ROTTEN TOMATOES: RT on DVD: Watchmen Director's Cut, Coraline, Animated GI Joe Comments

RT on DVD: Watchmen Director's Cut, Coraline, Animated GI Joe

by Jen Yamato | July 20, 2009

Summary

As the entire combined forces of North American geek culture descend on San Diego's Comic-Con this week, fear not; geekiness galore is to be found in this week's new releases! First up, pick up the eagerly anticipated extended version of a superhero fan favorite (Watchmen: Director's Cut), and watch as Henry Selick brings a Neil Gaiman fairytale to life -- in three dimensions (Coraline)! Sci-fi nerds should like the recut, feature-length pilot of a long-running series (Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods), while French New Wave enthusiasts have a Jean-Luc Godard double feature, courtesy of Criterion (Made in USA, Two or Three Things I Know About Her). Finally, hearken back to the '80s with a hearty, "Yo, Joe!" (GI Joe: Season 1.1). Back to Article

(1-55 of 55 posts) | Reply

Joben writes:
on Jul 20 2009 05:48 PM

I will definitely be picking up both Watchmen and Coraline.:)

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tomwaitsjr writes:
on Jul 20 2009 05:55 PM

Does anyone know how to see Coraline in 3-D if they have Netflix? Like, is there a place to buy the 3-D glasses, where do they offer it in 3-D to rent? etc.

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ARTaylor writes:
on Jul 20 2009 06:00 PM

I know people swear by Watchmen calling it the greatest thing ever written. My opinion of the film was about the same as the graphic novel, honestly I wasn't all that impressed. I may rent it but probably won't buy it. It was entertaining but not fantastically wonderful. It had it's moments but if I hadn't read the book I would have enjoyed it far less. It didn't seem to work as a stand-alone film. Seemed more tailored towards existing fans who would see it anyways rather than trying to draw in new fans.

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John D. writes:
on Jul 20 2009 06:03 PM

Question for you guy, buy Watchmen now or wait 6 months for the ultimate Watchmen box set?

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Jul 20 2009 06:20 PM

I'm picking up the blu-rays for Watchmen and Coraline, so excited for the Director's Cut!

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tomwaitsjr writes:
on Jul 20 2009 06:27 PM

So far every review i've read ranks Watchmen Director's Cut as superior to the theatrical version.

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Mr. Bo Ziffer writes:
on Jul 20 2009 06:36 PM

Definitely picking up Watchmen, no matter how many bottles I need to return or how many hookers I need to turn down to get that cash. It's too bad I'm too poor and lazy to pick up a Blu-Ray player, otherwise I'd be rockin' it with my 13-inch Samsung TV. ;-)

Coraline looks pretty awesome, too. As a kid, I wasn't really into A Nightmare Before Christmas, but I've really been digging it lately. Glad to see that Henry Selick returned to form after (shudder) Monkeybone.

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R writes:
on Jul 20 2009 06:37 PM

Surely RT should add a separate listing for the Director's cut as it as done with other non-theatrical versions?

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Chris B. writes:
on Jul 20 2009 06:38 PM

can't wait to get Watchmen. I heard the DC was way better than the theatrical cut. wish I could've watched the DC in theaters.

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JohnnyJonJon writes:
on Jul 20 2009 07:07 PM

I'm also getting Watchmen Director's Cut. It's a shame it wasn't released as is in theaters. Studios always assume they know what will attract fans and almost always get it wrong.

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Paints Hz Shirt Red writes:
on Jul 20 2009 07:22 PM

In reply to this comment (#2529060)
@ tomwaits, i know blockbuster sells 3d glasses. they did with my bloody valentine.

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Glenn W. writes:
on Jul 20 2009 07:45 PM

i've got the Amazon exclusive Watchmen BluRay set with the Owlship replica on preorder. i figured if they're gonna put out an Ultimate Edition at the end of the year, i might as well get the most impressive-looking version of the Director's Cut to make buying it now worth it.

