Batman v Superman: No Justice

This a fantastic edit based on a terrific idea to reduce the convoluted and nonsensical plot of Batman v Superman.

Unfortunately, so much of the problem with this movie is the source material -- it's too bad Reese couldn't shoot new scenes, LOL. The core problems with the original cut remain -- there's a sense of tedium to everything that isn't an action scene. Superman comes across as mopey and uninspiring. Batman seems hateful and mentally unstable. Gal Gadot was one of the highlights of the original cut and while it makes sense from a story perspective to cut her scenes to focus on Batman and Superman, her scenes remain the most entertaining part of the movie, so losing them makes the entertainment value of BvS suffer.

That said, this was a terrific fanedit. If I never saw BvS before and you told me this was the original theatrical release, I would have believed you. All the fault lies with the film-makers, not with Reese and the amazing job he did here.

The most effective parts are where Reese gets really creative and cuts the Martha flashbacks into that scene of the movie. He helps make it feel a lot less ridiculous, so very well done.

I wouldn't mind seeing an edit that gets rid of the dream sequences and JLA easter eggs while keeping Wonder Woman and Doomsday in the film.

Reese did what he set out to do, cut the fat from a movie bloated with subplots by whittling it down to to the title match it should have been.

A/V Quality - Great! Got the full-fat version, 9.78 GBs of sweet 1080p.

Visual Editing - The cuts and transitions were smooth.

Audio Editing - Smooth as well! Use of the OST in transitions was exceptional. The joker laugh over Robin's suit was a great touch.

Narrative - I was not the biggest fan of the original film. I thought it was a middle of the road superhero film. Reese's cuts fixed a lot of issues I had with the original such as Batman's murder spree, Bruce's Mad Batx Nightmare, future Flash, MARTHA!, and Lex being annoying as fuck! His cuts of certain elements also allows the viewer to be surprised as opposed to having our hand held the whole film. That being said, because of the cuts to Wonder Woman and Doomsday, this will not replace the original in the DCEU due to continuity, but as a standalone film, this cut is pretty damn good!

Enjoyment - I had a great time viewing this edit.

Thanks Reese! :]X

I think this is a good proof-of-concept fan edit, meaning that if you cut out all of the Justice League stuff, you really do get a much better movie. The problem is, however, you're still not getting the best possible edit of BvS.

What I like is that, once it hits its stride, the film has a much better pace and tone. With all the attempts at building shared universe jettisoned, it doesn't have that all-over-the-place feel that the original cut had. It is very focused on Batman and Superman, Lex's machinations, and Lois' journalistic work, and that is this edit's greatest strength.

Also good is the fact that Lex is far less irritating and as a result much more menacing and even frightening. His motives are also much clearer, and this fan edit basically redeems Lex and Jesse Eisenberg's protrayal of him.

However, the fan edit suffers primarily because the end feels very truncated. There is no showdown with Doomsday, and there is no death of Superman. Yes, we all hated the inclusion of Doomsday in BvS, but without it, the film just seems to end in the middle despite the faneditor's best efforts at a resolution.

Also, while I understand the purpose of the fan edit was to remove the Justice League stuff, most people who watched the film actually liked the inclusion of Wonder Woman. The larger problem, however, is that the faneditor didn't actually fully remove her from the movie. It is very jarring to see her walking around in the background yet not have her be acknowledged.

These editing decisions ultimately take this fan edit of BvS out of continuity with the critically acclaimed Wonder Woman film, the upcoming Justice League film, and future DC films. I think if one were to maintain continuity with existing and upcoming films, they would have to grudgingly include Wonder Woman and Doomsday and Superman's death, even if they pushed them to the background. What really needs to be in the foreground is the conflict--might I add the ideological conflict--between Batman and Superman. As much as I appreciated what the faneditor did to drastically improve Lex, the problem is that the more involved Lex is with his behind-the-scenes manipulations, the weaker and more pathetic it makes Batman and Superman look. I think this fact was a huge let down for audiences, i.e., that Batman and Superman were played by this total loser, and I think it is at the core of what's wrong with this movie.

