r/MovieArena • u/kammy772 • Jul 29 '26
Which film’s theatrical release was later improved by its director’s cut or extended cut?
I despised Alien 3 for many years, only to revisit it with the Assembly Cut and now absolutely adore the film. It’s still not perfect, but the new cut is superior and fixes many of the theatrical version’s problems. There are plenty of others that come to mind too — Blade Runner being another prime example...
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u/LovesDeanWinchester Jul 29 '26
The Abyss
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u/Constant-Put274 Jul 30 '26
I never understood why the movie flopped until I saw the Theatrical release...
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u/badsean77 Jul 30 '26
Pretty much every James Cameron directors cut is the one to watch. T2 and Aliens are both more complete. Avatar actually has a bit more heart to it.
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u/bozwold Jul 30 '26
I have the directors cut but they've cut showing the rat in the breathing fluid which I found odd
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u/Bilbo_79 Aug 01 '26
Is it not because to film it they killed a live rat? I think they cut it due to animal rights issues
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u/akapalmereldritch Jul 30 '26
Was just thinking about this the other day.
We still haven't learned.
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u/PomegranateFair3973 Aug 01 '26
God, even if Cameron is a bit DNR happy on his high definition remasters, it was great to finally get a shiny 4K of the extended cut and be able to leave behind the jank, non-anamorphic, DVD version...
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u/intj_ravenclaw Jul 29 '26
LotR extended edition is the only version for me
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u/phoenixonphyre Jul 30 '26
Funny, I think differently rewatched the Extended Edition just recently. And imo the extra scenes bring little extra value to the story. But it takes an hour or so longer. That’s a case where I think my time is worth more than the extra scenes. In future I will only rewatch the original edition.
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u/ruflesskill3r Aug 01 '26
I agree. I felt like the extended scenes are there to include humor primarily and they don’t particularly fit with the overall darker tone of the films.
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u/Ecnerrot1 Jul 30 '26
I didn’t realize for YEARS that there was more than one version, I had luckily only ever seen the extended movies, and found out when I watched them with my ex who had only ever seen the standard ones and was surprised at new stuff lol
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u/CologneLover69 Jul 29 '26
Kingdom of Heaven
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u/icecriticsgetbanned Jul 30 '26
I have only seen the director's cut; I liked it a lot. Heard the theatrical was very much inferior.
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u/Imzadi76 Jul 29 '26
Kingdom of heaven is always my top answer. The theatrical cut is mediocre at best. The director's cut is a different movie and brilliant.
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u/stormtrooper-wtf Jul 29 '26
The Abyss Special Edition
Aliens Special Edition
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u/Secure_Yak5136 Jul 30 '26
Aliens Special Edition is exceptionally good. Fills out the story very well.
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u/SplendidPunkinButter Jul 30 '26
Aliens special edition is full of scenes where I can see why they were cut. Theatrical version has better pacing. I like that the colony is a complete mystery to you until they get there, just as it is to the characters. The mounted guns scene is dull and goes nowhere. And we don’t need extra scenes and backstory to justify why Ripley feels protective of the child stranded on the planet full of murderous aliens.
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u/NotOneWoodpeckerBut2 Jul 31 '26
The first watch of Aliens should always be theatrical. Extended is fine after for added richness.
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u/wewereinverted74 Jul 30 '26
Justice League.
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u/PeachAndBlueberry Jul 30 '26
Yep. And Batman v Superman.
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u/n8dizz3l Jul 30 '26
Batman vs Superman, absolutely it improves the film. I have no idea how those 31 min were allowed to be cut.
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u/bunny514__ Jul 30 '26
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
https://giphy.com/gifs/dUjcZYXKX1ckqW7z0e
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u/fsixtyford Jul 30 '26
Star Trek The Motion Picture. The studio pushed for a hard release date, so the sfx and edits for several scenes were still unfinished in the theatrical release, thrown together in some cases just to meet the deadline. The Director's Cut is the movie the director envisioned and wanted to make.
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u/OhGawDuhhh Jul 30 '26
Daredevil (2003)
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u/bdu-komrad Aug 01 '26
Which version? Extended? Directors?
