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[Property of Jumpship]

I finally got around to watching it last night and while I did enjoy it I cant help feeling that it was just too much movie. Peter Jackson did a phenomenal job on the trilogy but RotK EE was just a plodding, dare I say boring exercise of deleted and extended scenes and weird Hobbit love. I dont remember being at all bored while I sat in the theater watching the normal movie, however as the movie stretched past the 3 hour 30 minute mark and Frodo and Sam started their climb of Mt. Doom I was just ready for the whole bloody experience to end. Anyone else feel this way? I dont believe I would ever say it but sometimes too much of a good thing is not a good thing.

Mouth of Sauron was still awesome though.

 

[Amir0x]

I finally got around to watching it last night and while I did enjoy it I cant help feeling that it was just too much movie. Peter Jackson did a phenomenal job on the trilogy but RotK EE was just a plodding, dare I say boring exercise of deleted and extended scenes and weird Hobbit love. I dont remember being at all bored while I sat in the theater watching the normal movie, however as the movie stretched past the 3 hour 30 minute mark and Frodo and Sam started their climb of Mt. Doom I was just ready for the whole bloody experience to end. Anyone else feel this way? I dont believe I would ever say it but sometimes too much of a good thing is not a good thing.

Mouth of Sauron was still awesome though.

Not me. I felt, like the other EEs, it fleshed out the movie more and made it perfect. That's just my view, though.

 

[Prospero]

I have the ROTK EE DVD set sitting on my shelf, still in its wrapper, because I can't get up the energy to sit through it for four hours--never mind the extras. (Considering that I sat through the director's cut of Fanny and Alexander on Friday, which weighs in at 312 minutes, I think that says more about ROTK in particular than my patience with long movies.)

In my opinion, FOTR really is the best of the three movies, as it's the one that has the best characterization. (And FOTR has Sean Bean, who gives the best performance in the whole ensemble--his Boromir is even better than the Boromir of the novels.) In the second and third movies the visual effects are amped up, but all of the other things that make films worth watching (like plot, pacing, and characterization) suffer by comparison.

I'm basing my opinion on the theatrical cut of ROTK and the extended cut of TTT, though--it's possible, though unlikely, that I'll change my mind after watching ROTK EE.

 

[Solid]

I wanted more scenes with the Witch King. Haven't read the book so maybe he wasn't in the story more than that

 

[Property of Jumpship]

I wanted more scenes with the Witch King. Haven't read the book so maybe he wasn't in the story more than that

I felt that the deleted scenes were built up more than they delivered. Sauraman's scene, as well as the Witch King's was weak.

 

[Gorey]

I finally got around to watching it last night and while I did enjoy it I cant help feeling that it was just too much movie. Peter Jackson did a phenomenal job on the trilogy but RotK EE was just a plodding, dare I say boring exercise of deleted and extended scenes and weird Hobbit love. I dont remember being at all bored while I sat in the theater watching the normal movie, however as the movie stretched past the 3 hour 30 minute mark and Frodo and Sam started their climb of Mt. Doom I was just ready for the whole bloody experience to end. Anyone else feel this way? I dont believe I would ever say it but sometimes too much of a good thing is not a good thing.

Mouth of Sauron was still awesome though.

It's my opinion that the extended editions are meant for the insane fans, the types who've read all the books and clamor for the details. Like me, for instance. Most of the 'casual' fans I know don't really dig them all that much- 'they are too long already!' is the usual complaint. Especially the final quarter of ROTK- yes, people, even in the book the ending is long.

Edit: this isn't to say who can or can't get something out of the EE's. I'm just saying they are primarily meant, in my opinion, for obsessive tolkien loons. Like myself

 

[pnjtony]

yeah, they're not called directors cuts because the theatrical versions are the director's cuts. The Extended Editions are just the extra stuff filmed good enough to put back in for the LOTR nuts out there. Some of thescenes weren't even finished yet. Like when Aragorn and Co hijack the pirate ship, where the ship meets the water looked fake as hell and Legolas jumping out of the boat was 100$ digital and looked crappy.

The EE's are NOT for everybody

 

[Cosmic Bus]

I pretty much feel the same way. Select scenes aside (death of Sauroman, Gandalf/Witch King, Mouth of Sauron), I didn't think the new and extended stuff in RotK were nearly as interesting or even necessary as in the previous two films. It really is entirely too long for it's own good, IMO. I almost wish I had a DVD burner so I could take the theatrical cut, splice in the three major additions from the EE, and leave out the rest.

