A common complaint about modern movies is that they're getting longer. But while it may certainly feel that way when sitting through the latest Hollywood explosion fest, it isn't exactly true. Yes, many big releases clock in at over two hours long, but that's nothing new. In fact, the average film length has actually decreased (marginally) in recent years. And yet this remains a prominent complaint. You could argue it's because people are using the films they watched in their youth as a barometer (kids films have always been traditionally shorter) but the truth is more depressing; films are simply feeling longer. The sort of films that would push three hours used to be massive epics that needed that time just to get the majesty of their story across. Nowadays it's cynically produced movies based on a toy with the depth of a paddling pool. It's now deemed strange if a blockbuster movie clocks in at less than two hours; the old type of movies rarely get made and traditionally shorter pulpy movies have taken their place in terms of length. But in this inflation the content issue hasn't been accounted for, with shorter stories stretched to breaking point. Today we're going to look at ten movies that would have been infinitely better if they came in a good bit shorter and try and think how exactly a bit more editing could have improved them.