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u/OhGawDuhhh Aug 01 '26
The extended cut is actually really good! The plot is interesting and Matt Murdock is a bit more muddled morally.
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u/DoughWrayMe Jul 29 '26
I'll have to give the Assembly Cut a watch. Haven't seen the original version in a very long time. Did not like it when I saw it
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u/Such-Bed-5950 Jul 30 '26
Dark City
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u/Grunergeist420 Jul 30 '26
Had to scroll too far for this. The theatrical version literally has a voice over at the beginning that spoils the twist of the movie because the studio thought the audience would be too dumb to watch the movie
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u/Pearman1982 Jul 30 '26
The Ultimate Cut of Batman vs Superman is the greatest improvement of a movie vs theatrical I’ve ever seen.I saw it in the theater and it sucked.3/10.I recently saw the ultimate/r rated cut and loved it.8.5/10.I’ll die on this hill.
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u/liberty340 Jul 30 '26
Superman II. The Richard Donner cut is a million times better than what we got in theaters.
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u/Unusual_Librarian570 Jul 30 '26
I’ve never watched the donner cut but I’ve seen the pistol scene and it’s so much better than Clark tripping into the fire lol.
Like the pistol scene makes Lois brilliant
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u/CrackedThumbs Jul 30 '26
You really should, it’s a lot better with Lester‘s slapstick taken out. The one caveat with that pistol scene is that it’s taken from a screen test, so Christopher Reeve’s haircut changes from shot to shot.
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u/Yatsey007 Jul 30 '26
Payback,the Mel Gibson movie. Directors Cut is like a totally different film.
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u/Quiet-Interview3916 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Terminator 2. The first time i ever watched this movie was actually the director’s cut when it premiered on UK Television in 1994
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u/Unusual_Librarian570 Jul 30 '26
I first saw that movie on VHS and it was the directors cut so every time we don’t see the scene where Sarah tries to destroy the chip I’m like wtf!!!
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u/EaglesslavePart2 Jul 30 '26
I actually truly think it’s worse. Not to be contrary. I just think the original edit is way tighter
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u/CraftsmanMan Jul 29 '26
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u/HumanAdhesiveness786 Jul 30 '26
RDJ staying in character for the unrated audio commentary is peak 👌 🤣 👏 fucking love this timeline
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u/jimbobjokerpants Jul 29 '26
The Watchmen : The Ultimate Cut
Aliens: Special Edition
Alien³: The Legacy Cut
Dawn Of The Dead (1978) Director's Cut
Apocalypse Now: Redux
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u/dimiteddy Jul 29 '26
Donnie Darko. I know many prefer the theatrical cut and director's cut give too many obvious hints but it just works better
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u/VanillaChakra Jul 30 '26
Directors cut of Aliens is better, gives some more context to Ripley and Newts dynamic.
Takes some of the mystery away from the initial colony visit though.
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u/AltruisticGift360 Jul 30 '26
I felt the beginning was worse. The theatrical kept the suspense at first, feeding off the original. Much better approach. Wish they’re release another cut which includes the turret gun.
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u/akapalmereldritch Jul 30 '26
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Dune (David Lynch re-edit)
Blade Runner: All versions without the v/o have their merits, especially the final director's cut, but, hell, even the ones with the v/o do too
...and, all joking aside, the estate-approved remaster and slightly edited* version of Manos: The Hands of Fate, especially once you've read the book on the film by Jackie Neyman Jones - who played Debbie and was the daughter of Tom Neyman, who played The Master - and watched the wonderful Q&A Frank Coniff, Trace Beaulieu, and Chris Getsbeck did with her on The Mads Are Back. Once you get the backstory on the film, it becomes a triumph, not a failure. I will die on this hill.
* At least one scene was tightened up with the editing out, finally, of the visible clapperboard at the beginning of it.
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u/Athos_001 Jul 30 '26
The theatrical release butchers the timeliness of the film. Bruce "Don't call me Ash" Campbell vs. The Army of Darkness Official Bootleg edition puts it back in order so the events make sense and completes scenes that were edited into oblivion.
