Movies That You Prefer As Director's/Extended Versions

[defunctzombie]

What are some movies that you prefer as the "director's cuts" or extended versions? To avoid making a simple list thread, please tell us why or explain the difference in the extended version. I'm mostly referring to movies with more scenes (Think T2: Judgement Day and Alexander: Revisited) and not just the violence/nudity, but you can mention those too as long as you don't just make a list.

The Wrath of Khan is a good example, it gets chopped up pretty badly depending on how you watch it, but the key scene for me is where you get introduced to Scotty's nephew in engineering. That makes Scotty's appearance on the bridge with him after the attack so much more emotional now that you know who he's holding. (ST: The Motion Picture is also much better as a director's cut, but I can only stand that when I'm in narm mode.)

Pocahontas is another one, it's one of the few Disney movies where I actually like the deleted musical number added back into the film (it was a popular thing when they first started making their DVDs to show off the branching technology). "If I Never Knew You" is a good song, it's a shame the blu-ray doesn't have it.

And of course I like the two X-Men movies Days of Future Past and The Wolverine much better in their longer forms, though The Wolverine is pretty much just an excuse for Hugh Jackman to swear and stab more things. XD

 

[Gatomon41]

The Lord of the Rings Expanded Editions

The Jackson LOTR movies had so much material and were done do well that it couldn't contain everything from the books. And so much that movie theaters couldn't show the entire movies like the writers and directors intended.

So the Extended DVD editions were made to present both that vision and what the fans wanted to see. It was longer, but it did add in more details that enhance the story - such how old Aragorn really was, what happened to the Orcs after Helm's Deep, what a Hobbit is, the rest of the gifts Galadriel gave (and gives Gimli some neat moments). And in one case, bring closure for one character's arc much better.

There's just too many differences to list, but the extended editions give more character to the characters.

Dune (1984)

The Allen Smithy cut, so named because David Lynch did not like the resulting extended cut by the studio he asked to remove his name.

Being a bit older now, I can understand why the Allen Smithy cut gets flak - a prologue that uses concept art, scenes that clearly were probably out-takes are just a few I recall.

But despite these flaws, we get more scenes with Patrick Stewart's Gurney (always a plus), and the prolouge actually explains alot of backstory as to why the Dune universe is the way it is.

Also, so much happens in this movie it certainly needed more than just an hour and a half.

 

[wonderfly]

"Lord of the Rings" -Extended Editions: For all the reasons Gatomon mentioned.

I've always maintained you should watch these versions - and don't look at it as 3 movies. Look at it as a 6 part miniseries (the "Extended Editions" are spread over 6 DVD discs).

Aliens: Special Edition: Read this if you are unfamiliar with this version. It's the version they started airing on TV in the early 90's. It just gives us more character moments, and more scenes involving suspense at the hands of the Xenomorphs, like the famous sentry guns scene.

Blade Runner: The Director's Cut: I never got around to watching the original back in the 80's, but I did watch "The Director's Cut", which came out in the early to mid 90's, and it was one of my favorite discoveries of "things on VHS". I understand there's been yet another "Director's Cut" since then, called "The Final Cut", but this version is the one I "grew up with", so to speak.

 

[defunctzombie]

You know, I'm so used to watching the extended LOTR that I forgot they aren't the regular versions.

 

[sun]

Aliens....When Ripley returns after the first attack to the planet..the directors cut gives additional information about her decision to return ..If I remember, it discusses the loss of her child and other events that took place while she was away..More details, but the shorter version that we know about runs is smoother and has more action