Original Vs. Director's cuts

What are some of the MoFoers favorite director's cuts? What films have them and don't need them? How many got worse with free reign given to the director?

One of my favorites of all time is Blade Runner. I don't like the idea of Deckard as a replicant because there's far too many things that would have to change to make it make sense, but other than the unicorn dream, I really love the director's version a lot better.

Another one that I like, despite how insanely corny it is, is The Abyss. The director's cut makes more sense, but it's really cheesy. I like it anyway.

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I really dislike the 'Special Edition' (basically an extended Director's cut) of Terminator 2. It's basically James Cameron being way too self indulgent, by adding too many needless scenes that try to develop the relationship between John and Terminator, but the majority of the scenes come across as cheesy and hokey.

Blade Runner: The Director's Cut is my favourite.

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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

^ I agree. Also...

Apocalypse Now. The Redux was 50 minutes too long, adding unnecessary scenes to the human drama.

I like the director's cut of The Abyss as well.

One movie where the director's cut is a must is Brazil. I'm glad I watched that version first.

The film "The Abyss" is remarkable and I love Herzog.

BladeRunner director's cut was great. Donnie Darko's was decent.

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Terminator 2's extended cut was better I thought, at least it gives more insight into how the Terminator's memory chip works.

The Abyss extended cut is better
Aliens extended cut is better.

Alien 3 is a better movie when watched in full too. By far a more entertaining movie.


Hang on... out of the ones I've mentioned, only one of them isn't James Cameron's.

Weird.


Edit/addition: Robocop extended is also better. Much more gory.

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Blade Runner and Brazil are my rather obvious choices for great director's cuts. My least favourite director's cut by some distance has to be the "Ultimate Director's Cut" for Walter Hill's The Warriors - it's one thing to add in a bunch of arguably unnecessary scenes (e.g. Apocalypse Now or Terminator 2) but Hill's addition of comic book graphics (and to a lesser extent, adding zooms to previously static shots that are just plain distracting) just ruins the low-budget vibe of the original film something fierce. The fact that it's the only version left in print also irritates me.

EDIT: Rodent, I don't think Alien 3 counts as a proper director's cut - David Fincher had disowned the movie and the newer version is actually billed as an "assembly cut" put together by someone other than Fincher himself.

Das Boot and Betty Blue are the only two I can think of atm.

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I much, much prefer the director's cut of Almost Famous. Cameron Crowe added about 30 minutes of extra footage and not a minute goes to waste, and the character development goes noticeably deeper.

I think the directors cut of Aliens and Robocop add some good extra scenes and makes the films better.

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Yeah, I'll have to go with the extended Aliens as well. The scenes put back in are pretty seamless. Especially love every scene connecting sealing the tunnels where the sentry machine-guns are.

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The Aliens director's cut is pretty good for the most part, but the added scene near the start that takes place on LV-426 before the aliens show up kind of ruins the unity of setting established by the theatrical version. It was just better to have Ripley and the Marines show up at the colony without any real clue as to what happened.

Blade Runner Final Cut is my preferred version. It's basically the Director's Cut that's easier on the eyes.

Love the Aliens director's cut, too. I particularly think that beginning scene where Ripley is shown a picture of her daughter as an elder lady and is revealed to to have outlived her. VERY poignant scene that gives even more weight to the Ripley/Newt relationship and general 'mother' theme of the film. Can't believe this was cut from earlier versions.

The Alien director's cut is a little pointless for me, unless you REALLY need to know what happened to Dallas.

Dark City director's cut is vastly superior to the other version. It's almost like watching a new film.

I think Kingdom of Heaven is one of the more famous ones. The Directors much longer cut highly praised as opposed o the cinematic release.

Ah, how could I forget Dark City?

Indeed. Probably the best director's cut produced. At least with the other films you can go back and review the original releases. I can't imagine anybody wanting to watch any other version of Dark City

Donnie Darko had an awful director's cut. Part of what made DD so great is the sense of mystery and ambiguity--most of that is lost in the DC.

Copland, Dark City and Daredevil are my favourite Director Cuts.

Payback was easily the worst.

Amazing Spiderman DC sounds like it will be great considering how much of the "untold story" was left on the cutting room floor.

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"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." - Michelangelo.

I agree if it's the first time someone watches it, the theatrical version is best for a first time viewing. but if you have already seen it the extra scenes add something extra to the movie.