comScore
  1. Mediaite
  2. Gossip Cop
  3. Geekosystem
  4. Styleite
  5. SportsGrid
  6. The Mary Sue
  7. The Jane Dough
  8. The Braiser

Consider the Following

Disney Explains UK Avengers DVD Edits; Won’t Issue a Rerelease

by Susana Polo | 11:43 am, September 19th, 2012


Earlier this week (in a post where despite my best efforts I once again messed up the definition of “the United Kingdom”), we covered the discovering of a mysterious edit to the UK version of The Avengers DVD set. Specifically, it edited a pretty pivotal scene with Agent Phil Coulson to be less violent. You know, that scene. The one that most people half expect them to retcon, and a not-insignificant number of people actively want them to reveal as being not the whole truth of the matter.

Well, Disney’s got an explanation for that.

The explanation isn’t just about the digital removal of the top of Loki’s spear where it protruded from Coulson’s chest when he stabbed him in the back. The UK DVD release has more noticeable omissions, like that it was shipped without one of the commentary tracks available in the US release, and not just any commentary track. The UK DVD release is missing director Joss Whedon‘s commentary, due to the recording of it missing the deadline for inclusion on the disk. Disney UK’s spokesperson Lydia Rodrigues told Home Cinema Choice that there are no plans to rerelease or change the DVD set.

That’s been the subject of heated debate here (at Disney U.K.), but we don’t think we can really ask fans who have bought this version to buy another just to obtain the commentary. So at the moment we are thinking it won’t be released. We also know that hardcore fans with Blu-ray players are probably going to end up buying the U.S. release, which has the commentary. The American Blu-ray is region-free. We don’t think we can ask people to buy both versions.

Rodrigues did not mention whether the American DVD release was also region free. If it isn’t, that’s certainly an annoyance for fans who might not have shelled out for a Blu-ray player (or a PS3) yet.

As for Coulson’s death scene, the explanation for that one is simple, and “no[t] censorship“:

The version of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble [the U.K. title for The Avengers] on Blu-ray disc in the U.K. is the same as the version shown theatrically. It really is. The simple fact is for a 12 certificate film in the U.K., that scene was deemed inappropriate. So Marvel Studios chose to remove the spear tip digitally.

As I learned from commenters on our first post on this subject, the ratings for theatrical releases and home video releases are separate in the UK. A DVD release may garner a different rating for the same footage that played in theaters. I’m not sure I agree that digitally removing the tip of Loki’s spear isn’t censorship. It might be a pretty mild form of bowdlerization, not one worth getting up in arms about, but I think that still counts.

(via Spinoff.)

TAGS: | |


  • http://twitter.com/greyatmosphere Eleanor

    I said it on twitter and I’ll say it again here: they’re lying. The speartip was in the UK theatrical release, as I and many of my friends can confirm, having seen it there on multiple occasions (me four times, another friend three times, etc…). I don’t know what they possibly hope to gain by lying about it. We’re not idiots.

  • http://twitter.com/femmissgeek TheFeminineMissGeek

    Whaat? Lame. There should be some way for the Brits to get that commentary. Perhaps a download, like RiffTrax?

  • SK

    If that’s censorship, then pretty much every movie released is censored as the studios edit all sorts of stuff in the US, UK, and elsewhere in order to get a specific rating. For $$.

  • Anonymous

    Darren Aronofsky provided a download of his commentary track that wasn’t included on the DVD release of The Fountain. I’m sure it wouldn’t be to hard to do the same. If there are licensing issues, I’m thinking that he is geeky enough to just record a new commentary track for the fans. As for the CG edits… :(

  • Adam R. Charpentier

    A while back, the same time that ugly suitcase collection was announced, a similar collection was made available for preorder on Amazon UK for the low-low price of $50 USD, so I took advantage…lacking the lame 3D discs is fine, good riddens to the cumbersome box, but hearing that there wouldn’t be a commentary track was disheartening…and now THIS. I felt like I was getting such a bargain too.

  • Adam R. Charpentier

    Oh, it’ll be available as a download. Whether they want to make it legal is up to them. Bastards.

