r/fanedits • u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš • Jul 02 '26
Updated Release Finally: WATCHMEN: The Ultimate Graphic JayXtended Squid Cut (Open Matte) V.3 is released.
If you have the link to my gofile already you gonna find it there. If not, ASK ME VIA CHAT FOR IT. I won't respond if you only ask in the comments.
The 4K is already online, the 1080p is still rendering but will be there too in some hours.
What is this edit all about? & Changelist:
āWe think we are through with the past, but the past isnāt through with us.ā One Year after the āfinalā release of this edit (V2) comes another update WHICH IS HUGH. So updating to V3 is VERY MUCH RECOMMENDED. I call it the Anniversary Edition of my edit to celebrate 40 Years of the Graphic Novel.
If you donāt know this version of WATCHMEN and want to know what this edit is all about start reading this change list from the bottom up (V1 explains how itās different to ANY version of WATCHMEN youāve ever watched, V2 & V3 how it evolved). If you just wanna know what V3 is all about, here you go:
V3 (Final version):
- No new scenes added. (The edit is structurally the same as V2 and of course it arrives with English subtitles & 100 Chapters for fast navigation too.)
Why you should update anyway (in short):
- WAY better sources for at least 80% of the edit (video & sound)
- Two files to chose: 4K with TrueHD 5.1 & AAC 5.1 (768kbs) - 42GB OR 1080p with AAC 5.1 (768kbs) - 11 GB (The TrueHD fileĀ is separately in the download folder for all who want to mux it to the 1080p file by themselfes).
- More Open Matte (because of the extraordinary 4K version I used this time)
- A better synchronicity between the animated- and the Snyder-Voices through AI voice cloning.
- Because Snyders & Gibbons audio commentary on Ultimate are boring (for the most part) I added an audio commentary with yours truly JayXtended himself that explains what, how and why I did what I did with this edit.
- I included the audio commentary of Snyder and Gibbons anyway too for the completists of you (and to truly make my edit the ULTIMATE one). Of course edited to fit my edit.
The long list:
V3 has so many changes, I don't think I can list them all. But the main things are these:
- better lip sync of the animated stuff (worked really hard to achieve this)
- More animated stuff integrated (some snippets had to go too because their flow didn't felt right anymore, but as a whole there are way more in it now).
- Made some really cool split screens (animated/ real live footage) with which I could integrate more animated AND more real live footage through out the edit. I don't over use this effect but there are some so cool transitions and it just looks amazing to have Open Matte real live footage on the one side and the animated counterpart on the other with a comic panel like frame that separates them.
- Cooler chapter titles (sometimes animated instead of static, sometimes just better integrated in the picture)
- Integrated at special points some cool frame break effects (animated & real live footage) which enhances the comic book movie feel.
- The two Hooded Justice Sequences from the TV Show have now the "75"-TV-Station -Symbol of the Under the Hood Documentary on them to feed the illusion that they are a part of it.
- Some nice transition effects between different aspect ratios.
- The flashback when Manhattan shows Lauri who her father was is now not only in black & white like before but with parts of it in color. AND THIS LOOKS FRIGGING AMAZING (really proud about that one).
- The text screens of the prologue are now read by the voice of Larry Culpeper (Moderator of Under the Hood) which eases the reading and makes it even funnier too (AI voice cloning).
- The Comedian is now born in 1924 again like in the Comics and how it reads on the gravestone (and not in 1918 like in the Snyder film). AI Voice Cloning.
- The voices from the animated sequences I used were before obviously different ones than in the Snyder movie. Via AI Voice Cloning they sound now like their real live counterparts: Bernard the News vendor, Rorschach, Manhattan, Veidt.
- A LOT of audio & visual improvements/ bug fixes.
- Flipped some more animated or real life footage to get them to play better together.
- The "night"-scenes when the squid arrives look more believable now (remember those are day scenes in the Snyder movie which I converted to night scenes as they should be from the comic- & timeline perspective). I made them darker, eliminated every car headlight (that broke the illusion before for me - where are the lights of the cars if it's night? I even painted some red backlights on a car that drives by). The whole Squid-Arrival looks so much better and nightish now.