Fellowship still reigns in my book as the best of the trilogy, in both original and EE versions.

 

[Dead]

I pretty much feel the same way. Select scenes aside (death of Sauroman, Gandalf/Witch King, Mouth of Sauron), I didn't think the new and extended stuff in RotK were nearly as interesting or even necessary as in the previous two films. It really is entirely too long for it's own good, IMO. I almost wish I had a DVD burner so I could take the theatrical cut, splice in the three major additions from the EE, and leave out the rest.

Fellowship still reigns in my book as the best of the trilogy, in both original and EE versions.

I agree with everything said here, Ill go as far as saying its a lesser film. I was totally convinced the EE would fix many of ROTKs problems, seems I was wrong.

Meanwhile the TTT theatrical cut is extremely lacking, the EE does polish it up to a certain degree. FOTR doesnt even need an EE, its perfect the way it is and both are leagues above parts 2 and 3.

 

[madara]

No. Actually I wish it was longer. It went by way to fast for me.

 

[Bigfoot]

I think that ROTK EE > ROTK TE, but it didn't do as much for the film as the Two Towers EE did... Two Towers sucked before the EE. FOTR is the best film of the 3, and the EE didn't add much or take away anything from the TE.

 

[Shogmaster]

I thought even the theatrical version was way too long myself. I tried to leave the theater like 4 times near the end thinking the movie was over, but another godamn scene would start and I had to seat back down on my totally numb ass once again.

When the movie finally ended, I yelled out "Fucking finally!" and got some laughs from people around me. :lol

 

[MrAngryFace]

Commence the backlash! LOTR SUX! PETER JACKSON = HACK!

 

[ManaByte]

When the movie finally ended, I yelled out "Fucking finally!" and got some laughs from people around me. :lol

Oh, you're one of those fucktards who does shit like that in a movie theater. And they weren't laughing with you.

 

[Prospero]

Like Cyan, I thought of mixing and matching theatrical and extended cuts to get the ones I wanted. But doesn't that create continuity problems? Specifically, I remember thinking when I saw the theatrical cut of TTT that it has better continuity with the extended FOTR than with the theatrical cut, and that there are little bits of dialogue here and there that would seem nonsensical otherwise.

Difficult to explain, but it always seemed to me that Jackson and co. assumed you'd seen the extended cut of one film before you saw the next in the theater.

 

[Dreamfixx]

My combination is:
Fellowship of the Ring Extended
Two Towers Extended
Return of the King Theatrical

 

[0wn3d]

With all of the EEs, I would only watch one disc at a time. That always worked best for me.

And yes, the Mouth of Sauron scene was really cool.

 

[Shogmaster]

Oh, you're one of those fucktards who does shit like that in a movie theater. And they weren't laughing with you.

Hey, at least I waited until the credits rolled.

 

[trilobyte]

For both TTT and ROTK I think I prefer the theatrical cuts. I believed Peter Jackson always said that the theatrical cuts are his preferred cuts and that the EEs are just for the fans.

 

[gofreak]

The regular edition was too much for me on a second theater viewing. Maybe it was because it was a later showing, but I just wanted to leave by the time we got to the last half hour (but I never leave a theather early). There are so many "endings", that I had forgotten some of them by the time I watched it the second time around.

I got the extended edition as a gift for christmas, and will likely watch it when I can put aside a whole afternoon or evening.

 

[Prince of Space]

The only thing I didn't like about ROTK EE was the extended scene in the Dead City. Took away the tension of "OMG will they join them?!?"

 

[iapetus]

Anyone gone for the full 3-extended-editions-in-one-sitting experience yet?

 

[Property of Jumpship]

Anyone gone for the full 3-extended-editions-in-one-sitting experience yet?

11 hours 35 minutes. I dont think anyone is that crazy....well knowing this board some crazy bastard did it.

 

[COCKLES]

Commence the backlash! LOTR SUX! PETER JACKSON = HACK!

Finally, their catching on!!

 

[pnjtony]

one of my friends did. I've barely had the time to watch ROTK EE once and once with cast commentary

 

[iapetus]

11 hours 35 minutes. I dont think anyone is that crazy...

Actually, I'm looking to do it as soon as i can find a free weekend. Just takes a little preparation.

 

[SpoonyBard]

I once watched/listened all the four FOTR commentary tracks while playing Civ3 at the same time. Didn't feel very good afterwards tho...

 

[Deg]

I thought ROTK EE was quite weak. Made the movie worse. I only approve of afew the extra scenes as they added info.

