The extended edition is AWESOME!! :Q
So this was my day...
9AM: Buy TTT Giftset (awesome BTW...though it took me like 10 minutes to get Gollum out without cutting anything).
9:15AM: start watching TTT:EE
1PM: Finish TTT EE, go outside for a quick breather
1:15PM: Pop in Disc 3
5PM: Finish exploring/watching disc 3, pop in disc 4.
7PM: time to take a break about halfway through disc 4.
As with last year's DVD, this set is truly stunning.
The new scenes added add even more to the movie than the FOTR EE did which I never expected. This literally is a new movie in the sense that some of the characters like Eowyn and Faramir are completely different and fully realized. Gollum's character is also vastly improved upon - wow. There was so much new stuff to take in that I'm having trouble recalling it all.
The new ending, while anti-climactic still works very well I think. Legolas and Gimli's resolve to their kill competition is hilarious and very well done. So is Merry and Pippin's little pipe weed fiasco. The shot of all the Ents gathered around Orthanc was great too.
As many have said, one of the best (if not the best) additions was the Boromir/Faramir/Denethor flashback. This is a great addition to Faramir's character and I actually felt sorry for him. Denethor was SO WELL DONE...my friend actually called him an asshole during that scene. After seeing that, and sort of seeing Faramir's reasons for being tempted and saying "chance for me to show my quality", I think he is a much more interesting character than in the book. Though in the theatrical version things were a little unsatisfying. The scenes with Farmir and Gollum outside the sewers were also among the best of the additions. David Wenham is GREAT!
The special features are top notch as always...awesomly done. Cool to see some more realistic stuff this year like arguments and people losing their cool. This is stuff that happens far more than the average person realizes since most documentaries are so glossed over.
Again, it's the best DVD of the year.
Oh, and the video quality is improved as well. I'm going to to a A/B screenshot comparison soon to see how much better it is. The DTS track is amazing too. Much punchier than the Dolby, and the bass isn't as overcooked as before.