Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze – Detarnished!

Originally written August 21, 2011

Bravo! You’ve outdone yourself this time. You took an extremely flawed movie, that many would have given up on, and made it into a good, fun adventure movie! “Doc Salvaged: The Fanedit of Bronze” was all right, but it only did what the title implied: it salvaged the movie. This version truly detarnishes it. Bionicbob has already mentioned the details, so there’s not much for me to say, except that George Pal must be smiling from his grave.

I actually watched this Fanedit first before seeing the theatrical version. But i could watch the theatrical version on its own, Is it super cheesy and weird. Oh Yes. Im still scratching my head as too why all the bad guys are sleeping in oversized baby cradles. But To me there worst thing a movie can be than being cheesy and that being boring. Like Phantom Menace Boring. But this cut dose bring the cheese down a few slices and if your allergic to cheese. Than this version is for you. Personally i could watch either one. Depending if i want to watch something wacky or something more more restrained.

An older fan-edit that is absolutely worth standing alongside the most recent work. I have to give credit to Slark for the opening title cards. It set me in the right frame of mind to enjoy this edit with appropriate expectations. In short: it is not a good movie. There is no magic wand that can make it a good movie. But there is a certain charm to it, and particularly for fans of pulp serials or Doc Savage himself, what this edit HAS done is revealed a kernel of what could've been a good movie. As the title cards say "If someone watches this and complains that they wasted 1 1/2 hours of their time, I'll consider that a victory because they didn't turn it off after 3 minutes!" Well, I watched it all the way through, and for a Doc Savage fan, it wasn't time wasted at all.

After trimming so much away, what we're left with is a smoothly edited film that gives a focused and consistent narrative: an old-school adventure serial of globe-trotting and scientific mystery. Now, there are parts that are super-cheesy and have been left in...they're just endemic to the story. The music is a horrible choice for making you take any of this without eye-rolls, but it IS "The Doc Savage March". While I would've scrapped the entire score, I understand the desire to keep at least the main theme. There are also some lines and scenes which are pretty campy and over-the-top ("Mona, you're a brick." Bwa ha!) but honestly it's kind of the charm of the film. You're just not going to get a serious action movie out of this, so why not leave in some of the less offensive wacky fun? Some of the inventions and effects work are also super-forced and campy, but they are consistent with the novels, so really you just have to keep them as they were realized.

The intro to the film is the major win here, and I'd love to see a whole movie done in a similar vein. What's here seems more like a long TV episode akin to a Magnum PI or Knight Rider...about the same level of quality, budget, acting, cinematography, etc. But this pared down version gives us a film that could stand alongside many of the big movies of the late '70s/early '80s.... it's not any cheesier than many of Moore's Bond films, not any more camp than ridiculous comedies with former SNL members. And what it does have is a really fantastic portrayal of Doc by Ron Ely! Until we get a Hollywood update (a matter of time), this is the best realization of those old novels a fan could hope for. Thanks to Slark for salvaging something from the wreckage.

A guilty pleasure. The Man of Bronze leaps off the written page and onto the big screen with his colorful team in tow. Thank you for salvaging Doc's movie adventure and exposing the little gem that lay hidden under the movie studio's official release. Until we see a full-feature, modern version of Doc Savage (Shane Black and Dwayne Johnson: make it happen!), this lovely yet clunky rendition is the best Doc outside of the books.

This was one of the first fan edits I watched. After the Massive disappointment that was the original film, this movie was a welcome relief.

This edited version is a good movie, in and of itself. It is a fun, rather lighthearted, adventure film. It ends up feeling a lot like the movie “The Princess Bride” or perhaps like a slightly more lighthearted Indiana Jones.

The original film was ridiculous. It was plagued by poor directing choices, a bizarre musical score, ridiculous special effects, and unfunny jokes. The secondary villain for some reason, sleeps in an overgrown crib and sucks his thumb. Wut? It was a bad movie, but it was made by some very talented actors, and (after having watched this edit) it appears that there was a lot of potential in it.

When compared to the original, this edit goes from being merely good and fun to being Great, Extraordinary, completely amazing, or whatever other superlative you’d care to throw at it. Yes, there is still some ‘Adam West-y’ dialogue, and there are a few moments of ridiculousness, but that is part of the charm. And, at this point, it is so secondary to the real story that it actually functions as a bit of comic relief. The pacing is good, and the movie is so much FUN to watch. Detarnished is funny, suspenseful, and enjoyable. This movie, by and large, is the epitome of the perfect geek movie.

If you balked at the original, watch this movie and be astounded. If you enjoyed the original, or see the whole concept of fan edits as blasphemy watch this movie anyway. I think you’ll be surprised. If you've never seen the original, go out and buy it so that you can watch this version and enjoy it with a clean conscience.

Had this been commercially released, it would be regarded as a classic. It would be one of those films that gets re-released every two years, and that everyone (EVERYONE) has seen a dozen times over. Sadly, it was not to be. My hat goes off to Slark for creating something so beautiful out of such dubious materials.