Ever saw cut scenes from a movie that would have vastly improved it?

[bcla]

There were scenes from Star Wars that were cut, but where people familiar with George Lucas's backstory would understand was important to understanding the emotions. Like Luke's best friend Biggs. The NPR broadcast Star Wars radio drama went well into this. They show him in the original movie, but only where he's already in Red Squadron without any explanation. Lucas's special editions restored a scene where they're reunited and Biggs vouches for Luke's talent as a pilot. There's also a rough cut of several scenes where Biggs comes back to Tattoine and tells Luke that he intends on joining the rebellion.

There have also been those director's cuts - especially Zach Snyder's Justice League. It was a completely different movie, especially after certain scenes were put back in and finished, like where Barry Allen rescues Iris West from a car crash. But they sunk more money into making that cut than many movies' total budgets.

I mentioned earlier that I just got a copy of Cameron Crowe's movie Aloha, which many critics considered a royal mess. I saw it for free and liked it, but then I realized that a lot of the story didn't make much sense or didn't get explored. I can see how they completely cut out an entire completed 19 minute beginning sequence. They rejiggered a scene that has the protagonist flying into Afghanistan in a military transport. In the final cut this was reduced to a short segment where he's flying into Hawaii. But in the original one airman (who shows him a photo of his newborn daughter) refers to the week between Christmas and New Years Day as "the season of chill" which then becomes something he says later on in the movie. And they completely cut out scenes with Jay Baruchel as the brother of the protagonist. One scene was used in the final cut as a flashback, but with very little exposition of what it meant other than some mysterious deal that went bad. I think it would have been much better and not savaged as much if that original intro was left in.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I once saw a YouTube video of an alternate ending to "How I Met Your Mother". It was MUCH better than what ended up being aired. An alternate ending to Seinfeld would have been nice too - but I don't know if there is any way to save that series finale.

 

[BrianL]

I love the movie Avatar and for me the extended cut is the best version. That one was released in theaters and added a couple of scenes that just add that little something extra, like seeing the bullet holes in the former school. The Blu-ray release had the theatrical version, this extended version, then an extra extended version all available, however I find the extra extended version not to be as good as it adds some extraneous scenes and messes with the pacing in the latter half. To me, that was too much. It does explain the whole school thing, but I actually prefer the version that only hints at it, leaving the audience to know that something bad happened but not clearly defining it.

 

[BayouQueen]

The one that sticks out in my mind is Ingmar Bergman's Fannie and Alexander.
Film snob friends of mine looked at me like I was a dope when I said it didn't really make sense. Then years later I found out that what we'd watched was a highly edited theatrical version. When I watched the whole thing, that was intended to be a TV mini-series, it all came together in a beautiful way.

 

[gshanny]

We Were Soldiers had a scene cut and it so deserved to be in the movie.
Some of the guys were discussing a new Sergeant Major, Plumley. One guy starts telling them about this guy that was all battle scarred and his new leader told them to show up with all their medals. He shows up without the medals. His leader yells at him to go get them and not show up until he had them on. Soon you see a pair of boots walk past the camera, and then a nekkid behind. The leader turns around and sees the 2 medals of honors, which is all the guy is wearing.
The guys discussing the new Sergeant Major assume this is their new Sergeant Major Plumley. The guys says no, that was Sergeant McDoon, but that he is scared of Plumley.
The scene then goes to the scene in the movie where the new Sergeant Major played by Sam Elliott, is walking down the sidewalk and someone says good morning, and he replies, quite gruffly, with 'how do you know what kind of *expletive* day it is'.
I felt like it added to the gruff character that was Plumley.
Secondhand Lions had an alternate ending I liked better with the sheik showing up at the funeral and shaking his fist from his wheelchair. I liked the one too where you find out one brother has been sending in requests for salesmen to come visit them. If you remember, his brother liked shooting at them when they showed up.

