, makes him uninteresting.

Besides this, the cut is impeccable in terms of the visual cuts, though the edit is not stellar in terms of visual quality (the blacks were at times pixelated), and the audio transitions on occasion were too sudden, such as when Bruce remembers his parents' death from the preceding scene. The volume of the cut seemed very low.

Mission Accomplished! This Fanfix did exactly what was promised. The forced romance was seamlessly removed and Joker is no longer the Wayne's killer. Much better than the original as far as story line goes. I felt like I was reading one of my old Batman comics; the story kept moving forward at a good pace. It had a good flow and tight story. I've read through the cutlist and agree with everything that was done, except the small nitpicks listed below. I forgot how many cringe-worthy moments were in this film until I reviewed the cutlist. they are definitely not missed.

Best cut was definitely the removal of the museum desecration scene with Prince theme music. Joker gets right down to business and comes off as more menacing.

My nitpicks:
- I wish the editor had removed the part where Jack/Joker's hand comes out of the chemical vat and claws the air. I always hate that when the hero or villian reaches out of the water or from underground and either claws the air or makes a fist. Its so cliche.
- I like when Bob tells the thugs to "check his wallet." That to me is a nice non-forced, genuinely humorous moment. Wish it was still there.

I watched this on a laptop, so I don't really have any comment on audio/video quality. Everything seemed fine to me. Editing seemed well executed and I saw nothing to complain about there.

Great job on this edit. This shows a perfect example of what a fanfix edit can accomplish.