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Lord of the Rings: Extended Editions Actually Suck? — Page 2

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I think I posted in the relevant LOTR thread once upon a time, but an archival 35mm screening at MOMA of Fellowship of the Ring showed colors that were shockingly similar to the EE BD. To my eyes, the EE is a slightly misguided, quick attempt to recreate the photochemical theatrical colors on a digital basis, but the TC’s colors are far from what was seen in theaters.

Even the preview for Two Towers at the end of the print looked markedly different than the BD.

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The Aluminum Falcon said:

On the contrary, I think the theatrical cuts are the ones generally with pacing problems.

Fellowship of the Ring, for example, in its theatrical incarnation feels very uneven to me, with the Mines of Moria scene seeming like a climax due to the overall faster pace/momentum of the film. It is then horribly distracting when you realize there is an hour left to the film. The Extended Edition, though slower, feels far more deliberate and what was originally intended.

The Two Towers loses a lot of the emotional development, and I never particularly felt the Extended Cut to be particularly ponderous.

Return of the King is long in any incarnation, with both versions feeling like they have uneven pacing. I still prefer the Extended for the world building, but it’s a major mistake to show the Army of the Dead agree to Strider’s terms beforehand.

I fully agree with this. Plus now I can’t watch the theatrical version anymore, it just feels “wrong” and with problematic pacing.

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 (Edited)

The Aluminum Falcon said:

On the contrary, I think the theatrical cuts are the ones generally with pacing problems.

Fellowship of the Ring, for example, in its theatrical incarnation feels very uneven to me, with the Mines of Moria scene seeming like a climax due to the overall faster pace/momentum of the film. It is then horribly distracting when you realize there is an hour left to the film. The Extended Edition, though slower, feels far more deliberate and what was originally intended.

The Two Towers loses a lot of the emotional development, and I never particularly felt the Extended Cut to be particularly ponderous.

Return of the King is long in any incarnation, with both versions feeling like they have uneven pacing. I still prefer the Extended for the world building, but it’s a major mistake to show the Army of the Dead agree to Strider’s terms beforehand.

I haven’t seen the theatricals in years, but I’m pretty sure I agree with Al here, especially the Army of the Dead thing. That moment when the ships pull into the port during the final battle was such a downer for me, as I figured this was a “pile on the good guys” moment, then Aragorn jumps down followed by the Dead. So good.

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doubleofive said:

The Aluminum Falcon said:

On the contrary, I think the theatrical cuts are the ones generally with pacing problems.

Fellowship of the Ring, for example, in its theatrical incarnation feels very uneven to me, with the Mines of Moria scene seeming like a climax due to the overall faster pace/momentum of the film. It is then horribly distracting when you realize there is an hour left to the film. The Extended Edition, though slower, feels far more deliberate and what was originally intended.

The Two Towers loses a lot of the emotional development, and I never particularly felt the Extended Cut to be particularly ponderous.

Return of the King is long in any incarnation, with both versions feeling like they have uneven pacing. I still prefer the Extended for the world building, but it’s a major mistake to show the Army of the Dead agree to Strider’s terms beforehand.

I haven’t seen the theatricals in years, but I’m pretty sure I agree with Al here, especially the Army of the Dead thing. That moment when the ships pull into the port during the final battle was such a downer for me, as I figured this was a “pile on the good guys” moment, then Aragorn jumps down followed by the Dead. So good.

yeah, that moment was ruined by the extended edition, i fully agree. We should not have been shown whether or not Aragorn succeeded in recruiting them until the big reveal.

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I think you can get the theatrical versions pretty cheap on a 3 DVD set these days. They also run on TNT fairly often, and FOTR is airing on Turner Classic Movies this Friday.

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I believe each edition has it’s place depending on fans of the books vs. the films. I very much enjoy the Extended Editions with the exception of the “Army of The Dead” issue. They help give you an idea of the vastness and beauty of Tolkien’s imagination when it comes to the individual stories based in such an intriguing world. I have both versions to watch depending on my mood but I usually default to the Extended’s as my preferred choice.

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Can the “real” theatrical version of Fellowship be obtained somehow in watchable quality? You know, the one with the car driving away?

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I have never seen the theatrical editions, just the extended, and my one big complaint was that they are way too fast paced. The theatrical versions must be absolutely awful, like MST3K level. The extended editions would of really benefited from another 2 or 3 hours each. I was sad about the lack of Tom, barrowdowns, the oliphaunt poem, and much more.

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I vastly prefer the books. As the Silmarillion and Lord of the Rings is one story. It was intended to be by the author.