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Magic is Might writes:
on Jul 20 2009 07:57 PM

When is the director cut ever worse than the shown version?

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Jul 20 2009 08:03 PM

In reply to this comment (#2529086)
Donnie Darko perhaps?

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Mr. Bo Ziffer writes:
on Jul 20 2009 08:09 PM

In reply to this comment (#2529090)
And Max Payne, just because it made it longer. Ooh, and Daredevil, too. Did they think they could improve the movie if they left Coolio in it? COOLIO?!?!?!

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Bilent_slob writes:
on Jul 20 2009 08:32 PM

In reply to this comment (#2529086)
The directors cut of the exorcist, terminator 2 and the lord of the rings completely ruined the pacing IMO.

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Jul 20 2009 08:33 PM

In reply to this comment (#2529093)
Woah, I thought the director's cut of Daredevil was much better and actually enjoyable.

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knowingtoast85 writes:
on Jul 20 2009 08:45 PM

Second the director's cut of Darko -- Explaining the "mythology" of the movie ruins any semblance of mystery and mood that it had. In fact, if you watch the director's cut with commentary by Richard Kelly and Kevin Smith, you can hear Smith groan and make jokes about the lame mythology as Kelly explains it.

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Mr. Bo Ziffer writes:
on Jul 20 2009 08:46 PM

In reply to this comment (#2529096)
I preferred the Director's Cut of Donnie Darko, so I guess we're even.

I will admit that the subplot was interesting and tied the story together well in Daredevil, but that's just poor casting. I mean, you would think that the perfect person to play a violent gangsta with a wrap sheet would be . . . a violent gangsta with a wrap sheet. They would have been better off with Tom Cruise in a fat suit. No wonder he went on to be in Pterodactyl after that.

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UnseenBBQ writes:
on Jul 20 2009 09:11 PM

I'm extremely excited for this, rocketing off the walls as I type.

What I find strange, though, is that I'm more excited to watch this for the 3rd time as opposed to seeing Watchmen, which I still have not seen yet, despite me being a huge fan of the graphic novel. But I'll be sure to get that alongside Coraline. But the latter is the very first on my to-do list.

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ledawg1138 writes:
on Jul 20 2009 09:24 PM

"Watchmen", I missed it in theaters, and now I'll see it. First, the theatrical, then the directors cut. That's just how I roll.

"Coraline" looks awesome, and...that's it. But that's enough.

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Hudson M. writes:
on Jul 20 2009 09:33 PM

Just saw Watchmen DC, and have to say it gains very little with the 25 minutes, in fact I think I prefer the leaner version. The only noteworthy sequence is the murder of Night Owl I and the subsequent rage by Night Owl II. So big deal. I was hoping the DC would flesh out the story some, bring you closer to the characters, but was just as empty with all the flash as the theatrical. I did like the movie ok, just definitely found the whole experience disappointing and quite dull.

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dystopiandweller writes:
on Jul 20 2009 09:58 PM

The director's cuts of Aliens, Donnie Darko (arguable), Exorcist and Terminator 2 were inferior.

Anyway, I would be interested to know how the tomatometer would be for the Watchmen DC compared to the theatrical version. Too bad that won't happen unless the DC gets some sort of theatrical release.

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man in the water writes:
on Jul 20 2009 10:13 PM

Watchmen Director's Cut is AMAZING!!! I saw it in the theatrical release Saturday, and was just blown away, the new scenes were amazing!! The Hollis Mason storyline shouldn't have been left out in the first place! Its great stuff, as were all the new scenes. Coraline is great too, I'll get that later though as I must get Watchmen first, but both films are fantastic and worth buying!

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Rare Addict writes:
on Jul 20 2009 10:32 PM

Sounds good. I'll be picking up both Coraline and Watchmen (though especially Coraline) tomorrow!

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GST writes:
on Jul 20 2009 10:45 PM

In reply to this comment (#2529090)
I third the Donnie Darko Director's Cut, I mean, I think some of the scenes in the DC would have been very good additions to the theatrical cut, but the other scenes... definitely not. Also, I think the music placement in the theatrical cut is better than the music placement in the DC (they should have left the Killing Moon in the opening and put Never Tear Us Apart in a scene with Donnie and Gretchen, preferably near the end).

