The Two Towers Extended version

[Phantom]

HooRaah!

I am more impressed with this extended version then I was for FOTR. They have added some really good scenes, still watching it now. If you haven't gotten this yet, RUN and get it.

[Joe Dizzy]

I will. As soon as I get back home.

Which will be on December 13.

But after that there's no stopping me! :-)

[Ineti]

I'll be getting my copy on the way home from work tonight. Can't wait!

[Evan van Eyk]

Its really brilliant. You get a much better impression of Faramir, which was what I did not like about TTT in the first place. The only point left, which I dislike is the scene where Faramri drives back the Nazgul with one single shot, although the One Ring is within his range.

[whiteknight]

Originally posted by Evan van Eyk
Its really brilliant. You get a much better impression of Faramir, which was what I did not like about TTT in the first place. The only point left, which I dislike is the scene where Faramri drives back the Nazgul with one single shot, although the One Ring is within his range.

I agree that I did not like the way they changed Faramir at first. This version makes it a little more palatable for me (even though the new explanation is still wrong in several points).

I was very annoyed with the "Flotsam and Jetsam" scene where Merry and Pippin find the pipeweed. Maybe I took it wrong, but it seemed to me like PJ was treating it like it was marijuana. I could be wrong, but the laughing hysterically about nothing with all of the smoke billowing out of the storeroom kind of gave me that impression.

[Captain Novaes]

That extra scene with Boromir and Faramir was really something. Sean Bean totally steals the show... again.

[Phantom]

Originally posted by whiteknight
I agree that I did not like the way they changed Faramir at first. This version makes it a little more palatable for me (even though the new explanation is still wrong in several points).

I was very annoyed with the "Flotsam and Jetsam" scene where Merry and Pippin find the pipeweed. Maybe I took it wrong, but it seemed to me like PJ was treating it like it was marijuana. I could be wrong, but the laughing hysterically about nothing with all of the smoke billowing out of the storeroom kind of gave me that impression.

I like both Faramir's (in the novel and the movie.) In the novel he is the ideal hero. But, in the movie he is more realistic I think. In the movie he is a man who has had to endure constant berating from his father since he was a child ("I know Faramir's uses and they are few."), not an easy thing to do. Personally I think the character of Denethor is one of the most dispicable in literature. Here you have a man, a father, who wishes his second son's death, so that he can have his first back. "Would that I had sent you." When I was reading the book I was hoping someone would put an arrow in his head.

To contrast Theoden who loved his niece and nephew like his children, is a much nobeler man.

As to Faramir scaring off the Fell Beast with one arrow...I can see it. Remember, Legolas killed a Fell Beast with one shot in the novel. I know he used a "magic" bow, I can't think the enchantment was that good.

[The Transformed Man]

Sorry I just did not care for TTT EE as much as I cared for FOTR EE. The added scenes in FOTR flowed seemlessly with the narrative and felt like they needed to be in the film. However, a lot of the scenes PJ included in TTT EE feel "tacked" on, they feel like they needed to be left on the cutting room floor. Don't get me wrong there are a lot of good scenes here, but there are just too many additions that are needless and really disrupt the pace of the film. The biggest problem I have with TTT EE is the film won't end. The theatrical version was fantastic and gave you just enough information to segue into ROTK, but not here... instead we have to wade through 10 extraneous minutes of scenes that do nothing. The scene with Pippen and Merry discovering the stash of wine, food and pipeweed is just bad, and how many times can Faramir choke Gollum and warn him not to let any harm come to the Hobbits. The only additional scene from the end of the EE that I really liked was Gimle and Legolas wrapping up their body count totals.

But, enough with the negative, here were some scenes I loved:
1. Massacre at the Fords of Isen and the Banishment of Eomer.
2. The Funeral of Theodred.
3. Brego/The Ring of Barahir/A Daughter of Kings (great character developement stuff)
4. One of the Dunedain. (Great character scene between Aragorn and Eowyn
5. Sons of Gondor.

All of the above was great stuff. I realized, for the most part , most of the scene I really could have done without surrond Pippen and Merry. The Ent Draft scene is bad... Jar Jar Binks bad...

So overall, TTT EE was pretty hit-and-miss with me. I really liked some scenes a lot, but some left me cold.

Yancy (aka The Transformed Man)

[Ineti]

Just finished watching the EE along with a couple of the added features. At the risk of sounding like a raging fanboy, I love this stuff. I liked every scene that was added, hoped for more, but am very happy with what I got.

I think it's made TT a much more richer, deeper film. The theatrical release felt choppy to me at time, esp. with the Ent scenes. The EE seemed to smooth a lot of the abrupt cuts.

Don't have a favourite scene yet, though it's hard not to be really happy seeing Boromir and Sean Bean return. I think if I had to put my finger down on a fave new scene, it's Boromir and Faramir (and Denethor) in Osgiliath. I hope we see some echoes of that scene in ROTK; maybe Faramir echoes Boromir's speech or something.

