Just watched the Extended RoTK - spoilers included.

[Davros]

Well I think it is a pity that they had to cut the cimena versions down so much to get to the 3 hours. The things that I was most impressed about were :

1) The whole Faramir / Denethor / Boromir thing much more fully explained. The Two Towers Extended version started this off, and this one rounds things out. You also get a little of the houses of healing and the relationship between Faramir and Eowyn that is completely skipped in the cinema version (except for a smile)

2) Saruman gets his - we always knew this was going to be in there, and predictably he meets his end back at Orthanc (seeing as they never put in the scouring of the shire) and at the hands of Grima.

3) The paths of the dead - several more minutes and the acceptance by the dead and a meeting with the corsairs (with Gimli humour).

4) Extra Sam and Frodo scenes - a bit before on the way to Morgul vale and another bit amongst the orcs heading across the plains

5) Aragorn mastering the palantir and challenging Sauron, then getting quire a surprise with Sauron's response. Also the bit and the Black gate in full, Sauron's mouthpiece (aptly designed [img]smile.gif[/img] ) and how Aragorn "befriends" him.

All in all a great effort. I always get goosebumps at the ride of the Rohirrm when they all start chanting "Death, death, death .....".

[Klorox]

Yo, I heard some rumor of Gimli slaying some real ugly orc. T or F?

[Davros]

Not completely sure of that one. My memory of whether the scene I am thinking of is in the cinema version or not is a little hazy. There is an extended show of the battle with the Witch King, and afterwards the very ugly leader of the Morgul army is chasing after a wounded swordless Eowyn. Aragorn and Gimli arrive on the scene to end ole pig-face.

[Kestrel Daystar]

Yes, very very good overall. Here is a list of all the extra bits:

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spoilers
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(* = New Scene)
(** = Extended bit of an old scene)