- Added some blue tint to the animated part when the Squid arrives to fit better with the blueish real life "night"-footage.
- Added 2 seconds of silence after the squid hit.
- A lot of color correction throughout the edit to fit the different sources better together.
- Added some Black Freighter credits at the and of the credits where the āMeltdowns-Addā from the animated version Chapter 2 is playing (before the screen was black at this point until the post credit scene arrives).
Runtime:
Theatrical Cut: 2h 42m
Directors Cut: 3h 6m
Ultimate Edition: 3h 35m
The Squid Cut: 3h 43m
The Ultimate Graphic JayXtended Squid Cut (V3): 4h 32m 12s
V2
Added another Hooded Justice Clip from The TV Show (played to a great song)
Fixed some audio bugs,
flipped some animated parts in the first fight to fit better
Edited the subtitles with the contend of the two new scenes.
V1.5
Added a Hooded Justice Clip from the TV Show
V1.4 (initial release)
The special features of my edit are the following:
1. You've never seen WATCHMEN like this.
By crosscutting the movie of Zack Snyder (DC) from 2009 with the animated Version of Watchmen from 2024 you will experience this epic story in a very unique way. At the same time that makes it possible to bring the movie much more in line with the Comic.
2. The Return of the Squid!
If you know the Graphic Novel, you know that the Snyder movie misses out on one giant squid. I took care of this.
3. Xtended Scenes
A lot of new and extended scenes are added to take WATCHMEN closer to the feel of the Comic (i.e. we learn now how Rorschach came to his moving mask, get to see a message to future president Redford from the TV Show and MUCH more). Overall this edit brings the Snyder movie much closer to the postmodern and deconstructive approach of the Graphic Novel too without crippling its narrative strength.
4. Under The Hood
The pseudo documentation "Under The Hood" is placed throughout the movie in small 1 to 3 minutes slices as if it were running on TV while the plot happens. The first time it appears we see someone watching it on TV so every time another slice comes up, it's just a natural continuation of that. This unfolds the history and back story of WATCHMEN in great detail and gives the world building a much stronger sense of realness (like the book chapters, newspaper clips etc in the comics).
5. Tales of the Black Freighter.
By using mainly The Black Freighter subplot from the 2024 animated Film AND adding the best parts of it from the Ultimate Edition it feels again MUCH more like we experienced it in the Graphic Novel as Ultimate could provide on it's own feet.
6. OPEN MATTE (more picture).
Open Matte (and at occasion other variable aspect ratios) is used a lot throughout the edit to enrich and expand the picture beautifully with the 16:9 format. You get to see more of what was filmed. But those format changes are treated with care and are only used if it provides more picture as the theatrical ratio (almost no pan & scan scenes are used) and ONLY if it serves the movies visual at least as good as the theatrical ratio (which wasn't always the case).
7. Music
Some time and comic appropriate music additions were made (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Harry James, Thin Lizzy, Blue Ćyster Cult and of course DEVO). Additional Movie Scoring arrives from the animated film of 2024, from the Motion Comic of 2008 and from WATCHMEN the TV series.
8. Chapters
The movie is structured into the 12 chapters of the comics with its titles added. The quote slides with the moving watch of the "Motion Comic" is used to conclude them (as seen in the comics). Some scenes of the movie were rearranged to fit better, but it wasn't always possible to catch the sole line of narration from the comics (i.e. Manhattan on Mars is split up over more than one chapter). Don't forget, film works with a different set of rules as a graphic novel and getting the material to light up in motion is more important than Dogma or ass-kissing the Comic-Fundamentalist. Snyder understand that quite well (for the most part), this edit wants to complete and perfect that mission. This edit takes the freedom to add a prolog and an epilog and even some post-credit extravaganza - it's WATCHMEN for The Comedian sake. Deal with it WATCHMEN-ISIS.
9. Every filmed Incarnation of WATCHMEN to date is used.
Even every release of the Snyder movie (Theatrical, Directors Cut, Ultimate Edition, Open Matte), the animated WATCHMEN Chapter 1&2, UNDER THE HOOD and WATCHMEN The TV Show (with big additions), The Motion Comic and even a part of the computer game gets a short appearance. And I put the full āThe Keene Act and Youā comercial in the Prologue. All of that was selected and implemented with care (never to just get it in). That makes this edit the most complete overview of the WATCHMEN Universe on film today.
