Batman v Superman: No Justice

This is my first review for a fan edit so I'm going to try and dwell only on the editing itself, rather than any inherent problems with the source film.

Batman v Superman: No Justice addresses many of the complaints I had with the two official cuts; too much clutter and several odd takes on well-known characters. First of all, this film whips along at a decent pace. I originally only intended to watch the first twenty minutes or so (it was getting pretty late) but, before I knew it, I had sat through the whole thing. Reese keeps things moving and, even though it's nudging over the 100 minute mark, it never gets bogged down with jarring B-plots or distracting setups for future films in the franchise.

I was pleased to see that Amy Adams gets a lot more screen time as Lois and doesn't feel like the 'damsel in distress' she did in the theatrical cut. The Batman scenes and the titular fight are still present and correct and the edit does an excellent job of setting up the climax to the film. Also, Lex Luthor has been toned down significantly. It's still not entirely apparent why he was doing what he's doing but there's definitely less quirky, over-the-top hamming from him.

From a technical standpoint, I can't really fault the edit. I've seen other fan edits where it's apparent that a scene has been truncated or that dialogue has been clipped, or scenes have been repurposed as transitions instead; not so here. Everything fits together well and I'd be very interested to watch this film again with someone who has never seen BvS, just to see what they made of it. One *minor* thing that didn't sit 100% right with me was the transition from Lex Luthor's fundraiser to the Superman rescue montage. It's clear that Reese was aware of this as well; they used a scene from Man of Steel to try and bridge the gap as well they could but it's only a very minor detail and it certainly doesn't ruin the overall experience.

Because the entire Doomsday fight is omitted the film does wrap up a little abruptly at the end but, again, this might be something I'm only noticing because I have seen the official cuts. The ending is certainly a lot more upbeat, too, which goes some way toward lifting the rather dour tone of the source material.

One last thing; Wonder Woman is (almost) completely removed from the cut but there is one brief little scene where she appears in the background and I thought this was a very smart move by the editor. It feels like an 'easter egg', a subtle appearance by Diana Prince that you might not notice if you didn't know what you were looking for and it plays out much more organically than the, "Hey look, it's Wonder Woman!" approach of the official releases. Considering that the standalone Wonder Woman film has been received so well, I would even go so far as to say I much prefer this subtle nod to future films, rather than the cheesy, hero montage we got in studio cuts. Less is more, as they say.

Anyways, two thumbs up and I will almost certainly be watching this again and keeping an eye out for other edits by Reese. Good job.

like the saying goes, you can't polish a turd but damn does this edit try its best. definitely a must watch.

When I first watched this movie in cinema I think I almost fell asleep. So many unnecessary moments and sub plots.
I really applaud this edit for making the movie much more enjoyable (especially the ending, feels much more fitting).
I recommend this fanedit to anyone who felt like the original BvS was not good. This version fixes it.

Thank you reeseevans!

Exceptional work on a film I did not believe could be redeemed. A bloated narrative that only passively delivers on the 'versus' component of the story is no longer. Bruce's irrational, but somehow understandable hatred of the Man of Steel shines through without distraction and Alfred's disappointment rings with more weight than the original. The cold and distant Superman remains, but the question that lingers gives us pause. Can an all-powerful alien be trusted to always do what's right? Does every being have a price, a breaking point? The lost characters are perfectly removed and an appropriately timed story remains. The scope feels smaller and more personal and while no longer an epic fantasy, leaves a far more enjoyable one.

Having watched both the theatrical and extended edits of this film, and being a big fan of Superman and DC in general, I was left disappointed that there were so many undeveloped themes in the film. You had a political thriller, a standard blockbuster, a personal journey for both main characters and set up's for future films. Yet they were a complete mess, none seen through in a satisfactory manner. It wanted to be too many things and ended up being nothing. So when I heard about this edit I was desperate to watch it and I was not disappointed. Out goes the Justice League and Darkseid teasers, out goes that God awful Doomsday (I could go on a long tangent about how they should have used a Brainiac/Brother Eye almagam instead which would have allowed them to keep using Michael Shannon in future films and also explained how Lex knew who they were and had been spying on them), and no more Wonder Woman.
Instead No Justice gives us what the film originally promised, Batman v Superman! It is fantastically edited making good use of all the relevant scenes and putting them into an order that helps develop the story and better explain some of the more confusing/ridiculous parts (yes, the whole "Martha" part. It's still there, but due to what is in that scene you can't make the film without it and it still make sense).
This film ws elevated from dreadful to 7/10 by the clever editing. Which in my mind means this edit deserves 10/10