Without a doubt, there have been some amazing director’s cuts released over the past few decades, often for home releases (or sometimes theatrical re-releases).Blade RunnerandKingdom of Heavenare some of the best examples, both directed byRidley Scott, while director’s cuts for movies likeCaligula,Once Upon a Time in America(not the butchered original theatrical release), andSuperman IIwere all generally seen as improvements.
The following director’s cuts, however, are considered among the worst, usually because they took good movies and made them worse (not always making them unwatchable, though). A couple of examples below, however, were pretty bad in their original cuts and then still pretty bad when they got director’s cuts. Also, the titles below do not include extended versions that the director specified weren’t director’s cuts, likeGladiator’s extended cut or the 20th anniversary version ofE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
10’Midsommar' (2019)
Directed by Ari Aster
Givenhow unpleasant and in-your-face it is,Midsommar’s theatrical cut might not be for everyone, but it’s probably for most horror fans. Like, anyone who doesn’t mind their horror getting grim, gory, and uncompromising will probably find a good deal to appreciate, to the point where it’s hopefully not a hot take to suggest that the theatrical cut is at least a good modern horror movie.
The director’s cut, though,feels a bit more like an extended cut, adding 24 minutes to an already pretty lengthy 147-minute runtime. Despite technically adding more scenes, this version ofMidsommarhas a little less nuance and ambiguity regarding some of its key characters, the pacing suffers a bit (this is going to be a recurring criticism for many of the titles here), and elaborating on the cult a little more – reducing a degree of mystery – arguably reduces some of the horror.
9’Amadeus' (1984)
Directed by Miloš Forman
Calling the director’s cut ofAmadeusbad is admittedly a little extreme. If it’s the only version you’re able to find, it’s still very much worth watching,especially since the theatrical cut is already quite long, and the director’s cut isn’t too much longer (roughly 160 minutes versus three hours). As such, pacing doesn’t take as much of a hit here, but it’s still a cut thattakes a pretty much perfect filmand turns it into a “merely” great one.
And there’s something to be said about defacing perfection, and the lack of availability of the theatrical version ofAmadeusfor a while was frustrating.For most of the 21st century, in fact, it was the only one that was widely available, which is all well and good if you’re familiar with the original version and want to see a longer cut, but a bit rough if you wanted to see the actual version that won all those Oscars back in the mid-1980s.
8’The Blues Brothers' (1980)
Directed by John Landis
Again,The Blues Brothersis a classic. It feels pretty long for a comedy in its original cut, running for over two hours, but it packs a lot into that runtime. It goes big, broad, and cartoonish, and hasa ton of action and musical numbersalongside tons of comedy. It’s all perfectly measured cinematic chaos, drawing things out just enough at every turn, while always barreling forward and staying highly entertaining.
What felt just right in The Blues Brothers now sometimes feels a tiny bit off. As with most director’s cuts, you still get everything that worked about the original here, but the film’s impact is ever so slightly lessened.
While the longer cut ofThe Blues Brothersonly adds about 15 minutes of footage, it makes a big difference. What felt just right now sometimes feels a tiny bit off.As with most director’s cuts, you still get everything that worked about the original here, but the film’s impact is ever so slightly lessened. Itpulls a reverse “Hey Jude,”taking a better song and making it sadder.
The Blues Brothers
7’The Exorcist' (1973)
Directed by William Friedkin
WhenWilliam Friedkinwas on fire,he really was an incredible filmmaker. His body of work isn’t consistent, but he was behind a handful of undeniable masterpieces, with none being more masterful thanThe Exorcist. This is the demonic possession movie to which all others are compared, but it’s got a director’s cut that does remove a bit of the magic.
Runtime-wise, the difference between the two cuts isn’t too great, with an increase of approximately 10 minutes. Still, it makes some difference when it comes to pacing, and there are a few scenes that are made slightly less scarythanks to some added effects. Thenew effects admittedly aren’t as distracting as the added effects in another 1970s director’s cut that’ll be mentioned in a bit, but it’s worth pointing out that they probably hinderThe Exorcista little more than they help it.
The Exorcist
6’Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood' (2024)
Directed by Zack Snyder
As mentioned/threatened before,there are some director’s cuts that try to spin something not great into something a little better, and fall short. Like, maybe the extended cut that was more in line with what the filmmaker wanted is slightly more watchable, but if that director’s cut is still fairly bad, instead of really bad, then can it truly be called a good director’s cut? “Better” or “improved” is not always tied to “good” or “great.”
