Cyborg (film)
Encyclopedia
Cyborg is a 1989 American martial-arts science fiction film
directed by Albert Pyun
. Jean-Claude Van Damme
stars as Gibson Rickenbacker, a mercenary who battles a group of murderous marauders led by Fender Tremolo (Vincent Klyn
) along the East coast of the United States
in a post-apocalyptic future.
, called the living death, sweeps across a civilization already ruined by “anarchy, genocide and starvation,” a small group of surviving scientists and doctors — located in Atlanta, Georgia
, home of the CDC
— work on a cure to save what’s left of humanity. To complete their work they need information stored on a computer system in New York City
. CDR Pearl Prophet (Dayle Haddon
) volunteers for the dangerous courier mission and she is made into a cyborg through surgical augmentation.
Pearl, accompanied by LT Marshall Strat, a man assigned to protect her, retrieves the data in New York, but is pursued by the vicious Fender Tremolo (Vincent Klyn
) and his gang of “pirates”. Fender wants the cure so he can have a monopoly on its production. Strat, badly injured in a skirmish with the pirates, tells Pearl to leave him and get to the Bronx township
to look for a mercenary
, known as a “slinger”, that can escort her to safety. She gets cornered, but is saved by a slinger, Gibson Rickenbacker (Jean-Claude Van Damme
), who specializes in getting people out of the city. No sooner does she explain her situation than they are overrun by Fender’s gang and Gibson is knocked out by falling debris. Fender, having beheaded Strat, dangles his head in front of Pearl and tells her that he is going with her to Atlanta. There, she must bring him the cure or else she will “get the horror show.”
Fender's gang slaughter a family and steals their boat. They head south for Atlanta via the Intracoastal Waterway
with the captive Pearl. Gibson, who had been tracking the pirates, arrives at the scene of slaughter later that night. A shadowy figure moves to attack him, but he throws a knife that takes the attacker down. She turns out to be Nady Simmons (Deborah Richter), a young woman who’d been hiding since the pirate attack and thought Gibson was one of their gang. After they had time to recover, Nady reveals that her family was wiped out by the plague and that she wants to help Gibson and Pearl. Gibson, meanwhile, is less concerned with a cure for the plague than with finding Fender and eliminating him. Gibson and Nady trek southward through the wastelands, and are ambushed by bandits. He tries to persuade Nady to stay away, saying he does not want to see her die. She tells him she does not want to see him die and offers her body to him, but he refuses: destroying Fender is his only goal.
In flashbacks that haunt Gibson, it is revealed that he had once fallen in love and settled down in an abandoned country house with a client, Mary, and her two young siblings after escorting them from the city. Fender killed Mary and her brother and abducted her sister Haley, forcing Gibson to take up the “slinger” lifestyle once again. Intercepting Fender and his crew near Charleston, South Carolina
, Gibson eliminates several of his henchmen in an abandoned warehouse. Gibson manages to get to Fender's guard. As he kills the last one, Fender, watching, opens fire with his own air-rifle. Now nursing a gunshot wound he realizes Haley is now a loyal member of Fender’s crew. He flees and is chased by a dozen of his pirates, Gibson outsmarts them and is alone with Pearl and Nady. Pearl refuses to go with him—she calculates that Gibson is not strong enough to defeat Fender and will be unable to get her to Atlanta safely. She says she will go along with Fender and lure him to his death in Atlanta where she has resources at her disposal. Tired, out of ammunition, wounded and badly outnumbered, Gibson flees with Nady through the sewer—where he ambushes and kills Brick Bardo—and then into a salt marsh
where they are pursued by the rest of the pirates and eventually separated from each other in the boggy terrain. Gibson is overpowered, captured, beaten unconscious by Fender and crucified high on the mast of a beached, derelict ship. Haley lingers at the scene, but must leave with Fender. Gibson spends the night on the cross. In the morning, near death, he kicks the mast repeatedly with his dangling feet in a last fit of rage. The mast snaps, sending him crashing to the ground, his arms still nailed to the cross. Finally, Nady appears out of the marsh to free him.
Gibson and Nady intercept Fender once again in Atlanta, and this time are better prepared. The rest of Fender’s gang are taken down one by one until he and Gibson finally meet alone. During their fight, Nady rushes Fender with a knife, but he gashes her with a blade of his own, killing her. Gibson downs Fender with a deep stab wound to the chest. Thinking him dead, Gibson turns around to greet Haley, who is finally free. However, Fender gets back up and they continue to battle in a nearby shed, where Gibson leaves Fender impaled on a large meat hook. Gibson and Haley escort Pearl to her destination, where they leave her and head back "out there".
film Masters of the Universe
and a live-action version of 'Spider-Man
'. Both projects were planned to shoot simultaneously by Albert Pyun
. Cannon, however, was in financial trouble and had to cancel deals with both Mattel
and Marvel Entertainment
, the owners of He-Man and Spider-Man, respectively. Cannon had already spent $2 million on costumes and sets for both films, and decided to start a new project to recoup the money spent on them. Then Pyun wrote the storyline for Cyborg in one weekend. Pyun had Chuck Norris
in mind for the lead, but co-producer Menahem Golan
cast Jean-Claude Van Damme
. The film was shot for less than $500,000 and was filmed in 24 days.
