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12 Review »

1. 

   A great edit that feels like a mirror movie to the orginal. Amazing how deleting the voiceovers add so much tension. The cuts are all very smart. It’s almost a real scary movie now!

   Review by TMBTM — December 14, 2008 @ 8:41 pm

2. 

   I’m terrible with reviews. There’s not much I can think of to say about this one, except to recommend it.

   This is probably the smoothest CBB edit I have seen, with only a single jump cut (which I understand has been corrected in v2) taking me out of the film. All the hard work put into V.O. removal has paid off…I doubt a viewer who didn’t remember the film well would even guess that there was one originally. The removal definitely helps the film, and helps create a moody atmosphere in at least one scene that was a little too formulaic in the original cut.

   I’ve always had a soft spot for Fallen, but CBB’s Azazel is arguably a better version of the film. Whilst I disagree with one or two of the narrative alterations, (that’s just the nature of personal choice, obviously) I wholeheartedly agree with the rest of them, and would say that anyone with even a passing interest in the film should check out this edit.

   Review by Uncanny Antman — December 26, 2008 @ 6:05 am

3. 

   The DVD release of Azazel is a perfect template of what a Fanedit should be. It takes a flawed film and makes it better. much better.

   The film/edit itself is flawless and in my opinion improves upon the original elevating it from mediocre thriller to a really good mystery ala Se7en.

   Boons skill is really amazing and it is on full display here. It does not show that this was a fanedited film, and could easily pass for a full fledged studio release. The inclusion of 3 featurettes really shows his care for the edit and lets the viewer see what was removed and why. My favorite extra to find on any fanedit is a commentary by the editor explaining the choices he/she made and it lets the viewer look at things from a different viewpoint as well as learn how or why something was done. I hope to see more of these in the future

   The beautiful DVD menu is by far the best I have seen on any fanedit to date and really hit this one out of the park. It is easy to see why this was chosen as a fanedit of the month. well done!

   Audio: 5/5 – Seamless. The removal of the narration and subsequent re-scoring of the scenes blew me away. This is done so well I didnt even know they were missing.

   Video: 5/5 – Clear, nice picture despite the limited source material/older DVD release. New DVD menus look amazing.

   Entertainment: 5/5 – I enjoyed Azazel much more than I did the original “fallen” this isnt just an alternate version, this is a better version.

   Review by elbarto1 — January 15, 2009 @ 3:17 am

4. 

   I haven’t seen original movie for now but I can tell that Azazel is a good one.

   It looks so flawless that I didn’t notice if there was cuts.

   5/5

   Review by romero007 — January 16, 2009 @ 9:10 am

5. 

   “Fallen” was not an enjoyable experience for me at all. With “Azazel”, Boon has removed a lot of the problems I had with it, but it still ended up as an average thriller for me.

   I agree with the points Mollo makes in his review and funnily enough many of the obstacles Boon is dealing with in this movie are the same ones that Mollo faced with “Killer Horizon” (which I also just watched and reviewed). For example; a leaden leading man who won’t come unhinged (even when he should); weak side characters; too many questions about motives/logic. And while both editors were able to correct some fundamental flaws in both of these films and make them much more watchable, some elements remain that prevent them from being completely immersive experiences for me. Let me clarify that in both cases I found the originals to be very, very bad. So bear in mind while my reviews may not be overwhelmingly positive, I consider both to be very well done. They have taken nearly un-watchable films and made them at least halfway decent.

   Of course I have no complaints about the Video or Audio. Boon knows what he is doing. It all looks and sounds great. He did an especially amazing job with removing the voiceover, to the point that I forgot there was one. That is a very good thing. I can imagine the amount of work that went into it, because it was invisible to me.

   I noticed the same video cut Mollo mentioned at the end, but it was not too big a deal. The new ending worked o.k. within the film, but I almost wanted it to feel a bit more panicked or desperate when it went into the last bit of “Azazel-vision”. Maybe some more intense visuals or a demon cry of some sort. But if I really had my way, I would choose to remove the Azazel-vision completely. I thought it was a fairly gimmicky device that treats the audience as if they are a bit stupid, just like the excised voiceover. If it could be removed somehow for version 2…;) All of the other cuts Boon has made are definitely smart and to the viewers’ benefit- although I feel it could use even a bit more trimming. The initial meeting at the bar with Gandolfini, Goodman and Denzel, for example, served no purpose to me- except to date the movie with beer brand references and make Gandolfini look like an idiot.

   As I mentioned, a few of the characters and performances are still poor (Especially the Theologist) and there are some suspensions of logic made. But the real central problem for me is that I never really get a real sense of menace from Azazel, nor find out what is really driving him. Azazel is never really developed into a full character, so I can never quite buy fully into the proceedings. Why the hell IS he tormenting Hobbes? It is never made clear. And that is what unfortunately brings the film back down to average for me, even with Boon’s considerable improvements.

