Batman Unmasked, The

Updated
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Faneditor Name:
Original Movie/Show Title:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2022
Original Running Time:
176
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
152
Time Cut:
24
Subtitles Available?
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
At 2 hours and 32 minutes, "The Batman Unmasked" doesn't redefine the original source but delivers a leaner thriller while maintaining the essential mood and story.
Intention:
I first want to say that I loved the theatrical experience of this movie, and I wanted it to be longer if that was any way possible. Much thanks to Matt Reeves and co. for truly bringing forth detective-noir sensibilities to the Batman-movie mythos. After rewatching it a few times, I felt that there was a shorter version in there that makes sense and without sacrificing the tone of what the story is about. I went ahead and gave it a go, and I was able to edit the film down to 2 hours and 32 minutes, the same runtime as The Dark Knight (2008), to serve better pacing.
Other Sources:
"Kiss From a Rose" by Seal
"The Batman Theme | Epic Version" (feat. 1989 x The Dark Knight Theme) by Samuel Kim
Special Thanks:
DigModiFicaTion
Dwight Fry
Fanedits (IFDB) Subreddit Community
IFDB Community
Release Information:
Digital
Cuts and Additions:
1. Warner Bros logo replaced with the 70's variant that shows up at the beginning of Joker (2019). This movie has a pulpy, 70's vibe to it in the same vein as The Conversation (1974) and Taxi Driver (1976) so I thought it was fitting.

2. Removed binoculars/voyeurism Riddler scene.

3. Removed the fight scene at the train station. It's one of the first darlings I had to kill. As great as it is, the scene doesn't really add to the story or mood at all. I watched the Dolby interviews with Matt Reeves and it seems like they were going to remove it anyway but the reaction from the Fandome trailer was so overwhelming that they decided to keep it for continuity of it's tagline "I'm Vengeance". I went ahead and removed it for two reasons: A. Others call him Vengeance throughout the movie so it's known, and it doesn't need to be said here. B. Thugs being unafraid of Batman goes against the two previous instances where criminals are terrified of even looking at a dark alley. I understand that not all of Gotham feels the same way about Batman, but I want to maintain that mystique and fear at the start before going into detective mode as he arrives to Mayor Mitchell's murder scene- which I believe better suits Batman as a first impression.

4. Removed interaction with Officer Martinez. This is Batman in Year 2, and unless that officer is a rookie, it doesn't make sense that he would harass Batman while he's side by side with Gordon (him being a rookie doesn't matter either). Everyone else's body language and Commissioner Savage's entrance makes it obvious that not everyone in the police force feels the same as Gordon about Batman. Easy removal.

5. Removed scene with Selina inside the Taxi. We don't need to see the phone call inside the taxi. We already infer she's involved with Annika, and we already know from the previous shot that Bruce as the Drifter is following her. I also shortened the POV scene of Bruce with the binoculars surveying Selina's apartment.

6. Removed scene of Batman putting his gadget contact lens on Selina. It's a touching scene, but I think we get all the same information about Selina and Batman during the actual spying scenario (as she talks to herself/Batman through the device). I felt it was best to go straight into Selina in the club.

7. Shortened Riddler abducting DA Colson. I understand it's drawn out for a reason, but it doesn't hurt to edit down just a tad.

8. Removed short jumpscare at the orphanage. I loved that horror element, but I took it out for the sake of pacing. Without it, I think it's a better transition from Penguin's interrogation to the revelation of Riddler's hit on Bruce. Also, as someone pointed out in the fanedit community, removing the Drophead jumpscare in its entirety makes more sense than Batman finding out about this nest of addiction and not doing anything about it for the rest of the movie.

9. Shortened down shirtless Bruce being emo around Wayne Manor. Don't worry, I didn't edit out too much of that.

10. Took out entire scene of Bruce unlocking and discovering his parent's bedroom. I understand that it adds background, but for the sake of tone and story, it doesn't need to be in the movie. Everything we know about Thomas Wayne is conveyed through Falcone's and Alfred's confessions- both I kept in their entirety.

11. Shortened down Riddler's arrest. I don't think we need to see that espresso mug. We get it. It's the Riddler.

12. Removed Riddler and Joker scene in Arkham.

13. I made a big change on this film's denouement- the wrap of the story. First, I replaced the monologue song with a different song from the soundtrack. I like "Something in the Way" as a needle-drop and I understand why they wanted to bookend the movie this way. But I felt that a different song, an orchestral piece, better serves the ending. I combined Bruce's monologue together with his farewell to Selina. I think it works and really serves the story combining those two elements into a singular, final movement.

