Rating: 
Summary: Save your money-keep your VHS version
Review: Can anyone really believe that Francis Ford Coppola wanted this film to be an unmercifully drole three stooges comedy?
Was it only the editor's work that formed a soul-numbing drama out of frivolous and meandering vignettes of military life in Viet Nam?
This version cannot be supported by reasonable film-making concepts. It fails the test of a 'redux' work; if a new viewer has not seen the 'original', this film is a disappointment and engenders no lingering respect.
My advice is to hold on to your VHS original version, even have it transferred to DVD if you can, because it is the version with the most cinematic power. The only improvement 'Redux' can provide is in the soundtrack.
Rating: 
Summary: best movie
Review: This is one of the greatest movie I have ever seen. It has one of the best battle scenes I have ever seen. I could watch the helicopter attack all day.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the end
Review: "Apocalypse Now" has the most powerful opening moments I've ever seen in cinema, perfectly setting the next 180 minutes' grim & delirious tone. When I experienced it again in a theater after twenty-two years, it made me realize how much of our contemporary filmmaking has become a series of rote and empty gestures. This adaptation of "Heart of Darkness" is one of the most brutal films ever made, and an unrelenting screed against the debacle of Vietnam (although Coppola said its intentions are far deeper, aligned with Conrad's). It's oppressive, almost solipsistic, but is redeemed by the tension between Willard's search for the truth about Colonel Kurtz through the dossiers he is given, and his actual journey upriver to assassinate him, in which he witnesses all manner of insanity and atrocities compelling him to question why the Army wants the Colonel dead (the most horrifying of which, though, is committed by Willard himself)...Throughout the film, it's amazing how anarchic Coppola presents the behavior of the young soldiers--which is emphasized by one of Kurtz's censored letters in which he complains of how the US can never win a war with children wielding weapons, a war of rock and roll and American culture and M-16s side-by-side in the jungle. Gradually Willard understands and agrees with Kurtz's opinions, and comes to think that the colonel is waging a war against the hypocrisy of the United States Army; but the truth turns out to be banal, and for that reason more even more unsettling... The cinematography, editing, acting (including a fifteen-year old Laurence Fishburne and a pre-rehab Dennis Hopper) are all just amazing. One should also see "Hearts of Darkness", which is about the disastrous making of this film. Martin Sheen suffered a nervous breakdown on camera (which Coppola used in the opening Saigon scene) then had a heart attack, typhoons destroyed the elaborate sets, the Phillipine government yanked its use of helicopters to put down un uprising, etc. etc. But the new scenes Coppola decided to insert into the Redux don't add anything; in fact, they slow the film down--except perhaps for the theft of Col. Kilgore's surfboard, which cracks the only smile on Martin Sheen's face in the film. And Coppola actually shot the scene where Willard returns to America to tell Kurtz's son about what he knew about his father, and ends up lying to him (like Marlowe's trip to Kurtz's fiancee in "Heart of Darkness"). But it wasn't used. That would have been a perfect ending, I think--full circle from the jungle to America, only to whitewash the truth.
Rating:
Summary: Redux is Better
Review: Without glorifying war, barbarism, and death, Apocalypse Now allowed the average moviegoer a glimpse into the minds of soldiers in combat. This glimpse penetrates into the subconscious nature of war, as a primordial current driving men to kill one another, driven by a pure will to power (to borrow Nietzsche's phrase) versus the will to survive. Redux penetrates further and wider by examining the social, historical, and mythical dimensions of the will to power. The sequences with the French colonialists, the Playboy bunnies, and the stolen surf boards define these themes more clearly and the film's conclusion materializes much more clearly than in the originally released version of this great movie. The DVD itself is fine. It does not have extensive special features but the video and sound transfers are very good. The menus are clear and easy to navigate. If your goal is to own this movie, not a lot of commentary, this DVD should serve very well. I am satisfied with mine.
Rating:
Summary: A SURREAL JOURNEY TO MADNESS.
Review: "Apocalypse Now Redux" is an extended version of the 1979 classic "Apocalypse Now"; in this version, the director Francis Ford Coppola added 49 minutes of footage that was deleted in the original release. There are two major new segments and new little bits that help to understand better the surreal story of the film. The little bits of scenes are great and sure make the movie more pleasant. However, the scenes with the playboy bunnies doesn't help too much in the narrative and the pace of the film, perhaps they should have been trimmed a little bit for better results. But the segment of the french plantation is just horrible, pointless and boring, the director should have kept these scenes on the editing room once again. However, "Apocalypse Now Redux" is a good addition to any movie collection, the picture and the sound quality are very good, and the movie by itself it's a fascinating classic, the great parts outnumber the flawed scenes; perhaps the longer segments doesn't help too much, but at least contribute to understand better the story. There are very few extras on this DVD, but as I say before, the movie by itself is worth the money. If you liked the original "Apocalypse Now", give a chance to this new version, if you haven't seen this movie yet, start with the original, and if you like it, go get "Apocalypse Now Redux". Absolutely recommendable to every one who loves the classic movies.
Rating:
Summary: A stunning visual feast!
