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Mr. Blue's Batman V Superman

Mr. Blue

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Good evening, all. My name is Mr. Blue


I won't go into the details of my dissapointment with the original film, or how much the Ultimate Cut still left to be desired, as you have all either heard it before or even said it yourself. Suffice to say, Batman V Superman is our generation's Phantom Menace, and my goal with this recut was to make my own Phantom Edit.

I wanted to make a version of the film that respected it's audience and didn't punish you for your love of these characters. A version of the film with a much tighter focus, and more steady through-line from beginning to end. And unlike some of my fellow editors, I wanted my version to be Cannon-friendly. I am not as bitter about the film as many others seem to be. I still believe that in the end its greatest failing is, as Lex Luthor said, they flew too close to the sun. I have high hopes for the future of DC and I want my version to be one that you can watch before seeing Justice League or Wonder Woman. One that can be enjoyed in a marathon once they've finally hit their stride, and I do believe that day is coming.

But I digress.

Some of you have already seen samples of my edit on the BVS forum, now it's ready for publication, and is currently going through the approvals process.

The scenes in Africa have been cut. The scenes of Superman being put on trial at the capitol have been cut. Any scenes referencing those two have either been cut or altered to fit the new continuity. Even some of Lex's rambling has been paired down to make him less uncomfortable and at least a trifle closer to menacing. Also the majority of Justice League teasing and sequel baiting has been cut in order to make a more satisfying standalone film.

We may never see the Batman V Superman film we should have gotten, but I'd like to think I've brought the film a whole lot closer to what we all wanted to see.

I've already received high praise for my my version of the film from various users who have had the opportunity to view an earlier draft. If you're interested in seeing the finished film, please send me a PM for the link.
 
For those interested in seeing the samples I've posted, I'll post them again here. For both clips, the password will be "blue".

Spoilers for the fanedit below, so if you'd rather be surprised, then by all means ignore this.

The first is a bit of audio tinkering for the portions of the titular fight between Batman and Superman to add some atmospheric effects to the Kryptonite.


Second up is the big spoiler here, and possibly the most well recieved portion of my edit, the rescored funeral scene.



Please enjoy!
 
Mr. Blue said:
Suffice to say, Batman V Superman is our generation's Phantom Menace, and my goal with this recut was to make my own Phantom Edit.

HIGHLY exaggerated statement, in my opinion. I suggest putting the two next to one another again for an in-depth comparison.
But that's a debate for another thread. Just stating my opinion.
 
Kal-El said:
Mr. Blue said:
Suffice to say, Batman V Superman is our generation's Phantom Menace, and my goal with this recut was to make my own Phantom Edit.

HIGHLY exaggerated statement, in my opinion. I suggest putting the two next to one another again for an in-depth comparison.
But that's a debate for another thread. Just stating my opinion.

Is it though? I'm not saying that there are similarities in the content of the films, but rather that the circumstances of both films, and the impact they had on audiences, do line up strangely well. They were both movies that were impossible to get wrong, but somehow they both managed to completely miss the mark. And while they both have redeeming qualities that make them worth watching at least once, it is still undeniably true that the phrase "train wreck" has never been more accurately fitted to any film than these two movies. Two hefty mega blockbusters which both derailed in such spectacular fashion that the audiences could only walk out of the theater with a dazed look on their faces and nothing to say except "What the hell just happened?"

Is Batman V Superman as bad as The Phantom Menace? No, it most certainly isn't. However, that's not what I was talking about. I'm not just talking about a movie being bad (we've got more than enough of those), I'm talking about a movie being heartbreakingly disappointing.

Let's be honest, nobody had their heart set on Fant4stic being any good, and those people looking forward to Indiana Jones 5 are just kidding themselves at this point. And when the day comes that Marvel crashes and burns with one massive franchise killing stinker, we'll all just shrug and say "We knew it would happen sooner or later." But with Batman V Superman, a movie we've been waiting to see since before Michael Keaton wore the mask, one could be forgiven for expecting a whole lot more than what we were given.

