Essential extended editions of your favorite movies

Extended versions of movies made specifically for Blu-ray/DVD releases are nothing new, and nothing likely to go away - Universal last week announced an extended cut of "Furious 7" would come to home video on Sept. 15. It remains to be seen whether fans will get more scenes with deceased star Paul Walker, more action, or simply a few more curse words that would have prevented the movie from getting a PG-13 for its theatrical release.

So many extended or "unrated" versions of movies fall under that third category, or are longer just for the sake of being longer to try and sell more discs.

But sometimes these extended versions disprove the notion that more is less. Here are the best:

• "The Abyss: Special Edition" - James Cameron's 1989 undersea adventure was an epic 140 minutes in the theater and weighs in at a colossal 170 minutes on video, but the 30 extra minutes give us more spectacle (giant waves threatening to destroy America's coastal cities), more banter between leads Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and more vital plot information. Cameron also has given us worthy recuts of his "Aliens," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Avatar," but his second pass at "The Abyss" is the essential one. (Available on DVD)

• "Almost Famous: The Bootleg Cut" - Also referred to simply as "Untitled," the 162-minute version of Cameron Crowe's tale of a teenage Rolling Stone writer (Patrick Fugit) adds so many important scenes that it actually feels shorter and tighter than the critically acclaimed theatrical version. Among the 40 minutes of additions: more character development for Penny Lane, the rock groupie role that earned Kate Hudson an Oscar nomination; a funny bit with Tenacious D's Kyle Gass; and more glimpses of Jimmy Fallon and Marc Maron in their cameos. (Available on Blu-ray)

• "Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut" - A mediocre Orlando Bloom action flick became a three-hour chronicle of the Crusades when Ridley Scott added 45 minutes to his 2005 misfire. It doesn't reach the heights of "Gladiator," but the revised "Kingdom of Heaven" is gutsy and glorious, and features another wonderful performance from the always alluring Eva Green. (Available on Blu-ray/DVD, vudu)

• "The Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition" - Why would you want longer versions of these already too-long movies? Learn Saruman's (Christopher Lee) fate. See Gandalf (Ian McKellen) encounter the Witch King. See Boromir (Sean Bean) and Faramir (David Wenham) together in a flashback. Learn more about Middle-earth, cry harder with the heroic Hobbits, then watch the comprehensive DVD documentaries that show you how they made it all happen. (Available on Blu-ray/DVD, iTunes, Google Play, vudu)

• We may have a new addition to the pantheon on July 14 when Fox unleashes "X-Men: Days of Future Past - The Rogue Cut," whose 17 minutes of new footage might explain why Anna Paquin (Rogue) got seventh billing in the 2014 film despite being in it for about, oh, five seconds. Expect more from Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), too. (Available on Blu-ray, Amazon Instant Video)

• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald copy editor. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.