Are Ridley Scott’s Extended Cuts Worth It?

Oh, fiddley Ridley, you’ve gone and done it again… Almost exactly one year after its initial theatrical run, October 3rd will see a second home release for The Martian, Ridley Scott’s critically and commercially successful survival drama. As per usual given Ridley’s history of tampering with his films, this edition will bear an additional 10 minutes of footage pushing an already arse-numbing runtime over the 2 ½-hour mark.

In anticipation of The Martian’s upcoming re-release we’ll take a moment to recap Ridley’s previous alternative cuts, consider whether or not they were worth the effort, and determine whether or not we really need another 10 more minutes of pretty Martian vistas.

Alien

Alien. Courtesy of: 20th Century Fox.

Thus far, The Duellists, Ridley’s first feature, has been spared a subsequent reworking which means that, if one is to approach Ridley’s cuts in chronological order of their initial production, then Alien is Ridley’s first film to have subsequently received an alternative cut. In 2003 Alien went under the knife. While it was already regarded a classic at that time (as it still is), such critical adoration didn’t deter Ridley from having a tinker; he removed about 5 minutes of material while adding around 4 minutes of new stuff including, most famously, the scene in which Ripley discovers Dallas and Brett cocooned in the Nostromo. The director’s cut does not do harm to the original film in any way, which remains a sci-fi/horror masterpiece.

Theatrical cut: 5/5

Director’s cut: 5/5

Blade Runner

The big one. Blade Runner is perhaps the staple against which all other director’s cuts can be measured. From the 1982 theatrical cut which left audiences less than enthralled, to the radically improved director’s cut, to the arguably definitive final cut, Blade Runner can lay claim to Bowie-like levels of continual reinvention. (Even now, there must be some who question whether final can ever really mean final in regards to Ridley and Blade Runner.) On its first outing Blade Runner was little more than a functional if unexceptional sci-fi film; sadly, the voiceover and happy ending of the original 1982 domestic cut sacrificed nearly all of the film’s enigmatic delights. These two matters are remedied by integrating a more ambiguous ending in the 1992 version and by completely reinstating the unicorn dream sequence in the final cut. From meh to a masterpiece.

1982 domestic cut: 3/5

1992 director’s cut: 5/5

2007 final cut: 5/5

Legend

While less adored then either of the previous two films discussed here, Ridley’s 1985 high fantasy Legend has recently acquired a cult following due, in part, to the emergence of his improved director’s cut. That’s not to say that the film is improved to the point of greatness; the director’s cut, which adds a sizable 24 extra minutes, dramatically improves the pacing, incorporates a superior original score courtesy of Jerry Goldsmith, and offers a more satisfying alternate ending. Better, but not great, Legend is a fine example of what can in fact be achieved by polishing a turd. (Supposedly, there is a four-hour cut of Exodus: Gods and Kings out there somewhere so who knows, perhaps Ridley will accomplish that feat twice.)

Theatrical cut: 2/5

Director’s cut: 3/5

Gladiator

Gladiator. Courtesy of: Columbia.

One of two things must have happened with Ridley’s late ’80s and ’90s output. Either, all of the films he made during that time were so great that they needed no work done on them,  or else no one cared enough in the first place to make it worth his while revisiting them. While the former statement is absolutely true for Thelma & Louise – one of Ridley’s finest – it is likely the case that the latter is more applicable to pretty much everything else he produced during that period. The next film to receive an alternative cut was Ridley’s Best Picture-winning swords and sandals epic Gladiator. Gladiator is a curious film to revisit today; while still impassioned and at times epic, it hasn’t aged brilliantly. It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which it would win such coveted awards were it to be released today. If anything, the extended cut harms the film; it stretches the already daunting running time and in doing so damages the pacing.

