10Kill Bill Bill Fights Black Dynamite
One thing that kind of rankled about the Kill Bill movies is that we never truly saw Bill in action. We were told that he was the best of the best, a legendary swordsman and stone-cold killer with no equal—except for Beatrix Kiddo, of course. With a setup like that, everybody was expecting a showdown, or, at the very least, a display of his skills. But, over the course of two movies, Bill did very little except spout some Tarantino-esque dialogue and then die from what was pretty much a mystical kung fu tickle. But in this scene, which was cut from the completed movie, we do get to see Bill in action. And what makes it truly great is that we get to see him fight Michael Jai White, whom you might just recognize as the titular Black Dynamite from Black Dynamite. Although Michael Jai White’s accent is a bit grating—we assume that’s Tarantino’s nod to badly dubbed ’70s martial art flicks—the choreography is pretty spectacular here, light-years ahead of Carradine’s clunky moves in Kung Fu. This could have something to do with the fact that Jai White is an actual black belt and worked with Carradine to ensure their fight was up to scratch. However, due to the fact that Tarantino couldn’t find a way to fit the scene into the film, it ended up on the cutting room floor.
9Superman Returns We Actually Get To See Krypton
Superman Returns was a film that had everything going for it. Superhero movies were going through something of a renaissance, and Superman is probably the most popular superhero ever created. And with Bryan Singer (who turned down the third X-Men movie to direct it) at the helm, it looked a sure thing. But the film bombed. Part of the reason it was so heavily slated was that it was simply kind of boring. Which is why it’s such a mystery that this scene wasn’t included in the film. As an alternative intro, this scene has everything: There’s mystery, spectacle, and just pure epic factor. However, the most likely reason that it was not included in the theatrical cut is pacing. There’s also the fact that it doesn’t really gel tonally with the rest of the film. Amazing as this scene is, it can also be seen as a prime example of Hollywood wastefulness; it cost $10 million to make, only to end up as a DVD extra.
8In Bruges Young Harry
In In Bruges, Ralph Fiennes plays Harry, the foulmouthed English gangster. His performance is memorable and hilarious. However, in this deleted scene that demonstrates just how ruthless and fearless Harry can be when he feels a moral line has been crossed, Harry’s younger self is actually portrayed by ex-Doctor Matt Smith. You’re probably asking why that wasn’t included in the movie. According to Martin McDonagh, the scene just didn’t feel right. He believed that too many flashbacks would have been jarring and ultimately would have detracted from the main storyline. He also points out that we find out the backstory between Harry and Ken through dialogue, anyway. Still, it would have been nice if the scene had gone through postproduction. Clearly, the scene was abandoned before final editing and smoothing over, as the CGI beheading just doesn’t look right. However, you can’t help but look at this scene and think, “I want more!” Ultimately, In Bruges still works quite well without the scene, and this is the closest we’ll ever get to seeing Matt Smith as Harry.
7 Watchmen The Lonely Death Of Hollis Mason
This scene was cut from the original theatrical version of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen and didn’t see the light of day until it was later included on the DVD and Blu-ray director’s cut. And it truly is a shame. In the scene, Hollis Mason (the original Night Owl) is targeted by a group of Knot Tops, who mistake him for the current Night Owl who’s just busted Rorschach out of jail. They barge into his place, and a fight ensues. It’s not a particularly well-choreographed fight, nor is it a particularly special effects–laden one. Nevertheless, it’s still strangely beautiful, evoking shades of Scorsese’s Raging Bull. Plus, we get to see some more villain costumes from the Golden Age of Comics that were teased in the intro. True Alan Moore fans were probably mystified why this wasn’t in the theatrical cut of the film, as, thematically, it fit with the original source material. According to Zack Snyder, it was just down to the fact that the film was too long.
6The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers Saruman’s Death Scene
At the end of The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers, Saruman stood atop the tower of Isengard, watching as the Ents destroyed his Uruk-Hai and flooded his machines and breeding pits. And then . . . nothing, really. Saruman didn’t even make an appearance in The Return of the King. He was just never mentioned again, apart from a quick aside about him now being powerless. For fans of the book (and Christopher Lee in general), this was a bit of a bust. But in the extended edition, the Fellowship, accompanied by the king of Rohan, do confront Saruman. The way this scene pans out is more in line with the book. Wormtongue stabs Saruman in the back. Saruman falls off the tower and is impaled on a spike that drags him underwater. Peter Jackson actually ended up apologizing to fans for cutting this out of the theatrical release. Luckily, it’s now available for us to watch.
