Are the Lord of the Rings: Extended Editions that much better or am I just tripping?

[Soapbox Killer]

Somehow despite LOVING the trilogy, I have never seen the extended versions till now and I haven't watched Return of the King, which I already regarded as one of the best movies I have ever seen. I can't even tell which parts are not original to the 2001 films but this shit is hitting harder than ever.

And the unexpected part of it this is, thanks to Rings of Power and an extremely knowledgeable ERA poster, I think I understand these movies better and that makes them more enjoyable. I feel like I missed so much before and now I get a few nods here and there. I lot of the names and locations were just too strange for me to get before but now feeling like I see the bigger picture.


Now if I could get ONE of my kids to sit down and watch....

 

[dmgdbug]

extended editions is a misnomer

definitive editions is more apt

 

[The Quentulated Mox]

i think some of the additions are good and some are bad. in conclusion, the LOTR extended editions are a land of contrasts

 

[DrForester]

The Extended Editions are almost entirely more world a character building stuff. Outside of Saurman's fate, the Extended Editions don't really add much to the base narrative.


That said, I love all that extra stuff, and will only watch the Extended Editions.

 

[Hollywood Duo]

They are great if you want to dive deeper in to the world. There are also a lot of gratuitous violence he added back in which I assume was cut to keep away from the R rating. The Amon Hen sequence in Fellowship has Legolas killing like 4 more orcs in a row.

 

[WascallyWabbit]

I'd say especially in ROTK there's stuff that's not really needed and kinda just looks goofy

I'm thinking of the scene where Saruman dies and he turns on the wheel and I just lmao every time

 

[Rosebud]

I only rewatch them

 

[spookyduzt]

I can't live without the Mouth of Sauron.

 

[Fat4all]

if im gonna spend a fuckton of time rewatching the trilogy, it might as well be the EE, ya know

 

[Hollywood Duo]

I can't live without the Mouth of Sauron.

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It's fun but the problem is it's so out of order from the book you aren't supposed to know Frodo and Sam are alive

 

[Hello Snake]

I bought them on DVD but I could barely get through the first one. Then I fell asleep during the second one and never watched them again. Just found it boring. I liked them in the movie theater. Maybe I was tired.

 

[AuthenticM]

they are that much better.

 

[FlexMentallo]

I prefer the Extended editions overall but I think only Saruman's fate and fleshing out Faramir really felt like they were essential additions. ROTK was already so long, that EE is the one that feels a bit bloated.

 

[Hollywood Duo]

I bought them on DVD but I could barely get through the first one. Then I fell asleep during the second one and never watched them again. Just found it boring. I liked them in the movie theater. Maybe I was tired.

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They are extremely slow, the theatrical cuts are edited to be as lean and fast moving as possible given the material. The EE are there for fans who want to stop and smell the roses in Middle Earth.

 

[Flame Flamey]

Not a fan of the extended cut of ROTK showing Aragorn and friends taking out the corsairs; them jumping off the ships in the theatrical cut was one of my favorite childhood moments

 

[Pomerlaw]

I prefer the theatrical, especially ROTK

 

[neoak]

Theatrical editions are a waste of time.

Extended Editions are the definitive editions.

 

[Soapbox Killer]

I prefer the Extended editions overall but I think only Saruman's fate and fleshing out Faramir really felt like they were essential additions. ROTK was already so long, that EE is the one that feels a bit bloated.

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I didn't think about how much longer ROTK must be. I remember watching in the theater saying "this is great but I have to pee like a race horse, how much time is left?" and they guy next to me said "like 30 mins!" I was like HOW THE FUCK IS THE END OF THIS MOVIE THIS LONG?

 

[Anoregon]

I think Fellowship is the only one where the extended is like, fully superior, but I probably prefer the extended of the other two as well at this point.

 

[adj_noun]

I gotta have my Saruman closure.

 

[Jubilant Duck]

While I think Fellowship is the only EE that is categorically just 100% better, TT and ROTK are on net improved I think. I haven't bothered with the theatricals since their original run tbh.

 

[CloudWolf]

My personal bias says "Yes, they are better", but also I wouldn't show someone who hasn't seen the films yet the EE first. It's really just an extra thing for the fans. Well, mostly, as some of the added Return of the King scenes are essential.

I'd say especially in ROTK there's stuff that's not really needed and kinda just looks goofy

I'm thinking of the scene where Saruman dies and he turns on the wheel and I just lmao every time

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Saruman's fate is actually why I think the EE of RotK is the only one that's truly essential. Like, without it one of the main villains of the trilogy just kinda disappears.