Like The Phantom Menace, no fanedit can ever deliver the movie we should have gotten from this concept, but like the Phantom Edit all those years ago, if I may be bold enough to make the comparison, it was my hope to produce a version of the film that allows people to say that they finally have an enjoyable Batman V Superman movie.
 
Apart from the fact it's already been well established that both Batman and Superman aren't the heroes we grew up with in the comics, and it was in fact verified as such by the writers and director, what is it exactly that makes you qualify BvS as a train wreck?  :huh: Ben Affleck was lauded as bringing the Batman from The Dark Knight Returns to the big screen in a most effective way, so anyone crying foul when seeing him carrying (and using) a gun is just not knowledgeable on comic book lore and should crawl back to their corner. I'm guessing that, as is usually the case, the arguments on why BvS is not a good film all point to the same person, i.e. Superman?
 
Kal-El said:
Apart from the fact it's already been well established that both Batman and Superman aren't the heroes we grew up with in the comics, and it was in fact verified as such by the writers and director, what is it exactly that makes you qualify BvS as a train wreck?  :huh: Ben Affleck was lauded as bringing the Batman from The Dark Knight Returns to the big screen in a most effective way, so anyone crying foul when seeing him carrying (and using) a gun is just not knowledgeable on comic book lore and should crawl back to their corner. I'm guessing that, as is usually the case, the arguments on why BvS is not a good film all point to the same person, i.e. Superman?

Just because it's a common complaint, doesn't mean that it's not unfounded. When I watched @"sinemasyko"'s workprint of his Dark Justice edit, while I did find myself enthralled by the Batman movie I was watching, whenever the edit cut back to Superman my investment fell. It's not merely the fact that that the characters are "different from what we grew up with," it's how the character(s) just aren't really worth following. Part of that, imo, has to deal with how Man of Steel didn't make Superman interesting, and then BvS skimped out on addressing Man of Steel's problems (making that the main thrust of the sequel was one thing, but I would've loved to have seen what Superman would've actually said to congress). As much as fan editing to do, I imagine some of the stronger Superman scenes in BvS should be used in MoS. Having the Johnathan in the mountains at the beginning of BvS is nice, and it's good that @"Mr. Blue" went that route, but imo, that scene belongs at the end of MoS. ;)
 
Edit submitted, thread moved to Pending Approval.
 
Nic said:
Kal-El said:
Apart from the fact it's already been well established that both Batman and Superman aren't the heroes we grew up with in the comics, and it was in fact verified as such by the writers and director, what is it exactly that makes you qualify BvS as a train wreck?  :huh: Ben Affleck was lauded as bringing the Batman from The Dark Knight Returns to the big screen in a most effective way, so anyone crying foul when seeing him carrying (and using) a gun is just not knowledgeable on comic book lore and should crawl back to their corner. I'm guessing that, as is usually the case, the arguments on why BvS is not a good film all point to the same person, i.e. Superman?

Just because it's a common complaint, doesn't mean that it's not unfounded. When I watched @"sinemasyko"'s workprint of his Dark Justice edit, while I did find myself enthralled by the Batman movie I was watching, whenever the edit cut back to Superman my investment fell. It's not merely the fact that that the characters are "different from what we grew up with," it's how the character(s) just aren't really worth following. Part of that, imo, has to deal with how Man of Steel didn't make Superman interesting, and then BvS skimped out on addressing Man of Steel's problems (making that the main thrust of the sequel was one thing, but I would've loved to have seen what Superman would've actually said to congress). As much as fan editing to do, I imagine some of the stronger Superman scenes in BvS should be used in MoS. Having the Johnathan in the mountains at the beginning of BvS is nice, and it's good that @"Mr. Blue" went that route, but imo, that scene belongs at the end of MoS. ;)

While I don't share your sentiment on BvS, I do agree that a perfect blend of MoS and BvS exists (using Superman only).
 
