One of the very few "director's cut" editions that improved a film was Blade Runner, and that mostly by taking things out (Ford's awful voiceover, demanded by the studio and recorded basically under duress).
YES. Removing the VO was one of the smartest things ever done. I saw the original first, then the edition without the VO, and I remember telling Matt, "This is the only one I want to own". 😂
Maybe it's because I grew up with the Voiceover but I don't hate it - I know that it was added after the fact but I love it as a nod to cheapy noirs like Detour. Is it a better film? Probably not! Do I still enjoy that it exists? I do.
That makes sense! Films we grow up on have a powerful influence on us, I think, and stick in our minds in particular ways.
I can’t watch the revised (V-VII) Star Wars films. At all. I grew up on the originals and that’s how they live in my mind.