  • http://profiles.google.com/richjohnston Rich Johnston

    You should check the Bleeding Cool update on this story from early this morning…

  • Holly Dean – Young

    OK this just popped up on Avengers UK Facebook page:
    “Thanks to those of you who have let us know about an issue on the Marvel Avengers Assemble UK Blu-ray and DVD release, which has a less graphic depiction of Agent Coulson’s confrontation with Loki. Each country has its own compliance issues relative to depictions of violence. Unfortunately, another region’s elements were inadvertently used to create the UK in home release which minimally altered this scene in the film. We thank our fans for their vigilance in recognizing this and apologize for the mix up.”

    Which does seem to imply that this is an accident? Right?

    I have to admit I’m not a DVD extra person so not having a commentary isn’t a big issue but it is a shame we have had an edit – couldn’t the BBFC just give it a 15?

  • http://melancholywise.tumblr.com/ Sophie

    Yeah, I think it’s annoying, but I understand the reasoning. I’m actually glad the rules for film ratings are stricter in the UK, since I find American rating system really disturbing. I mean American cinema will often allow violence at a fairly low rating, but sex often gets a higher rating, unless it’s rape then it often gets by on a lower rating, which is pretty horrible if you ask me. Censorship laws have done a lot of damage and I’m not saying we shouldn’t be wary of them, but I’m glad for instance that Star trek got a 12A rating not because of the violence in it, but because violence was shown as a positive way to solve conflict, which is something you might genuinely want to think about before showing a film to a young child. I do think it’s sometimes a drawback though. I think ‘The Hunger Games’ film lost some of it’s power due to having to be less violence (also that film was cut in the UK cinema release to show less gore).

  • http://twitter.com/RaphaelWent Raphael Went

    They aren’t “lying” just because you don’t understand what is going on. It was in the theatrical release, yes. No one said it wasn’t. What they DID say was that theatrical releases don’t have the same certification rules as DVD releases. So the spear tip IS acceptable for a 12 certificate in a theatrical release, but IS NOT acceptable for a 12 certificate for a DVD release.

  • http://twitter.com/Loerwyn Kathryn

    It was 12A in the cinemas, which has lower ‘boundaries’ than a 12, so I don’t think a 15 would be strictly necessary.

  • Just me

    actually… in the second quote they say the Blu-ray release IS the same as the UK Theatrical release. I would read that as them saying that the spear was also edited in the theatrical release. “The version of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble [the U.K. title for The Avengers] on Blu-ray disc in the U.K. is the same as the version shown theatrically. It really is.”. Also, following the link above the quote, it says that people who think they saw the spear tip in the cinema, probably saw a pre-release screening, also showing that they are stating that the theatrical release IS the same as the blu-ray/DVD – maybe there is another version of the story somewhere else that says it slightly differently, but from reading these 2 articles I think it’s fair to say that the reports are saying (or at least that one can read the reports as saying) they believe that what was on the DVD was in the cinema.

  • http://www.facebook.com/matthew.bagnall.7 Matthew Bagnall

    In the film the spear was there and it was a 12. In the DVD they are removing the spear and its still a 12? WTF?

    Anyway, sick of all this pointless removal of content that should be included, not buying the DVD now.

  • Lucky

    Read Holly Dean’s post above. This is NOT the fault of the UK film board as you are suggesting. I don’t blame you for suggesting this as the original statement from Disney blamed the UK film board. However, as per Dolly Dean’s quote above it is a cock up by Disney. They copied the German DVD (which is not allowed to show the spear in Coulson’s chest) for the UK release as they are lazy. The UK film board were fine with the spear in chest scene being a 12

  • Lucky

    The BBFC are fine with giving the spear in chest scene a 12. As per the comment you have posted (which I don’t blame you for misinterpreting as Disney are being a bit vague on purpose) this is completely the fault of Disney – they copied the German version (which is not allowed to show spear in chest) for the UK EVEN THOUGH the UK film board are fine with spear in chest being a 12. Disney were lazy and messed up. It is completely their fault.

  • Lucky

    The Cinema release for the UK had spear in chest – it was not just in pre-release. The Disney statement you refer to is a lie and Disney have subsequently issued an updated statement saying they have cocked up.

  • Anonymous

    Hee hee…cocked up…

  • http://www.facebook.com/matthew.bagnall.7 Matthew Bagnall

    In which case they should offer a refund or exchange, however all we get is half-assed excuses.

X