But I'm with everybody else about the WATCHMEN: Director's Cut! I hope it fixes up the scene on mars and the lead up to the blast (explaining the people in the blast, more about Rorschach's shrink), along with Hollis Mason, of course. More flashbacks would be good, too... cant wait to pick it up on Wednesday!

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GST writes:
on Jul 20 2009 10:58 PM

But anyway, I have no idea when I will pick up Coraline, even though I did love the movie (and the book even more-so).

That "Visioneers" movie actually sounds pretty interesting as well. Might have to rent it some time...

Thanks for another great RT On DVD article, Jen!

Oh... and as others have asked, is the Watchmen Director's Cut going to get an RT page of its own? Like Donnie Darko, Blade Runner, and other different cuts got?

OMFGEEZY! I just read the add on the front page of RT! I might actually have to watch the Watchmen director's cut [if it's] On Demand... At Midnight!

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Jul 21 2009 12:00 AM

Yeah I agree that the directors cut does have a good amount of problems but I can enjoy it as a good action movie- they extended them and they actually made sense. I didn't think Afleck was bad, he was decent. Farrel bothered me and I like Farrel, Michael Clark Duncan was good though. I still wish Mark Steven Johnson could make another cut to make it a lot better- take out the bad music choices, the jungle gym fight scene, and cut a lot of Farrell's facial expressions.

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mssk8erboy writes:
on Jul 21 2009 12:35 AM

Does any one know if it will be the real-d 3-d that comes with Coraline or the crappy red/blue glasses? My friend said My Bloody Valentine was Real-D in theaters but red/blue on bluray, so I'm hoping this isn't the case.

-MIKE

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I Know Everything writes:
on Jul 21 2009 12:53 AM

In reply to this comment (#2529067)
I saw a screening of Watchmen the DIrector's Cut at the Mann's Chinese 6 and it is better. The major problems unfortunately (everyone has super powers and aren't regular people, Malin Ackerman and the Silk Spectre "interpretation", Ozymandias' casting and interpretation, Doc Manahattan saying the thing about human nature at the end that wasn't in the book which skews the message of the book IMO, "Hallelujah" and "99 Luft Balloons" on the soundtrack, awful Nixon make-up, etc.) were still there though.

Hollis's death scene is a beautiful stand alone passage. I'll buy it, but the whole endeavor had a "Star Wars prequel" air of futility about it for me, as I'm a big fan of the book.

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runmong writes:
on Jul 21 2009 02:01 AM

In reply to this comment (#2529141)
All 3D on bluray at this point is the crappy red/blue glasses, which don't work and are the reason people think 3D is just a gimmick. In fact, Dreamworks announced they won't be releasing Monsters vs Aliens in 3D on bluray because it's such a bad misrepresentation of the technology.

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JUDGE DREDD writes:
on Jul 21 2009 04:08 AM

I saw watchmen for the first time last night, and it was the DC. Great film but daaaaaammmn! IT WAS LONG!!!! Never read the novel, and missed it in theatres. But I will buy the blu ray.

Its greatness almost seemed diluted by its scale. I think it may have been better tailored into 6 30min episodes.

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Big Freeze writes:
on Jul 21 2009 05:12 AM

Watchmen could have been great if:

- They used a different director. Zach Snyder's style is too slick and too much slow mo.

- They broke Watchmen into two movies. That way they could have included back stories and the Black Freighter into the mix. I missed the book stand guy and the kid reading the comic.

- They used a better soundtrack. It's terrible, no doubt.

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furyinternal writes:
on Jul 21 2009 05:28 AM

Coraline! Finally... Too bad home 3D is such garbage. Oh well, it will look superb on blu-ray regardless.

I will probably pick up Watchmen as well, although I was less than impressed with the movie when I watched it in IMAX. Maybe now that my expectations are lower, I will enjoy it more.

