When is the movie finished?...


Am I only one tired of the movie on the DVD not being the same as the one in the theater? Sometimes it seems like the director is planning more for the DVD release the the theatrical release. Which version is the definitive one?


I'm not really talking about unrated vs. rated versions (I like seeing a few scenes that couldn't make it past the ratings board), I'm talking about new versions of the movie. Lord of the Rings is an obvious one. The Star Wars Special Editions seem to have overtaken the originals, and there is word there will be more changes to accomdate the prequels. I hate the idea of this. In fact if the original versions of the Star Wars trilogy are not available I will not buy them when the DVDs are finally released.


I believe there has to be an ending point. If everything is not what the director, producer or whoever wanted, then that's just the way it is. I'm tired of trying to figure what the definitive version of a movie is. I'm not even sure what versions of Close Encounter of the Third Kind I have seen. There are two theatrical versions and the recent DVD release (I haven't seen it) is a hybrid version of those.


I want to see the version I remember seeing in the theater of most movies, and if I never saw it in the theater I want to know what I missed, not see some new and improved version.