So, we ended up watching the movie instead of the extras last night. We started watching the extras but were only part way through the first one when we realised they were going to give away what the extra material in the extended version of the movie was, so we quickly changed discs.

So, the extended version of Return of the King. I'll try to avoid giving a spoilers, but be warned anyway.

It's a good movie, no doubt, but it suffers in the same way that the other extended versions do, that is that while there are some nice touches added that fill out the story line and some of the supporting characters' roles, it also adds some things that would be better left out. In the case of the Return of the King, there a couple of weak scenes and one truly appalling scene added. This latter scene makes no plot sense and hits a level of stupidity that Peter Jackson just doesn't normally aspire to. I did like a few of the added scenes, but on balance I think this is weaker than the theatrical release.

Part of the problem, I think, is that The Return of the King didn't lack in the way the first two films did on original release. There were no gaping plot holes needing to be patched. It was balanced and brilliant. Playing with that has only unbalanced it. That's not to say we won't watch it again, just that we'll probably default to the theatrical release normally, which is the opposite way around to the other two films.