The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Special Extended Edition Scenes

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Extended Edition)

As part of a fathom event, I had the good fortune of seeing all three films in three days. The 4 hour 19 minute behemoth concluded my movie marathon late on a Monday night, but the time flew by like it was a 30 minute episode of television.

The Two Towers will always be my favorite movie of the trilogy, but this film does continue with well shot battle scenes, lots of emotional moments, and a series of closure scenes that leaves the audience crying.

The bodiless, but not powerless, Sauron has been in the shadows for many hours of film, with no explanation given in these films, but has been relying on his magic ring to return to him. The clear theme of addiction slaps you in the face with the force of a fiery red eye on top of a tower. While the now airing "Rings of Power" tv show is starting to explain the circumstances of how this ball got rolling, the audience of this film doesn't know that. All we know is an addictive substance is in the hands of those that don't understand, and are expected to destroy something that has such a strong hold on you.

In order for Frodo to destroy his addiction, he still needs his best friend Sam to be there to get him through the darkest of times. Gollum is there to remind him of the price of addiction, but Sam is there to remind him that hope never dies. It's so touching and emotional and relatable. The remaining characters in the film do all they can to distract the enemy from knowing what's going on under Sauron's nose. This leads to spectacular battle scenes that make sure all of our original, living, Fellowship get their time to shine. Pippin and Merry especially are baptized in fire being among kingdoms and nobles and warriors. It doesn't matter who you are, you matter and can change the world.

Going to war to defend the people you love is done in a romantic fashion when the enemy are beasts and creatures with the emotional range of a rock. The complexities of societal breakdown are limited to misunderstandings and madness. When the good looking races of human, dwarf, elf are all getting along, then the ugly looking race can be eliminated.

It's a great conclusion to an epic series of movies that would have done Tolkien proud. The fact that the non romantic love story between two men shines through is so beautiful. The world needs more of that.

The whole series is no good. It is meant for children, which are generally the only people who do not mind the inconsistencies.

Now, for the good: The cinematography is excellent, great costumes, quaint settings. The music is unobtrusive.

Now, for the bad: The characters are flat, one dimensional. The obstacles are nonsensical, one doesn't lead to the next. They are events; not a story. As the protagonist(s) reaches the goal, he or she should be going through a series of situations that lead to the conclusion in a certain order. None of that here. All obstacles are independent of each other. They can readily be substituted for others. The protagonists are placed in an impossible situation. They cannot win. But they do not because of any qualities of their or things that could be referred back to. They win because of the help of armies of trees and the undead that we do not know existed until near the end. They harm the storyline just like an accident would. Also, the love scenes are pathetic. There is no development. One can't feel the growth of the romantic relationships. It is completely lacking. And last, the ring itself. How ridiculous. If one is going to give an inanimate object special power, you have to show how that came about. No such thing.

I only watched till the end because I told someone I would.

The original releases were wonderful to see. The theatrical releases of the extended edition of the films were also fine. But the special fuller extended editions of all three films are what should have been released in theaters. Over the past three days I have enjoyed them on HBOMax in my own home. The Return of the King clocks in at a whopping 4:23 minutes! And still I was wanting more. The director made excellent decisions in order to bring the films to market for the majority of folks. But these fuller extended editions will be the only I'll watch them from now on. There are those who still complain that Tom Bombadil and the Scouring of the Shire were left out, but I am simply amazed by the quality of the films in the fuller extended edition and will always be grateful to the Professor and Peter Jackson.

"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king."

Friendship, sacrifice, hope, and redemption, all against the backdrop of a rich and fully realized world. The extended edition of The Return of the King offers so much more depth to the story and characters. It would have been an incredible experience to see the extended edition in theaters, especially us who cherish all the details that make Middle-earth so immersive.

The Extended Edition of The Return of the King adds 50 minutes of new scenes, making an already thrilling film even more brilliant. The added footage deepens character development, particularly Aragorn's journey to becoming king and Frodo and Sam's struggles with the Ring. Gollum's manipulation is explored further, heightening the tension.

The lengthened battles, like the Siege of Minas Tirith, are even more exciting, with new moments such as Gandalf facing the Witch-king. Emotional scenes, like Aragorn's coronation and the farewells at the Grey Havens, are given more time, providing a richer conclusion to the story.

This version is long but rewarding, offering a deeper dive into Middle-earth and a fitting end to the trilogy. It's a must-watch for fans.