 

[Naked Snake]

Anyone gone for the full 3-extended-editions-in-one-sitting experience yet?

Me and my boyfriend planned on doing that last week, we had everything setup for the LONG journey, we managed to watch FOTR EE and TTT EE (I think we cooked a semi-meal in between, so it wasn't exactly "in-one-setting"), and then we started watching ROTK EE and about 20 minutes or so in something came up and we had to quit... It was a real bummer.

We didn't get to watch ROTK EE until tonight actually, funny that this thread popped up today, this forum is always freaky with little coincidences like that.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

Anyone gone for the full 3-extended-editions-in-one-sitting experience yet?

Not quite. I did FotR and TTT one day, RoTK the next.

I prefer the EE over the TE, but then I think that's because it fills in details from the books. So for me they become the definitive version of the films.

I think with the RotK EE, the new/extended scenes were a bit more hit and miss than with the other EEs. With FoTR and especially TTTs the EE stuff really felt like it was enhancing the movie. With RotK some stuff is awesome, like the Mouth of Sauron and Sauraman (and personally I feel the way Jackson closes things with him is better than what Tolkien did). Also I think the EE repairs the imbalance with Eowyn pining after Aragorn. I thought this was a huge flaw in the TE, to have so much focus in TTT and RotK on Eowyn's thing for Aragorn and then just totally leave it up in the air. But outside of that stuff there's a lot of extended stuff that feels a bit pointless.

And I still think that they all that Smeagol stuff that opens the movie is completely pointless, both in the TE and EE. It's so redundant to the plot, and the film would have been better served by being shorter, or using the time for the Sauraman or Eowyn stuff. My conspiracy take on it is that it was a response to their attempts to get Andy Serkis noticed awards-wise for TTT going unnoticed.

 

[sprsk]

ROTK by itself is "too much"

 

[Sagitario]

...I dont remember being at all bored while I sat in the theater watching the normal movie...

I do remember being bored, specially in the second one... I liked the movies... but not THAT much...

 

[Memles]

And I still think that they all that Smeagol stuff that opens the movie is completely pointless, both in the TE and EE. It's so redundant to the plot, and the film would have been better served by being shorter, or using the time for the Sauraman or Eowyn stuff. My conspiracy take on it is that it was a response to their attempts to get Andy Serkis noticed awards-wise for TTT going unnoticed.

However...I'm pretty sure it was filmed during The Two Towers pickups, if I'm not mistaken, or else during principal photography. It, in the very least, was in no way a kneejerk reaction since either of those time periods do not fit into your theory.

I haven't watched the EE yet, simply because the family wants to watch it together, and the time hasn't been there. That being said, I'm through the first disc or appendices already...and these things really are brilliant. It's hard to suggest people owning the TE when these features actually are what, to me, makes the EE so superior, over the new cut of the film.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

However...I'm pretty sure it was filmed during The Two Towers pickups, if I'm not mistaken, or else during principal photography. It, in the very least, was in no way a kneejerk reaction since either of those time periods do not fit into your theory.

It could have been filmed for the EE. We know Jackson did stuff to the movies based on audience feedback, but that doesn't necessarily mean they had to film new stuff. From what was said when it was revealed that Sauraman wouldn't be in the film it does seem that the decision to cut the scene was a later decision and that they filmed it thinking it would be in the TE.

 

[ManaByte]

However...I'm pretty sure it was filmed during The Two Towers pickups, if I'm not mistaken, or else during principal photography. It, in the very least, was in no way a kneejerk reaction since either of those time periods do not fit into your theory.

Yeah, the Smeagol origin scene that opens ROTK was originally going to take place in TTT during the Dead Marshes scene where Frodo calls him Smeagol for the first time.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

Yeah, the Smeagol origin scene that opens ROTK was originally going to take place in TTT during the Dead Marshes scene where Frodo calls him Smeagol for the first time.

Yeah I've heard that. But I heard that it wasn't even for the TE, but the EE. Also they didn't really start talking up Andy Serkis appearingfor real as Smeagol until after their failed attempts at getting recognision for him for being the performance behind Gollum.

I'm still utterly convinced that Christopher Lee was bumped out of RotK TE to make way for the Smeagol stuff originally meant for TTT EE so they could prove a point after being snubbed. It just fits too much.

 

[ManaByte]

Yeah I've heard that. But I heard that it wasn't even for the TE, but the EE. Also they didn't really start talking up Andy Serkis appearingfor real as Smeagol until after their failed attempts at getting recognision for him for being the performance behind Gollum.