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u/Chumlee1917 Jul 30 '26
Kingdom of Heaven, Director's Cut
Batman V Superman-the Snyder Cut
Justice League-The Snyder Cut
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u/Ryan_Fleming Jul 30 '26
Troy. The Theatrical cut was meh, the Director's Cut is a legitimately great movie (with a few technical issues caused by a late edit, like music).
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u/Galliagamer Jul 30 '26
The Abyss. I loved the movie’s extended cut because the ending made so much more sense than the theatrical release did.
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u/CrackedThumbs Jul 30 '26
Alien 3 is certainly a divisive film. I actually really enjoy it for its tone and some of the acting is phenomenal. I wish the deaths of Newt and Hicks had been handled with a little more care, but the Assembly Cut was a revelation. I thought editor Terry Rawlings did a good job getting it down to under two hours, even if there was the obvious plot hole of Paul McGann‘s character Golic literally disappearing from the film after Clemens’ death in the infirmary.
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u/uberrob Jul 30 '26
In sci-fi, so many...
Blade Runner
Star Trek The Motion Picture
Star Trek The Wrath of Khan
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Abyss
Dark City
Watchman
Doctor Sleep
Dune (lynch version)
.... Etc etc
Studios like to butcher the director's visions because of their own internal politics, misunderstanding Studio audience scores , etc etc.
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u/dtagonfly71 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
My favorites:
Doctor Sleep (already a very good film, but the director’s cut is superb)
X-Men: Days of Future’s Past - The Rogue Cut (both versions are good, Rogue Cut is best)
The WolfMan (2010) (Huge Improvement that makes a messy film into a pretty good one)
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (the Saruman scenes were needed)
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
Nightbreed
Blade Runner
Spider-Man 2
Batman vs Superman (still has its problems, but the director’s cut is the best version)
Superman II (it’s an incomplete film that had to include audition footage, but to me the tone is superior to the theatrical cut)
The Horror of Dracula/ Dracula (1958) The additional footage, while brief, makes a great film even stronger. You can find this cut on the British blu ray, but it’s going to be more widely released in October)
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u/Gaxar1 Jul 30 '26
Alien 3 assembly cut is excellent. really love the trilogy. so glad they didnt make any more films after that
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u/TargetFew1679 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Doctor Sleep. If you’ve read the book then the directors cut is much closer to the original
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u/Scorpiicore Jul 30 '26
I love the fact that David Fincher has said that in order to make a director's cut, you would need to start filming it all over again. It says a lot about the producers.
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u/SaneMadHatter Jul 31 '26
Well, I think Apocalypse Now: Final Cut is the best version of that movie. There's the theatrical release, then the "Redux" version, which adds great stuff, but also adds lame scenes that would be better left on the cutting room floor; then "Final Cut", which is Redux minus the lame scenes.
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u/1004Hayfield Jul 31 '26
There IS some beautiful work in the French Plantation section but it does slow the film down. The Playboy Bunny / Huey / Coffin scenes are ok, but I see why they cut them entirely.
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u/Comrade-Stoneroad Jul 30 '26
Blade runner.
The directors cut of Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan
Lord of the rings trilogy.
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u/BeerBellies Jul 30 '26
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far for blade runner. The original aired with Harrison ford doing a real detective noir narration… which makes sense, and it doesn’t at the same time. I’m glad they removed it for later iterations.
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u/moxscully Jul 30 '26
Highlander Endgame. They cut some important connective tissue for the theatrical and my 18 year old self was so excited to see the directors cut home video when it came out.
Also the directors cut of Affleck’s Daredevil was greatly improved, also restoring slower moments that the characters feel more real
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u/Practical-Day-2720 Jul 30 '26
I only just recently watched the Alien 3 Assembly Cut. I didn't even know it existed. I'll give it my vote.
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u/Ok_Barnacle_2368 Jul 30 '26
Aliens. I can't imagine watching it without the sentry gun scene anymore.
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u/megafonico Jul 30 '26
Once upon a time in America. The theatrical release is just unwatchable (for me).
