Geifer wrote:
I watched the first movie now. It's an hour or so longer but aside from maybe two longer sequences doesn't feel like it added extra stuff. Rather it's expansion on existing story elements and a few small detail changes.

The standout addition is the opening sequence. The original opening narration that tells us that the bad guys are Space Nazis is dropped in favor of a lengthy sequence that shows the bad guys do Space Nazi things. I much prefer this version as it gives you time to take things in instead of just dumping the information on you to get on with the action.

This is a theme throughout the director's cut, really. Even though it's markedly longer, the time is used to expand scenes, add character interaction and world building, and generally improve the flow of the story that is pretty much unchanged from the butchered kiddie version but comes across far more coherently because of the changes and additions.

As an example of small changes that I like just because they give context, the priest dudes that pretty much just existed as WTF set dressing in the butchered cut don't have that much extra screen time, but we actually get to see them go around doing priesty stuff. They're now telling us something about the world. There are a few little things like that in the director's cut which flesh out the characters and setting.

Storytelling is similarly improved. For instance Kora's ship that was previously only introduced in the second movie is now set up in the first one, with the side benefit of showing that the villagers have their own parts to play and don't just get to do anything when the sevenish samurai are around. It makes the world richer and sets things up for later, which isn't something the butchered version did very well.

Basically the directors cut has coherent storytelling while the other version just strings scenes together with no regard for how they fit together as a whole. Granted, there's a little bit of exaggeration for effect in that observation, but while I had trouble with the original cut, I actually quite enjoyed the extended version. There's no question that it's the better cut, but I think it genuinely elevates the movie to another level.

So here we are. I now like Rebel Moon. Sue me.

Oh, and also, since the extra hour only adds random slow motion sequences very sparingly, which isn't very Snyderific of Snyder by the way, there is a relative decrease in random slow motion sequences in the movie, which is also an improvement.