LOTR : TT EE review

[Marcus Telcontar]

Basically, I'll try to tone down the fan boy blatherings.

for the last few hours, I've been sitting down to watch my new Extended Edition (Gift set of course) of The Two Towers. I must say that so far (having a toilet / mental break right now) that the extended edition does to TT what the extended edition did to FOTR - made the movie flow better, be more complete, add extra needed details, became the definitive versoin of the movie. That is indeed the case with TT:EE. My main critisim of the movie in the theatres was the editing and the jumps between stories. This is now better handled.

To avoid spoilers, the comment I have on the extra 42 minutes (of which I'm only really half way) is very worthwhile and entertaining. Characters are better fleshed out, especially Faramir.

I have to emphasis that - Faramir's actions in regards to the ring are so much clearer and you can now see what Jackson was trying to achieve.

The resolution to the movie also feels so much better.

As per last year's FOTR:EE, there are more features than you can poke a stick at. DTS 6.1 is availible. Sound on my 5.1 system is breathtaking and soooo detailed.

While I do hold some reservations about TT as a movie in the theatrical version, the DVD collectors set I do not. It is only second as a DVD movie set to FOTR:EE. Tolkein fanboys like myself will / are having joygasms. Ordinary DVD buffs should mark this as a must have. Regular peeps should rent before purchase, as it's expensive, but IMO, worth every cent.

TT:EE = 10

DVD set = 10

Bloody brilliant. With the editing problem fixed, the flow of the movie is soooo much better.

[Darth Viscera]

Ah! I found a mistake in it. Bear with me while I prattle on incessently about something that means little anyhow.

In the EE, when the people of Rohan are on their way to Helm's Deep, Éowyn asks Aragorn's age. He replies that he's 87.

But he was born March 1st 2931. The date of that conversation is about March 2nd 3019. So he's just turned 88, and the movie is in error by 2 days. :)

I thought it was rather daft how at the funeral of Théodred, Éowyn's face lit up with digital color grading and she started singing a cheesy song. That was sort of out of place and odd. I think they could have done that scene better. That, and there was a bad edit at the beginning, when Frodo and Sam are sitting at the bottom of a hill in the rain, Gollum is above them at the top of the hill hissing. It cuts to a new scene where they're walking again in the middle of the day, then a while later cuts back to them in that same location as before at the bottom of the hill later that night, asleep, and with Gollum about to jump them.

I like how they've added more backstory to the EE though. I liked how surprised Éowyn was to learn that Aragorn was older than her grandfather, who's long since been dead and buried. I wonder how she'd react if Aragorn told her that his girlfriend is nearly 6x older than Rohan itself.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Éowyn's face lit up with digital color grading and she started singing a cheesy song. That was sort of out of place and odd.

Please tell me you're lying.

[Darth Viscera]

I cannot tell a lie. Lies are illogical.

[JMK]

I got mine today, but waiting until later in the week to watch it on a 60" Sony HDTV! :crack

[Jedieb]

60" Sony HDTV!

Originally posted by JMK
I got mine today, but waiting until later in the week to watch it on a 60" Sony HDTV! :crack

You lucky bastard! :thumbup

I got mine in the mail today. I just finished the first disc. I think the additions are excellent. I probably wont get to look at disc 2 until tomorrow. I really want to see the new scenes with Faramir. The film version's departures from the novel didn't go over that well with me and anything that can strengthen the changes Jackson made are fine with me.

The addition of the King's son's body being taken to the tomb was a nice touch. I liked the song as well.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I got it and have already watched it :)

I loved the scenes with Faramir they add great depth to his character. I also love the one with Aragorn and Gandalf.

[Figrin D'an]

Just as with "Fellowship," the Extended Edition proves to be a better and more complete version of the film. I found myself pleased with each added scene, and the extensions to previous scenes.

I was very critical of the alterations to Faramir's character, and of the additional sequences in Osgiliath. I still feel that Osgiliath was mostly unnecessary (it set up Sam's soliloquy, which was the entire sequence's one saving grace), but I did appreciate that Faramir's motives were fleshed out. The flashback, showing him, Boromir and Denethor in Osgiliath was excellent. Wonderful scene. I'm really looking forward to seeing Denethor in ROTK... I think John Noble will portray him perfectly.

My biggest complaint regarding "film" Faramir is that they never bothered to show that he made a conscious decision to NOT be like his elder brother. It was always evident in Tolkien's text, IMO, that Faramir knew, in his heart, that Boromir would have tried to claim the Ring of Power for Gondor. He knew that the One Ring was a corrupting force from the legends about Isildur, and once he saw Gollum and pieced together that Gollum had once possessed the One Ring, he knew that it was pure evil. He was tempted, absolutely. The Ring tempts everyone. It's a matter of whom has the the strength of will to say 'No' to it's influence before it is too late. Gandalf did it. So did Aragorn. Faramir made the decision that he would not take the Ring, no matter what, because he realized that if he took it to Gondor, it would be the doom of mankind. Yes, he wanted his father to respect and love him, but he understood that he couldn't sacrifice any chance of defeating Sauron's armies for a brief moment of acknowledgement from Denethor.

The EE still doesn't make this point, but I didn't expect it to. At least, however, they provided a basis upon which Faramir makes the initial decision to bring the Ring to Gondor. Ideally, I would have rather had that entire story branch handled closer to the book. However, the added scenes at least make that branch somewhat more acceptible as an alteration.


I was happy to see the Ent Draught scene, and Merry and Pippin raiding the storehouse at Isengard. More Ents is always a plus. And... finally... huorns at Helms Deep. Very nice addition.


I still like Fellowship more, but TTT:EE helps to close the gap between the two films.

Less than a month until Return of the King opens. :)

[Marcus Telcontar]

Dec 1 is the world premier in NZ :D

I too was well pleased with the Faramir additions.. What I really noticed was that ver few scenes were left unchanged - there were little edits absolutly everywhere, a raised eyebrow here, a glance there that gave the EE a subtle depth that I feel the theatrical lacked. Plus, I thought that the things that grated seemed shorter, better put together, different camera angles changing the scenes.

To me the film felt shorter.

Eowyn's stew got a bloody good laugh :D

I realyl wished this version got to the theatres :/

[Darth Viscera]

It doesn't come out here until December 17.

FOTR:EE included a free ticket to see The Two Towers, and only cost $29.99 at Blockbuster. TTT:EE included no such ticket to see Return of the King, and cost $39.99 at Blockbuster. That complimentary ticket to see ROTK that I never got had astoundingly high sentimental value. This fiendish plot will not go unnoticed.