Super 8: Extended

The video quality is good, deleted scenes not standing out when watched on a (admittedly small) television, aliasing does crop up from time to time (noticeable mostly on fine horizontal detail) but this is not scene specific and quickly forgotten. Audio is great except for occasional blips where the deleted scene endings are spliced into theatrical cut footage.

Story-wise, while none of the reinserted scenes could be described as vital several of them serve to benefit the film. Isolated events are introduced earlier or followed up so they flow better and have greater depth, and it is just pleasant to spend more time with these characters in this environment. Little things like Joe asking Charles about Alice while in the shop (showing that he is interested in her from the beginning) and the extra detail he goes into while talking to her about his models that makes it feel as if he is dropping any guard that he would keep up around his friends. Upon looking at the theatrical version again, the absence of the full 7-Eleven scene also makes for a jarring transition whereas in the extended edition it cuts more naturally and makes me chuckle.

One reservation is that some new scenes repeat (or feature equivalent) dialogue present in the theatrical cut, at one point I believe this also introduces a plot hole (one character has an idea, then is surprised a minute later when the character he is speaking to has a very similar idea).

Overall though, this extended edition is a general improvement on the theatrical cut, thank you Wraith for taking the time to put it together!