Dark Knight Saga Recut, The - Part I

Brief: this surpasses the original. It can easily replace the theatrical cut Batman Begins for any viewer a bit underwhelmed by the first installment of Nolan's trilogy.

Long:
NJVC has done excellent work on this edit: there are no pacing issues, the story remains intact but streamlined, and video/audio quality is superb.

Constructive criticisms:

1. The initial confrontation between Jonathan Crane and Rachel Dawes jars slightly, as it used to be followed by a quick conversation between her and her boss. The new cut removes that second conversation and goes straight to Wayne watching Dawes from a pay-phone. The cut is fine, but the scene switch comes quite jarringly. It may have been better to keep that second conversation to maintain the smooth flow of those scenes, and also to introduce the minor character of Dawes' boss. As it is the character is a one-shot, who is suddenly introduced in Act II and then never seen/heard from again.

2. The sub-plot of the Microwave Emitter comes a bit from left-field, and probably could have been retained in some places (particularly as it kills of Dawes' aforementioned boss, resolving his character). The conflict between Fox and Earl was suitably gone, but that earlier introduction would be valuable.

Really these were the only scenes I noticed that (I felt) should have been kept. Which is excellent for a film with this many trims!

The sub-plot of Earl vs Wayne + Fox is gone, and not missed. Although it is always lovely to see more Rutger Hauer, I can see why it's cut. That subplot basically resolved itself as a status quo: Wayne owns Wayne Enterprises at the start, and he owes it at the end. There is no change to that situation, so it wasn't necessary. Good work!

Overall, this is an excellent cut, and will replace my DVD of Batman Begins for sure. The colour correction is a stand-out: the film no longer looks like it was dipped in mud before shooting.

9.5/10 for narrative, 10/10 for all other elements.

This edit was fantastic to say the least. Most of the visual and auditory cuts were invisible. The removal of the bad jokes made the tone darker and more serious which the movie needed. The removal of the microwave emitter (owned by Wayne ENT) exposition was great and explains why Batman couldn't just turn the fucker off. Someone has been watching HISHE. The car chase scene was greatly improved by removing the jumping off rooftops and a lot of the dialogue in that scene. One of the only things I can fault is the removal of "SWEAR TO ME!" and I read your response to another review and you said you considered keeping it in if Bale's performance weren't so OTT which I find ridiculous. His voice in BB was the perfect blend of his voice and raspiness I wish they hadn't of changed it. Also you took out some dialogue that makes a couple of conversations with Bruce and Rachael seem non cohesive.

While the editing is excellent throughout, I feel the editor was too liberal with his cuts. There is certainly a good amount of awkward and clunky exposition, this edit emphasises how much even poor exposition is needed over none at all. Plot elements appear and character actions take place with little or no setup or frame of reference, which is a cardinal sin in filmmaking, and smacks a little too much of the editor saying "I don't like that" instead of asking "is it really necessary?"

With a little more focus and fewer trims, this could be a definitive edit of Batman Begins, but ultimately I found it frustrating.

Thank you NJVC! :]X