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Wow, nice work Mr. Blue! Is there a cut list available? I am astounded by the work that has gone into this, the soundtrack is amazing!

I agree that we may never see the Batman V Superman film we should have gotten, but you've brought a film a whole lot closer to what we all wanted to see. I wanted to love the original but think I hated it even more than you LOL

Loved everything before and after the Martha kidnapping to the confrontation with Lex and Doomsday. I understand this part of the turd that just can't be polished. But up until that part, I was genuinely excited - it felt like a very natural continuation of a great Mos Edit (TM2YC I'm lookin at you.) Then the Martha scene came, and I almost gave up again. But your handling of the epilogue was well done, love the elimination of the bagpipes, and in general I noticed the score edits added so much more to this movie.  (Also loved the "Mr Blue" song at the end.)

Glad to have gotten a chance to see, thanks Mr. Blue for all the work!
 
The Great Subtracter said:
...I agree that we may never see the Batman V Superman film we should have gotten...

Until WB "reboots" it again in 5 years.
 
Conrad MacIntyre said:
The Great Subtracter said:
...I agree that we may never see the Batman V Superman film we should have gotten...

Until WB "reboots" it again in 5 years.

We kind of vote for this by supporting the constant rebooting of stories.
 
DigModiFicaTion said:
We kind of vote for this by supporting the constant rebooting of stories.

I could not possibly agree more strongly. The first remake I saw (knowing it was a remake -- I saw The Thing without knowing it's history) was Psycho with Vince Vaughn. I was only like 13 or 14 I think when that came out and I remember thinking it was so much WORSE than the original even though it was a shot-for-shot remake. Vaughn is no Perkins. I haven't seen either of the Spidey reboots. I watched Batman Begins, but found it lacking compared to the Burton version, which was totally different than the 1960s film. Anyway ramble, ramble. I don't watch reboots unless I feel like there will be something new on offer. The reboot of IT after 27 years? Yeah, let's see what they can do in a theatrical format with today's special effects. Two Spider-Man reboots in 5 years? Hard pass.
 
Conrad MacIntyre said:
The Great Subtracter said:
...I agree that we may never see the Batman V Superman film we should have gotten...

Until WB "reboots" it again in 5 years.

They've already pretty much announced that with the upcoming Flashpoint film. It's a great little "Get out of Franchise Free!" card that lets them keep what they like, ditch what they don't, and start with a kinda-sorta-not-really clean slate.

That said, I doubt they'll revisit the Batman V Superman story for quite some time, if at all, and the Death and Return of Superman arc is still years away, if not decades.
 
Mr. Blue said:
They've already pretty much announced that with the upcoming Flashpoint film. It's a great little "Get out of Franchise Free!" card that lets them keep what they like, ditch what they don't, and start with a kinda-sorta-not-really clean slate.

That said, I doubt they'll revisit the Batman V Superman story for quite some time, if at all, and the Death and Return of Superman arc is still years away, if not decades.

You have more faith in Hollywood than I do, brother. :)
 
The Great Subtracter said:
Is there a cut list available?

I've got one ready right here. Be warned though, it's a long one.

---

Gotham City” (Dark Knight Rises) vocal solo portion added to opening when young Bruce wakes up in the old well.
 
Extended Metropolis scene used.
 
Straight from Kryptonite to extended Gotham City Squad Car intro (Featuring the policeman watching Football)
 
Subtle ‘’Logo’’ thumping from Dark Knight Rises soundtrack added when the bats fly out of the chimney.
 
‘’Logo’’ reinforced at the POW after “It’s still here.”
 
‘’I am the Batman’’ from The Dark Knight Soundtrack replaces original music as the policeman climbs the stairs, reaching its climax as Batman is revealed.
 
Cut from the Bat Brand to the extended intro to the Mountaintop Scene from after the deleted Capitol Bombing scene. “He’s come here to die.”
 
