This is the "What did they leave out thread". No spoiler alerts are needed. Everyone in America has seen this movie already ($500 million last I checked).

So what did they leave out?

Saruman's 9 minute long speech.

Things left out that will be in the extended version to my knowledge:

Saruman's Death
Merry pledging allegiance to Theoden

Aragorn Healing Merry and Eowyn, and Faramir falling for Eowyn.



Things left out that might or might not be in the extended verison:

The Mouth of Sauron

Sections of the trip from Rohan to Gonder; Joining up with the Rangers, Enlisting the help of the Wildmen, Etc.

Sam and Frodo running into a band of orcs while disguised as orcs



Things that probably won't be in the extended version.

Pippen being shown around Gondor by Beregond and his son.

The retaking of Minus Morgol.

Aragorn's reluctance to enter Minus Tirith.



Things that will not be in the extended verison.

The scouring of the Shire.

In a nutshell: read the book.

yea the books were more detailed but the movie did a very good job, at least for me as reading the books was like reading the bible! I hate tolkins writing style!

oh but the bible is a good read. it's one of the best works of literature out there. at my college there was an english class called the bible that filled up as soon as registration began so don't be putting down the writing of the bible. tolkien is close enough to godly as writers gets.

i think janus has it close to covered. there were things i was sure were saved for the extended. i hope they put the hobbits walking into the shire and being stopped in there. it would make for quite an amusing scene, but no scouring?? there were also a couple scenes (eomer finding "dead" eowyn on the battlefield) i remember seeing in the preview but weren't in the theater version. i wanted to see more of faramir and eowyn but not so much that it became a sappy lovestory. i'm seeing it again tomorrow so i'm starting to store up my water like a camel.

The only thing that annoyed me is the lack of the Mouth of Sauron, the Houses of the Healing, and the Scouring of the Shire.

There was a huge jump where the Mouth of Sauron should've been in ROTK, he was in the video game, and in the movie companion book, so I have faith that he will show up in ROTK EE. The Houses of the Healing is supposedly going to be in EE as well, so they might dip into the romance of Eowyn and Faramir, which would be nice. The Scouring of the Shire, though... no hope for that, I'm afraid.

I am also mad about the lack of Beregond and Bergil. They helped express that some things were glad even in the face of despair... there's always hope for EE, I guess.

They left out sooooo much, but the only thing that geniunely made me mad was the bit they added with "go home, Sam" because Frodo never doubted him. Sam crying made me cry, which was annoying. The "you bow to no one" was very touching, and the Rohirrim's charge was beautiful, if you will, but I don't cry and much and it was obnoxious that PJ managed to make me cry twice during the trilogy when the books only made me cry *mumbles a number in vain hope no one hears it*. Ironically enough, the only two moments in which my tear ducts were possessed had to do with Sam. Sam nearly drowning in FOTR (he's nearly my favorite character) and Sam crying in ROTK. Curse them.

Anyway, a very excellent movie. And that was actually Billy's singing! V. impressive.


jAdeFI