The Natural (2007, DVD)

Is is just me or does anyone else feel that not every movie needs to be revisited for a Director's Cut? When 'Director's Cuts' first started appearing in the mid-1990's (the most popular probably being Ridley Scott's disaster of a project 'Blade Runner'), I wasn't quite sure what to think...I thought it was interesting to see the extra footage and new scenes, but at the same time I noticed a feeling of disappointment...I felt that the movie was being damaged, as if the director and other filmmakers weren't satisfied with their original cut, the cut that we all grew to love in the first place (otherwise we wouldn't have even bothered with the director's cut, right?)...Well, the bottom line is that 'The Natural: Director's Cut' is just another unnecessary re-edit of a film that was perfect the first time around and it's a shame that someone even felt that this movie needed to be re-done to impress its loyal fans...

As for the quality of the dvd, Let me just say that the bonus features on the second disc are the perk of the package...I wish I could speak highly of the new high-def transfer and upgraded sound, but over the past few years I've just become frustrated with the visual and audio remastering on dvd's that has given us a much different presentation than what we remember on the big screen...High-def transfers are clear, sure...but they are usually almost always overdone, and the new transfer on 'The Natural: Director's Cut' is no exception...it seems that the shading and lighting I remember seeing originally are sacrificed all for the sake of being able to see a pimple on someones face that you couldn't originally...I don't get it...As for the audio, the new 5.1 track is definitely louder than on the original dvd, but again, it seems in some scenes, like the scene where Roy Hobbs hits the home run at Wrigley Field and shatters the scoreboard clock, that some sound effects have actually been 'added' into the mix, which is again frustrating and a slap in the face to the original mix...

Overall, I wouldn't bother spending $20 on this dvd...If you have the original version already, you've got all that you need...I will actually admit that this new version will probably hurt your opinion of the film, an all too common problem with all the recent 'unrated cuts' and 'director's cuts' flooding the market...Let me just say that I'm sure every director who ever made a film wishes he could go back and change things, or that he had more time to do this or that, but things happen for a reason, and finishing a film within the budget and time constraints given by a studio are part of the creative movie making process, and lets leave it at that...I wish dvd production companies and their fathering film studios could keep the deleted scenes and other stuff that didn't make it into the film where they belong (in the bonus features section), and save the high-def transfers and hoaky audio remixes for those who want to waste their money on HD-DVD or BLUE RAY disc systems...But Hollywood, please leave films like 'The Natural', that were perfect the first time around, alone...

ROBERT REDFORD IS GREAT IN THIS MOVIE ALONG WITH THE SUPPORTING CAST. A TRUE MOVIE WHERE THE GOOD GUY WINS IN THE END. PLAYS ON THE FACT THAT YOU SHOULD REALLY GET TO KNOW A WOMAN BEFORE YOU JUMP IN WITH BOTH FEET. BOBBY PICKED OUT A GOOD ONE AND YOU CAN TOO BY GETTING THIS MOVIE.