As for the extended cuts of the other two films, while I cherish all the added scenes and shots, I tend to have the opposite feeling about most of what was added. The Return of the King.
Perhaps the best example of this is the clash between the Witch-king of Angmar and Gandalf during the Siege of Minas Tirith.
In the expansion pack The Return of the KingJust before the epic Rohirrim ambush, Gandalf and Pippin attempt to approach the mad Denethor, but the Witch-King appears before them. The Nazgûl draws out a flaming sword, the power of which shatters Gandalf’s staff.
Not only does this not happen in the original, but in the books, after Gandalf learns that Éowyn is dying after the fight with the Witch-King, he regrets not being the one to fight the Nazgûl, believing that perhaps it was his fate to do so.
And before you quote the rule that “no one can kill him”, that’s true. But in Tolkien’s mythology, wizards aren’t humans who learn magic like in Harry Potter. They’re angelic beings, so they’re not “human” in the sense that they’re not human. In that sense, Gandalf is as much of a “no one” as Eowyn, and he could have defeated the Witch King.
It would be one thing for Gandalf and the Witch-Queen to have an epic showdown in the expansion. The Return of the King Gandalf could ultimately lose (while surviving). But what if another guy pulls out his sword and breaks his staff? Nope—make it a real fight or just skip it.