   Video/Audio Quality: 5
   Editing: 4.5
   Entertainment: 2.5

   Total: 4
   Much better than the original.

   Review by jokersmailbag — January 26, 2009 @ 9:11 am

6. 

   *SPOILERS*

   wow. ok so that worked A LOT better than i expected. i seem to be a sucker for narration removal – it just rarely seems necessary. what i DID like was the faster pace here with “azazel” in addition to changing some pretty huge story elements. jumping forward to hobbes and keeping with him the whole movie was a great idea. it seems like a lot of setup shots were removed, also, but i could just be crazy (likely). the ending works VERY well. i think the way in which you handle jonesy (azazel) is perfect and removing much of the interior cabin scenes helped speed this movie along to a great (NEW!) conclusion.

   i have ONE critique: the ending was a bit odd for me. is that a heartbeat? why would a non-physical being have a heartbeat? also, if we just STAY with azazel a bit longer as “he” dies off i think this will help with a quick cut to the credits.

   still, everything is a 5/5 for me great job!

   Review by joebshmoe — February 18, 2009 @ 3:05 pm

7. 

   Excellent cut of this great movie. It has been a while since I watched the original, and I have to say that this really flowed very well, and I couldn’t pick things that were missing. I happen to like the “Gotcha” ending of the original, but I liked this one as well.

   Review by heavyg — March 5, 2009 @ 12:50 pm

8. 

   I’m a huge fan of the original Fallen, and would not initially have considered it a good opportunity for fan editing. I loved the changes that were made here though. Going back to re-watch the main scenes that were changed… we are well served to be rid of them. Especially how they decided to play the Rolling Stones over the intro credits. It works way better when only the actors of the movie are ever singing that song.

   Ending worked really well for me, the heartbeat was great.

   The film has flaws, clearly. But I’ve always found it highly enjoyable, and this edit is a great improvement to the experience in my opinion.

   Review by CasmirRadon — November 1, 2009 @ 8:30 pm

9. 

   *SPOILERS*
   I’m actually a big fan of Fallen and just like joebshmoe, Azazel worked better than I expected.
   I personally like how Fallen ended and didn’t mind that Azazel had won.
   Sure it was shocking, and I wanted Hobbes to win, but it still worked for me and is why Fallen is an unforgettable movie in my mind.

   So I still prefer the original.
   The reason being, as boon said himself in the desciption, now it’s “just” a horror thriller” and that being the case, what made Fallen so special was removed and becomes something not as special and more of a mainstream movie that doesn’t really stand out as much as it should.

   BUT… with this fanedit, I can see how the original can be vastly improved.

   For me, the “perfect cut” would be to use Azazel as the basis but add in a couple of elements Fallen back in.
   I’d like to keep some of the original V.O. at the beginning and ending, as bookends, and maybe one or two in the middle (that don’t hint at who’s talking) so we don’t forget about the narrator during the movie, and keep the cat at the end.

   This would add back into Azazel what had made Fallen a stand out movie in the first place.. that mind bending ending which I feel is one of the best surprise endings, ever.

   Also, boon asks, why does Azazel have Hobbes voice in the original V.O. since Hobbes is already dead.
   Well, Azazel is a supernatural being.
   So if it isn’t that big a jump to think he has a fading heart beat at the end of this edit, we can easily make the jump to think that he can mimick whoever he wants to.
   We don’t really know all that he is capable of.

   Having said all that, this is like a retail DVD.
   Actually, better than many of them.
   Beautiful menus, flawless video and audio, great extras.
   Exquisite.
   All the time, effort and passion put into this is undeniable.

   The bottom line is, regardless of my personal preferences, boon achieved 100% what he set out to do with this movie.
   He made a flawless (perhaps perfect), mainstream, horror thriller.

   For that, it’s a 10/10.

   PS. Boon, if you ever revisit this amazing edit, perhaps you may consider a seamless branching version, with an ending of the viewer’s choosing?

   Review by zeppelinrox — December 16, 2009 @ 6:06 pm

10. 

    I never saw the original, and I never will, because what ever it would be like, it can’t be as good as this. Although I get a sense of what it was like from the extras.
    Thank you for this excellent version. 10/10

    Review by Derelict Mind — February 5, 2010 @ 5:51 am

11. 

    What a fantastic fanedit, what a great movie. CBB is the master of removing stupid voice overs and the new ending is so much better than the original one. Congratulations.

    Review by brauventura1 — April 19, 2010 @ 2:34 pm

12. 

    Just watched with the wife last night: this was an amazing experience – perfectly paced, what kept going through my head was:

    “I hope Denzel Washington sees this, so he’d see his amazing performance sharpened and enhanced, and so he can hire the CBB crew to edit his other films!”

    CBB really shaped this movie into a gem!

    

    Review by Checker222 — June 8, 2010 @ 5:18 pm

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