Synopsis:

No Justice' refocuses "Batman v. Superman" on its central conflict between Man and God. All aspects of its 'Dawn of Justice' subtitle are excluded: Wonder Woman, the Justice League, Doomsday, Darkseid and the Kryptonian ship. These omissions create a more coherent and accessible story, intended for a wider audience.

Intentions:

I never had strong feelings toward creating a fan edit prior to the theatrical release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. My frustration with the movie, married with my love of the Batman character, nagged at me until I decided to look into the process. While the Ultimate Edition helped to clarify underdeveloped scenes and relationships, the overarching problems remained: the unprecedented central conflict between DC’s two most iconic heroes is obfuscated by irrelevant or distracting sub plots meant to plant seeds for future DCEU content. The outcome lacks coherence and accessibility. I also disagreed with Batman's attitude towards killing and reduced this aggressively, while retaining a sense of brutality about this jaded veteran Dark Knight. Certain interactions between Superman and other characters are removed to make him seem less mopey and hopeless, and further depict Clark as the "other" in a world that cannot trust him. Strategic omissions place the emphasis more on Lex Luthor's misdeeds than his mannerisms. Visual filters reintroduce some of the lost colour to create a bolder, more comic book inspired image.

Change List:

Besides a strong vision of what I wished to achieve thematically, I came to understand the key to a convincing fan edit is the transition from one scene to another, especially in the audio. This is of course rudimentary to experienced editors. Until you create a fan edit of your own, you don’t appreciate how movie scenes audibly blend into one another. This subtlety helps to create a continual forwards momentum in the narrative. Characters cannot teleport from one location to another. It must be shown or implied how they got there, even if that seems dull. The brain subconsciously searches for logical flaws like this. The last thing you want is to distance the viewer through sloppy transitions or erratic pacing. Foresight is essential. Unlike writing an original story, one must accept the movie can only ever be whittled down (unless it is a radical Fan Mix incorporating other source material). This will invariably limit your creative options. Map out the edit on paper or in your head in its entirety before commencement. There are no shortcuts I can recommend. It’s all about commitment and patience. Your edit will evolve. Be prepared to watch it multiple times if you seek excellence in the end result. Recolouring your fan edit is an even greater time commitment. Request the constructive feedback of your friends, family and online colleagues. Be patient with them; they aren’t trying to tear you down, but in fact build you up. Professionally and concisely present your fan edit online. Why spend all that time to see your opus sink into the quagmire of Internet content? Sell it. Hit up related websites (e.g. Reddit’s fan edit sub), but get to the point. Create equally impressive miscellanea (artwork, trailers, screen caps etc). Create a search engine friendly website. Wix is free and looks great. Take pride in what you are doing. You will likely be utilising powerful video editing software, so experiment and have fun! Cuts and Additions: - Metropolis is introduced to the Superman: Bruce's initial phone call to Jack cuts off almost immediately. Why? Because nobody would wait for their employer's permission to leave the office in such dangerous circumstances. - Nairomi: The photographer's introduction as Jimmy Olsen. Why? It was a universally unpopular decision to kill off one of Superman's most iconic allies so early. - I saw him! I never saw him before: The artificial-looking crawl across the ceiling as Batman escapes from the shotgun-wielding cop. The two cops watching Football. Why? It adds nothing of substance to the narrative. - Meeting at LexCorp: The "Metahuman Thesis" and Luthor's negotiations with Senator Barrows in regards to the Kryptonian ship. - False God: The reaction scene inside the Daily Planet offices is tightened. - Luthor's private meeting with Finch: Luthor's "One if by land, two if by air" comment. Why? For brevity. And Luthor is fairly annoying in this scene. - Metropolis Library: Bruce imagines a subtle Joker laugh when he looks at Robin's suit. Clark does not ask a fellow journalist who Bruce Wayne is. Some of Luthor's speech omitted. Diana Prince omitted from this and all future scenes. Bruce's conversation with Clark is slightly tightened. Bruce leaves unhindered with the hacking device, while Clark flies to Mexico. - Knightmare, Flash's warning: Omitted. - Bruce's demon dream: Omitted. Why? It seemed like one "Martha" scene too many. - Clark researches the 'Bat-brand': Omitted. Why? Batman is less culpable for the prison deaths if they are not yet a matter of public record, while Clark still learns about the consequences of the "mark" from Mrs. Santos. - Batmobile: Batman tagging the cargo truck, only to pursue the vehicle anyway. By showing the tracking device on the truck afterwards, it can be