The average movie used to be around 90 minutes long.
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But is that necessarily a good thing?
Or are we paying through the nose to witness a filmmakers ineptitude at efficient storytelling?
Instead, they take the opportunity to reinstate entire scenes, side stories and plot elements.
Sometimes these true extended editions pay dividends, presenting the audience with a richer or more cohesive narrative.
Sometimes, though, these additions simply engorge the running time without enhancing the film.
The original theatrical cut ofAliensis a tightly coiled thing of nerve-shredding, tension-building beauty.
On the plus side: yay, sentry guns!
And it felt… wrong… invalidating much of the mystery and intrigue that follows.
Such an understated entrance for these iconic monsters was a masterstroke of subtle manipulation.
So thats another flight of fancy rendered obsolete.
She comes across as mildly irritating; my sympathies over her eventual predicament are tested.
TheLord Of The Ringsextended editions are almost a special case.
Neither enhanced nor debilitated by their extra scenes, theyre simply longer.
Would I be more partial to a re-watch if I owned the theatrical versions?
A film should be the length it needs to be.
Admittedly, the odd gem slips past, but rarely to the detriment of the entire picture.
That extended editions exist beggars belief the theatrical versions already felt too long.
But in an age of binge-watching and movie marathons maybe it doesnt matter.
Hell, its good value for money if anything, right?
But movies are different to TV, and those differences should be celebrated and safeguarded.
By and large, extended editions only reinforce this notion.
They tend to be indulgences rather than required viewing curiosities, rather than definitive versions.
Perhaps its because of their innate desire to always show rather than tell.
Or because they cant help but do both at the same time.
Often in slow motion.
Which brings us back to Zack Snyder andBatman V Superman.
While I personally wouldnt go that far, it was inarguably a more cohesive piece in its extended form.
But theories that Warner Bros. had butchered a critically acclaimed version of the film proved unfounded.
It was a bit better and a lot longer.
Im starting to think thats no longer a good enough return on our investment.