5Little Shop Of Horrors Audrey II Destroys The World
There’s a bit of a story behind this one. The original ending of Little Shop of Horrors pretty much just followed the events of the Broadway play that it was based upon. The problem was that the original ending is horrifying. Audrey II wins, its plants are sold all over America, and pretty soon 15-meter (50 ft) Audrey II rampages across New York City like HP Lovecraft’s Old Ones, knocking down skyscrapers and, presumably, killing thousands of people. The film ends with the army seemingly powerless as Audrey II cackles atop the Statue of Liberty. The implied ending is that Audrey II is the end of the human race as we know it. It’s dark. Really dark. But, by God, is it awesome? You bet. As you can probably guess, test audiences were horrified. Frank Oz was forced to re-shoot a much happier ending: Audrey II is destroyed and Seymour and Audrey I live happily ever after. You can see the original ending above.
4The Raid II Gang War
Before you click on the video, please be aware that it isn’t even remotely safe for work. Despite the fact that it doesn’t appear in the finished movie, this deleted scene, which depicts the bloody battles being fought on the frontlines of the gang war, is possibly the most action-packed (and goriest) scene in the whole movie. Director Gareth Evans explains on his production company’s Vimeo account that the scene was cut entirely for pacing reasons. In his own words, the scene “[takes] us away from the central theme for a little too long with characters that would only exist in this scene alone.” It’s hard not to agree with him, seeing as not one single character depicted in the scene has any importance to the overall plot of the movie. Still, it’s a great scene based on its own merits, and if you’re a fan of The Raid movies, then it’s a must-watch.
3King Kong (1933)The Spider Pit
The spider pit scene from the original 1933 King Kong was, at one point, considered lost forever. The scene was deleted from the movie five years after its first release. All that was left to hint at its existence were a few still images. Why was it deleted? Well, movie legend says that it was too scary for audiences, while the actual reason is that it was simply a matter of pacing. Whatever the reason, it can now be enjoyed once more thanks to Peter Jackson. While he was making his universally panned remake, Jackson meticulously recreated the scene using the pre-production sketches and still images that had survived. He then got his visual effects artists to use stop-motion to animate the monsters. The scene ended up being included on the restored King Kong DVD in 2008, 70 years after it had last been seen.
2The Fly The Monkey-Cat Scene
In this deleted scene from the 1986 movie The Fly, we get to see a little more of Seth Brundle’s experimentation. This time, he puts a baboon in one pod and a cat in the other, flips the switch, and sees what happens. According to The Fly‘s makeup artist Chris Walas, the scene was cut because it was just too hideous (even for The Fly) and would have ended up emotionally distancing the audience from Seth Brundle. Which makes sense, because, although the finished film contained plenty of gore and violence, watching a man we’re supposed to sympathize with create a doomed cat-monkey hybrid and then beat it to death is just a bit too much. Especially considering the fact that it’s immediately followed by a scene of Seth Brundle growing an extra arm and then eating it. Still, this is a must-watch for fans of the film, 1980s body horror, and David Cronenberg. Just don’t watch it while you’re eating.
1Die Hard: With A Vengeance Rocket Launcher Roulette
The ending of Die Hard: With a Vengeance had John McClane uttering a badass line while dispatching Simon by shooting out some power lines and causing his helicopter to crash. That’s a decent enough ending for an action flick (although not a patch on Alan Rickman’s slow-motion fall from the top of the Nakatomi Tower in the original). But Die Hard: With a Vengeance originally had a much more exciting, albeit incredibly darker, ending. Originally, Simon has escaped New York and is now living happily ever after somewhere in Europe. McClane, who has been fired and accused of complicity in Simon’s scheme, tracks Simon down and forces him to answer some riddles of his own. Also, there’s a Chinese rocket launcher involved. If Simon can’t answer the riddles . . . well, you get it. Apparently, the ending was re-shot because executives thought it made McClane seem just a bit “too cruel.” Aaron is a freelance writer from Edinburgh who has also written for Cracked and KnowledgeNuts.
