Dark Knight Saga Recut, The - Part I

Thank you NJVC! :]X

this edit presents a bit of a mixed bag as some of the cuts are for the better (the tramp being at the scene of Batman's first appearance) some of the cuts I feel don't improve the film (microwave emitter) while some of the cuts i rather missed (swear to me!) but overall the edit is solid throughout but falls a bit short in terms of being a replacement to the original.

This is a tough one. Batman Begins is, I think, the best movie of the three: coherent, tightly edited, with heart.
But njvc showss that BB can be tweaked. No major cuts here, just little nips and tucks everywhere which, for the most part, greatly improve the film.

First, the negatives:
I missed "SWEAR TO ME!" - I think it's funny, but no biggie.

But these next cuts make the edit a companion piece rather than a replacement to the original:
Cutting Bruce's hesitant response to Rachel and de-emphasising the "it's what you dooo" weakens the link they have. His soul is laid bare in the "it's not what you see, it's underneath" - you see the deep connection Rachel has for him - she is his link to normalcy. Removing it removes his link to normalcy, which considerably weakens not just this film but the next two as well.
It also makes her realisation that he's Batman really random. In the original their interaction sticks out in your mind - his vulnerability is so unusual. In the edit the scene is forgotten - so much so that at the kiss at the well I thought "huh? how did she know he's Batman!"
The kiss is also very weird. I know Holmes delivery is iffy, but without the dialogue their reactions are just extremely odd. She needs to tell him that his mask is his normal face - because that's a major theme (will the Bat consume the Man?), which is also a callback to "hwo I am underneath" (which is probably why you removed it?)-
A v2 re-inserting all three scenes "it's me underneath" "it's what I dooo" and stregnthens the characters immensely and would replace BB (for me, at least!).
I'd also either cut Flass threatening the kids or put back the voodoo-vision for him - at the moment it just seems that he's going to randomly murder some kids. I know he's an ass, but he wasn't THAT bad!

Then the positives:
Wow. Just wow. Nipped and tucked and tweaked - this edit is amazing. Lots of tiny, flawless trims to dialogue.
The Mr Earl sideplot, although amusing, is easily disposed of and strengthen the movie.
Ra's is more threatening with the removal of acres of exposition. Now he's focussed, brutal, to the point.
The weird voodoovision is flawlessly removed - and the movie is SO much better for it.
The editing is amazing!

Audio: There was one point when I noticed a flutter in the music (the 10,000 cowl's scene), otherwise flawless to my ears. Impressive.
Video quality is superb (watched HD mkv).

I rated BB a 8/9 originally. This edit is better in so many ways, but because of the Rachel /Bruce scenes mentioned above I can't replace BB. So it comes in as a solid 8.
For those who aren't bothered by those scenes- you will never watch the original again.
Outstanding work njvc.

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.