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rachel_renegade writes:
on Jul 21 2009 06:25 AM

So, i saw the Watchmen directors cut this past weekend in Hollywood and its incredible, which makes my decision to wait two days and buy it at Comic-Con even harder. The deleted scenes add more humor and emotion, and bring the movie closer to the book. The Hollis Mason scene is incredible. Its just like in the book.

Also, I WANT CORALINE.

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Yjeizz writes:
on Jul 21 2009 06:31 AM

I might have to pick up Pushing Daisies. Watchmen is tempting, but I think I'm gonna wait until December. It upsets me that great shows are never really given a chance. The viewing numbers for the first season of Pushing Daisies were huge, then somehow it fell during the second season. No one can appreciate good television anymore with great character development. There were a lot of shows that had huge potential and were never given a chance. ie: Pushing Daisies, Arrested Development, Reaper, Jericho, Firefly.

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Kimmycat24 writes:
on Jul 21 2009 07:08 AM

I placed Watchmen on my Blockbuster Online rental list and I ordered Coraline from Amazon.com. I missed Coraline in the theater and I am looking forward to it. I am huge Neil Gaiman fan.

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ledawg1138 writes:
on Jul 21 2009 09:58 AM

In reply to this comment (#2529139)
Still on "Daredevil"? Because Farrel was easily the best part of a otherwise mediocre superhero flick.

(Reply to this)

whitey_mcwhite writes:
on Jul 21 2009 10:38 AM

In reply to this comment (#2529181)
Yjeizz: I'm going to miss Reaper. CW sucks!! That's why they completely quit with comedy, because they have no idea what they're doing over there.

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Paints Hz Shirt Red writes:
on Jul 21 2009 12:22 PM

@ledawg. you didnt miss nothing by not seeing it in theaters anyway. if you do decide to get it, RENT IT. o and take a 12 or 13 hour nap before you do watch it. if you want to watch something a little more interesting than Watchmen, just rent Roots. or the Lonesome dove film.

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Sean M. writes:
on Jul 21 2009 12:30 PM

Has anyone seen the Director's Cut already, downloaded it on the sly or something? Or is this the first chance anyone will have to see it? Kinda dangerous, it could be a ruiner. Not that I'm trying to be pessimistic, but it would be nice if someone was able to say "yup, I checked it out and if is indeed awesome".

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Sean M. writes:
on Jul 21 2009 12:32 PM

Whoops, missed the page 2 comments. I guess it'll be okay as long as you get to select the theatrical regardless.

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Jerry R. writes:
on Jul 21 2009 12:40 PM

Bought both the "Watchmen" and "Coraline" on Blu-Ray, just finish watching "Coraline" very amazing effects in 3-d, will be watching the Directors Cut of "Watchmen" later tonight! Both movies are pretty awesome.

(Reply to this)

Sean M. writes:
on Jul 21 2009 12:49 PM

In reply to this comment (#2529168)
You know, I thought Zach Snyder was wrong at first too, but Kevin Smith was right - good on him for giving it his best shot. It was a no-win situation just like Lord of the Rings, someone is always gonna be upset about any interpretation, and at least Snyder said "look, I have a strong vision for how this should work", and did his best. And as for length, I agree that it would have worked as a miniseries (and I was disappointed when Terry Gilliam turned it down) but I'll take a good movie over a perfect miniseries, especially since Gilliam would have taken ten years to make it.

(Reply to this)

DanielthePhantasm XIX writes:
on Jul 21 2009 01:23 PM

Watchmen was pretty good but not as amazing as people think but it well worth seeing/renting

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Watchmen writes:
on Jul 21 2009 02:15 PM

I loved the graphic novel, and the movie. Can't wait to get the DC. Have you guys seen the Hollis Mason death scene? (I'm mostly asking the graphic novel readers) It was awesomely shot, too much slo mo though, Snyder has a great eye for visuals

(Reply to this)

sportzboy698 writes:
on Jul 21 2009 02:22 PM

Do realD glasses work with the 3D movies on Blu-ray?

