Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Spence Edit, The

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9.6 (3)
 
9.6 (22)
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Faneditor Name:
Original Movie/Show Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2021
Original Running Time:
265 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
142 minutes
Time Cut:
123 minutes
Available in HD:
image
image
Synopsis:
Like many of the other Disney+ MCU series, this clearly felt like it was originally envisioned as a film that was then stretched out to fill out a limited series. It's a good story with some great moments, but it drags on and is stretched too thin. This edit attempts to reorganize the fairly simple plot into a single film of 2 hours and 22 minutes, an average run time for an MCU film.
Intention:
Cut the 6 episode miniseries into a functional film that fits comfortably within the MCU
Special Thanks:
ArtisDead
Release Information:
Digital
Cuts and Additions:
- Eliminated a lot of the first episode, including the opening action scene, that doesn't add much to the overall plot.
- Simplified Bucky's arc while still giving his character growth. It's now more about how being alone is what's holding him back. There's less focus on him trying to directly make amends beyond what's discussed in his first therapy session.
- The tension of Sam and Sarah having to sell the boat is still there, but I removed a lot of the plot surrounding it, such as them trying to secure a loan.
- There's less focus on Zemo, a character that doesn't end up adding a whole lot to the plot. As the characters say, he's a means to the end.
- Cut Valentina out of the story.
- Karli gets a lot of cuts, specifically the discussion of how people will rise up to help her, as they never do and it's never a plot point.
- Walker's wife and his sequel set up is removed. A lot of scenes with him tracking down Karli are cut.
- We no longer see how Zemo escapes prison, making the scene where he just shows up in a guard uniform and Sam's reaction much funnier.
- Zemo does not explode Karli's troops from prison, the last time we see him is when the Wakandan's take him away.
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie/Show Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2021
Original Running Time:
265 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
142 minutes
Time Cut:
123 minutes
Available in HD:
image
image
Synopsis:
Like many of the other Disney+ MCU series, this clearly felt like it was originally envisioned as a film that was then stretched out to fill out a limited series. It's a good story with some great moments, but it drags on and is stretched too thin. This edit attempts to reorganize the fairly simple plot into a single film of 2 hours and 22 minutes, an average run time for an MCU film.
Intention:
Cut the 6 episode miniseries into a functional film that fits comfortably within the MCU
Special Thanks:
ArtisDead
Release Information:
Digital
Cuts and Additions:
- Eliminated a lot of the first episode, including the opening action scene, that doesn't add much to the overall plot.
- Simplified Bucky's arc while still giving his character growth. It's now more about how being alone is what's holding him back. There's less focus on him trying to directly make amends beyond what's discussed in his first therapy session.
- The tension of Sam and Sarah having to sell the boat is still there, but I removed a lot of the plot surrounding it, such as them trying to secure a loan.
- There's less focus on Zemo, a character that doesn't end up adding a whole lot to the plot. As the characters say, he's a means to the end.
- Cut Valentina out of the story.
- Karli gets a lot of cuts, specifically the discussion of how people will rise up to help her, as they never do and it's never a plot point.
- Walker's wife and his sequel set up is removed. A lot of scenes with him tracking down Karli are cut.
- We no longer see how Zemo escapes prison, making the scene where he just shows up in a guard uniform and Sam's reaction much funnier.
- Zemo does not explode Karli's troops from prison, the last time we see him is when the Wakandan's take him away.

Trusted Reviewer reviews

3 reviews
Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.7(3)
Audio Editing
 
9.7(3)
Visual Editing
 
10.0(3)
Narrative
 
9.3(3)
Enjoyment
 
9.0(3)
Overall rating
 
9.7
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
I loved the edit - it gracefully streamlines the plot and trim away many unnecessary bits. This edit really shows how bloated the limited series was. I don't miss any of the omitted scenes, as they seemingly are indeed not integral to the plot.
However, I believe there is some room for improvement. I wrote my suggestions: in detail in the forum, but here are my cliff notes:
(1) The beginning of the movie can be reordered to better serve the narrative.
(2) John Walker should be completely cut from the final fight, as he contributes nothing to it.
(3) The ending is a bit lackluster.
(4) I noticed a few minor technical issues in the edit.