So Lex is also something I would push to the background. And along with that, I would diminish if not completely eliminate the Lois subplot. It was convoluted and boring. Batman has enough motivation to take out Superman without Lex's meddling, and while Superman may need that extra push that Lex provides, Lex's involvement doesn't need to be overly complicated.

A better vision for a fan edit would be one that cuts out non-essential plot elements, focuses on and empowers Batman and Superman, and eliminates the Justice League stuff ONLY insofar that it doesn't break continuity with other DC films. That said, I still highly recommend this fan edit. It succeeds in what it set out to do, and it is by far more enjoyable than the original cut.

Really impressed with this fan edit. The final product is still not a good film, but certainly a better one. There are still plotholes and extraneous details here and there. I agree that completely removing Wonder Woman is a bit jarring. I would have prefered if the editor at least left the scene in the server room. That way Bruce has a reason to be staring at her when he meets Clark at the party. A cute little easter egg for the fans.

Lex has been toned down and that's a good thing. You can kinda see what Jesse Eisenberg was going for. I actually don't mind the rather abrupt cut from Batman saving Martha to Lex in jaill. I personally don't care about keeping continuity with other movies.

Honestly, this might be the best someone can do with BvS with the available footage.

Great work, reeseevans!

The first time I watched BvS in theatres I had one of those experiences where I genuinely wanted to leave. A film that I hoped would answer the criticism levelled at Man of Steel and finally deliver a new incarnation of Superman, was in reality a convoluted mess through WB's misguided need to play catch-up to Marvel. The ultimate cut was a better experience with story threads that now seemed to amount to something, but still excessively long and poorly paced for the story that was being told.

With BvS No Justice we get a much more streamlined film that focuses on the two main characters with improved pacing and storytelling. Most of the principals benefit in some way. Lois in particular felt more purposeful in this version.

I loved the omission of Wonder Women, the Justice League cameos and removal of the fight with Doomsday. Action for the sake of it is never a good idea and killing Superman off after barely establishing the hero felt unearned.

What didn't work for me;

- When Clark leaves for Mexico the inserted MoS flying shot is clearly daytime when the scene occurs at night.
- Martha's line 'you don't owe this world a thing, you never did'. The rest of this scene is fine however the last line rings very cold.
- Removing Batman firing a tracking device onto the van. Batman had no idea that he was going to run into Superman, so to think he would have found time is a bit of a stretch.
- Removal of the scene between Superman and Lois on the balcony after Capital Hill explosion. Granted the silly dialogue about 'Superman' being the dream of a farmer from Kansas made no sense. Otherwise this scene seems necessary, due to the pay off of lead being found to conceal the explosive and Lois's line to Superman about coming back for her after she is later rescued.
- Removal of Batman jumping out of the batwing before smashing into the warehouse.
- The lack of ambient sounds and sound effects for the first half of the scene of Clark entering Lois's apartment, makes the scene seem unfinished.

Some things can't be fixed. In particular the motives for Batman and Superman's showdown, both characters behaving like psychos and the fact that Superman doesn't go to greater lengths to reason with Bruce all the while knowing his mother is in danger. This is all bad set-up on the part of the film makers and no amount of editing wizardry is going to fix this.

Much has been said by fellow reviewers of the need to reinstate Bruce's dialogue 'Martha won't die tonight'. Whilst in principle I agree, when watching the edit I can fully appreciate why it was cut. As to show Superman back on his feat and handing the baton to Batman to rescue his own mother wouldn't have seemed right. Especially in the absence of anything else for him to do.

All in all a marvellous fan edit and my preferred version of a film which previously I felt unlikely watch again or often. Great work Reese!!

Theatrical cut 3/10
Ultimate Cut 5/10
No Justice 7/10