Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now is a rare and great film -- an almost operatic war movie. It received high praise in its day and is still revered as one of the greatest films ever made. Still, despite the accolades for the original version, Coppola supposedly had not released a film he was fully satisfied with. Now more than twenty years later, we have this new version of his classic that is fifty minutes longer called Apocalypse Now Redux.

Supposedly, Coppola and original editor Walter Murch sat down with all the original film stock, including stuff taken out and alternate versions of the scenes, and re-edited much of the film. This means that they didn’t just add in new portions here and there (although there are substantial additions); it means that they may also have used different versions of scenes that were already included in the original film. In other words, if you remember certain parts of the film well, you may have to go back and look at the original film to see if it is exactly the same footage. It was a pretty ambitious undertaking. This isn’t like going and repainting a car; this is more like taking everything off and rebuilding it from the ground up. Furthermore, I applaud Coppola’s initiative for doing this in a theater-release version, not just on DVD like so many others do. This film begs to be seen on the big screen.

So, does the newer, longer, updated version differ substantially? Yes and no. The story, loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, remains the same. Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) is assigned to take a boat up a river in Vietnam during the war there and "terminate" the command of a Colonel Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando). Kurtz is a decorated soldier that the army fears has lost his sanity and must be put down with any means necessary. Along the way, though, Willard realizes that Kurtz may not be the only insane person in the war. As he makes his way up the river with a small group of soldiers, he encounters scene after scene of inexplicable situations that causes him to question everyone around him. It’s Willard’s emotion that we can identify with easier here.

This new film moves much slower, largely due to the added length of footage, but it does a much better job of conveying the sense of insanity that Willard encounters during his journey. The extra scenes don’t just add length; they add considerable depth too. In particular, there is a lengthy addition where Willard encounters a group of French settlers. This part was never in the original film. The inclusion of it late in the film almost grinds the pacing to a halt, but Willard’s experience there slams home the many contradictions and seemingly ludicrous situations of his surroundings. Other parts, like Robert Duvall’s legendary surf-loving Lt. Colonel Kilgore character, have been expanded to fine effect. These parts don’t just add depth; they add considerable enjoyment too.

Admittedly, despite all the good things I have to say about this film, it is not something that will appeal to everyone. Watching this requires your involvement. It almost begs for your participation because it is an intense and almost surreal experience. But for those that look beyond typical, superficial Hollywood offerings, this has few equals. The only thing I would add to Coppola’s new format is a defined intermission point. This film is about three-and-a-half hours now, and that’s a seriously long time to be sitting. A break at the two-hour mark would be ideal.