i) More footage of Sméagol choking Déagol, just to get the point across **
ii) Saruman converses with Théoden and Gandalf (and attacks Gandalf with a projectile fireball no less) then is killed by Grima who is then killed by Legolas *
iii) In the celebration at Edoras Legolas and Gimli have a drinking game and Pippin n Gandalf exchange some stares **
iv) Éowyn tells Aragorn about a dream she has and maybe that it is a premonition of things to come *
v) When Gandalf and Pippin ride off to Minas Tirith, Merry talks to Aragorn about their friendship and their past **
vi) Gandalf elaborates more on the White Tree of Kings and does some insulting of Denethor after he leaves his audience **
vii) Gandalf tells Pippin about the decline of Gondor and the line of Kings **
viii) Frodo, Sam and Gollum/Sméagol walk through the 'cross-roads of the Fallen King' and the sun shines upon a derelict statue of the old king, but then goes back to darkness, which signifies fallen hope *
ix) Some anti-smoking propaganda is placed into the scene when Gandalf explains to Pippin about 'the Deep breath before the plunge' by making Gandalf choke on his pipe-weed and Pippin fetches him some water **
x) Sam threatens Gollum and warns him not to do anything to Frodo by pinning him against a wall by the neck *
xi) There is more in Osgiliath showing the camp before it is overrun by orcs, and Faramir’s shock when he learns that the orcs are coming from the south, not the north **
xii) During the rally at Edoras as they prepare to march, Merry offers his sword and becomes an Esquire of Rohan, and Gimli tells Legolas how he wishes he could rouse a thousand dwarves to help fight **
xiii) The fight that claimed Osgiliath is extended **
xiv) Denethor shouts at Faramir and almost attacks him, then trips and sees a mirage of Boromir only for it to disappear *
xv) Their is a short conversation between Faramir and Pippin before he pledges allegiance to Denethor, when the two become friends *
xvi) The sacrifice of Faramir is extended, making it more sorrowful **
xvii) At Dunharrow, there is more talk between Éowyn and Éomer about Pippin and his right to go to war, which also refers to Éowyn **
xviii) Going through the paths of the dead, Legolas explains more of the history behind it, and the history of the Dead Men **
xix) Going through the Haunted Mountain, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas travel through a path with skeletal misty hands are clawing at them from a green fog at their feet **
xx) After Aragorn asks the Dead Men to fight for him they all disappear and the great Hall of the Dead collapses and a sea of human skulls flood the Paths of the Dead which the trio has to escape from. When they do they come out the other side of the mountain where the river where the Corsair ships are is. The king of the Dead then appears and tells Aragorn he accepts **
xxi) The orcs try normal battering rams against the gates of Minas Tirith but they are unsuccessful. Gothmog (the disfigured orc chieftain) tells them to bring out Grond **
xxii) Aragorn tells the Corsairs to go back home to no avail then Legolas fires an arrow at one of them (played by none other than Peter Jackson) and the Dead Men capture ships *
xxiii) At an encampment Éomer gives word to Théoden that he has rallied all the men he could and that they will have to ride through the night. Merry also shows his courage to Éowyn with a moving piece of dialog *
xxiv) More speech is added to Denethor showing his madness at the thought of his 'lost' son Faramir with some chilling 'it matters no more' talk **
xxv) The Witch King confronts Gandalf which leads to the Lord of the Nazgûl literally smashing Gandalf's Staff of Power *
xxvi) At the pyre where Denethor is going to burn himself and Faramir, he gives another chilling speech to Gandalf **
xxvii) During the Battle at Pelennor Théoden sees Éowyn (whether he knows its her or not is not clear) as she slays a fair few orcs and disables Gothmog. Also you see Merry doing a fair bit of fighting **
xxviii) After slaying the Witch King, Éowyn is then being pursued by Gothmog who is not dead until he hoists his weapon up to slay her when Aragorn runs past and cuts his weapon arm off and then is slain by Gimli (which you may have been refering to). Also Pippin finds Merry's cloak and leaf brooch and then goes off to find him **
xxix) Éomer finds Éowyn who he thinks is dead (because of the Black Breath from the Witch King) which then proceeds to the Houses of Healing where Aragorn treats her wounds and Éowyn notices Faramir who then notices her back *
xxx) Pippin finds Merry amongst the debris and then looks after him **
xxxi) At the Tower of Cirith Ungol, the brawl between the Orcs and Mordor Uruk-Hai is extended and at the end you see the Uruk-Hai who fought Shagbag for the Mithril Shirt walk off with it **
xxxii) The debate about whether to go to the Black Gates is extended as Gandalf asks Aragorn if Sauron would take the battle, which leads onto... **
xxxiii) Aragorn confronts the Palantír with Narsil but Sauron uses the image of Arwen to shock Aragorn, who then drops the necklace that Arwen gave him which smashes on the floor (which is seen earlier in a dream Aragorn has at Dunharrow) *
xxxiv) Faramir and Éowyn watch the last army ride out to the Black Gates and share a moment with each other as they hold hands and cuddle *
xxxv) Frodo and Sam (dressed in orc armour) get pushed into a crowd of orcs marching towards the Black Gates. Then they are spotted by an Orc Overseer and have to start a brawl in the crowd in order to escape and make their way to Mount Doom *
xxxvi) On their trek to Mount Doom the fatigue is setting in as they throw off the now unneeded suits of Orc armour **
xxxvii) The Mouth of Sauron confronts Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Éomer, Pippin and Merry at the Black Gate and shows them the Mithril Shirt and tries to break moral by tell them Frodo died painfully in Mordor. Aragorn then 'concludes negotiations'. The Mouth of Sauron by the way, is pure brilliance *
xxxviii) And finally, on the steps of Mount Doom, in the fight between Gollum, Frodo and Sam, Sméagol finally gives in and an added conversation between Frodo and Gollum takes place explaining that Sméagol lied, which Gollum chokes Frodo **


There ye go friends. Hope that enlightened you and makes you want to go buy the extended version for all those juicy extras. its worth it!

--Kestrel--

[Davros]

Just a couple of other things for Kestrel's very comprehensive list :

In (x) you get the slinker and stinker converstaion, and in (xxx) Pippin finds Merry during daylight hours in the Cinema version, but in the extended version this scene is blue screened into darkness to better fit the flow of the longer story and this only happens after Aragorn has tended Eowyn in the house of healing.

[Lucern]

LoL Klorox...which of the orcs that Gimli kills isn't really ugly?