Directors' Cuts

[Cardboard_killer]

This may be heresy, but it seems as if most director's cut versions are examples of why directors have editors. What are the "worst" director cuts?

I'm not sure it's the worst, but The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly's director's cut adds nothing but length to a movie that probably could have used a little more cutting in the first place.

[DR Herbert West]

Exorcist III
Star Wars (1977)
The Warriors
Aliens (not really a director's cut)
Terminator 2 (not really a director's cut)

[John1701D]

I love the extended cut of Aliens.

[s2mikey]

Gladiator DC isn’t great.
Troy DC

Honestly, with most films I actually prefer the DC. Aliens, Kingdom of Heaven, T2, LOTR, etc.

[BladeRunner2007]

The absolute worst DC I have ever seen: The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day

[Monterey Jack]

American Gangster with that awful, added epilogue.

[Eurbane132]

I do care about director’s cuts especially in tv episodes.

[Ernest Rister]

Dances With Wolves -- Costner told Entertainment Weekly he had nothing to do with it, that it was a "studio thing". In the long-ago days of the supremacy of network television, Dances With Wolves was too long to show in one night on ABC, but too short to air on two nights. Solution? Take scenes that were cut for good reason (they gave the audience information before Costner's Dunbar learns it, so the audience is ahead of Dunbar instead of with him) and pad the film out to make it "fit" as a two-night event.

Amadeus -- the so-called "director's cut" inserts scenes that, again, were cut for good reason. Milos Forman, in his laserdisc commentary for the award-winning film, explained why he cut them, that he thought they weakened Salieri's character and made him look silly. Playwright Peter Shaffer strongly disagreed, but Forman was the director and out they went. For the "director's cut", those scenes went back into the movie, but that also meant the original commentary track had to be altered to change Forman's criticism of the scenes. Again, the reason this version exists was a "studio thing"...Forman wanted the film's elements preserved, Warner Bros. used the "directors cut" to re-sell a popular title, which leads to the next entry...

The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen -- In the wake of the surprising box-office success of the Star Wars Special Edition with re-vamped visual f/x in 1997, Variety reported the studios were looking at their libraries to see if they had popular hit titles they could re-sell with new f/x. The Exorcist fit that bill, except, once again, the scenes that had been trimmed for the original release in 1974 were cut for a reason. While the extended coda between Kinderman and Father Dyer is more faithful to Blatty's book, it adds almost nothing of substance, and neither did new CGI moments of shapes in walls and the like. One moment does stand out, though, a deleted exchange between Father Merrin and Damien in a stairwell that was masterfully shot and performed, and explains exactly what's going on -- a test of faith. Wasn't needed, though, so it was cut. While most of the other things in TVYNS are borderline camp -- like putting too much make-up on something that didn't need it -- I do like that stairwell scene. And again, not really the "director's cut".

Old Yeller -- the director's cut is a bit mind-blowing. In the original release version, Travis learns his beloved family dog has contracted rabies and has become a danger to everyone, forcing Travis to put the dog down. In the director's cut, after the climactic scene, Travis discovers Old Yeller wasn't suffering from hydrophoby after all, Old Yeller was just upset about the ending to Game of Thrones. Walt wisely removed the scenes.

[MattmanAlpha]

The 2000 Expanded Edition (Special Edition) of Superman: The Movie. The additions really took from the pacing, especially that unnecessary "gauntlet" on the way to Luthor's lair. Oh, and the Donner cameo feels weird.

Likewise, I'm going to say the Donner Cut of Superman II. It's like watching a big deleted scene more than a movie. Reminds me of the Wake Up, Ron Burgundy bonus movie with Anchorman.

Stargate is another where I prefer the Theatrical Cut. Having dual-flashbacks before the opening titles is awkward. And none of the other new scenes added anything for me.

The Godfather: Part III is one where I prefer the older, '90s Director's Cut to the recent Godfather Coda Director's Re-Cut. The trims didn't do anything for me and the ending felt even more depressing.

Alien is a DC I could really do with out. The small trims take away from the brooding tension and the added shot of the creature looking down on Brett takes away from when it appears behind him moments later. And the "cocoon" scene both feels out-of-place when the ship is set to explode and doesn't work with the addition of the "queen" in Aliens.

And, I heavily prefer the TC to either DC of Manhunter. I don't care for the added "meet the next family" scene at the end. And the removal of Graham's "sympathy" speech near the finale really takes something away from the movie.

