I watched The Deer Hunter for the first time a couple months ago. I wasn't immediately blown away, I thought the wedding at the beginning, like Lavi said, was WAY to long. However, I realize the reasoning for it.

At the end of the film, I was completely satisfied. Just a great film, and a strong contender for the best film of the 70s.

The re-release of the DVD last year sucked, though. Why the hell do they have a second disc if all they have on there is three extended scenes? I felt robbed!