I rate the EE 10 out of 10. Go check it out.

[Phantom]

I thought all the additional scenes were quite important to story, as far as the connection with the novels. Like where Fordo and Sam scaled the cliff using the Heath Line, if you show the added scene of them getting it you should show the scene where it is used. Also, I missed the scenes with the Ent Draft and Dinner at Isengard in the original, true they aren't the best scenes but they are fun ones.

My only complaint is the scene where the Ents begin their assault on Isengard and in the novel it was described as the Ents walking up to the outer wall and grabbing a hold of the rock and their fingers grew into the wall, and like roots tearing up a driveway they ripped chunks of the wall out. I thought that would have been a great addition.

The Ext Ver was alot closer to the book then the theatrical release and actual brought it up to 9.5 for me...I don't give 10s.

[ben hur]

Man, that was awesome. Dropped by Best Buy on the way home from my orthodontist appointment (my teeth are killing me, argh!) and grabbed it. Half the people there were buying it, and it was like 2 in the afternoon.

So anyway, came back home and watched it all the way through. Yes! I give it a ten as well.

The highlights for me were the expansion of Sean Bean's and Miranda Otto's roles, they are such amazing actors (my two favorites in fact) but Boromir obviously dies in Fellowship and Eowyn doesn't come in till Towers so neither has the most screentime.

I can't quite pin a favorite scene yet. "That whole sequence with Boromir and Faramir", to quote Elijah Wood, "I think is just amazing". I love every extended scene with Eowyn in it. The added Uruk parts really add more depth to them (and makes me look forward with even more relish to the Orcs in RotK, such as Shagrat and Gorbag and the like). And previously I used to just skip most of the Ent scenes, as they seemed boring, but now they have a lot more cool info in them and I wouldn't dream of skipping them.

The one scene I really missed was Eowyn fighting the Uruk-hai who break through into the Caves of Aglarond. It's quite unfortunate that it isn't in. So now there is both the Goblins In Lorien battle in Fellowship and the Uruks In Caves battle in Towers that haven't been done yet, I wonder if they'll do them ever. I hope so.

So, to make a long story short, I'm very happy with my Extended DVD, there are just too many awesome new scenes with every single character and so I can't very well choose a favorite, and I think I have to say I like the extended scenes in TTT better than FotR, though I think I like FotR better than TTT (it's so hard to choose, I don't know why I'm even thinking about it, hehe).

[Phantom]

I know how you feel. After one of my orthodontist appointments all I could eat for days was either soup or ice cream.


I saw some stills showing the aftermath of the Battle of Lorien in a magazine a year or so ago, so you might eventually see it in an ultimate version.

The Cave scene? I'm thinking not so much. I don't think you could do it with the way the Battle of Helm's Deep was set up in the movie. If the Uruks got into the caves it would pretty much mean the defenders (ie main characters) were dead.

[ben hur]

Originally posted by Phantom
I know how you feel. After one of my orthodontist appointments all I could eat for days was either soup or ice cream.

Yep; this morning I had a cup of cocoa and then a ice cream shake... so... I'm not so sure that the orthodondist appointment was so bad.

Originally posted by Phantom
I saw some stills showing the aftermath of the Battle of Lorien in a magazine a year or so ago, so you might eventually see it in an ultimate version.

Yes, there are several LotR TCG cards (I can hear you all shuddering, hehehe ) that have pictures of Orcs walking in sunlight... and one that shows Lorien elves walking through piles of Orcs that have been shot, which looks really cool. So here's hoping!

Originally posted by Phantom
The Cave scene? I'm thinking not so much. I don't think you could do it with the way the Battle of Helm's Deep was set up in the movie. If the Uruks got into the caves it would pretty much mean the defenders (ie main characters) were dead.

True, this would be quite a different scene from the other. The Goblin scene would be more like either A) a big skirmish or B) a swift and deadly ambush, whereas this scene would be quite short and would probably be just a few Uruks be taken out by Eowyn. The first sounds a lot more impressive, I know... but I like Sean Bean and Miranda Otto a lot, and I'll take more of them any day.

[Phantom]

Originally posted by ben hur

True, this would be quite a different scene from the other. The Goblin scene would be more like either A) a big skirmish or B) a swift and deadly ambush, whereas this scene would be quite short and would probably be just a few Uruks be taken out by Eowyn. The first sounds a lot more impressive, I know... but I like Sean Bean and Miranda Otto a lot, and I'll take more of them any day.

I suppose they could do some type of ambush scene in the caves, have the goblins attack the retreating women and children. If Grima knew of the culvert in the Wall, he probably would know of the escape route for the caves as well. I too would like to seeMiranda Otto mix it up a little, I can't wait to see her in the duel scene with the Witch-King in the next movie.

[ben hur]

Originally posted by Phantom
I can't wait to see her in the duel scene with the Witch-King in the next movie.

You're telling me.

After the Mount Doom scene, that is probably the scene I'm most looking forward to.