This intro is blended together with the rest of the Mountaintop scene as it played in the original, Costner and all.
 
At the end of the scene, the music is blended into an extended version of “What Will You Do When You’re Not Saving the World?” from Man of Steel.
 
The previously mentioned track from Man of Steel plays over a silent recut of the extended Lois Lane unpacking sequence (minus the bloody shirt, and bullet journal). The scenes in Africa have been cut, along with Lois’ bullet investigation.
 
The Bathtub scene has been paired down to remove any specific details of the deleted Africa scenes. The scene no longer ends with Clark awkwardly getting in the tub with her, but with a quieter moment as he gives her the single flower with a gentle smile. She smiles back at him and we cut to the next scene using the Ultimate Cut’s audio transition from the Bathtub to the Batcave.
 
At the end of the Batcave scene, we use the theatrical cut’s transition from the Batcave to Clark Kent making eggs and seeing a news broadcast about the Batbrand.
 
After making use of the theatrical cut’s transition from that scene into Lexcorp, we then cut to the extended version of the scene at the next available shot change. This extended version combines Luthor’s intro with the Ship montage.
 
The Ship Montage is cut short just before Lex sticks a jolly rancher in the man’s mouth.
 
We cut from the end of the Ship Montage to Lex at the ship withdrawing Zod’s fingerprints from his case. This was originally in the second half of the film.
 
Cut from Clark on the ferry to the Gotham Police Department from the Ultimate Cut where we meet Santos’ girlfriend. This is taken from a later part of the film. The other extended Gotham scenes have been cut for being too closely connected to the Africa sequence.
 
‘’You know what stops him? A fist!’’ transitions into Bruce Wayne at the fight club.
 
Clark’s meeting with Perry about Batman has been cut due to being too difficult to comfortably separate it from Lois’ deleted bullet investigation.
 
After Bruce successfully clones the KGBeast’s phone, we transition into the Luthor Manor for a trimmed version of Lex’s meeting with the Senator.
 
The bit about the painting being upside-down has been cut.
 
Bruce’s dream sequence has been moved to a later point in the film.
 
The theatrical version of Bruce getting ready for Luthor’s party is used.
 
Lex’s speech has been smoothed over a little bit. ‘’Books are knowledge, and knowledge is power… and I am- wait, no. What was I saying?’’ and ‘’The bitter-sweet pain among men… is having knowledge with no power, because that is paraDOXACLE, and… thank you for coming.’’ Are both trimmed and combined into ‘’Books are knowledge, and knowledge is power… and the bittersweet pain among men… is having knowledge with no power… Thank you for coming.’’
 
When Bruce and Clark have their confrontation, the final shots of their exchange, as well as Lex’s entrance, are replaced with the ones from the second trailer.
 
Additional music from John Ottman’s Superman Returns score is included over the Ultimate Cut scene of Clark calling his mother, starting with his variation on John Williams’ Smallville theme ‘’Here for a Reason’’ and then Ottman’s more Angelic Superman theme for strings which quietly leads us into the Museum Scene.
 
Lois’ Bullet Investigation, Santos’ murder, and Wally’s new chair have been cut. Clark’s confrontation with Perry is moved to a later point.
 
Jon Stewart’s Cameo has been cut.
 
Bruce’s Mad Max dream, as well as the Flash cameo, have been cut and replaced with the previously cut dream sequence. Brief shots of the battle of Metropolis are intercut.
 
When Bruce is looking over the files on Luthor’s hard drive, the shots of Clark receiving the polaroids in the mail have been cut, and the related sound effects eliminated.
 
Layered over this ambient piece is the opening ‘’The Batcave’’ from Batman Begins. This carries over into the conversation between Bruce and Alfred which starts out playing in the center track to avoid music overlap. The original music slowly returns when Bruce starts talking about the Kryptonite.
 
(Clark’s trip to the Gotham Police Department has been moved to a previous point.)
 
Perry looking for Clark in The Daily Planet has been cut.
 