(Reply to this)

Lanca R. writes:
on Jul 21 2009 03:52 PM

I hate Colin Farrell. That is all.

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Jen Yamato writes:
on Jul 21 2009 10:54 PM

Regarding RT making separate pages for Director's Cuts, re-releases, etc., it's something we've discussed before but we have no plans to do as of now. What do you all think? Does a Director's Cut warrant its own Tomatometer separate from a theatrical release? Whether or not that's worth it might depend on the title and how likely a second or third cut was to be reviewed by critics...

(Reply to this)

thejuggernautlives writes:
on Jul 21 2009 11:27 PM

In reply to this comment (#2529086)
My brother watched the Director's Cut of Payback, and said that it ruined the movie. I would have expected better from Brian Helgeland. Still, I'm expecting the Watchmen DC to improve on the theatrical.

I will definitely be getting Watchment DC, event though I may want to get the Ultimate Edition in December. I will probably also get The Great Buck Howard (it was pretty funny and I like Emily Blunt and John Malkovich), Pushing Daisies season 2, and maybe even the recut Stargate.

(Reply to this)

cinemascribe writes:
on Jul 22 2009 01:48 AM

Jen Yamato said: Regarding RT making separate pages for Director's Cuts, re-releases, etc., it's something we've discussed before but we have no plans to do as of now. What do you all think? Does a Director's Cut warrant its own Tomatometer separate from a theatrical release? Whether or not that's worth it might depend on the title and how likely a second or third cut was to be reviewed by critics..."

Good question, Jen. In deference to "Watchmen" I'd definitely say yes. As was the case with "Blade Runner", the DC of "Watchmen" has a different feel..the pacing is different (improved) and we get a better sense of the panic resulting from Dr.Manhattan's exit to Mars. Plus Hollis Mason's storyline plays out as it should have. Because the characters are a bit more fleshed out and the layers flow together with more fluidity in this version, the DC should have an opportunity to be judged as an individual film, not considered a mere extension of a pre-existing work.

(Reply to this)

dystopiandweller writes:
on Jul 23 2009 02:21 PM

I notice with some director's cuts separate RT pages were made, while with others they weren't, so I guess it really does depend on the movie and how many new reviews are collected the second time around. With Watchmen, you have an entire half hour of extra stuff, and from what I'm hearing, it does give the movie a completely different feel. Even the extended Exorcist has its own page, as well as Blade Runner, and those only added a few minutes. This Watchmen release is more akin to the Apocalypse Now Redux, which added a huge chunk of new stuff and altered the flow of the original. The Redux has its own page. But then it also had an extended theatrical release which enabled it to accrue lots of reviews.

(Reply to this)

Donna D. writes:
on Jul 23 2009 11:11 PM

LOVED Coraline and thought you fans might like to know that you can get original Coraline Nike Dunks, signed DVDs, posters etc. right now in a charity auction benefiting Starlight Children's Foundation. www.ebay.com/starlight. My charity :)

(Reply to this)

cedsnyder writes:
on Jul 26 2009 11:30 PM

In reply to this comment (#2529067)
Agree, and I am 72 years old ,had never read the book, but enjoyed the movie to the point that I bought the Director's Blu Ray Cut the first day out.....
Now, I've read the book and find the movie even better!!!I did see "The 200" and whatever this kid does in the future(Zack S,), I'll be the first one in line!!!! His visual sense is second to none........Ed S., Pittsfield,Mass.

(Reply to this)

cedsnyder writes:
on Jul 26 2009 11:31 PM

In reply to this comment (#2529067)
Agree, and I am 72 years old ,had never read the book, but enjoyed the movie to the point that I bought the Director's Blu Ray Cut the first day out.....
Now, I've read the book and find the movie even better!!!I did see "The 200" and whatever this kid does in the future(Zack S,), I'll be the first one in line!!!! His visual sense is second to none........Ed S., Pittsfield,Mass.

(Reply to this)

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