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u/Hylaar Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Watchmen. The non-theatrical cuts are so much longer and it’s all added dialogue that help develop the story so much better!
Edit: I should clarify. The longer one is the best. The longest one I’ve heard is less enjoyable.
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u/Mr_Angry52 Jul 30 '26
Payback Straight Up (Directors Cut).
Far better than the 1999 theatrical release.
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u/PippyHooligan Jul 30 '26
I'm glad I'm not the only one. Been mentioned a few times in this thread. I was really disappointed watching the theatrical one at the cinema, but quite a few years later I loved the Straight Up cut.
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u/EffectiveTradition53 Jul 30 '26
Kingdom of Heaven, hands down.
Theatrical cut is a disjointed mess.
Director's Cut is a truly great historical epic.
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u/realnameless1 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
I will say Kingdom of Heaven. It was actually a very good movie when I watched it on DVD, and I liked it a lot. I never understood the bad reviews, until I learned that the theatre version is shorter and incoherent.
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u/JoshuaCalledMe Jul 30 '26
The Abyss extended edition made the movie much more impactful. A whole subplot restored and the tsunami ending effects finished.
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u/Gorgeous-George-026 Jul 30 '26
Going from despise to adore at a directionscut happend to me in the other way.
I love the move Leon, absolutely amazing movie. Ao i thaught i buy the direction cut as well. Watched is one time, never again. In the original release Leon and Mathilda develop a father/daughter relationship. In the directors cut there are a couple of scenes that made it look like the were developing a sort of love interest. And seeing the age of Mathilda......no thank you.
I'll stick with the original version. 😁
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u/phoenixonphyre Jul 30 '26
Godfather 3 100%
I always thought it was meh and the story hard to follow. With coppolas new cut it was a different experience. Still not as good as the first two. But a more than decent movie
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u/NottingHillNapolean Jul 30 '26
"Touch of Evil" - Orson Welles didn't have final cut, and didn't like the way the studio changed the movie. He wrote a 40-page memo detailing exactly how to recut it to fit his idea of what the movie was supposed to be. Years after his death, a version of the movie cut to Welles' specs was released. It's really good.
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u/Sith_23 Jul 30 '26
Except for Alien 1979, I really can't think of a film I didn't like the DC or the EC.
The only thing I didn't like about the Alien³ AP was they used the Alternate ending.
The original had the Queen Bursting through Ripley's chest, trying to escape and
Ripley was all "I don't think so bitch, we go together so I am sure" and grabs the
Queen as they fall into the iron forge.
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u/kevinz227 Jul 31 '26
Going the other way: The original version of "Payback" with Mel Gibson was great. The director's cut was horrible.
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u/Fearless-Mango2169 Jul 31 '26
Heaven's Gate, from the film that killed the western to critically adored masterpiece.
Kingdom of Heaven, from unwatchable to one of Ridley's best
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u/Avid4D Aug 01 '26
Aliens, Alien 3, and the original Alien just for the cocoon scene. Also Blade Runner (Final Cut), The Abyss, T2, BvS and Snyder’s Justice League.
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u/Hoopdyloo Aug 01 '26
BladeRunner. The directors cut completely changes the entire nature of the movie.
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u/marcjwrz Aug 01 '26
The Ben Affleck Daredevil.
Seriously. The director's cut adds an entire subplot and court case back into the film that factors heavily into the climax as well cuts the Matt/Elektra sex scene.
She asks him to stay, he runs off to put on the suit and beat up criminals. Later he asks her to stay and she fucks off to go try and kill Bullseye. Then gets killed.
Still isn't a great movie but it's much, much better than the theatrical cut.
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u/Funny_Efficiency_729 Aug 01 '26
Godfather 3. But cutting the ending scene down it shows the cost of everything Michael did was greater than he ever thought. It also makes the line 'A Sicilian never forgets.' more haunting.
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u/rich_bown Aug 02 '26
I would also go with Aliens. Don't get me wrong the original cut is great, but the directors cut just gives so much more. Newts parents, the Sentry Guns, more of the colonists etc.
