Batman: Descent Into Mystery

All the traditional film tropes they crammed in the original film for mass-appeal created a huge tonal contrast to the comic book hyper reality, which made the film a frustrating slog for me. This cut now feels like a serious attempt to make a film adaptation of the source material for adult fans that grew up watching the Adam West TV series -- a fun Batman/Joker story in big-budget film format. I only noticed about four edits, though I know there were many more. This version I find pretty much ideal.. In the past I got so lost in the jumble of weird scenes and Hollywood fluff that I never really registered the Batman/Joker story underneath it all. I honestly feel like I just watched the film for the first time.

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 unfamiliar as I am with the character from the comics (having not read a single one), certain elements of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman never felt quite right to me, Dwight Fry's edit pretty much clears it up and makes for a much more enjoyable experience.

The removal of the flat "romance" and some sillier aspects (Batwing completely missing the Joker?) is seamless, as is the excision of Bruce and Jack's prior history. While some may say that this makes the flashback and associated scenes pointless, it doesn't seem out of character to me that this event is something that Bruce would dwell on, and besides is an important piece of backstory that the first "proper" film adaptation of the comics ought to include.

While still not a film I can claim to really like (unlike the sequel, for all its weirdness) this is definitely my go-to version, the theatrical cut may never leave its case again!

I enjoyed this a lot. The Vicky Vale romance was a always a bit contrived and distracting; likewise Alfred letting her into the Batcave; the removal of the=is subplot was much appreciated and worked well. I did however miss the Jack Napier/ Joker/ Wayne murders link more than I thought I would, and perhaps keeping this -- while ditching the Vale/ Wayne romance -- would make this really good fanedit a great one. Technically, its top-notch: edits are smooth and seamless. Thanks again!

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.