4. The Abyss
James Cameron loves to make different cuts of his films, and The Abyss, though one of his lesser-appreciated efforts, is probably the most interesting in terms of additional content. The main addition is a lengthy 10-minute scene in which Ed Harris meets with the aliens at the bottom of the sea, and they lead him into a small room, where he is shown TV footage of humanity's worst moments, as well as a premonition of what will likely become of humanity, in the way of a giant freaking tidal wave. Though the scene is interesting, it's too on-the-nose, and Cameron, a shrewd director as he is, knows that pushing his own personal, political agenda is not more important than making a movie that entertains rather than lectures, so it is therefore left out of the theatrical version. Here it feels too overt and plodding, slowing down an already meditative film; we know the danger, and we don't need it shoved down our throats like this.