The second half of ‘’The Batcave’’ from Batman Begins plays over the opening of the White Portuguese scene, which is shortened to fit the pacing of the piece, and ending on a combination of two shots: the one where the camera shifts focus from Batman to the tip of his rifle, and one where we see it fire. The second is color corrected to match the first shot, restoring what was originally one complete shot.
 
Superman’s lines after “Next time they shine your light in the sky, don’t go to it.” (“The Bat is dead. Bury it. Consider this mercy) have been cut. The last half of Batman’s ‘’Do you bleed?’’ line has been cut (‘’You will!’’) as Superman has already left. (‘’…like a man saying ‘’And another thing…’’ twenty minutes after admitting he’d lost the argument.’’ -Douglas Adams)
 
Lois’ meeting with the General, Wally’s newscast, Superman meeting with Martha, Bruce reacting to the returned checks, the capitol building explosion, Alfred chopping wood etc. have been cut. After Lex inspects his Kryptonite, we cut instead to a previously cut scene in the Daily Planet, where Perry has a bone to pick with Clark Kent about the ‘’Goddamn Gotham Bat-thing!’’
 
‘’…I told you not to pursue!’’ is cut for continuity as Clark and Perry’s earlier confrontation has been cut.
 
We transition to Lex in the Kryptonian ship with Zod’s body from later in the film.
 
This cuts to Lex driving up to Lexcorp. The extended version of the scene plays out with the security footage of Batman doing his handiwork. The scene ends not on Lex’s reaction shot, as it did in the original, but on the shot of the batarang in the broken case, leading into Batman’s crossfit routine.
 
Superman’s meeting with Lois in her hotel room is cut.
 
Lex entering the Kryptonian ship has been moved to the first portion of the film.
 
With the creation of doomsday and the mountaintop scene both moved to an earlier point, and with the broadcasts of Superman hatred, and Lois’ visit to Wally’s apartment being cut altogether, the scene where Bruce discovers Wonder Woman’s picture leads directly into Bruce and Alfred’s conversation in the ruined manor.
 
All references to the capitol bombing in the Diner have been cut.
 
After Lex kidnaps Lois, all direct references to the bullet investigation are removed.
 
After Lex pushes Lois off the tower, and Superman comes to her rescue, her line ‘’You came back.’’ Is removed, due to Superman not going anywhere.
 
‘’I’ll take you in without breaking you, which is more than you deserve!’’ Cut
 
The second half of Lex’s line about God (‘’… and if God is all good, then he cannot be all powerful.’’) was cut to lend more weight to the first half along with the extended pause that follows it.
 
Lex’s rambling about Batman is cut after ‘’Ripe fruit his hate!’’ which goes straight to ‘’And now, you will fly to him…’’
 
Wonder Woman’s email scene is cut short just after her last reaction shot for her picture, removing all references to the Justice League. This goes straight back to Batman in the rain.
 
‘’Well, here I am.’’ cut for silliness.
 
‘’You don’t understand!’’ and ‘’I understand!’’ along with the subsequent shove cut for pettiness. Now Batman’s onslaught is uninterrupted and Superman’s anger feels more warranted.
 
Lines from Man of Steel (“Focus on my voice…” “It’s not from this world, Clark. And neither are you.” “Where did you train? On a FARM!” etc.) are used discreetly during the titular Batman V Superman fight whenever Batman uses kryptonite to emphasize its effect on Superman by providing a subtle psychedelic quality to those portions, as well as provide more buildup to “You’re letting him… kill Martha!”
 
‘’Whuh? What does that mean?’’ Cut.
 
After Lois comes in and says ‘’It’s his mother’s name.’’ cut to a shot of the gun breaking the string of pearls.
 
Vocal solo from ‘’Gotham City’’ (Dark Knight Rises) starts at the beginning of the shot of Superman on the ground by Lois, when Batman takes his foot off his neck. Ends when Batman throws away the spear.
 
