Rating: 
Summary: Needless footage
Review: After watching redux, it amazed me how little this film has to do with Vietnam. The premise of using the Vietnam war as a back drop to the Heart of Darkness story was a brilliant idea, but Coppola's screen play has major problems. First of all, I could never believe the army wanted Kurtz dead, for what? killing the enemy more ruthlessly than they were. I could see them wanting him dead for collaboration or dealing in the heroin trade. Second COL. Kilgore improvised helicopter assault is pure fiction, Vietnam was micromanaged at every level especially during the Johnson years.I think the movie works best when we see Willard's own descent into alienation from those he is around and redux attempts to take him out of character with the surf board and the bunnies.Finally, Kurtz's miscast Brando is such a let down, but his lines about the neccessity for ruthlessness ring truer about the war than anything else Coppola tries to portray about the war.
Rating: 
Summary: A study to a masterpiece
Review: "It's impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means."I thought this quote from Colonel Kurtz a fitting intro to a rebuttal of two negative reviews spotlighted for this dvd release. Too often I see reviews of superb works of art, whether in music, literature, or film, that scathingly belittle a masterpiece because of superficial flaws (see The Man Who Wasn't There soundtrack). 1) Yes, some of the scenes readded to A.N. Redux are gratuitous when compared to the more linear earlier version.
2) Yes, there are technical aspects that detract from the overall visual perspective.
3) Yes, the film is long, especially to a viewer weaned on MTV and Hong Kong-Michael Bay style films. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. A.N. Redux is still a fine film. It's an epic (especially with the extra footage) on a grand and modern scale that is comparable to the works of David Lean. Redux offers a glimpse into Apocalypse Now through the eyes of Milius (screenwriter) and Coppola that is more true to their initial vision. But this is not what some reviewers seem to focus on. Instead, descriptions such as "inexcusable" and ratings of one star are handed out with ease, much like "handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500". The reasons given to justify one star rating of the film are absurd and superfluous, just as it was to label Kurtz a murderer in the arena of Vietnam. Yes, perhaps the dvd release is not a 5 star film, but a 1 out of 5? Who would dare equate this film with the same merit as "Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot" or "Hudson Hawk"? "I've seen horrors...horrors that you've seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that...But you have no right to judge me." Every masterpiece has a study that predates the final version. The study, such as in painting or musical composition, can often impart a deeper glimpse into the mind and heart of the artist. It's often years later that these "inferior" works are recognized for what they are, art that is unique to itself and to be taken on its own. If one is expecting a fully accessorized dvd full of bios, documentary clips, and director notes, you will be dissapointed. But if you sit down to watch this film, having already seen and enjoyed Apocalypse Now, perhaps even having read Conrad's "Heart Of Darkness" or watched Tim Roth and Malkovich in its film version, ... and wanting more, yearning for another touch of the icy warmth found only in the darkest places on earth, you will thoroughly enjoy Apocalypse Now Redux. A.N. Redux is a study of the original theatrical release. The theater release is the masterpiece that will be forever ingrained into American culture, a 5 star film. Redux will take you even deeper into the jungle....
Rating: 
Summary: I love the smell of whingeing Pom in the morning!
Review: Judging by this, the original film was salvaged from even more dire material. The former was an insult to both sides who fought in the war. As if a US Colonel would put his men in danger like that. Piffle. As for Kurtz, the reality was more along the lines of Colonel Norman Schwarzkopf, who according to his autobiography was so appalled by the way a unit he was posted to was run, lined up his men and sacked the incompetent leader in front of them and spent the rest of the war trying to improve matters. He didn't go and sit in the jungle like Kurtz and mumble a lot of existential angst.
'Redux' boasts a truly bizarre scene involving Bunnies. Obviously, the director was making a 'statement' dear to his heart and absurdly irrelevent to the real conflict. Needless to say the film is about American pain with the indigenous population mostly featureless.
A potentially interesting scene with some French colonials is rendered incomprehensible by rapid exposition and heavy accents. The gist of it was that the VC were something of an American Frankenstien monster. Despite the French patriarch's flattering description of the VC as intelligent, the film undermines this with some zombified natives willing to lay down their weapons on the whim of an American, regardless of the political issues at stake, because the director wants to make another statement dear to his heart. The self righteous disgust of the American in question somewhat undermined by all that carpet bombing. 'Apocalypse Now' has been voted into the top 100 best films ever made presumably by people to whom thinking is no doubt an optional extra.
Rating:
Summary: Great print, missing extras
Review: Apocalypse Now is definitely one of those films that people either "get" or don't. I am with the crowd that considers it one of the great film achievements of the 20th century. I agree with the many folks who have commented critically that this DVD should have included extras (beyond the extra footage), but I am very pleased with the quality of the print and the transfer to DVD. The color saturation is fantastic. I'll have to look into the criticisms that aspect ratio is incorrect.
Rating: 
Summary: Some people can't get it.
Review: The film is not about "somebody's madness", nor is it about Viet Nam. It's about spirit, energy, and emotion. Perhaps those concepts are too vague for it's less agile viewers. Redux is a must have for any Apocolypse Now fan. This is a story that's been told since probably before language. It's a long movie. Yet it flies past as I watch every single detail. From the largest explosions ever in a movie, to the Ride of the Valkeries, Death From Above, it's pure power and fury in parts. Still the film maintains a sort of gritty realism never captured in any other war movie. The sweat rolling of the Captain's head, or the Giant trees in the lush forests of Cambodia add a bit of flesh and earth to the movie. You get right up close and personal with the characters as you're whisked through heaven and hell on the way to who knows what. It all makes sense in the end if you paid good attention to the overall scope of the story. Obviously this movie is either loved or hated by it's beholders. You'll just have to experience it for yourself to decide which side of that coin you are. Just be sure you watch it more than once. It is readable like a book. No two people reading a book come away with the exact same grasp of it either. Redux, where have you been all these years?
