Hey, UK readers:have you bought The Avengers – sorry, Avengers Assemble – yet? Are you planning to? You might want to think again.

Fans were already up in arms about the fact that the UK edition is missing Joss Whedon’s commentary track – almost certainly sacrificed to make room for more multi-language options, because Disney don’t want to produce different editions for different European countries, and because apparently the expanded storage capacity of a Blu-ray still won’t allow the commentary track to be included as well. Not to mention that Disney are one of those major labels that take the BBFC’s claims that audio commentaries need to be submitted for certification seriously, despite there being no legal backing for such a claim. Why spend another couple of grand that you don’t have to? Especially when there is the option of an expanded release a year or two down the line?

(Disney have claimed that the commentary track wasn't ready in time to be included - though that done beg the question as to why the UK edition was prepared so much sooner than the US version. Fans are rightly sceptical about this excuse).

It’s presumably this pan-European mentality – because a film like this is obviously such a niche market item that its easier to duplicate a whole continent worth of discs at the same time rather than country by country – that has also apparently seen a censored version of the film released to the UK market. The film was actually passed uncut by the BBFC, but the German censors removed a brief shot of a spear through someone’s back, and so it’s that version we have. Which begs the question – are Disney contravening the Video Recordings Act by releasing a version not passed by the BBFC? The law doesn’t differentiate between not making required cuts and making your own after the fact. And only one version of the film would seem to have been passed for video release, with the BBFC’s extended classification guidance making it clear that this was the uncut version containing the offending scene.

Either way, it's hard to see this edition of the film as anything more than a giant 'fuck you' to British viewers, though if anyone cares to give us a more resonable explanation, we'll happily pass it on. Meanwhile, anyone thinking about buying the film might ponder the fact that the US Blu-ray is apparently region free…

UPDATE: This is the story that keeps on giving – though how much of what it gives can be believed is anyone’s guess.
In the wake of the widespread outrage about the cut, Disney publicist Lydia Rodrigues spoke to Home Cinema Choice is what turned out to be one of the clumsiest attempts at damage limitation I’ve ever seen. First of all, she denied that the disc version was any different than the theatrical, claiming that the scene had been removed from the version shown in cinemas – and that anyone who remembered otherwise must have seen a press screening of the US cut. This is, of course, nonsense, as thousands of people could tell you. After trying to excuse the missing commentary track (and other extras also missing), she then effectively told unhappy customers to buy the US version instead.

Shortly afterwards, the BBFC backtracked and claimed that their consumer advice was wrong – that the version submitted was the edited version after all, and that they had inadvertently posted the consumer advice from the theatrical version – which shows that the scene was in the cinema release. However, it would seem that the cut version was the one submitted for home video, because I can’t see the BBFC lying on behalf of Disney really.

Which makes it odd that now, the film’s official UK Facebook page has this statement: “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 recognising this and apologise for the mix up.” Are they saying this was a duplication error? Or that the wrong version went to the BBFC? Either way, there’s no sign yet that these ‘faulty’ editions will be replaced.

This has been a remarkable clusterfuck, and we’re no nearer the truth of the situation now than we were when people first noticed this edit. Nor is there any reasonable excuse as to why the UK release is so compromised on extras – and worse, available in so many different variants exclusive to individual stockists, making something of a mockery of Rodrigues’ statement that “we don’t think we can really ask fans who have bought this version to buy another just to obtain the commentary” when asked about special editions. Fans wanting the full Avengers Assemble package - the 90 minute documentary that only Sainsburys have, the HMV-only Steelbook - are already being asked to buy several versions to get it. Given the accuracy of the rest of her interview with Home Cinema Choice, I doubt anyone will be surprised to see a two disc extended and uncut version being released within a year. The company clearly don’t give a damn about the UK market.