All in all, this edit is really well made and I recommend it.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 2 0
(Updated: November 17, 2022)
Overall rating
 
9.7
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Positives:
Spence has a real knack for flow and pacing. I watch all the Marvel stuff shamelessly, maybe "religiously", and am shocked by how little I missed that was cut out. This is slightly over two hours, the source I think being approximately six hours. I have no intention to make an edit like this but I think many wondered while watching the show what a movie or fan edit could have been like, and I think Spence got really close to what would have been in theaters if things in the real world had gone differently. The show has extra subplots and tangents but a lot of it felt like filler and this edit proves you can carve down to the core story and not miss any of the extra characters and dances and meme material. The problem with really good editing is I don't have much in mind that stands out, it was just a really overall smooth experience, it never felt like I was watching a show, just a "smaller" movie. I think the stuff that was kept works really well.

Negatives:
One shot looked shimmery or pixellated, the establishing shot for Riga, Latvia around 56:05ish. The shot immediately after has a similar effect but only on the road, then after it's back to looking perfectly clear. It's not that distracting, it's very short, and much worse has happened to my picture quality watching actual streaming services. I assume this was either in the source, or from how the source was captured, a render error, or something to do with the conversion to the smaller file I watched.

I do miss the cop scene after the first meeting with Isaiah, I think it helps drive home the point Isaiah is making to Sam in their second meeting. But I understand, the scene leads directly into more material that was cut and there's no clean other way out of it. If you could have found a way to include some of it, I would consider this edit basically the perfect version of the story, narratively.

I think some of Sam's speech at the end falls a little flat, and I would have tried to cut a little bit of it where he's telling the council not to call the flag smashers terrorists, but that's a problem with the show, not the edit. I have faith Spence made a weighted decision here, the part I'm talking about was the beginning of his speech and it could have been really awkwardly short or lacking context for the rest of the speech if that part was missing,

Back to Positive:
At first I thought the edit was missing that opening action beat (there's a lot of talking and character and plot setup) but I do remember the opening action scene in the show was a lot of fluff and not very relevant to anything. But I still went in thinking that cutting that entirely was a mistake. But after watching, I think not opening on expensive big action and instead opening on Sam at home really reinforces what this story is, which is small-scale, character-driven, and conversation-based. Right through to the end, this is Character Moments: The Movie. If you complain about Marvel movies all being the same big CGI action sequence over and over, this is the break from that you've been looking for.

I enjoyed this much more than the show itself, this edit is an accomplishment. Thanks, Spence.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 3 0
Overall rating
 
9.5
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
An excellent edit of a messy, overlong Marvel TV outing. Spence cuts it down to a manageable length and nothing of value is lost, and lots of silly Madripoorian dancing is dropped. From a swing-and-a-miss to what is perhaps inarguably the best or second-best Phase Four (tied with Shang-Chi, naturally), Spence's pacing instincts are dead-on as usual. A better Captain America 3.5 we couldn't ask for.
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User reviews

22 reviews
 
95%
 
5%
5-7 stars
 
0%
3-5 stars
 
0%
1-3 stars
 
0%
Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.9(22)
Audio Editing
 
9.6(22)
Visual Editing
 
9.9(22)
Narrative
 
9.1(22)
Enjoyment
 
9.3(22)
View all user reviews View most helpful
Overall rating
 
9.3
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Great edit of a not-so great show in the MCU. I've always felt like this, out of all the MCU shows, should've been a movie, and would've worked as a good prequel to Captain America 4 and Thunderbolts. The main problems that existed in the original were mainly how drawn out the show felt at times due to it's need to adhere to a 50 minute episode structure, but being reformatted into a 2 and a half-hour movie works wonders to allow the plot to flow in an easier way. The only thing that I can think of that I had an issue with was the opening scene, where I think it could've been slightly restructured to have the first Flagsmasher scene with Torres undercover as a cold open before the Marvel logo at the start. (And idk if it was an issue with my headphones or my audio mix, but the part right as the trio are walking into the club in Madripoor had very loud and bass-boosted music, which wasn't too big of an issue as it's brief, but I did have to turn my volume down during it.)

Overall, I would highly recommend this edit and it brings my personal rating of TFATWS from a 5/10 (show) to a solid 7.5-8/10 (movie edit).