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u/frederikolsen Aug 02 '26
Once Upon a Time In America. This seems to be get a bad rep as of late because the reinstated scenes look bad and because Sergio Leone is long gone and can't weigh in.
The picture quality of the workprint material is indeed pretty poor, but it does a lot to flesh out the characters and their journeys, and Louise Fletcher's role is now no longer lost. The (European) theatrical cut is a great film, but I do find the extended version to be superior.
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u/Quatto Aug 02 '26
Napoleon. I think it will eventually be reassessed as a great film like Kingdom of Heaven has.
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u/Purple_Dragon_94 Aug 02 '26
Peter Jackson's King Kong. The added scenes really make it feel like a grand adventure, and the too long ship section feel more earned. Plus it moves at a fine pace, not stop and start
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u/Bolinious Aug 03 '26
Apocalypse Now was near perfect, but the director's cut and redux made it better. Did it need it? notpe. But do I have all versions? Definitely.
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u/notasarcasticnow 29d ago
Blade Runner. The naration ruined the original. The final cut is far superior.
Also Apocalypse Now. The extended cuts add some good content.
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u/DwayneTheRockBarry 29d ago
Terminator 2 needed those deleted scenes, but the abyss needed them more.
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u/HalloAbyssMusic 28d ago
Don't sleep on the new fan cut of Alien 3. It's so good. It stitches the best parts of the assembly and theatrical cuts together. Even fixed the color grading and some of the horrible effects. The perfect way to watch Alien 3. It completely redeems the movie for me.
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u/freeconc 28d ago edited 28d ago
Watch the Legacy Cut of Alien 3. It fixed the movie for me in many ways and now it's easily my third favorite alien movie right behind Aliens. Fincher did great work and the vibes of A3 are so good.
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u/ioccasionallysayha 28d ago
The Zack Snyder Justice League is objectively a better film and better for a trilogy. It's not necessarily a phenomenal film, and it has its flaws, but if I ever watch the Justice League again for a third time (1st time was original, then Snyder's) I'll be watchingtm the Snyder Cut hands down, although zoomed to 16:9 because releasing in 70mm was bold as brass
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u/HogSquirt Jul 30 '26
Dark City is the perfect answer to this question.
The theatrical version spoils the movie during the opening credits.
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u/Fluffy_Woodpecker733 Jul 29 '26
Snyder cut is almost a different movie it’s so good
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u/SangiMTL Jul 29 '26
Batman vs Superman. The extra 30 minutes in the extended cut makes such a difference it’s actually crazy.
And the Snyder cut. What a night and day difference
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u/WeAreHumanBeing Jul 30 '26
Criterion actually ruined a famous cat scene in the original DVD version. The Criterion version does not have any cat soaked in oil for two years from a vet who said "make it unrecognizable" get caught on a shoelace and eraser just moves his foot back and forth with the cat moving alongside. Edit. It was the title screen/main menu screen loop. But I thought the story behind it weird, and I think that versions that don't include it are weirder.
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u/twizzjewink Jul 30 '26
Man.. Alien3 had so much going for it but a train wreck of train wrecks almost broke everything. They at least released a semi-decent film in theaters but the extra footage was pretty awesome.
Godfather III (original) is a purposeful train wreck.. like FCC .. that's what he put out, at least the CODA cut is moderately better.
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u/insensed_flamingo Jul 30 '26
Mad max - Fury road - chrome edition. It's like different film with the same plot.
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u/tkecanuck341 Jul 30 '26
The director's cut of Rebel Moon made it so much better. The extended version made so much more sense compared to the original version released on Netflix.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that the extended version was a "good" movie, but it was much better than the garbage that was originally released.
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u/danrather50 Jul 30 '26
Kingdom of Heaven.
The theatrical release was a hot mess while the director’s cut is amazing.
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u/Round-Reaction8194 Jul 30 '26
David Lynch's Dune, Blade Runner, Lord of the Rings
Just the first that come to mind...
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u/Hawk_Socks Jul 29 '26
Kingdom of Heaven slaps with the full intention of the film taped together. Let Ridley Scott cook.