 

[Fnnrqwin]

The pacing on Fellowship is much grander than the theatrical version, and it's pretty much impossible to go back. The extended scenes in Towers really add a lot of emotional weight that was missing from the theatrical as well. The extended scenes in King are a slog though, and you really feel the weight of them drag things down.

Like, I know people want closure with Saruman, but it is by far the worst scene in the trilogy.

 

[WascallyWabbit]

My personal bias says "Yes, they are better", but also I wouldn't show someone who hasn't seen the films yet the EE first. It's really just an extra thing for the fans. Well, mostly, as some of the added Return of the King scenes are essential.


Saruman's fate is actually why I think the EE of RotK is the only one that's truly essential. Like, without it one of the main villains of the trilogy just kinda disappears.

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Yeah but that shit looked straight out of a bad action movie. Especially when the damn wheel turns lol

 

[MyDudeMango]

Mixed on them. I love Fellowship extended all day every day and ROTK was still watchable extended even in theatres, but Two Towers extended was one of the worst viewing experiences I had in a theatre - the pacing was so fucking dire in a no-pauses, no breaks, stuck in the theatre for three and a half hours setting. And it's weird too, cuz I'm fine with viewing TT extended at home and usually have no issue with 4 hour theatre experiences. Something about that movie's pacing in particular... I was sprinting to the exit when I was done!

Theatrical editions are a waste of time.

Extended Editions are the definitive editions.

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Wastes of time seems needlessly hyperbolic. Those are the versions that won all the acclaim and academy awards to begin with and they're not bad in the slightest. Not to mention they're the director's cuts of the films so by definition you could say theatrical are the definitive/main cuts, the extended cuts were just fun bonuses done for the fans and people who wanted extra. Theatrical cuts were never butchered hackjobs and are the original acclaimed versions of the films and have plenty of merit - even if Jackson made one or two baffling editing decisions for them like ROTK.

I've known people too who bounce off the films because of the 'only extended is worthwhile' sort of attitude, so I think it can be unhelpful to newcomers as well.

 

[Aadiboy]

It's crazy that even the Extended cuts feel like cliff notes compared to the books. Your next task should be to read The Hobbit and LOTR now, OP.

 

[ascii42]

They are great if you want to dive deeper in to the world. There are also a lot of gratuitous violence he added back in which I assume was cut to keep away from the R rating. The Amon Hen sequence in Fellowship has Legolas killing like 4 more orcs in a row.

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Possibly. But all three LotR extended editions are still rated PG-13. Only The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies Extended got the R rating.

 

[MyDudeMango]

It's crazy that even the Extended cuts feel like cliff notes compared to the books. Your next task should be to read The Hobbit and LOTR now, OP.

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Meanwhile Hobbit trilogy has the exact opposite issue in relation to the books :P
You just can't win!

 

[Sign My Guestbook!]

I love the extended editions but wouldn't recommend on first time … except Return of the King has Saruman's ending which is a massively good deleted scene.

 

[Torpedo Vegas]

Is there an even longer cut?

 

[Teiresias]

extended editions is a misnomer

definitive editions is more apt

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This is it, this is the story.

 

[Soapbox Killer]

It's crazy that even the Extended cuts feel like cliff notes compared to the books. Your next task should be to read The Hobbit and LOTR now, OP.

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One of the few regrets I have is not being a fiction reader as a child. As an adult, I have not be able to read fiction and enjoy it. I can read non-fiction just fine but even then, I can't remember the last time I finished a book.

 

[TaxiDriver]

I love the extended editions but wouldn't recommend on first time … except Return of the King has Saruman's ending which is a massively good deleted scene.

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Agree with this

 

[signal]

At this point I forget what they even added vs what the normal films are but imo return of the king is a bit too long. Battles in particular maybe?

Not saying that the cut parts added into the extended edition aren't worth it, but I think just with those it's very long.

 

[Hollywood Duo]

At this point I forget what they even added vs what the normal films are but imo return of the king is a bit too long. Battles in particular maybe?

Not saying that the cut parts added into the extended edition aren't worth it, but I think just with those it's very long.

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all kinds of shit both major and completely inconsequential

https://screenrant.com/lord-rings-extended-editions-all-extra-scenes/

 

[signal]

all kinds of shit both major and completely inconsequential

https://screenrant.com/lord-rings-extended-editions-all-extra-scenes/

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fifty one minutes?? cut it all

 

[Rodney McKay]

I personally prefer the pacing of the Theatrical versions better, but the Extended Editions are still really good.