[Warm Gun]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

American Gangster with that awful, added epilogue.

American Gangster with that awful scene of the Russel Crowe character taking a civilian's car and IIRC punching him. Most of Ridley Scott's director's cuts are terrible, from that DVD and early Blu-ray era when studios thought more was always better.

[Jay H.]

I never cared for the director's cut of Legend. The U.S. theatrical cut isn't a great movie to begin with, and the director's cut just feels longer but not better. Plus, Jerry Goldsmith's score doesn't fit. He's my favorite film composer, but his score for Legend feels like it's from another - and better - movie.

[Ruemorgue10]

Apocalypse Now. Theatrical Cut kept the essentials.

[Ruemorgue10]

Originally Posted by Jay H.

I never cared for the director's cut of Legend. The U.S. theatrical cut isn't a great movie to begin with, and the director's cut just feels longer but not better. Plus, Jerry Goldsmith's score doesn't fit. He's my favorite film composer, but his score for Legend feels like it's from another - and better - movie.

I try and tell myself the DC is a vast improvement, but you’re right, it doesn’t make it that much better, just longer. Also agree about Goldsmith’s score, the Tangerine Dream soundtrack just gels with the material better.

[Edward R. Meow]

I consider all of these worse:


(And yes, I'm aware that not all of them are true director's cut, but they're still billed as such.) I also dislike the Rogue Cut of X-Men: Days of Future Past, though I'm not sure which version is Singer's preferred version.

But for the record, I'd say the number of improved director's cuts far outweigh the number of bad ones. See:

[Jay H.]

Originally Posted by Bolty

Yes the incongruent happy ending of Little Shop of Horrors was far superior

^ Sarcastic or not, you're right. The Director's Cut ending is too big and bombastic. It feels like it's from another movie.

[Edward R. Meow]

Originally Posted by Bolty

Yes the incongruent happy ending of Little Shop of Horrors was far superior

I love Faust, especially Goethe, but for a comedy like LSoH,

[Show spoiler]Aubrey II's death & last words: "Oh shit", is much funnier and fitting for the movie's tone. Also works as an (unintentional) subversion of the Faustian bargain, though the final shot suggests otherwise.

[Winslow Leach]

I prefer the Director's Cut ending to LITTLE SHOP.

[NeoTechnicJ]

Originally Posted by s2mikey

Gladiator DC isn’t great.
Troy DC

I really the Director’s Cut of Troy, adds more action and Diana Kruger.

Director’s Cuts I hate: Apocalypse Now… that French Plantation scene kills the momentum and horror vibe the film has going on. Probably the only time I can concretely say studio interference was a good thing. The only scenes I thought added to the chaos/enjoyment were the Playboy bunny scenes which I believe Coppola removed in the ‘Final Cut.’

Extended cut I really dont like:
The Good the Bad and the Ugly- I cant get over the different voices for Angel Eyes. And an aged Tuco & Blondie are also not my cup of tea.

Director’s/extended cuts I dont care for:
Star Wars, I dont need a CGI creature scene in a 1970s space movie.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi- I dont like the CGI Sarlacc monster, the CGi band and Darth Vader’s cheesy “Noooooo!” exclamation.
Gladiator- one interesting execution scene with Commodus further illustrating his madness, but beyond that it slows the plot down with fictional politics.
Alien- the opposite complaint, the slower pace of the theatrical cut works in this films favor. Not a fan of the faster paced editing in the directors cut.
Rambo- additional dialogue slows down the what I consider to be a near perfect action movies’ pacing. On the plus end it removed some excessive CGI gore.

Mixed Feelings:
The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey- I watch the Middle Earth films at least once a year and this is the only one I switch between theatrical and extended for viewings. I enjoy the extended prologue and the scene of Bilbo and Gandalf entering Rivendell… but I dont really need to see Bilbo buying a fish at the market place or listen to the Goblin King’s song.

[mjvmovieman]

Payback (1999) with Mel Gibson - that director's cut is simultaneously awful...and yet an interesting experiment to see the director's intent versus the studio interference. Granted, I think the theatrical is far superior and more of a 'fun' movie, but a wildly different film between the two versions.

And....


Dumb & Dumber - the unrated cut flat-out ruins the movie. I still can't believe we haven't gotten the theatrical version on blu-ray. Unfortunately New Line released this to BD when 'everything' had to have an Unrated cut.

[Jay H.]

Director's Cut of Donnie Darko - I watched it once, and that was enough.