That was 5 hours of my life I can't get back. After watching it the first time I thought to myself, what's wrong with me? Why did I hate what is considered to be one of the greatest films of all time? So I watched it again. I still hated hated it.
Is the redux any better?
I think it was critically acclaimed for two reasons: firstly, because it artfully and ironically portrayed anti-war sentiment. Secondly, because Coppola had developed a cult following. But that doesn't make it any good. The characters were ridiculous, poorly developed and unbelievable. The story was not big enough for the time they took to portray it. The epic journey style used to tell the story didn't lend itself to the subject. It really wasn't well done at all.