My only complaint about them is (obviously) they can stretch things out more, and I think the few extra jokey scenes with Gimli are a bit much. Very minor complaints I will say.

 

[Fisty]

Extended Editions are great if you want a nap

RotK is probably the only one of the extended editions I would consider watching

 

[firehawk12]

Extended Editions are great if you want a nap

RotK is probably the only one of the extended editions I would consider watching

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Funny I think the ROTK one is probably the one that lost me.

 

[echoshifting]

Monkey's paw cinema. Each EE adds one scene that, once you see it, becomes totally essential to the viewing, and a bunch of bog dreck that drags down and needlessly extends the experience

I have managed to rehabilitate myself out of the TT and RotK EEs, I hope to no longer need the gifts scene in FotR someday. Someday.

edit: surprised it's not been mentioned yet, but don't forget: Peter Jackson considers the theatrical releases of all three films to be the definitive cuts. He's right.

 

[BringBackSonics]

lol I'm more conflicted then I thought lol

 

[Ashes of Dreams]

When I show LOTR to new people, I always have them watch Fellowship and Towers theatrical then Return of the King extended. It's worked every time and multiple people have told me that they previously tried to start with Fellowship extended and bounced off due to the pacing.

Now, I love the extended of all three. It's the only way I watch them when I'm personally doing it just for me. But I do think they are kind of "for fans" and best served as a second watch. Except for Return of the King, it always HAS to be extended. Too many great scenes cut and plot threads abandoned or rushed in Theatrical.

 

[Khanimus]

They're neat if you're already a fan and just want "more.". But they are generally worse cuts of those movies.

Momentum is kneecapped every 20 minutes, flow that feels natural is instead interrupted for world building that undermines the emotional core.

Even Jackson doesn't like the idea of calling them Director's Cuts - he reserves that term for the ones initially put into theaters. If I was showing someone Lord of the Rings for the first time, I would simply show them the Theatrical edits.

There are individual scenes here and there that are great, and would've loved to see in the initial cut. Butt then you have all stuff the Rohirrim riding out towards Gondor... but first we need to catch up with them having soup around the corner going "looks bad over there!"


In an ideal world, we could get a third and final cut that still adds some additional scenes without stopping and starting so frequently.

 

[Riptide]

From what I recall…

Fellowship Extended is better.
Two Towers Extended is pretty much on par with the theatrical.
Return of the King Extended is worse.

 

[Khanimus]

From what I recall…

Fellowship Extended is better.
Two Towers Extended is pretty much on par with the theatrical.
Return of the King Extended is worse.

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The way it falls to me on rewatches, Extended FOTR and ROTK are worse, but Two Towers ends up better.

 

[Huey]

I think people who are watching for the first time should probably watch theatrical and if rewatching, extended. The theatricals are the best paced. ROTK EE in particular is overly long with some actual bloat thrown in at 4h20min

 

[Brandino]

I enjoy the extended editions, and tend to watch them if I'm on a rewatch. However, the pacing in the theatrical cuts can't be beat. I'm rarely aware I'm watching a three hour movie when I go back to theatrical. When I watch Return of the King Extended, I'm aware that the movie I'm watching is encroaching on four hours.

When it comes time for my son to be introduced to those movies, I'll probably start with theatrical. Then introduce the extended cuts if he ends up liking the movies.

 

[Jedi2016]

I haven't seen the theatrical editions since their original DVD releases. They would seem overly edited and cut down to my eyes now, I'm so used to the extended editions.

 

[EroticSushi]

I don't even remember how the theatrical versions are cut at this point. Can someone brush me up on what they do with Saruman's in ROTK for the theatrical? I'm so used to seeing him on a wheel.

 

[Keldroc]

While not every addition is phenomenal, all three extended editions are superior to the theatricals. Return of the King in particular benefits from the EE, both because it actually gives closure to Saruman and because it simply flow better. I legitimately think the ROTK EE feels shorter than the theatrical cut. The ROTK EE is just an effortless threading of the story from start to finish.

I don't even remember how the theatrical versions are cut at this point. Can someone brush me up on what they do with Saruman's in ROTK for the theatrical? I'm so used to seeing him on a wheel.

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Literally nothing. Treebeard says he's trapped in the tower and that's that. Never seen or mentioned again.