I'm still utterly convinced that Christopher Lee was bumped out of RotK TE to make way for the Smeagol stuff originally meant for TTT EE so they could prove a point after being snubbed. It just fits too much.

Nope. It was originally slated for the TTT TE. They then had to start cutting stuff so it was moved to the EE, and then to ROTK. It was planned and filmed with the intention of putting it on the original theatrical release of TTT. Your conspiracy theory is false in light of the facts, which can be found on both the EE sets of TTT and ROTK.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

Nope. It was originally slated for the TTT TE. They then had to start cutting stuff so it was moved to the EE, and then to ROTK. It was planned and filmed with the intention of putting it on the original theatrical release of TTT. Your conspiracy theory is false in light of the facts, which can be found on both the EE sets of TTT and ROTK.

That doesn't disprove my theory. And it's not like it'd be the sort of thing they'd come out and admit. 'Yes because we wanted people to praise our CG character, but they pretty much ignored us we tried to reinforce that it was a real performance by an actor by hijacking the start of the third movie, with a scene that wasn't even originally intended for it, but this meant we had to cut out the conclusion to a major villians story arc'.

 

[ManaByte]

That doesn't disprove my theory. And it's not like it'd be the sort of thing they'd come out and admit. 'Yes because we wanted people to praise our CG character, but they pretty much ignored us we tried to reinforce that it was a real performance by an actor by hijacking the start of the third movie, with a scene that wasn't even originally intended for it, but this meant we had to cut out the conclusion to a major villians story arc'.

The scene was filmed during principal photography for the trilogy (not pickups or reshoots) and was directed by Fran Walsh.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

Dammit, you are ruining my being angry for Christopher Lee. The man is a legend yet they couldn't find 5 minutes to give him the send off he deserves in full cinematic, mulitplex glory. He was illtreated, he deserves justice.

 

[SickBoy]

Actually, I'm looking to do it as soon as i can find a free weekend. Just takes a little preparation.

Stage One: preparation. For this you will need: one room which you will not leave; one mattress; tomato soup, ten tins of; mushroom soup, eight tins of, for consumption cold; ice cream, vanilla, one large tub of; Magnesia, Milk of, one bottle; paracetamol; mouth wash; vitamins; mineral water; Lucozade; pornography; one bucket for urine, one for feces, and one for vomitus; one television; and one bottle of Valium

 

[gblues]

11 hours 35 minutes. I dont think anyone is that crazy....well knowing this board some crazy bastard did it.

A couple weeks ago we did an EE marathon for a christmas party for a Jr. High youth group. It was awesome.

Nathan

 

[Memles]

It could have been filmed for the EE. We know Jackson did stuff to the movies based on audience feedback, but that doesn't necessarily mean they had to film new stuff. From what was said when it was revealed that Sauraman wouldn't be in the film it does seem that the decision to cut the scene was a later decision and that they filmed it thinking it would be in the TE.

No...it was discussed in, I think the Two Towers Extended Edition how they had decided, from a script standpoint, that they needed some form of prologue for the film, and then filmed that scene.

But who knows other than them, really?

 

[Manics]

I have the ROTK EE DVD set sitting on my shelf, still in its wrapper, because I can't get up the energy to sit through it for four hours--never mind the extras.

That's funny, I bought the triology the day it was released and I STILL have yet to throw one of the movies into my player. The discs could be all screwed up for all I know and by the time I get around to watching them, I probably won't be able to return them to the store if they're defective. They look nice sitting on the shelf in the box though.
:lol

 

[Nerevar]

Why do people who didn't like the length of the movie buy the extended edition? Didn't you realize it was going to be longer, and include scenes that were cut from the movie in order to make the movie experience "tighter"? Did you not realize what the extended edition was in the first place?

 

[Gorey]

Dammit, you are ruining my being angry for Christopher Lee. The man is a legend yet they couldn't find 5 minutes to give him the send off he deserves in full cinematic, mulitplex glory. He was illtreated, he deserves justice.

Preach it. My only significant beef with Jackson- Lee just deserved FAR better than that.

Why do people who didn't like the length of the movie buy the extended edition? Didn't you realize it was going to be longer, and include scenes that were cut from the movie in order to make the movie experience "tighter"? Did you not realize what the extended edition was in the first place?

I was wondering this myself.

 

[Prince of Space]

Anyone gone for the full 3-extended-editions-in-one-sitting experience yet?

Some of the lads and I did it last weekend. From 1 PM to 1AM.