After the KGBeast lights up his Flame Thrower, we cut to Lois carrying the spear away. This scene is intercut with Batman and Superman briefing each other in the other room, with all shots featuring Lois either removed or altered to fit the new continuity.
 
After Batman takes off, we have a brief shot of Lois still inside the building as the Batwing flies off, but before the spear can be seen, we cut away to the Warehouse.
 
Batwing sequence rescored with the final portion of ‘’The Batmobile Chase’’ from Batman Begins.
 
Warehouse fight rescored with an altered version of ‘’The Batmobile Chase’’ and recut to remove most instances of Batman blatantly using firearms and to fit pacing of the new music.
 
‘’I’m a friend of your son’s.’’ and related lines have been cut. It’s a little early for that.
 
With the scene of Lois disposing of the spear having been relocated, we go straight to Lex’s timer going off.
 
Doomsday powerup, emergence and subsequent fight with Superman rescored with a more exciting track (‘’Boosters Non-Responsive – Rough Flight – Home Run’’) from John Ottman’s Superman Returns score.
 
Anderson Cooper’s line ‘’Thankfully the work week is over…’’ is cut for being downright insulting.
 
When Doomsday lands and begins to grow new spikes and bones and such, a portion of the track ‘’Saving the World’’ plays from Superman Returns.
 
When Batman mentions the spear to Alfred, a portion of ‘’The Batmobile Chase’’ (Batman Begins) plays.
 
Batman explaining his plan to Wonder Woman has been cut. Now we go straight from Lois planning to go get the spear, to Lois going for the spear.
 
‘’Is she with you?’’ ‘’I thought she was with you.’’ Cut.
 
The Wonder Woman, Superman, Doomsday fight was trimmed a touch to improve pacing.
 
Batman’s portion of the Doomsday fight before the final blow was cut. It only existed for deceptive trailer footage and can be summed up with ‘’Brave Sir Batman ran away! Bravely ran away-away…’’ and so we cut straight from Superman diving in to get the spear to the green glow underwater.
 
Subtle zoom in when Perry opens the newspaper to crop out the reference to the deleted capitol bombing.
 
When Lois opens the package from Clark, a retooled portion of ‘’How Could You Leave Us?’’ from Superman Returns starts playing over a silent recut of the two funerals. Jor El’s full monologue from Man of Steel plays over the top of all this.
 
Go straight from the Superman Monument to Lois by the grave from the ending. It plays as usual until just before the final shot when we return to Bruce and Wonder Woman for the rest of their conversation.
 
The scene with Batman and Lex in prison has been cut.
 
The dirt rising from Superman’s grave is cut.
 
Bruce’s line ‘’Just a feeling.’’ becomes the final shot of the movie.
 
The Fleetwoods’ Mr. Blue layered over the latter half of the credits.
 
A neat little post credits gag has been inserted just for kicks.
 
Another ringing endorsement from me. Really liked all of your choices, especially trimming down the bathtub scene, I always had difficulty with juggling that bit. Didn't notice any jarring cues with the music choices too. :)

Really hope you get this approved.
 
Wow, that cut list is quite exhaustive, the amount of work in this is amazing. The music you pulled was so broad I couldn't figure out where they came from, nicely done.  They really felt natural. Let me say again, having attempted an BvS edit myself, I have immense respect for the work you have done. Very professional stuff.

And Douglas Adams FTW!
 
I watched this edit recently. Short version: it's a massive improvement over the Theatrical cut, but it doesn't go far enough to make me enjoy this movie. I'll try to put out more detailed thoughts and feedback soon.
 
Do you have a clip of the intro? Young bruce to metropolis? Doesn't feel like it would work.

DO any color correction to move it a few steps closer to JL?
 
revel911 said:
Do you have a clip of the intro? Young bruce to metropolis? Doesn't feel like it would work.

That's how it played in the original film. I listed it in my cutlist because I used the opening credits from the theatrical cut and then switched to the Extended edition for the Metropolis sequence
 
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