20 director's cuts that are actually worth watching

James Cameron has the tendency to do too much. He's a master of spectacle, to be sure, but how many movies really justify the lengths of Avatar? We have the answer for you: Aliens. The director's cut tacks on 20 minutes to an already lengthy action flick, but who cares when the action is this visceral? 

Turns out Superman's greatest kryptonite is studio interference. The original director, Richard Donner, shot a Superman that the studio scrapped, but the footage was released decades later and fans adored it. It's a little too Zach Snyder-y to be a masterpiece, but it's still a fascinating piece of film history.

Studio heads can be idiots, like when they decide to neuter a classic like The Wild Bunch. Shaving 20 minutes off so they could have more showings in theaters, they cut off much of the character development that made these outlaws rootable. Now, the Western is restored to its regular, gloriously violent, and operatic form. 

A movie that sympathies with Nazis? Yikes! The idea of humanizing Nazis who are trapped in a sweaty, creaky and claustrophobic submarine is actually insane, so it makes sense that the studio would tinker with it. That being said, maybe don't tinker with something as airtight as a submarine. The movie is a torpedo of tension that connects with the viewer.

A movie with more crackpot ideas than a man on crack and more conspiracies than a Reddit rabbit hole, JFK is a presidential assassination flick that aims at stirring controversy. The director's cut only adds fuel to the fire.

We actually prefer the theatrical version, but there are several added one-liners that are legitimately hilarious. Some people were offended by the childish crudity. But this is more than just a house of adults acting like children. It's a house of learned doctors! It is one of the most quotable films ever made.

Both versions of this film are long--you're either watching for three hours or five, and honestly, both are incredible experiences. But for an extra dose of Ingmar Bergman, a tale of children growing up in the past and hauntingly poetic visuals, check out the director's cut.

The 2001 edit makes a crazy war movie even crazier thanks to more insane action sequences and a plantation scene that, while slow, is admirably hallucinatory. Francis Ford Coppola continues to tinker with his films like a child building Legos, assembling and demolishing his vision. But it's going to be hard to make a better version than Redux. 

This was 153 minutes on release, but then it became half that. The science-fiction classic about humans being cogs in a machine underwent its own sort of technological nightmare. The studio shredded it, then put it in a vault not to be discovered for decades. Now it stands as one of the greatest achievements in the genre.

The international version of this film is 23 minutes longer and includes a scene where Natalie Portman asks Leon to be her first lover. We could have done without that scene, but the other scenes flesh out their friendship in a non-sexual way. 

People were not very kind to Ridley Scott's epic on release, praising the battle scenes but demolishing the film for being underwritten. Rightfully so. The characters were no more than hunks of armor to be stabbed. Why is that? The studio cut off more than 45 minutes of backstory, which explains why the director's cut was praised for including depth. 

The version of Fellini's childhood film that arrived here was a little less provocative than the one released in Italy. In that version, there were a few sex scenes that didn't make the cut. But now you can watch this playful, colorful and masterful film in all its naked glory.

Luchino Visconti's film was already majestic on release thanks to lyrical visuals, extremely operatic storytelling and Alain Delon. But the extra 20 minutes made this film even more majestic. This tale of a family whose way of life is ending is simply spectacular.

These movies were already endlessly long. Anyone who could get through a film without taking a bathroom break deserved a medal. But Peter Jackson made his films even longer in the extended versions, adding more story, VFX and characters to an already textured atmosphere. 

The original four-hour version may never arrive, but the director's cut is already an astonishing vision. An incredible act of bravery from its director, this war flick is unlike any other ever made. It's a film with a comedic, rough, and artsy edge that the studio didn't understand, but that connects with the viewer on a surreal level.

The Naked Gun may be the funniest movie ever made. For more laughs? Checkout the version with deleted scenes. 

James Cameron returned to The Abyss years later, adding tidal wave shots when the technology finally became good enough. And the result? A tidal wave of impressive visual effects.

Ridley Scott's film was not acclaimed when it came out, but that's because the studio tacked on a cheerful ending, unnecessary voice over and different scenes. The director's cut is when Blade Runner became Blade Runner the unmitigated masterpiece.

Just watch the difference between the theatrical version and the director's cut. It's insane.

The 20th Anniversary addition is a nice update on a splendid film. The film remains a wonderful piece of art.