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
(Updated: August 08, 2024)
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
7.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
Overall a great way to watch this entry in the MCU.

The editor did a good job cutting the show down to a movie but some of the antagonists' narrative suffers from it and here and there it's rather obvious that scenes are missing.

Incoming rant about TFatWS:

No matter how godlike your editing skills are, this show can't be saved. The biggest flaw: The action.

The direction, camera work and stunt coordination of all the action scenes are such a letdown compared to CA: Winter Soldier and Civil War. Go watch those movies and then watch the show. It physically hurts. Every action set piece in the show looks cheap, dull and is about as exciting as filing taxes.

There was huge potential for a "buddy cop" like action adventure with Sam and Bucky. Some of the banter actually works but most of it falls flat and feels awkward. The show fails to make full use of this team up and the chemistry is just not where it should be.

The cinematography of the entire show is just bland and has that sterile and digital look Netflix movies are known for.

End of rant.

The edit is good tho, lol.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
Overall rating
 
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Another beautifully done edit of a Disney+ show by Spence, it's amazing how smoothly this works. The pacing is fast and there are very little things that get dropped as a result but overall what a far more pleasant way to experience this story. Sam's grappling with his identity and his country is so much clearer now and it sucks that most people won't get to see this version. I remember liking the therapy scene with Sam and Bucky in the beginning but I literally forgot about it watching this edit because it all flowed so well. Zemo showing up having already been broken out of prison was excellent and another scene I forgot was cut. I think the whole Madripoor story is superfluous except for the knowledge they get that more serum has been made but I understand for that reason why it couldn't be cut. Really well done, I would recommend this to anyone who is watching or rewatching Phase Four!

Note: Through no fault of the editor, this streamlining and cutting of unnecessary sideplots unfortunately reveals the deep moral inconsistency and frankly heinous politics of the show which were definitely present in the original but now are even more highlighted. The governments of the world want to hurt refugees but they're senators who have a job to do so they're Good; John Walker is a veteran who maybe did war crimes in Afghanistan and kills an unarmed civilian in the streets of a foreign country but he fights the "terrorists" at the end so he's Good; Sharon kills a teenaged civilian while on the run and while running a crime operation but the teenager was Bad so she's Good. Meanwhile Karli wants to help refugees but she's "radicalized" and kills innocent people so she's Bad. And the answer to all of these problems is to give a nice speech on TV. Obviously there's no way for a fanedit to fix these problems but for this reason it will always be a lower tier Marvel project for me.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
Overall rating
 
9.5
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
This is a Masterclass in how to take a borderline train wreck of a show and turn it into a solid, mid tier Marvel movie. I was blown away with how good this edit was, and honestly it took one of my least favorite Marvel properties and put it above the middle of the pack which is amazing.

I have 2 small knit picks (Both at the end of the film):
1. towards the very end, when Cap flys off and we smash to the Exterior of Isaiah's house, i feel like it should go to black for a second or two, maybe a J audio edit of the knock on the door from the next scene and a fade in as the door is answered. As it stands it feels too smashed together and the fly off moment needs just a second or two to breath in my opinion.
2. I wish there was one more post credits scene where Valentina sets the stage for Walker to become U.S.Agent "its the same... but black..." scene. its a decently funny scene and in the same way that at the end of Black Widow we have a set up towards the Thunderbolts it would make these films post credits the darker parallel to the OG Nick Fury gathering the Avengers in Phase 1... just a small thing

This edit saved this show in my opinion. while its not perfect it will be what i watch when i go back through the MCU in the future and what i will eventually show my kids when they are old enough.

Amazing Work Spence!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 3 0
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Despite enjoying the show back when it came out, it suffers from "butter scraped over too much bread" effect, being one of the main reasons I've never re-watched since then.

This edit helps the experience greatly by focusing on the meatier parts , e.g. Sam's struggle with the concept of Captain America, his banter with Bucky and Isaiah's story.

I feel like the Flag-smashers screen time was reduced too, which is appreciated 'cause they're godawful.

So yeah, damn good experience in general. It might even go into my Marvel re-watch rotation now, thanks Spence.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
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View all user reviews