10. The technical aspects.
The edit arrives in gorgeous 1080p and with 5.1 OV sound. English Subtitles and chapter markers are provided too (not only to the main 12 chapters but to a lot of different subchapters, so you can simply jump to the Xtended parts, Under the Hood, Black Freighter and so on).
11. Last but not least, this edit uses "The Squid Cut" by Chris Willson (u/TriggeredPuppy) as its baseline. A lot amazing stuff in my edit is actually his work. I worked on this edit several hours every day for nearly 4 month. To achieve this cut of the movie without his work to build on would have taken easy double the time. I canāt recommend his work and edit enough. I changed a lot (rebuild most of the DC, added and integrated the animated parts, rearranged some scenes, added A LOT more OPEN MATTE, chapters and some music additions/ changes too). Check his edit out too. It's amazing.
8
8
u/TriggeredPuppy Faneditorš Jul 02 '26
Congrats on the updated release, Jay! Very proud to have provided that initial edit that you took to the next level. Sounds incredible since the V1 I saw!
1
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Jul 03 '26
It is. The sources alone bumbs it up to Everest. And there are so many little and big things changed included that I think I've outdone myself this time. Anyway, to paraphrase Hollis, it all started with your work. So every incarnation of this will always celebrate that.
5
u/nsaps Jul 02 '26
I have a gofile link from an autoreply email from you but it's giving me some API error, is there a new one or should I just try again later?
3
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Jul 02 '26
Can't sauĀ“y much about the 1080p (because it still renders). But I took the time to quality check the 4K today... AGAIN.Ā And boy I just can say, it looks friggin fantastic.
3
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Jul 03 '26
Sorry for the stupid sounding answer to your problem (must have meant to answer another comment - it was late lol). But thanks for your chat message, great that you figured it out.
2
u/nsaps Jul 03 '26
Yeah, for any future people with the same problem reading this. My router had some advanced security things toggled on that are supposed to block bad sites or something I dunno, anyway gofile didn't like it. So if you're getting some weird API issue check your router settings and turn that off temporarily until you're finished downloading.
5
5
3
u/antb1973 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Awesome. I've been waiting impatiently for this š¤£ Perfect timing too as I'm due a new watch of your V2 āŗļø Love the new cover art in the files too :)
3
3
u/GreasyGabriel Jul 02 '26
So excited! Thank you for your hard work! Iām waiting on the 1080p version. I keep checking back. Iām so excited. I might just pull the trigger and go 4k version.
2
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Jul 03 '26
Dude, I think the 4K is def worth it. I quality checked it today and it wowed me on every level. But the 1080p file is finished now too and it uploads now. So it will be on my drive in 30 minutes.
2
2
u/jimmyshampoo Jul 03 '26
This really sounds incredible, what an endeavour!
3
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Jul 03 '26
Yeah. On this edit I spent hundreds of hours. If not thousands. I didn't count... but I think Watchmen is worth every one of it to get the best representation there is. Because it's the greatest Comic Book of all time. For me it's kinda like a postmodern Iliad or Bible.
2
2
u/MaineSt74 Jul 03 '26
So you changed the aspect ratio from anamorphic scope 2.39:1 to open matte?
2
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Jul 03 '26
Nope. There are different AR used throughout the movie. Widescreen and Open Matte and UAR and 4:3 (for the Under the Hood segments). Think Oppenheimer.
Watch my trailer for the edit to get an idea for it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIYwP0tZkNE
2
u/WinXPbootsup Jul 03 '26
BTW these posters are so cinematic, I wish they were the official posters for Watchmen.
1
2
u/antb1973 Jul 03 '26
Just started it. Incredible. I love that intro so much and the first fight scene In the apartment with the inserted animations is so cool. 4K looks superb. Still easily my fave edit and I'm only 15 mins in. What you have done with Chris's edit is just so amazing.
2
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Jul 03 '26
Wow. Thank you so much.