Enter the firstRebel Moonmovie, which got released in 2023 in a confusing shorter cut that was always going to be inferior and watered down, which then got a director’s cut in 2024, the title going fromRebel Moon – Part One: A Child of FiretoRebel Moon - Chapter One: Chalice of Blood. It felt like a desperate attempt to recapture the magic ofZack Snyder’s Justice League, which took a bad movie (Justice League) and made it noticeably better. The attempt did not work.
Rebel Moon - Chapter One: Chalice of Blood
5’Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness' (2024)
So, of course, ifRebel Moon - Chapter One: Chalice of Bloodis going to get dumped on, you kind of have to dump on the secondRebel Moonmovie, which was released originally in April 2024 asRebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver. Then, just a few months later, the director’s cut came out, with it being renamed toRebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness.
With both these newcuts ofRebel Moon Part OneandTwo, things were R-rated, longer, and perhaps a little more exciting, but not really enough to give this dead-in-the-water space opera enough life. There wasn’t enough enthusiasm behind the longer cuts, either. TheJustice Leaguedirector’s cuthad sufficient anticipation and eventual hype behind it, and seemed to come about more organically. The attempt to recreate it, but rushed and cynically planned from the start, didn’t work here. And now, at leastaccording to information at the time of writing, theRebel Moonseries seems dead. Whoops.
Rebel Moon - Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness
4’Léon: The Professional' (1994)
Directed by Luc Besson
Léon: The Professional’s director’s cut is maybe a little murky, in terms of being either that or an extended cut. It sometimes gets described as an extended version, but directorLuc Bessonhas also said that the longer version is the one heoriginally wanted to release in the U.S.before he was made to make edits, so… you know… maybe a director’s cut?
Look, there are some slightly uncomfortable scenes in the longer version, to put it mildly. The relationship between the two main characters does have an extra layer added to it, and though trauma/youth might explain some of the behavior, it’s still a bit weird.It’s not a wrinkle that really helps the core story told here, andso this arthouse action movieis ultimately better in its shorter version(the one originally released theatrically in the U.S.).
Léon: The Professional
3’Star Wars' (1977)
Directed by George Lucas
Like withAmadeus, it’s generally been so much easier to findGeorge Lucas’s updated versions ofStar Wars(the original) than the theatrical version, and to say this displeases some fans of the series would be an understatement. You could argue some of the changes are for the better (as withThe Empire Strikes Back, which has thefewest changes and the least glaring ones), but it would be nice to have a choice.
Still, Lucas is pretty firm about the originals, especially the very first movie, which he directed. So, watchingA New Hopedoes usually have things likethat awkward scene with Jabba, and the ever-changing confrontation between Han and Greedo, to name some changes in just one stretch of the movie. There’s alsoReturn of the Jedi, worthy of a dishonorable mention for the “Jedi Rocks” scene and the way Darth Vader yells “Noooo!” rather needlessly during the big climax with the Emperor.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
2’The Warriors' (1979)
Directed by Walter Hill
In its original cut,The Warriorsis pretty much everything you could wanta cult classic action movie of its erato be. It has a very simple storyline that’s all about survival, and depicts a world filled with broad yet memorable characters, with the titular gang being blamed for the death of another gang’s leader, which puts them on the run now that all the other gangs have banded together to take them out.
Maybe in an attempt to make things a bit more stylish and vibrant, the director’s cut ofThe Warriorshas some new effects added to certain parts that prove distracting at best, and kind of mood-killing at worst. Theeffects try to makeThe Warriorsfeel like a comic book come to life, mainly through the use of flashy scene transitions, but the movie’s honestly better off without them.
The Warriors
1’Donnie Darko' (2001)
Directed by Richard Kelly
With the aforementioned director’s cut ofMidsommar, some mystery and ambiguity were stripped away in a manner that made things a little bit worse. WithDonnie Darkoand its director’s cut, on the other hand, far more mystery and ambiguity were stripped away, making things easier to follow, sure, but somehow also less interesting.The original cut felt like a puzzlethat was fun to think about and try to solve, and the director’s cut lost a lot of that.
Also, there were some changes to the music that weren’t for the best (andDonnie Darko’s soundtrack was not worth altering or changing up), and the added explanations confusingly came with a longer runtime.It would be one thing to streamline a cut of a movie, making it shorter and more direct, but adding 20 minutes while also making what was already there feel less intriguing? Nah. Stick to the shorter version here.
