Richer history and world building – Many of the additional scenes either have us linger longer in places the theatrical cuts zoom over (Rivendell and Lothlorien for example in Fellowship), show us aspects of the variety of cultures in Middle Earth (“Concerning Hobbits” scene right at the beginning of Fellowship), or fill us in on the backstory surrounding the events that have led to the current climate (Boromir’s scene in Two Towers being the greatest example of this).
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My only argument is that ultimately these extra scenes don’t actually improve the final product but in fact make it a slightly worse movie strictly from a form perspective.īefore we dive into exactly how this is the case, let me first lay out exactly what the extended editions ADD to the equation: Most director’s cuts are garbage, but the extended editions are most certainly not. In fact those cuts join the rare and hallowed hall of director’s cuts that are actually worth seeking out (along with Blade Runner of course). Now before anyone starts slinging arrows at me, let me just state upfront that I’m not saying that the extended editions are bad per se. After finally going through the original theatrical releases again, it is clear that while the extended editions are wonderful love letters to fans, they ultimately are worse cuts than the theatrical releases. But the Hobbit did get me reevaluating my hallowed place for the LOTR extended editions. Unlike the LOTR trilogy, the announcement that the Hobbit was also getting the extended edition treatment inspired eye-rolls from me instead of genuine excitement. And then Peter Jackson made The Hobbit trilogy, an over bloated and annoyingly paced mess of a trilogy that stretched my usual penchant for patience to its near-breaking point. The idea that the over 2 hours of additional footage added to the trilogy could be anything but unquestionably good seemed ludicrous to me.
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Since the announcement the extended editions became the standard way I watched the LOTR trilogy and I have never found the need to return to the original theatrical cuts.įor years that approach has served me well and my annual or semi-annual marathon revisits of the series were enjoyed without caveats. The opportunity to spend more time in Tolkien’s expansive world seemed like a fantastic idea and for the most part it was. This feeling of elation was furthered when, a year later, Jackson announced that there would be “extended” editions of not just the Fellowship but of all the upcoming LOTR movies and that they would be significant extensions. And the feeling of elation I had sitting in the theatre about three minutes into The Fellowship of the Ring when I realized that Peter Jackson had nailed it remains one of my most vivid movie memories.
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Like most Tolkien fans out there, the news that they were going to make a “Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) trilogy was something I genuinely geeked out about. ( Since I’m diving deep into both the theatrical and extended cuts of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, let’s just assume that SPOILERS will abound.)