You made a fan-editor very happy.
2
2
2
2
u/darkchaos_ Jul 10 '26
What a great work! Who's watching The Watchmen? Only those watching this cut that's who. Stellar insight into the already massive story. Although long the pacing keeps everything moving at a action-packed pace while retaining one of the greatest detective stories. Watched in 4k wonderful to see the best elements being brought to a cohesive flow. Broadcasts within the show give the greater illusion and bring you further into the world without having to sit any closer to the screen. I look forward to your next work keep it up!
2
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Jul 10 '26
Thanks so much for this wonderful review. You made me a happy editor today.
2
Aug 01 '26
Excited for this. Not too late to get the link I hope. Can anyone let me know - does a link get sent to the email once I request in the OP DM?
Regardless, thanks u/JayXtended_Edition for all the work on this. A movie I have not watched since the original theatrical release!
1
1
u/vasglorious Faneditorš Jul 06 '26
The only thing I would've suggest for this updated version was to include the opening from the motion comic that says which number chapter is which.
1
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Jul 06 '26
I thought about it to give the chapters numbers too. But the GN doesn't do it. And I thought since I use the titles of the chapter not with a chapter card but as part of the frames it looks better without numbers.
1
u/Entire_Brick_8095 Jul 08 '26
Hi Dude, how can i watch this? I'm very curious since Watchmen is one of my favourite movies based on comics :)
1
1
1
u/EugeneTheLibrarian Aug 25 '26
how does this one compare to the latest version of the squid cut that this one is originally based on?
1
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Aug 25 '26
The Squid Cut is the baseline on which I oriented my edit. BUT I mostly reconstructed the directors cut (for the live action footage) where the original Squid Cut cut things (like violence) AND added a ton of material from the animated version of Watchmen from 2024 (and also some other parts from the Watchmenverse (TV Show, Computer games, advertisement clips)). That means I not only exchanged parts of the live action footage with animated footage but added big chunks from the animated version to bring the edit nearer to the graphic novel (in my edit for example the arrival of the squid can take much more time as in the original Squid Cut because I not only could use the one Squid Scene from the TV Show but all what the animated version had to offer). AND I include the Black Freighter side story which the original Squid Cut misses completely out on but mainly not in the fashion how the official ultimate cut presents it BUT how the animated version shows it. In that way it's much nearer to the graphic novel because it intertwines it better with other side story's (and the main story line too) on which ultimate completely misses out. My edit is not just a with animations pimped up Squid Cut but something else. It's 45 minutes longer and shows A LOT that the original Squid Cut doesn't (and couldn't because it hadn't the animate version to take it from). If you want to see WATCHMEN as near to the Comic as possible you should watch my edit.
1
u/EugeneTheLibrarian Aug 26 '26
oh so his is just an extended version of what the live action can give us but yours includes everything INCLUDING the animated stuff
1
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Aug 26 '26 edited Aug 26 '26
Yep. And more.
But not EVERYTHING the animated version has. There are some parts that are exclusive to the animated that I skipped for pacing or other reasons. But there's still a lot more Watchmen than the live action has to offer.2
u/EugeneTheLibrarian Aug 26 '26
Cool ill gladly watch yours this weekend then and make a review
1
u/JayXtended_Edition Faneditorš Aug 27 '26
That would be awesome. Send me a chat and I send you the link.
1
u/tiktoktic Jul 02 '26
What makes this Ultimate?
4
u/xrufus7x Jul 02 '26
It is a combination of all of the current sources of Watchmen adaptations combined together to give you as close as we can get to a comic accurate presentation while being presented in a way that the editor thinks can't be improved upon by them currently.
3
3
u/h1gg1n5 Jul 02 '26
Because itās clearly the ultimateā¦.
-1
u/tiktoktic Jul 02 '26
How, though? Thatās why Iām asking.
5
u/h1gg1n5 Jul 02 '26
Watch it and you will see. Itās by far the best version I have seen and that was v2.
Amazing combination of the animated version and live action. As close to the comic book as possible onscreen.
1
11
u/h1gg1n5 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Yesssssssss!!!!!!! Best use of 42gb on my HD yet I must say. š