Review: The additional footage makes for an even longer and stranger trip, but I can't say the movie really benefits from it. The added French Plantation sequence is interesting, and gives the viewer a glimpse of the French colonial period that predated American involvement in Vietnam, but it was too pedantic for my tastes. There is another scene with the Playboy bunnies in a squalid camp that seemed to mark the point of no return, but it seemed more indulgence on Coppola's part. The only added scenes that cast new light on the characters were those surrounding Kilgore's helicopter attack and surfing safari. Coppola casts a more human light on Kilgore as he rescues a child. However, many questions remain surrounding Kurtz. Coppola sheds no new light on the subject. We are still left with the mythical figure waiting to accept his death. I was always bothered by Martin Sheen as the agent of death. He's too milky to carry out the assignment. As Kurtz noted, he is more like an errand boy than an assassin, but Sheen rises to the occasion when the time comes to do so. The film is a stunning visual feast but has numerous flaws in its narrative. I suppose if you treat it as the hallucinatory experience it was intended to be, you can skirt over the weak dialog. The movie relies too heavily on Willard's narration. Hopper as the photojournalist should have filled the viewer in more to the mind of Kurtz, but was too spaced out to give anything more than a glancing commentary. The apocolytic scene fuses together so many images, evocatively painting the horrofic image of "The End" that it is intended to do. Brando is mesmerizing. One wishes Coppola would have done more to fill in this sequence than others in the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie the origianl way
Review: I am giving this movie four stars because the original, theatrical release was outstanding. Now, call me not avant garde enough to appreciate the subtle nuances of the Redux if you want to, but I feel that the extended version detracts, instead of adds, to this masterpiece. Of course, any movie with this array of stars (Brando, Sheen, Duval, Hopper, Fishburne, even smaller roles for Harrison Ford and Scott Glenn) could not be bad, no matter what form it takes. The major weakness of this version is that it humanizes Captain Willard, making him a little more accessible to us "normal" folk. What made the character so chilling in the original cut was him impartiality to the crew of the boat and to his mission. It could have been any four guys piloting that boat, or no one, it didn't matter to him. What the Redux has done was shatter that division between Willard and the crew, especially in the scene where he steals Kilgore's surfboard and laughs about it with the crew. This moment of levity actually makes him appear more human, not the machine that the original movie cast him as. Also, especially in light of recent events, the French lecturing any American on any aspect of conducting war turns my stomach. I was completely happy being unaware of that part of the movie. The French exist but for our good graces today. Sorry to interject my political views. At any rate, the original version is hard to find now, but if I can find a used copy, I will more than likely trade in Redux and go back to the shorter, better version. But do not let this review sway anyone who has not yet seen this movie, in any form. Redux is still better than No View.
Rating:
Summary: The first time is the best
Review: We all know that whether or not you like it, "Apocalypse Now" is a landmark film. At times I think its been slightly overrated, but it's one I would show to a film class. I would not show "Apocalypse Now Redux" unless it were for comparison. Except for a few new beautifully lit frames by Storaro and the French plantation scene, this version really doesn't add anything to the the film. I liked the way Kilgore's character exited the film the first time. We don't need to see him screaming through a megaphone to know that he's got a screw loose. The Playboy bunnies scene seemed like just a sex scene to take our attention away from what lies up the river. There is no real meaning to it. There are added scenes in Kurtz's compound which feel quite unnecessary. When are directors going to learn to leave well-enough alone?
Rating:
Summary: 5 star movie 4 star dvd
Review: First off to the people complaining about the aspect ratio. It was filmed in 2.35 but framed on dvd for 2.0. The reason is because of cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. He does not like to letterbox at the full 2.35 (see also Tucker:the man and his dream. Which he also shot for Coppola). Although I don't agree he was the artist so it was his decision along with Coppola. It is still better and you still see more than in full frame pan&scan. My problem is where are the extras. I would have liked the destruction of kurtz compound as a bonus like on the first disc. Where is the making of, or a documentary on the restoration? Where is Coppola with an audio commentary (Busy with the "Godfather" one I guess). It is still a masterpiece movie and the additional scenes are needed. It makes the film feel more complete. Despite the fact that there are no extras any fan of the movie or classic cinema should get this.
Rating:
Summary: Even more jungle madness!
Review: OK, this is unquestionably a great film. However, a lot of people seem to have a problem with the added scenes. This is the version which has an advanced transfer and 50 or so minutes of added footage interleaved into the film ( not relegated to a deleted-scenes feature ).
I am not one of those people who feel that the added scenes detract from the movie. Sure, the theatrical version is tighter.
But we're talking about a long Odyssey-like journey into the heart of darkness. A little more weirdness along the way, including a French plantation sequence that doesn't seem to fit, just adds to the bizarre nature of the story. If I'm REALLY into a film ( like this one ) my vote is always for an extended edition. Of course, the interleaved extra footage in Fellowship of the Ring is much better, but it's nice to have the best possible transfer of Apocalypse Now as well as the extra footage. I had some trouble getting the color to come out right at first, but that may have been partly due to my TV settings. One thing about Paramount discs: for some reason they tend to involve scenes in which characters' faces are bathed in bright yellow light, and the print can look overwhelmed by the yellow light in such instances.
If you're a fan of the Matrix you might be interested in seeing Larry Fishburne's first movie role, at a younger age.
Also: Sheen, Duvall, and Brando are great.
Harrison Ford's name appears on the front of the DVD box even though he's only in one scene. But that's because he's Harrison Ford and you're not.
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