Mathilda

"Mathilda" offers a fresh perspective on this iconic film. By removing awkward scenes involving Jean Reno and the 12-year-old Mathilda, the edit creates a more comfortable viewing experience. The addition of new soundtrack elements enhances the atmosphere, and the focus on Léon's mysterious nature adds a layer of intrigue, The overall pacing and narrative flow remain intact. While the original film is enjoyable, Futon88's edit provides a welcome alternative, thank you.

I recently watched "Mathilda," the fan edit of "Leon: The Professional," and very much enjoyed it. I have been a fan of this film since it came out and like many fans, I have longed for a sequel with the obvious title "Mathilda: The Professional" that would show her as an adult. The storyline with Danny Aiello was never resolved, and seeing Natalie Portman take on her first role again would have been a treat. We now know that it was never made because the rights are tied up and will probably never get back into director Luc Besson’s hands again. Danny Aiello is dead now, and Natalie Portman is getting up there in age, so I think that the time has passed. So it was cool to see a fan edit that uses the title. Telling the story from Mathilda’s point of view was an original take. I can understand why someone would want to tone down the sexualization of the 13-year-old Portman. Although it’s an impossible task to remove it completely because of her wardrobe. There is a scene where Leon and Mathilda are staying in a hotel, and she insinuates to the manager that the two are not father and daughter but lovers. The line “He's my lover” was removed, so now she just says “He's not my father.” The rest is implied. I can see why the editor did not remove this entire scene because there has to be a reason for them getting kicked out of the hotel, but he did his best to make it less creepy.

The most significant change for me was the addition of new music. This was the part I really enjoyed. The new songs are flawlessly put in, so much so that they seem like they always belonged there. The new songs are also from that era, making it even cooler and harder to remember if they were new or old. Sting’s “The Shape of My Heart” is a good song, but I never felt that it was a great track for this movie as it didn’t really describe Leon very well. The sad Sarah McLachlan track the editor used for the end works better for me, especially because this is Mathilda’s story.

Overall, this is an edit that breathes new life into an old film and lets me enjoy it in a new way. Kudos for the nice cover art as well. Recommended.

Finally, I can watch LEON without feeling awkward
If you want to introduce your friends to this movie this is the version for you, cutting all the sexual moments between an older man and 12 years old girl is a welcomed thing but this fan edit goes beyond that and adds great OST and makes the character of Leon more mystery although I don't get why to cut the moment leon talks on his first killing mission, sure he tells it in a scene with a sexual tone but I still think you can cut the sexual tone out of this scene.

Overall this is the best version of the film, I usually don't like fan edits for films that are high-rated (corrently number 35 on IMDb)
because you might find yourself messing with something that was already perfect or close to that, but this is an exception

Leon: The Professional has been one of my absolute favorite movies since I was a young teen. My first real screen name was "the professional###" with my bday plugged in. So hopefully you will take my review for what it's worth when I say you have actually managed to improve one of my favorite movies!

99% of the time when someone changes the soundtrack I appreciate the effort that went in but I hate the changes because my brain can't wrap itself around how different the scene is. Here every single song was so perfect that I honestly couldn't even remember if it was in the original scene or not, except for Shape of my Heart at the end! Very impressive.

Excising as much of the creepy horny 12yo stuff was a great move, and knowing that Luc Besson wrote a sex scene where Leon simply can't resist her advances, and knowing that Besson dated his wife when she was 15 and knocked her up at 16 while he was 32 makes it even creepier. Thank you for fixing that stuff so I can enjoy the movie as guilt-free as possible.

Also I'm very impressed with the length of the movie given how much was removed. Excellent scene choices, and I really felt like this was Mathilde's movie in the end.

Hands down one of my favorite edits on this entire site.

Mathilda
I went into that edit without having seen the original movie. I must say it felt pretty seamless and well executed. Not knowing the story or how the movie was originally edited, it’s hard to tell if this edit makes it better or fixes any issues. But the truth is that Futon and ArtisDead’s version is great! Audio and video quality is excellent and the story feels natural and flowing easily through the movie (I am watching on a stereo setup). I really feel like I’m following Mathilda’s story and I believe that was the main approach as far as reframing the narrative goes. There are a lot of pop songs from that era in this edit but they suit the narrative and the training montage is great with that Patti Smith song. Overall I’d say this is an enjoyable 1h48 movie, well paced and engaging.
Mathilda is also well-structured. Character introduction, first plot point, character evolution, and so on. Everything is following a clear narrative, we are never lost. I was taken out for a brief moment at the end when I was served the same aerial shot of central park a second time. But all this is just me nitpicking what is in fact a great edit.

(I’m going to watch the original now and compare my notes)

I think I understand most of the choices regarding Mathilda’s edit. Removing the opening scene with Leon and the cringier stuff between the two characters is a good choice. It changes a little bit how I perceive the characters. But I don’t think it takes away anything from the movie. Mathilda feels a bit more like a lost soul, Leon a little less.
I must admit I like the original score. Having music without lyrics acts more like a supporting device than a moving one. I felt less guided watching the original when it came to music. The Mathilda edit feels more modern in that aspect. In fact it feels more modern in its narrative as well. So good job for bringing this movie to the 21st century guys!

Now where are the dream sequences? I didn’t realize until just now what is actually going on here! Nice work, it blends well and adds a little something. I wish it could have been done to Mathilda’s character instead but I acknowledge the execution and the research that went into it. Two thumbs up!
How did you remove the title in that flyby sequence?!
9/10 Enjoyment is because I liked the original score and the more fleshed out Leon. All the other stuff brings it back to a 9.

Okay.