Rating:
Summary: "Now"...THERE'S a movie!!!
Review: *
I won't spend much time doing a classic review of this film, as I am sure that everything I would want to express has already been covered by many others. The most important info I can offer is that the purchase of this DVD marks my VERY FIRST TIME ever having seen this Nicolas Cage's Daddy's Vietnam War classic -- I had never seen it in its original release, I had never seen any of the televised broadcasts or cablecasts, and I had procrastinated too long when the ''Redux'' version was released in theatres. So in EVERY sense of the word, I took a blind chance on purchasing this DVD! ... And I don't regret it one bit! I typically don't like war movies enough to purchase them -- not even such spectacular epics as ''Platoon'' and Kubrick's ''Full Metal Jacket,'' which I admit are utterly breathtaking films. But ''Apocalypse Now'' is clearly a rare gem among all of them, and I'm glad I took the chance on it! This ''Redux'' version supposedly answers some ambiguous questions that had always baffled the old fans who were familiar with the original release, and upon learning what these scenes were makes me wonder why studio executive types always have to insist on carving away extremely important segments of film just to meet some arbitrary ''time restraints.'' (Chop up, take out and force audiences to rent or purchase ''Director's Cuts'' of films on VHS & DVD ... and the motion picture studio execs remain clueless as to why ticket sales for theatrical releases are steadily going down and down.) The only editorial decision I would have liked to have seen made involved the shameful and silly portrayal of the stranded 'Playboy Bunnies' ...the ditzy & brainless portrayals of the women really hurt the film's credibility and disrupted the entire pace and mood of the film. Coppola should have just insinuated the 'sex-for-trade' scene without actually exposing it... Overall, the slow but chaotic pace and the eerie & generally depressing mood of the film really make it one of the true masterpieces, genuinely deserving of its critical praise. I am actually glad that it took all of these years of waiting before I had a chance to see this film-- either as it was (original theatrical release) or as it should have been (''Redux'') --otherwise I may not have had the genuine appreciation for the film that I now have. Only one other film has had such a profound effect on me, and that was Orson Welles' ''Citizen Kane,'' which I had first seen only a few years ago as part of a special anniversary theatrical re-release. For those of you who are familiar with this film (in either of its versions), I'm not telling you anything you don't already know; For those of you who are not, don't walk past this truly amazing bit of filmmaking history! Everyone should see this film at least once!
Rating:
Summary: Makes the original version look like a condensed book
Review: I will not go through the story or compare to "Hart of Darkness" or even "Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death." Or even compare it to the real Vietnam. You can see my review of the original for the ins and outs of "Apocalypse Now" This should have been the version to begin with as it explains why certain things appear out of nowhere and why the people have such attitudes towards each other. There was no fluff to cut out as it is the crucial ideas behind the whole story that was cut out. The redux version replaces much of the mystery with purpose and is intriguing itself as the story or mission progresses. I purchased both versions and must say it is worth the price. I only hope I do not find a third version with a missing hour.
Rating:
Summary: Apocalypse Nipple?
Review: One of the most extraordinary misjudgements of cinematic history was to award the 'Best Film' Oscar of 79/80, not to APOCALYPSE NOW, but to KRAMER VS. KRAMER. As many have said, Apocalypse is not just one of the greatest war movies of all time, it is one of the greatest of all movies, and has stood the test of the past 23 years very well. If nothing else, you can enjoy it as a marvellous druggy trip through fantastic cinematography and music. I believe Coppola was absolutely right in releasing the 'short' version back in 1979. Many cinematic audiences just wouldn't have had the patience for the long and drawn-out dialogues with Brando. The French plantation scenes would have just seemed out of place to many. But I am very grateful to Coppola for re-working the whole movie 20 years on. If nothing else, the sound and picture quality are outstanding. The film has even more grandeur than the original. The DVD comes with very few extras -- I'd really like to have had the HEARTS OF DARKNESS making-of documentary included -- but I can cope without them. This new version has rather more breasts in it than the original, and I suppose several of them can be justified. The scene where the French widow prepares the mosquito nets around the four-poster is very sensuous! The only downer arises some of the music that Carmine/Francis Coppola added to the movie -- the love theme is truly dire. Still, this DVD, like the original, is a must-have. In fact, if you only get one version, get this one.
Rating:
Summary: Redux-Not sure if necessary
Review: I believe the original film as a whole deserves 5 stars, but it is very hard for me to understand the importance of the added footage. Now, I am surely not one to critize Mr. Coppola; both he and his film are brillant. But, my question is, "Do the added minutes really make the story much better?". The absurdity of the situation is already apparent, and the characters have been treated with due attention. After watching Apocalypse Now-Redux I once again came away from this film astonished, but no more then when I had first experienced it. Though, if you have never seen this film I compel you to do so as quickly as possible, no matter the version.
Rating:
Summary: Apocalypse Now Redux
Review: This version of Apocalypse Now goes so much further into the insanity of Col. Kurtz. I truly enjoyed the orginial, but felt that the replaced/added scenes made sense during many scenes from the orginial. This version lets us see how much Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) truly begins to think more and more like Kurtz. I love the scene as the helicopter force nears the village, they play Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries on loudspeakers on one of the helicopters. Of course the classic Kilgore lines of "Put on psy war ops and make it loud," and "I love the smell of Naplam in the Morning. The smell, you know that gasoline smell. It smells like.....Victory"
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