[Teresa Edgerton]

No, the Scouring of the Shire isn't there, though you do get to see a bit more of what might have been on the supplementary disks.

I've always had mixed emotions about the Extended versions of the movies. Although there have been one or two bits that I was glad to see added on, overall, the theatrical versions have seemed tighter, tidier, and more compelling. On the other hand, I find that the very bits I would have kept are the same ones other viewers would have discarded, and vice versa. So I have come to regard them as the "Everyone finally gets a chance to see some of the parts they've been longing to see" Version. Anyone who, on the contrary, hasn't been longing to see some of these deleted scenes, or to get closure on certain characters -- this version is not for you. To be fair to Peter Jackson, I don't think he even implies that it is. It's for the hardcore fans who won't rest until they see what happens to Saruman et al. Personally, for the chance to see some of these scenes and for the supplementary material, I'm finding the set well worth my time and money.

As a writer, I found the "From Book to Script" feature particularly interesting, where Jackson and Boyens explain some of the reasons for the changes they made. I don't always agree with them, mind you, but sometimes I do, and at the very least it allows me to make sense of decisions which otherwise seemed rather arbitrary.

I also enjoyed getting a glimpse of Jackson's interpretation of Sauron as the fallen angel he originally was, in the discarded Aragorn/ Sauron confrontation. Having the two of them fight was, of course, misguided to begin with, as the scriptwriters finally realized, but I'm tending to think that it was a pity they didn't put that version of Sauron into the prologue. It was also interesting to learn that Jackson is, indeed, geek enough to know the name under which Sauron imposed himself on those credulous Noldor elves. Equally enjoyable were tidbits like the fact that Aragorn wears Elendil's ancient armor to his coronation. (Must look more closely at E's armor the next time I watch the Prologue.)

But I'm only partway through the four disk set, and there may be other features equally good that are yet ahead of me.

Bottom line: for those who were really, really looking forward to this version, you're not likely to be disappointed. Not at all. If the previous four disk sets left you cold, this one probably will, too.