So, after careful consideration, I prefer the originally released version to the directors cut/assembly version.
The ox/dog change was good; the condensed opening let the film get to business better; the lack of subplots with prison members strengthened the pacing; and I love the chest burst at the end.
The end of Act 2 was a bit more jagged than in the longer version, and I didn't feel the emotional impact, themes about toxic relationships and religion, and the existential hopelessness as heavily in this version, but it is overall an easier film to watch.
There are many qualities that allow this to have a solid place in the series. However, the movie never achieves a next-level quality with its themes the way the first two films do, or even as the fourth film does.
The ox/dog change was good; the condensed opening let the film get to business better; the lack of subplots with prison members strengthened the pacing; and I love the chest burst at the end.
The end of Act 2 was a bit more jagged than in the longer version, and I didn't feel the emotional impact, themes about toxic relationships and religion, and the existential hopelessness as heavily in this version, but it is overall an easier film to watch.
There are many qualities that allow this to have a solid place in the series. However, the movie never achieves a next-level quality with its themes the way the first two films do, or even as the fourth film does.