Theatrical release vs. "Extended" disk release?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I usually like the extended version better, more bang for the buck. (Extras on the extended disk may or may not be worth the second purchase.) The downside would be that I buy the disks twice, once when first released, then again when the extended cut is out. Problem there is you don't know if an extended cut is actually coming down the pike. 

Purists, on the other hand, would say the theatrical version is the "real version" of the movie, the one everybody saw, so it would be the baseline for that film

There's no "right answer" for the following question, just your take on it:

Which is superior, in your opinion, Theatrical Release (TR) or Extended Release (ER)?

[popeyespappy]

Generally speaking, ER for me. Just bought the 4K ER version of The Martian a little while back. They were a couple of parts that added to the story. For example...

Spoiler below

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Mark Watney killed time by finishing the original science mission of the entire crew.

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[Gawdzilla Sama]

Generally speaking, ER for me. Just bought the 4K ER version of The Martian a little while back. They were a couple of parts that added to the story. For example...

Spoiler below

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Mark Watney killed time by finishing the original science mission of the entire crew.

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Yep, and 

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saying you could do a survival course with what he learned here. That set up the ending, something that wasn't in the TR. Why they left out a few seconds of dialog is beyond me.

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Did anybody else wonder what kind of footwear Chiwetel was wearing?

[Angrboda]

The few extended release versions I've watched didn't seem any different than the theatrical release, so I think most cases, it's just a marketing gimmick.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The few extended release versions I've watched didn't seem any different than the theatrical release, so I think most cases, it's just a marketing gimmick.

Sample might be too small? Anyway, if the additional footage adds information that is useful for understanding the film I'd grade it on that rather than run time.

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What can be really annoying is:
Theatrical Release.
Director's Cut.
Final Cut.
Unkindest Cut.

You know what I'm talking about.

[Anomalocaris]

In many cases, I find the theatrical release to be more effectively edited for purpose of compact and self-contained story telling. I appreciate those as better examples of cinematic art. Extended version is in some cases more rambling and self indulgent, or were intended to appeal more to those besotted by the notional “universe” of potential back stories.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Myself, I don't need compact. My movie baseline was established by "The Ten Commandments", "How The West Was Won", and that ilk.

[Rev. Rye]

It's a mixed bag, but I tend to lean towards the extended release versions.

Around the same time I bought my first Blu-Ray player, I bought the Blu-Ray of Leon: The Professional. It had both the original US theatrical release and the international version. My DVD was of the international version, and I decided to watch the US version for the first time, and it was really fucking strange to see so much of the material missing (about 20 minutes' worth). Some of it, I can understand why it got cut, particularly the times where Mathilde comes on to Leon, but then again, especially given Leon's obvious coldness towards it and the fact that she's A) of an age where she's starting to be interested in men, and B) grew up in such a fucked-up household that it seems a barely pubescent girl trying to blatantly seduce a man three times her age doesn't seem that strange, it's not that hard to say it works in context (even with the revelations about Besson's fucked-up personal life). Then again, the scenes of her working with Leon, and showing how capable she can be in his line of work really add character to the movie. If those scenes weren't in the movie I first discovered, I doubt I would have fallen in love with it as much as I did. Given that Mathilda is twelve, it makes sense that the 1994 LA audience that rejected those scenes would do so, especially since they're probably conditioned to see her as an innocent being exposed to situations she probably shouldn't even know exist (I'm guessing). Then again, for those who know the film, it's clear she's no ordinary innocent 12-year-old girl. Victim of extreme circumstances, sure, but not quite an innocent.

Then again, I've seen quite a few "extended cuts" where the changes were so small that, even after having explained it to me what the differences are, I can still barely notice them.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Rather like the "Uncut" edition of Stranger in  a Strange Land, which replaced a few hundred words that were deleted to make the hardcover book meet the "magic" $9.99 price back in the day. (Less than one page, I think.)

[Ravenshire]

I'm with Rev about it being a mixed bag but leaning toward extended cuts/directors cuts.

The good:
"Suicide Squad." The additional material, nearly 20 minutes worth, fully fleshes out the dynamic between The Joker and Harley Quinn and just how fucked up that relationship is.

The bad:
"Bladerunner." The theatrical release had the monologue from Decker. Without it, some scenes just don't make sense.

The indifferent:
"The Lord of the Rings." Jacksons ego stroking, dumping damned near everything from the cutting room floor back into the films did nothing, good or bad, for the films.