Several of the characters' names are references to well-known manufacturers and models of guitars and other musical instruments.
Jackson "Rock" Pinckney, who played one of Fender's pirates, lost his eye during filming when Jean-Claude Van Damme accidentally struck his eye with a prop knife. Pinckney sued Van Damme in a North Carolina court and was awarded $485,000.
Violent scenes were heavily cut to gain an "R" rating rather than an "X", including a throat-slitting and some blood and gore during the village massacre. Also excised was the death of a man Van Damme was fighting, which caused an inconsistency that made him look like he suddenly disappeared.
In the song "Judgment Day" from Method Man's album Tical 2000: Judgement Day
, the opening lyrics use most of Fender's opening words to the film. The lyrics are slightly modified. The intro is also in the opening of the song "World Damnation" by the death metal band Mortician
. The intro of Fender talking about death and starvation is thought as the official opening of metal band Chimairas' song "Resurrection." It is often played at live shows as an intro.
reports a 14% positive score, based on 14 reviews, certifying it "Rotten", with an average rating of 2.9/10. However, it retained a cult
status.
, starring Elias Koteas
and Angelina Jolie
, was released in 1993. Cyborg 3: The Recycler
, a direct-to-video
release, followed in 1995. Both films bear little to no relation to the first film and were heavily panned by critics, even more than the original.
Curnan Pictures got hold of the missing tapes of the original cut of Cyborg through Albert’s original choice for score artist; Tony Riparetti. This director's cut
of the film features his editing and some previously-unreleased scenes, and is commercially available through the director himself.
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
directed by Albert Pyun
Albert Pyun
Albert Pyun is an American film director best known for having made many low-budget B-movies and direct-to-video action films. He frequently blends kickboxing and hybrid martial arts with science fiction and dystopic or post-apocalyptic themes, which often include cyborgs...
. Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
stars as Gibson Rickenbacker, a mercenary who battles a group of murderous marauders led by Fender Tremolo (Vincent Klyn
Vincent Klyn
Vincent Klyn is a New Zealand born actor who has appeared in a number of 1980s and 90s era motion pictures. His most notable role was the 1989 film Cyborg directed by Albert Pyun.-Early life:...
) along the East coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
in a post-apocalyptic future.
Plot
A plaguePandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
, called the living death, sweeps across a civilization already ruined by “anarchy, genocide and starvation,” a small group of surviving scientists and doctors — located in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, home of the CDC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
— work on a cure to save what’s left of humanity. To complete their work they need information stored on a computer system in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. CDR Pearl Prophet (Dayle Haddon
Dayle Haddon
Dayle Haddon is a Canadian model and actress, presently known for promoting anti-aging products manufactured by L'Oréal. Additionally, she is credited as author of Ageless Beauty: A Woman's Guide to Lifelong Beauty and Well-Being...
) volunteers for the dangerous courier mission and she is made into a cyborg through surgical augmentation.
Pearl, accompanied by LT Marshall Strat, a man assigned to protect her, retrieves the data in New York, but is pursued by the vicious Fender Tremolo (Vincent Klyn
Vincent Klyn
Vincent Klyn is a New Zealand born actor who has appeared in a number of 1980s and 90s era motion pictures. His most notable role was the 1989 film Cyborg directed by Albert Pyun.-Early life:...
) and his gang of “pirates”. Fender wants the cure so he can have a monopoly on its production. Strat, badly injured in a skirmish with the pirates, tells Pearl to leave him and get to the Bronx township
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
to look for a mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
, known as a “slinger”, that can escort her to safety. She gets cornered, but is saved by a slinger, Gibson Rickenbacker (Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
), who specializes in getting people out of the city. No sooner does she explain her situation than they are overrun by Fender’s gang and Gibson is knocked out by falling debris. Fender, having beheaded Strat, dangles his head in front of Pearl and tells her that he is going with her to Atlanta. There, she must bring him the cure or else she will “get the horror show.”