 

[barkley]

in my case it was a scene that was added after the fact that should not have been-


'victor victoria'-there is a scene where james garner is hiding in the bathroom closet and discovers that 'victor' is indeed a woman. it was not in the original script. the movie studio felt that people would be offended by james garner becoming physically involved with 'victor' unless he already knew for a fact that 'victor' was a woman. i feel it would have given much greater depth to james garner's role to not have known yet gone with his heart.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

My favorite is when they make a trailer, then cut that part when the movie comes out

I love uncut dvd releases

 

[lilmc]

I saw cut scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and so many odd comments that were in the films made sense. They should not have been cut imo

 

[Kennywood]

"The Abyss" is a really good movie with a pretty good ending. However, there is a deleted scene that VASTLY improves the movie. The scene shows just how close mankind came to being completely wiped out. Monstrous sized tidal waves approach the shores of every country....only to pause right before they crash inland. What happens toward the end of the movie explains the pause and why the tidal waves are removed.

I wish DVDs had an option to include deleted scenes in the movie itself.

 

[BrianL]

"The Abyss" is a really good movie with a pretty good ending. However, there is a deleted scene that VASTLY improves the movie. The scene shows just how close mankind came to being completely wiped out. Monstrous sized tidal waves approach the shores of every country....only to pause right before they crash inland. What happens toward the end of the movie explains the pause and why the tidal waves are removed.

I wish DVDs had an option to include deleted scenes in the movie itself.

Yes, that's a major one. The Director's Cut is so much better. The DVD I have of it has both versions using seamless branching. I always watch the director's cut!

 

[princesscinderella]

The original ending of little shop of horrors where the plants take over the world.

 

[Mysterian]

I remember seeing photos of the Biggs scene in a Star Wars storybook I had as a kid. It was a bit confusing not seeing it in the final film.

Terminator 2 and The Lord of the Rings had extra scenes that were interesting, but I can understand the need to trim them down for theaters.

ALIEN had a major cut scene with Ripley finding Brett's body having nearly turned into an egg, while Dallas was cocooned to a wall. It was some freaky body horror and offered some insight into the weird life cycle of the alien, but understandably cut for pacing. This was near the end when Ripley is racing to self-destruct the ship and escape. This was added back in to the directors' cut along with some other cut scenes.

On that note, the Assembly Cut of Alien 3 is a much better film than the theatrical version.

 

[bcla]

I remember seeing photos of the Biggs scene in a Star Wars storybook I had as a kid. It was a bit confusing not seeing it in the final film.

The Star Wars radio drama went into that far more than even just the cut scenes. That had Biggs meeting up with Luke and training him in a simulator, and not just reuniting in the hangar just before the assault on the Death Star. That was based off of George Lucas's original plot. Lucas had a lot of ideas that didn't fit into 2 hours.

 

[BrianL]

On that note, the Assembly Cut of Alien 3 is a much better film than the theatrical version.

It is, but it's still not exactly "good." It's like Ben Afleck's Daredevil. The theatrical cut is a bad movie that makes no sense, but the directors cut is a bad movie that does at least make sense.

Yeah, these days Ridley Scott and James Cameron can make a movie as long as they want to, but back then studios would hammer them on runtime and force cuts.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I can't believe this hasn't been said yet, but Han shot first.

 

[BrianL]

I can't believe this hasn't been said yet, but Han shot first.

Well, in my opinion, the Star Wars Special Editions did nothing but improve the films. I appreciate all of the revisions!

 

[Kennywood]

I can't believe this hasn't been said yet, but Han shot first.

 

[neverlandsky]

1408, Mike dies and reunites with his ghost daughter which is in The Director's Cut.

 

[DisLiss]

I can't think of any specific example right now, but there have been times when I watched cut scenes and thought that they would have been helpful in explaining things or in book to movie situations I might think that I wish they had included that bit, even if I thought the movie was pretty good either way.

 

[Mysterian]

It is, but it's still not exactly "good."

Disagreed, and even the theatrical version of Alien 3 is more watchable than Afleck's Daredevil.