Why LOTR Sucks: The Extended Edition

For those of you who haven’t figured it out by now, I’m watching the extended edition. I know it might not be entirely fair to criticize what wasn’t the final cut of the movie, but it can illuminate what the screen writers intended with certain characters. Besides, it’s all I’ve got.

I have no idea if the flashback I just watched with Faramir and Boromir was in the theatrical version or not, but I really don’t care. Either way, it tells me that the screen writers thought the audience is stupid.

That the screenwriters think the audience is stupid is obvious by now. They keep repeating information. They keep giving us back story, some of it not even in the novels, as if we couldn’t figure out what was at stake on our own. But don’t feel bad about yourselves. I’m here to tell you that you’re not the stupid ones. It’s the number one rule of story telling that you should show, NOT tell. If Peter Jackson and his minions haven’t figured that out, it’s not your fault. Don’t let them make you feel bad about yourself.

Minutes Watched: 2.2:22.03

Number of Montages: 10

Number of slow motion close-ups of people crying: 38

Start at the beginning

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