Fender's gang slaughter a family and steals their boat. They head south for Atlanta via the Intracoastal Waterway
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals...
with the captive Pearl. Gibson, who had been tracking the pirates, arrives at the scene of slaughter later that night. A shadowy figure moves to attack him, but he throws a knife that takes the attacker down. She turns out to be Nady Simmons (Deborah Richter), a young woman who’d been hiding since the pirate attack and thought Gibson was one of their gang. After they had time to recover, Nady reveals that her family was wiped out by the plague and that she wants to help Gibson and Pearl. Gibson, meanwhile, is less concerned with a cure for the plague than with finding Fender and eliminating him. Gibson and Nady trek southward through the wastelands, and are ambushed by bandits. He tries to persuade Nady to stay away, saying he does not want to see her die. She tells him she does not want to see him die and offers her body to him, but he refuses: destroying Fender is his only goal.
In flashbacks that haunt Gibson, it is revealed that he had once fallen in love and settled down in an abandoned country house with a client, Mary, and her two young siblings after escorting them from the city. Fender killed Mary and her brother and abducted her sister Haley, forcing Gibson to take up the “slinger” lifestyle once again. Intercepting Fender and his crew near Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, Gibson eliminates several of his henchmen in an abandoned warehouse. Gibson manages to get to Fender's guard. As he kills the last one, Fender, watching, opens fire with his own air-rifle. Now nursing a gunshot wound he realizes Haley is now a loyal member of Fender’s crew. He flees and is chased by a dozen of his pirates, Gibson outsmarts them and is alone with Pearl and Nady. Pearl refuses to go with him—she calculates that Gibson is not strong enough to defeat Fender and will be unable to get her to Atlanta safely. She says she will go along with Fender and lure him to his death in Atlanta where she has resources at her disposal. Tired, out of ammunition, wounded and badly outnumbered, Gibson flees with Nady through the sewer—where he ambushes and kills Brick Bardo—and then into a salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
where they are pursued by the rest of the pirates and eventually separated from each other in the boggy terrain. Gibson is overpowered, captured, beaten unconscious by Fender and crucified high on the mast of a beached, derelict ship. Haley lingers at the scene, but must leave with Fender. Gibson spends the night on the cross. In the morning, near death, he kicks the mast repeatedly with his dangling feet in a last fit of rage. The mast snaps, sending him crashing to the ground, his arms still nailed to the cross. Finally, Nady appears out of the marsh to free him.
Gibson and Nady intercept Fender once again in Atlanta, and this time are better prepared. The rest of Fender’s gang are taken down one by one until he and Gibson finally meet alone. During their fight, Nady rushes Fender with a knife, but he gashes her with a blade of his own, killing her. Gibson downs Fender with a deep stab wound to the chest. Thinking him dead, Gibson turns around to greet Haley, who is finally free. However, Fender gets back up and they continue to battle in a nearby shed, where Gibson leaves Fender impaled on a large meat hook. Gibson and Haley escort Pearl to her destination, where they leave her and head back "out there".
Cast
- Jean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
as Gibson Rickenbacker - Deborah Richter as Nady Simmons
- Vincent KlynVincent KlynVincent Klyn is a New Zealand born actor who has appeared in a number of 1980s and 90s era motion pictures. His most notable role was the 1989 film Cyborg directed by Albert Pyun.-Early life:...
as Fender Tremolo - Dayle HaddonDayle HaddonDayle Haddon is a Canadian model and actress, presently known for promoting anti-aging products manufactured by L'Oréal. Additionally, she is credited as author of Ageless Beauty: A Woman's Guide to Lifelong Beauty and Well-Being...
as Pearl Prophet - Alex DanielsAlex DanielsAlex Daniels is an American football linebacker and fullback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2010.-College career:...
as Marshall Strat - Blaise Loong as Furman Vux / Pirate / Bandit
- Rolf Muller as Brick Bardo
- Haley Peterson as Haley
- Terrie Batson as Mary
- Jackson 'Rock' Pinckney as Tytus / Pirate
Production
Cannon Films initially intended to make a sequel to the 1987 He-ManHe-Man
He-Man is a fictional heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. In most variations, he is the alter ego of Prince Adam...
film Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe (film)
Masters of the Universe is a 1987 science-fiction fantasy film based on the toy line by the same name. The movie stars Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor...
and a live-action version of 'Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
'. Both projects were planned to shoot simultaneously by Albert Pyun
Albert Pyun
Albert Pyun is an American film director best known for having made many low-budget B-movies and direct-to-video action films. He frequently blends kickboxing and hybrid martial arts with science fiction and dystopic or post-apocalyptic themes, which often include cyborgs...
. Cannon, however, was in financial trouble and had to cancel deals with both Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
and Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC , formerly Marvel Enterprises and Toy Biz, Inc., is an American entertainment company formed from the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and Toy Biz, Inc....