inferred it was fired from the Batmobile at some point during the chase. The chase is tightened. None of Anatoli Knyazev’s men are killed as a direct result of Batman's actions. Batman's altercation with Superman is tightened. - Congressional bombing: Senator Finch does not stutter prior to the explosion. Bruce's inquest about Keefe's disability checks is omitted, with Greg handing him the most recent envelope only. Why? Luthor had been intercepting Keefe's checks for upwards of eighteen months, marking them with anti-Bruce Wayne hate rhetoric / death threats, and returning them. There was not a single discerning employee at Wayne Enterprises who considered bringing this to Bruce's attention in a year-and-a-half, especially after Keefe's very public arrest for a hate crime? Had Bruce known sooner, he would have investigated Keefe, and subsequently Lex himself. This is a clear example of Deus ex machina driving Bruce's enmity of Superman forwards at the expense of his vaunted deductive reasoning. - Clark's self-exile: Clark questioning the validity of his actions, and climbing the mountain to speak to his father. Why? Both heroes were at peak-mopiness by this point. Pa Kent's return to reiterate established themes is redundant, and the "She was my world" idea is not relevant to No Justice. - Luthor and the Kryptonian ship: All scenes omitted. - Bruce's training montage: The revelation of Kryptonite gas deferred until the fight itself. Why? To surprise the audience. - Luthor's contractors kidnap Martha: Deferred until Luthor reveals it to Superman. Why? To give Luthor an ace in the hole. - Superman saves Lois: Luthor's insistence that Lois' proof of his illegal activities will blow over. Superman’s uncharacteristic “No one stays good in this world” line. "What have you done?" (in reference to Doomsday). Luthor's instruction for Superman to go to the Kryptonian ship after killing Batman. Luthor spoon-feeding us his manipulation of Bruce. Why? It's clear from previous scenes that Luthor was responsible for the bombing, not Keefe. - Batman v. Superman: Bruce's reference to Clark’s parents. Why? By acknowledging he has parents- even Kryptonians, Bruce unwittingly humanises Clark, which in turns lessens the impact of the next scene. The line is replaced with, "It's time you learned what it means to be a man." from TV Spot 7, which never made it into the final cut. - "Martha": When it hits home to Bruce, we see a few frames of Martha hugging a young Clark. Why? I wanted to emphasise that Bruce is about to murder someone who is for all intents and purposes human, and become no better than the scum that killed his own mother. - Batman rescues Martha Kent: There is a tighter transition between the two combat scenes to maintain a sense of climax. By Batman simply leaving to save Martha, it can be inferred Superman is too weak from Kryptonite poisoning to act, and that Batman has vowed to atone for his wrong. Batman killing Knyazev’s men inside the Batwing omitted. The grenade kill is replaced with an unused moment from the final trailer (Batman man-handling a thug into a stack of pallets). When Batman is primed to kill Knyazev, we see a brief reminder of his own mother dying, giving Batman stronger motive to pull the trigger and rescue Martha from the same fate. - Luthor's Abomination / the Trinity / Death of Superman: Omitted. - Lois and Clark in the tub: Relocated to after Luthor’s arrest, with all references to the incident in Nairomi excluded. Why? It was the most appropriate scene to complete Lois and Clark's stories in the absence of the original ending. - Batman threatens Luthor: Luthor's reference to Superman's death and the imminent arrival of Darkseid. - Superman’s funeral: Omitted, leaving the rotated painting in Luthor's study as the movie's final shot. Why? It's the obvious ending point in the absence of Doomsday. This, with the amended musical cue, shifts the emphasis away from Darkseid's arrival to Batman's (a mere mortal) own capacity for devilry.

Additional Notes:

There are two versions of this fan edit: a 4GB (Approx. 5000kb/s) MP4 and a 9GB (Approx. 11,000kb/s) “full-fat” version. Both versions are at 1080p resolution. No Justice is R-rated.

Other Sources:

- Various tracks from the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice OST - Suicide Squad Comic-Con First Look Trailer: Jared Leto’s Joker laugh- used to evoke memories of Robin’s death - Man of Steel (2013): Superman creates a sonic boom as he blasts into the atmosphere- used as a transition prior to the scene in Mexico. Martha Kent embraces a young Clark- intended to humanise him from Batman’s perspective - The Siege (1998): “Excuse me, sir. I think you should see this.” [7:29]- used prior to the Congressional incident - Final Official Trailer: Batman flings a goon into a stack of pallets- used to replace Batman’s grenade kill in the warehouse - Official TV Spot #7: “It’s time you learned what it means to be a man.”- used to replace “I bet your parents taught you that you mean something.”

Special Thanks:

Zarius, Canon Editor, SkywalkerFan01 and all who have provided invaluable feedback and support. My brother who, despite disliking the original, has watched the fan edit three times with me. TM2YC for approving it, obviously!