The offical ENWorld The Return of the King Extendend Edtion DVD reaction thread.

[MerricB]

I didn't feel that the changes to the Extended Edition of RotK were are stunning as those in FotR or TTT. They're good, but not so essential.

Still, more Faramir is good.

Cheers!

 

[Zulithe]

Mark Oliva, it's a shame you don't delve into the extras of the Extended Editions, for this is where they REALLY shine, imo, not in the extended cuts of the films themselves.

But It takes a certain kind of fan to appreciate all of that material, I suppose. Perhaps one with just too much time to spend in front of a screen.

 

[David Howery]

well, there was one moment when Gimli outdoes Legolas.... in TTT EE, when they tally up the kills, Gimli wins by one, and then Legolas cheats when he shoots the already dead Uruk-hai that Gimli was sitting on....

 

[reapersaurus]

Well, a nice package arrived early from coconuts.com today:
The RotK EE DVD, already a steal ordered at $17.00, already made even better with a new-$7 rebate, was just made unreal when it arrived a day early.

First time I've gotten anything early....

 

[Berandor]

Well, I think the changes were well done, and combines with a slight rearranging of scenes, make the timing and dramaturgy (is that en English word?) much more obvious. Now it feels like days before Rohan arrives, and again some time passes until Aragorn saves the day, so the Rohirrim *did* buy just enought time for the new king.
Eowyn gets some moments to shine, and the confrontation with the Witchking is better for it (and for the fact that the WK beat Gandalf).

Many more scenes really help the film. It's not FotR EE, but I'd rate it about as high as FotR (cinema version) now.

If only Gimli could have fricking won the drinking contest! I mean, it would have been equally funny if Legolas, after feeling a tingle in his fingertips, fell over. And it would have given the dwarf something to be best in.

 

[Allanon]

I still think that Jackson should have stuck to rearranging the scenes without making new ones, with the exception for a few lucky shots (TTT with Gollum talking to himself which was a great scene) most of the Jackson scenes fall flat on their face when compared to the original story.

I've watched all of the extended material of all three movies where Philipa, Jackson and the actors try to defend some of the changes, but none of them really give any good reasons. I won't argue about leaving out the scouring. Nor the removal of Bombadil. But why does everyone considers FotR EE the best of the three movies? Simple, because Jackson added the least amount of own material to the story.

I disagree that LotR is unfilmable, it's difficult and a certain amount of culling, cropping and rearranging is necessary but the editing should have stopped there. All the unnecessary extra's he added could have been used to add more time to existing scenes and moments or bringing back real moments from the book.

 

[reapersaurus]

I've watched all of the extended material of all three movies where Philipa, Jackson and the actors try to defend some of the changes, but none of them really give any good reasons.

Than watch them again.
They explained themselves quite plainly, and quite convincingly.

How 'bout these for starters?

* Building up the One Ring as the biggest threat EVER (even one that demigods are terrified of facing), and then having a simple man (Faramir) walk up and not be affected at all by the pull/promise of the Ring does objectively weaken the threat they worked so hard to build.

* Having Frodo and Sam be simply by-standers at the conclusion of this epic journey, while Gollum beats them, takes the Ring, then luckily (for all the Good Guys) slips and falls into the lava thereby succeeding in their quest is a much worse ending than having them be active participants.
Their decision to re-write and re-shoot that scene is critical to acheiving a satisfactory conclusion to the quest. The version they decided upon also has the benrfit of further reinforcing the pull of the Ring (Frodo fighting Gollum for possession, dragging them both over, instead of him pushing Gollum off or Gollum falling off).

Those are darn good reason, and quite plain to see, if you are not using the book events as a straitjacket.

BTW:
I don't know if this has been mentioned, but there's another MTV Movie Awards Easter Egg in the same place on the RotK EE: Go to the last scene (Fan Credits), and press Down.

 

[Berandor]

And the easter egg on disc one is funny, as well.

And I say that as a German.

 

[Allanon]

Than watch them again.
They explained themselves quite plainly, and quite convincingly.

How 'bout these for starters?

* Building up the One Ring as the biggest threat EVER (even one that demigods are terrified of facing), and then having a simple man (Faramir) walk up and not be affected at all by the pull/promise of the Ring does objectively weaken the threat they worked so hard to build.

But the reason to have him drag Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath is a weak one. Especially considering that at one moment most of the troops there see the ring yet none of them try to grab it or even reach for it. I do not object to portraying Faramir as corruptible but to the whole BS trip he made them go on. Letting him have is moment without having him drag Frodo and Sam with him would have worked fine, plus why should everyone be corruptible. Gandalf could refuse the ring, so could Aragorn why should Faramir be a lesser man?

* Having Frodo and Sam be simply bystanders at the conclusion of this epic journey, while Gollum beats them, takes the Ring, then luckily (for all the Good Guys) slips and falls into the lava thereby succeeding in their quest is a much worse ending than having them be active participants.
Their decision to re-write and re-shoot that scene is critical to achieving a satisfactory conclusion to the quest. The version they decided upon also has the benefit of further reinforcing the pull of the Ring (Frodo fighting Gollum for possession, dragging them both over, instead of him pushing Gollum off or Gollum falling off).

Again why is this better? They had their reasons, but so did Tolkien. Why change it? I don't see the scene as weaker or less critical if Gollum by shear fate/luck/etc. had fallen in with the ring but that could just be me.

Those are darn good reason, and quite plain to see, if you are not using the book events as a straitjacket.

Those are reasons yes, but darned good? I'm not using the book as a straightjacket but there is a difference between changing and reordering the book to fit the movie and altering the story because you thought you knew better. Neither of the above decisions was taken because of time constraints or the inability to translate something to the white screen. They were taken because Jackson, Philipa thought they knew better.

 

[Talmun]

I still think that Jackson should have stuck to rearranging the scenes without making new ones, with the exception for a few lucky shots (TTT with Gollum talking to himself which was a great scene) most of the Jackson scenes fall flat on their face when compared to the original story.
(snip)

Might I suggest a slight change in point of view?

Every scene in the movie is a 'Jackson scene'.

Scenes in the movie that you liked may translate what was on the page, but it's filtered through the mind of the director, just as the scenes in the book are filtered through your mind when you read it. I understand you're saying you prefer sections of the film that draw more directly from the source material, but even in those, there must be additions made by the director, because Tolkien does not describe every minute detail, he (like all good writers) knows what to leave to the readers imagination.

This isn't to say I’m pleased with all the changes he made, but I understand why he made them. I also know that, for reasons already mentioned, there will never be a complete page-to-screen filming of the Trilogy (or any other book, for that matter), so I'm willing to over look some perceived rough spots and enjoy one of the best movies ever made.

Now to get the thread back on track:
I’ll be picking the Deluxe set up today, can anyone tell me about the quality of the Minas Tirith mini?