Why do you like the FOTR EE better than the Theatrical Release?

[Kai Lord]

Almost everyone prefers the FOTR EE to the original theatrical release and I find this very curious. Its nice but the original is darn near frame perfect for THREE HOURS with the exception of a couple of CG shots in Moria.

There's *nothing* I don't like in FOTR, but in FOTR EE, there are several things. The extra long opening for one. As Peter Jackson says in the commentary, it doesn't have as smooth an artistic rhythm to have the narration shared by Galadriel and Bilbo as when it was just Galadriel. And it really doesn't add anything to our knowledge of Hobbits or Hobbiton that the original version doesn't contain. Just slows the opening down, and less artistically. Plus I really love how Frodo is introduced with the Hobbit theme and FOTR title card in the original, and that's lost in the EE.

Then there's Sam and Frodo seeing the Wood Elves departing. Its a cool scene, but I find it somewhat diminishes the impact of Arwen's grand entrance.

Then there's the Boromir's temptation at the Council of Elrond. This is a big one. I find it extremely hard to believe that the Fellowship would allow him to join them after he almost gives in to the Ring after two minutes of temptation right in front of everyone! And I don't like the flow of how everyone basically shrugs off having witnessed the sky darken, Sauron's voice, and Gandalf getting all in a huff before get all cheery just moments later as the Fellowship is formed. The original version had a much more elegant flow.

Then there's Bilbo's mithril shirt. In the original version he gives it to Frodo, Frodo gets stabbed, and Gimli is shocked to see a shirt made of mithril. Its very evident when he delivers the line, "Mithril....." when Frodo opens his shirt.

But in the EE we get an extremely long discourse when the Fellowship walks over the mithril mine about how amazing it is punctuated by Gandalf mentioning "oh yeah, and Bilbo had an extremely valuable shirt made entirely of mithril." This scene diminishes the film in two ways: 1. It reminds viewers about this unusual shirt because its the second mention of it, thereby potentially spoiling the initial surprise of how Frodo survives the spear, and 2. It really makes Gimli's comment odd.

You'd think after Frodo opened his shirt Gimli would just say, "Ah he had Bilbo's shirt!" Instead of "wow, mithril...."

I really liked the first scene with Haldir in the original version, and Gimli's "Aragorn these woods are perilous!" line, which is cut out of the EE. Again, it just flowed better.

Otherwise I loved the extra action sequences, the extra bits with Aragorn (and the few with Arwen as well), more Galadriel is always a plus, and I especially enjoyed the poignancy of the extra scenes between Aragorn and Boromir.

But it feels much less polished overall, a criticism I saw many make against ROTK, which they claimed was a contrast to FOTR EE. Watching the EE in the theaters two weeks before ROTK was a wonderful experience, and I'd like that to be the "definitive version" but right now I have to agree with Peter Jackson that the original is the better and therefore truer version of the story.

If you disagree I'd love to hear a counter opinion. Why do you like FOTR EE better than FOTR? Do you really think its "better" or do you just like seeing the extra footage, even if its hit and miss?

 

[Shadowdancer]

Well, I have to agree with you. The theatrical release of FotR is better than the EE, IMO. I enjoy the theatrical release much more than the EE. The EE stuff is interesting, but doesn't add that much to the movie.

TTT EE, OTOH, is much better than the theatrical release of TTT, again IMO. It puts events into a much clearer context, and doesn't allow the Battle of Helm's Deep to dominate the film as it does in the theatrical version.

 

[Kai Lord]

TTT EE, OTOH, is much better than the theatrical release of TTT, again IMO. It puts events into a much clearer context, and doesn't allow the Battle of Helm's Deep to dominate the film as it does in the theatrical version.

On this I agree as well. Almost every additional scene in the TTT EE made the film a better movie, and several were important foreshadowing for ROTK, particularly the Boromir flashback with Denethor and Faramir, and the scene where we see that Gollum can't eat the lambas bread.

The one scene I could have done without is when Gandalf announces to Aragorn and Gimli that the Ents are going to wake up and find that they are very strong. I was blown away when they emerged from the forest and began marching on Isengard when I first saw the theatrical release (having not read the books) and Gandalf's comment kind of gives that away.

 

[shilsen]

I definitely prefer the FotR EE and I think it makes the story flow much better. I think that is a lot more noticeable if you view it the way someone new to LoTR would. Something I did have in the back of my mind while watching the theatrical version was the question, "How well will this work for someone totally new to Tolkien?" and even though it does a good job, the EE is miles ahead.

I've spoken to a few people who've seen both and had either never read Tolkien or didn't know the books as well as those geeks who've read the trilogy a dozen times and can name mountains in Elven, Dwarven and Westron (like me ). All of them without fail said that the EE worked much better for them and cleared up things that the theatrical version left murky. As soon as I saw the EE the first time I figured that ironically it is better for the non-Tolkienite viewer than the theatrical version, and after having spoken to a number of people that opinion has been confirmed.

 

[milotha]

I enjoyed both versions, but what I really felt the extended version added was 1) The gifting scene, which I feel was so integral to the rest of the two following movies, that it should not have been left out. 2) I think the extended interaction between Aragorn and Boromir was better in the EE. 3) I actually really enjoyed the extended intro in the EE. I have to agree that I didn't like the addition of the Blackspeach to the council scene, but it's truer to the book and adds to the feeling that the ring cannot stay in Rivendell.

 

[Dimwhit]

I really liked the FOTR EE version, if for nothing else than all the extra stuff in the shire. The thing I like best about the movie is its patience, and the EE version has a nice long build-up that I find effective. And the shire was done so well, it was all quite enjoying.

I didn't mind some of the other added scenes, but I'm not very picky, either.

 

[WayneLigon]

If you disagree I'd love to hear a counter opinion. Why do you like FOTR EE better than FOTR? Do you really think its "better" or do you just like seeing the extra footage, even if its hit and miss?

I just like the extra footage. As far as pacing, impact, most of the things that make a movie an actual work of art... really, I can lay them by the wayside unless they are done so, so terribly that I cannot ignore them (or actually, in most cases, done so, so terribly that I notice them in the first place, if that makes sense). I just see movies differently than some people.

I do agree that the theatrical release Frodo intro is better, but that's about all that I didn't like. And even that is a mild dislike, easily salved by having more footage.

 

[TracerBullet42]

I definitely prefer the FotR EE and I think it makes the story flow much better. I think that is a lot more noticeable if you view it the way someone new to LoTR would.

I think you nailed it right there. I "was" new to LOTR at the time when the EE came out. After seeing the EE, I fell in love with the Shire and picked up a set of the books and read through them...

Then I thought, who's this Bombadil character...what's up with that?

But as to the EE being better than the theatrical release, I think it is better. I like the extra time in the shire much, and any extra bits with Merry and Pippin is just gravy.

Lembas bread, man...that scene was priceless...

 

[Mog Elffoe]

I prefer the theatrical cut of FotR by far. I do like the EE better for just about everything that occurs after Rivendell, but the earlier stuff just bothers me, especially the long talks about Hobbits at the beginning disrupting Gandalf's entire entrance. I also dislike how certain things are dumbed down and spoon-fed to the viewer instead of letting you figure it out for yourself (i.e., Sam explaining that the stone trolls were Bilbo's trolls, or the whole mithril shirt bit.)

 

[Dark Psion]

I have to go with the Extended Versions because they take their time to tell the story. One overall problem with movies in general, is that they all feel too rushed, in too much hurry to get to the next super CGI action scene. There is never any time to recover from the last one and the story can get lost in between.