Theatrical cut: 4/5

Extended cut: 3/5

Kingdom of Heaven

While the development of Kingdom of Heaven doesn’t quite offer the Cinderella story that Blade Runner reimagining does – one could predict that few would call even the director’s cut of Ridley’s second swords-and-sandals epic a masterpiece – it does, however, boast a tremendous improvement. While not an awful film per se, the theatrical cut of Kingdom of Heaven was met with critical indifference; the re-edited director’s cut, however, which restored 45 minutes of footage, is a completely different story. The characters are more carefully sketched and the narrative infinitely more complex and engaging; in fact, this writer would go as far as to argue that the director’s cut of Kingdom is a better film than the original, Best Picture-winning cut of Gladiator. Had this version been released initially, one wonders if it might have been an Oscar contender like its predecessor. Beside Blade Runner, it stands as another benchmark for what can be achieved by a new cut.

Theatrical cut: 3/5

Director’s cut: 4/5

American Gangster

American Gangster. Courtesy of: Universal Pictures

Otherwise known as the one where Ridley does Scarface. Like Scarface, American Gangster has a broad, devoted fan base. Also like Scarface, it is a good example of a fine but otherwise unexceptional slice of crime drama. That the original theatrical cut already ran for a rather tiresome 155 minutes is one thing; to add another 20 minutes to that comes across as just shy of sadistic. Pacing aside, the extended cut does work towards more clearly establishing Frank’s motivations (played by the always-great Denzel Washington); however, the new cut also offers an alternative ending that does not sit quite as well as the original which was, surprisingly, more ambiguous. An example of a new cut that improves in some areas while letting it down in others.

Theatrical cut: 3/5

Extended cut: 3/5

Robin Hood

Ridley’s now largely forgotten update of the Robin Hood legend was not very well received at the time of its release. The grittier vision brought to mind Antoine Fuqua’s similarly forgettable King Arthur. Even the acting pedigree of Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett as Robin and Marion couldn’t bring life to a plodding retelling of an age-old tale. As you may imagine the director’s cut adds more grit to the proceedings – raising the UK rating from a 12A to a 15 in the process – while offering a little more embellishment to some key characters and important narrative moments. An improvement, no doubt, but not one that makes it much less forgettable.

Theatrical cut: 2/5

Director’s cut: 3/5

The Counsellor

Courtesy of: Twentieth Century Fox

The Counsellor is an oddity in Ridley’s filmography. Not only was it adapted from an original screenplay by Cormac McCarthy, one of the United States’ best living writers, it also boasted one of the starriest casts of Ridley’s career, including Michael Fassbender (back with Ridley after Prometheus), Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, and Brad Pitt. Needless to say, the critics didn’t quite know what to make of Ridley and Cormac’s enigmatic crime noir at the time of its release and often cited the film’s aversion to classical narrative conventions as a primary point of contention. There are those who have come to the film’s defence and this reviewer certainly belongs in that camp; The Counsellor was, and remains, an inscrutable but highly delectable (and almost Lynchian) treat. Those expecting the extended cut, which adds around 20 minutes of additional footage, to make sense of the film will be disappointed; for the most part, the additions simply extend Cormac’s delicious dialogue sequences. If the film won you over in the first place, you’ll be satisfied with the extended cut also; if not, it is unlikely to convert you.

Theatrical cut: 4/5

Extended cut: 4/5

The Martian

After all the awards commotion, it’s fair at this point to call The Martian what it was: a fun space romp boasting a great lead performance from Matt Damon. It’s not up there with the best of sci-fi, nor is it even the best recent space survival film (Gravity still has that honour), but it does exactly what it says on the tin.

It’s clear that Ridley’s alternative cuts veer from superfluous (Alien and Gladiator) to downright revelatory (Blade Runner and Kingdom of Heaven) so it certainly is intriguing to find out what he has left in store for The Martian. Here’s hoping it isn’t just 10 more minutes of Damon dropping F-bombs; any readers of the book might suspect a few were cut for the theatrical release. We will see…

Theatrical cut: 4/5

Extended cut: watch this space (get it?)