The Lord of the Rings started releasing over 2 decades ago now. With it came multiple releases of the film through the years. The biggest question out the trilogy though is “What is the difference between the theatrical and extended edition version of Lord of the Rings?”
Today we will be going over film by film what the differences are and what to expect before you make a purchase decision on this trilogy.
The Fellowship of the Ring Theatrical vs. Extended Edition
Theatrical
The Lord of the Rings the Fellowship of the Ring is to this day my personal favorite film of the three. When it comes to the Theatrical version, it was first released in August 2002 in the United States.
The Theatrical version of Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring is 178 minutes long or 2 hours and 58 minutes.
Extended Edition
The first release of The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition was released November 2002, and has since been re-released in new media versions such as Blu-ray and 4k Blu-ray respectively through the years.
The Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition adds 30 extra minutes of film that was not in the theatrical release. In total The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition is 208 minutes or 3 hours and 28 minutes long.
These extra minutes are a combination of reorganized shots, new scenes, and extended scenes that were not in the original theatrical release.
For many viewers that have seen both versions, the most notable difference will be the Bags End introduction’s reorganization and lengthening.
Notably there is also a bluish-green tint that appears on the Blu-ray version of the film as well that did not exist on any other form of the film.
All in all for the extended edition there are around 20 scenes that have been extended and 5 completely new scenes.
The Two Towers Theatrical vs. Extended Edition
Theatrical
The Theatrical version of the Two Towers released in August 2003. Like the film before it it followed a similar release schedule of the special edition release later in the year. The Theatrical version of Lord of the Rings the Two Towers comes in at 2 hours and 59 minutes (179 minutes).
Some of the main additions to this film are around Mary and Pippin and their story after being separated from the Fellowship in the previous film.
There is also the notable additions of interactions with Sméagol with Frodo and Sam as well as the use of Sam’s gift from the elves.
Overall the pace of the Extended edition of the Two Towers does not slow down in this relatively slow burning movie.
One thing that I wish was in more of this movie was some more scenes during the battle in Helms Deep which unfortunately are not really many scenes added here with an exception with the Glittering Caves scene that takes place in the backside of Helms Deep where the women and children are staying for safety.
The Extended edition for the Two Towers has 17 extended scenes and 15 new scenes.
The Return of the King Theatrical vs. Extended Edition
Theatrical
The Theatrical version of Lord of the Rings Return of the King was in May 2004. This film broke from the release schedule of the previous 2 films coming out a couple months earlier. The theatrical version of Lord of the Rings Return of the King is 3 hours 20 minutes long (200 minutes).
This version feels like a full movie in which many plot lines that do not seem to close out are naturally assumed. Or taken care of in a different. One example of this is with Saruman in which he is being held captive in the Tower of Isengard as viewers are left to assume that his story ends there. In reality though there is more to this scene that would not have been expected unless the viewer had read the books.
Extended
The Extended Edition Lord of the Rings Return of the king is 4 hours and 11 minutes long (251 minutes). This version contains the most extended scenes that together add 51 minutes more of runtime to the film.
This version contains some crucial scenes that were not in the theatrical version of the film such as the death of Saruman played by Christopher Lee. Of the interaction with the mouth of Sauron towards the later half of the film.
Another important scene that was left out of the theatrical version of the film involves Gandalf the White facing off against the Which King of Angmar.
It’s understandable that many of these scenes where not in the theatrical version as the movie is already a long film without the additional hour of content. That being said, any fan of Lord of the Rings will love all the additional material covered with this edition.
The Extended edition of Return of the King contains 11 extended scenes and 11 new scenes.
How Long is the Lord of the Rings Theatrical Trilogy?
When combining all the movies together for the theatrical version of the film. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Theatrical version runs 9 hours and 17 minutes (557 total minutes). This includes Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, and Return of the King.
This is understandably still a long series but gives the viewer everything they need to enjoy the movies and not have any outstanding questions or left open plotlines.
How Long is the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Trilogy?
The Extended Edition Lord of the Rings Trilogy is about 11 hours and 22 minutes (682 minutes) long. That means that Lord of the Rings Extended Edition contains a total of 2 hours and 5 minutes of extra film to the trilogy.
With this version, there are many new scenes per film as well as some adjusted scenes that are altered from how they appear in the theatrical version to better assist with the run time.
Which Version of Lord of the Rings Should I Watch?
If you have not guessed just yet, and as a fantasy website, we are all for the Lord of the Rings Extended edition as our version of choice for fans of the franchise. But if you are new to the series or do not like super lengthy movies, then the theatricals are still a fantastic experience.
Right now the series was released for the 4k Blu-rays, with some more special edition versions arriving later in the year that will contain some never before seen features and some other features missing from the current release of the film.
