When you speak to film fans, there’s always a discussion over the idea of the director’s cuts of films. Some will argue that the original version of the film is the one that should be respected. Others say that the director should always be able to go back and redo whatever they need to redo and release a new version that is more in line with their vision. Director Leigh Whannell feels very strongly about this issue and finds himself in the first camp.
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Speaking on the ReelBlend podcast, Whannell, who is promoting his latest film, “The Invisible Man,” ended up discussing the idea of director’s cuts and specifically the idea of The Snyder Cut (aka the original version of “Justice League” that Zack Snyder was working on before he was replaced by Joss Whedon late into production). And it appears that Whannell’s thought about these versions of films is simple—the original release is the definitive release. End of story.
“To me, I never wanna have another cut sitting somewhere that competes with the original cut,” the filmmaker said. “I guess what I’m saying is, whatever circumstances created that cut, whatever horrible circumstances are totally understandable. For me personally, I would always view it as a terrible thing that there was an unseen cut of the film.”
He continued, “Over the years, you’ll see this thing where it’s like, ‘James Cameron rereleases the director’s cut of “Aliens.”’ And then he’ll introduce it. When you watch it, he comes on the screen and he says, ‘This is the way I always intended people to watch “Aliens.”’ And my first thought is, ‘That’s nuts!’ Don’t have one definitive version of the movie. I hate this idea that we missed out on the version he wanted us to see.”
Pointing out “Aliens” is a bit of a double-edged sword for Whannell. The ‘Alien’ franchise is notorious for having director’s cuts (or at least, preferred cuts) for almost all of the films, specifically the first two. And most fans would agree that the new versions are better than the originals.
However, clearly there are times when director’s cuts do more to confuse fans than help them. For an example of this, just ask any “Blade Runner” fan which version of the film they prefer, and then sit back and endure the long explanation about the pros and cons of each cut. The same could be said about “Apocalypse Now.”
READ MORE: Jason Blum Would “Love” An ‘Upgrade’ Sequel But Director Leigh Whannell Isn’t Convinced
Long story short, Whannell seems to be on the side of filmmakers that believe an artist should release the version of the film they prefer the first time. But of course, the debate is probably a bit more nuanced than that.
“The Invisible Man” (the original, and thus, final cut) is in theaters this Friday.