, the owners of He-Man and Spider-Man, respectively. Cannon had already spent $2 million on costumes and sets for both films, and decided to start a new project to recoup the money spent on them. Then Pyun wrote the storyline for Cyborg in one weekend. Pyun had Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
in mind for the lead, but co-producer Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan is an Israeli director and producer. He has produced movies for such stars as Sean Connery, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Charles Bronson, and was known for a period as a producer of comic book-style movies like Masters of the Universe, Superman IV:...
cast Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
. The film was shot for less than $500,000 and was filmed in 24 days.
Several of the characters' names are references to well-known manufacturers and models of guitars and other musical instruments.
- Gibson Rickenbacker: GibsonGibson Guitar CorporationThe Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
, RickenbackerRickenbackerRickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California... - Fender Tremolo: Fender, Tremolo armTremolo armA whammy bar, tremolo arm/bar, or vibrato arm/bar is a component of a guitar, used to add vibrato to the sound by changing the tension of the strings, typically at the bridge or tailpiece...
- Marshall Strat: Marshall Amplifiers, Fender StratocasterFender StratocasterThe Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
- Les: Gibson Les PaulGibson Les PaulThe Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
- Pearl Prophet: Pearl drumsPearl DrumsFounded in 1952, the is a multinational corporation based in Japan with a wide range of products, predominately percussion instruments.-History:Pearl was founded by Katsumi Yanagisawa, who began manufacturing music stands in Sumida, Tokyo on April 2, 1946...
, Prophet 5 synthesizerSequential Circuits Prophet 5The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer that was manufactured by Sequential Circuits in San Jose, California between 1977 and 1984. The Prophet-5 was groundbreaking in that it was one of the first analog synthesizers to implement patch memory, a feature which stored user settings of every parameter... - Nady Simmons: Nady Sound Systems, Simmons electric drums
Jackson "Rock" Pinckney, who played one of Fender's pirates, lost his eye during filming when Jean-Claude Van Damme accidentally struck his eye with a prop knife. Pinckney sued Van Damme in a North Carolina court and was awarded $485,000.
Violent scenes were heavily cut to gain an "R" rating rather than an "X", including a throat-slitting and some blood and gore during the village massacre. Also excised was the death of a man Van Damme was fighting, which caused an inconsistency that made him look like he suddenly disappeared.
In the song "Judgment Day" from Method Man's album Tical 2000: Judgement Day
Tical 2000: Judgement Day
Tical 2000: Judgement Day is the second studio album by American rapper, and Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man, released November 17, 1998, on Def Jam Records. The album's title and overall theme were heavily influenced by the apocalypse theories surrounding the forthcoming end of the millennium...
, the opening lyrics use most of Fender's opening words to the film. The lyrics are slightly modified. The intro is also in the opening of the song "World Damnation" by the death metal band Mortician
Mortician (band)
Mortician is a death metal / deathgrind two piece band from Yonkers, New York founded in 1989. They have released most of their albums since the House by the Cemetery EP on Relapse Records but have released their latest album on their own label, Mortician Records. They have toured several times...
. The intro of Fender talking about death and starvation is thought as the official opening of metal band Chimairas' song "Resurrection." It is often played at live shows as an intro.
Reception
Cyborg received a generally negative reception from critics. Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports a 14% positive score, based on 14 reviews, certifying it "Rotten", with an average rating of 2.9/10. However, it retained a cult
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
status.
Sequels
Cyborg 2Cyborg 2
Cyborg 2, released in some countries as Glass Shadow, is a 1993 science fiction action film directed by Michael Schroeder. It is an unrelated sequel to the 1989 film Cyborg, although footage from the original is used in a dream sequence...
, starring Elias Koteas
Elias Koteas
Elias Koteas is a Canadian actor of film and television, best known for his roles in The Prophecy, Fallen and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.-Early life:...
and Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
, was released in 1993. Cyborg 3: The Recycler
Cyborg 3: The Recycler
Cyborg 3: The Recycler is the 1995 direct-to-video sequel to Cyborg 2 starring Malcolm McDowell and Khrystyne Haje. Released on home video in 1995, the film is directed by Michael Schroeder.-Plot:...
, a direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
release, followed in 1995. Both films bear little to no relation to the first film and were heavily panned by critics, even more than the original.
Alternate cut
In early 2011, director Albert PyunAlbert Pyun
Albert Pyun is an American film director best known for having made many low-budget B-movies and direct-to-video action films. He frequently blends kickboxing and hybrid martial arts with science fiction and dystopic or post-apocalyptic themes, which often include cyborgs...
Curnan Pictures got hold of the missing tapes of the original cut of Cyborg through Albert’s original choice for score artist; Tony Riparetti. This director's cut
Director's cut
A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials, comic book or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit...
of the film features his editing and some previously-unreleased scenes, and is commercially available through the director himself.