User reviews

6 reviews
 
83%
 
17%
5-7 stars
 
0%
3-5 stars
 
0%
1-3 stars
 
0%
Overall rating
 
9.3
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.5(6)
Audio Editing
 
9.3(6)
Visual Editing
 
9.8(6)
Narrative
 
9.3(6)
Enjoyment
 
9.3(6)
View all user reviews View most helpful
Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Great edit, does exactly what it says on the tin.

As much as I liked some of the cut scenes in a vacuum, their absence didn't disrupt the tone and feel of the story. Like a lot of folks, I loved the original movie but found it a wee too long, and the choice of scenes to cut was in good taste.

Would recommend, probably gonna be my new form of rewatching from now on.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Owner's reply February 23, 2024

Thank you for the review!!

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(Updated: February 20, 2024)
Overall rating
 
7.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
7.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
7.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
This edit is definitely worth a viewing to fans of The Batman.

Likes:
-Removed that god-awful Joker scene at the end (This film felt too smart for that - it's a scene that does make more sense and comes across as less of an advertisement if the deleted scene of bats coming to Joker for advice earlier in the film is added).
-Leaner while still keeping all important story beats.
-Decent visual quality.
-Well-done audio and video transition changes that are almost unnoticeable (exception below)

Dislikes:
-The music changes felt unnecessary - both to me feel a bit too much like it doesn't quite belong, with the credits being the worst offender. Not saying Seal has bad music - I own some of his songs...but Kiss from a Rose? The original music is outstanding, and I really missed it.
-No 4k version with high quality audio (I know I'm in the minority, but I rip my 4k blu-rays to my pc in full quality regardless of size).
-Ending scene timeline (see below)

The ending feels okay, but jumping from the ending monologue, to them on bikes, to him and Selena talking, back to the ending monologue with him helping people at the helicopter, back to the bikes is a bit too schizophrenic for me. I think the original ending flows a bit better. This could be remedied by removing the scene of he and Selena talking together and moving it to just before they ride bikes together. It interrupts the ending monologue in a pretty noticeable way. Once showing them on the bikes, I think cutting to them standing and talking narratively doesn't make much sense and isn't as poignant or beautiful. They talk, then ride together for awhile until they take separate paths, and IMO showing him helping people with the helicopter should take place before they talk or ride. The timing is also a bit off when showing Penguin - it cuts away from him too soon when Bman is saying "some will seize the chance to grab everything they can" - showing Maria Kyle's grave makes it feel her dead body is going to loot and steal lol. I need to rewatch the original ending now because I can't remember the original flow.

Overall a pretty good edit definitely worth a view. I'd like to see the original music returned and the ending scenes either reorganized or most of the original ending returned so it feels less disjointed. At that point I'd say this edit would be better than the original film. Thank you to the author of the edit for your work here!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Owner's reply February 23, 2024

Thank you so much for the thorough feedback! I'm sorry that the ending re-cut didn't work for you but I'm glad that you voiced this opinion.

This reminds me. I'll remaster this edit in 4K. I don't think I'll change the ending or music though since it's a personal, editorial choice that I can stand by.

But I'm always very open to technical or low quality presentation in all my edits so I'm willing to accommodate that. Thank you for reminding me!

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Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
6.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
When it comes to my reviews, I always consider the file’s visual quality as a low-priority and as much as I know it would add to my enjoyment, I know there are technical limitations and that we can't get full on high quality 4K 60gb copies of every fan edit, as much as I would love that.

I got the link, downloaded the movie and sat down to watch it.

And I have no idea what was edited out of this movie.

The way the narrative was shaped, made every audio, visual, and scene edit 100% seamless.

I had seen this movie about a dozen times, so I thought I knew every scene and would be able to detect when a change was made, I only noticed one in the beginning.

That’s it.

Fantastic edit. And one I will highly recommend to anyone.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
V
Top 500 Reviewer 7 reviews
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
This is the edit I was looking for. The substance of the film is intact but hard decisions have been made to cut out extraneous material that, while good, was unnecessary for the story and its resolution. The shorter runtime means that the film doesn't wear out its welcome by the third act, which was the chief complaint of nearly everyone that saw it.

I was unable to view the film with its highest resolution at the time of this review, but regardless I didn't notice any visual flaws. The film's new closing moments are a little distracting at first, but I grew to appreciate it. For a first-time watcher, the excisions will be largely invisible. Fantastic work, highly recommended.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (1) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
(Updated: December 01, 2022)
Overall rating
 
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
I enjoyed the theatrical version, but I thought that it dragged on too long, particularly in the beginning. This cut addresses that and really tightens it up nicely. I thought the subway fight from the theatrical was great in isolation, but going from Bruce's monologue right to Mitchell's apartment made the story flow so much better. My only real complaint is the expresso question mark, but it's a minor one. Highly recommend

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Owner's reply September 16, 2022

Much appreciated!

B
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