Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Length: 157 mins
Why That's Too Long: The hunt for Osama bin Laden is a story that we all experienced in real time through the media. Plus we know how it ends.
How We'd Fix It: We could have done with less shots of Jessica Chastain looking frustrated at some paperwork.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008)
Length: 166 mins
Why That's Too Long: In a fascinating story about a man who grows younger with age, we really don’t need to see his entire life to ‘get it’.
How We'd Fix It: Focus on the love story between Benjamin and Daisy, leaving out the huge middle sections of his life where he is off doing his own thing.
Alexander (2004)
Length: 175 mins
Why That's Too Long: Oliver Stone himself thought it was too long, releasing a director’s cut that was 8 minutes shorter. Oh, but then he released a final cut that was 214 minutes long and then a 206-minute ‘ultimate cut’. Hint: It’s ALL too long.
How We'd Fix It: The battle scenes are the best part of this film, so we’d focus on the action and maybe cut down the pseudo incest storyline with Angelina Jolie.
Jackie Brown (1997)
Length: 154 mins
Why That's Too Long: After the successes of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction no studio would dare suggest edits to Tarantino. Hence we are left with a flabby, familiar crime thriller that could have been told in 100 minutes.
How We'd Fix It: Simplify the plot and cut down on the stylish homages.
Funny People (2009)
Length: 146 mins
Why That's Too Long: It may have serious themes, but this is still a comedy at heart. And no one wants 146 minutes of Adam Sandler. Not even Rob Schneider.
How We'd Fix It: Apatow just needs to yell ‘Cut’ a little more regularly rather than see how each scene turns out through improvisation. If we trim a minute off of every single scene, it probably wouldn’t make that much of a difference.
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (2009)
Length: 150 mins
Why That's Too Long: Again, we’ll say it: THIS IS A FILM ABOUT ROBOTS WHO TURN INTO CARS AND FIGHT EACH OTHER.
How We'd Fix It: All of the nonsense in Egypt where the Fallen is explained. Whatever happened to this being told from a relatable human perspective?
Avatar (2009)
Length: 162 mins
Why That's Too Long: As is plain to see, Avatar is a thinly veiled sci-fi take on a classic tale similar to that told in Pocahontas - which is, by the way, 81 minutes long.
How We'd Fix It: There’s too much time spent on Sully becoming part of the tribe, only to then spend too much time on Quaritch’s relentless attempt to destroy everything in sight.
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (2002)
Length: 161 mins
Why That's Too Long: At this stage, this is still a film for kids. We haven’t even got to the juicy Voldemort stuff yet – this is all just magical monsters and Grint gurning.
How We'd Fix It: Sometimes not adhering so strictly to the book is a good thing as we don’t need to see the Hogwarts kids entire school year played out exactly as written. Oh, and a little less silliness from Dobby, please.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Length: 150 mins
Why That's Too Long: It's a sequel to an unexpected hit that was only successful thanks to Johnny Depp's character-bumbling. So of course they should turn it into an epic trilogy.
How We'd Fix It: In this case, a sequence on a cannibal-filled island can be cut right out. It's only an excuse for even more character bumbling anyway.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Length: 153 mins
Why That's Too Long: While Tarantino completely reimagines history, there’s no excuse for him not to imagine it a little more quickly.
How We'd Fix It: We know Tarantino is famous for his dialogue scenes. We LOVE his dialogue scenes. All of them. For every one of the 20 minutes that they each last. But – dare we say it – some of them could be cut down to serve the film as a whole…
