When Margie asked what sort of thing I’d like to do for my birthday in terms of a get-together, I opined that a very fine evening would be to gather up a bunch o’ friends and watch Return of the King.
And y’know what? I was right.
It was a relatively small group — Margie and I, Stan and Doyce and Jackie — and it extended longer than expected due to what-should-have-been-predictable social chit-chat and Kitten going-to-bed recalcitrance. But that hardly hampered the experience.
And as for the Extended Edition’s extensions? Well, I thought it all pretty much rocked. I could have done without the Gimli as Comic Relief theme, but I’ve bitched about that before. And I still think the over-use of the Army of the Dead as Deus Ex Machina is a weak point in Jackson’s interpretation (neither bettered nor worsened by the additional scenes here). But that was more than balanced by the marvelous Mouth of Sauron, more Witch King action, and some added Eowyn and Faramir goodness.
Having gone a year without my LotR crack, it was great fun, great company, lots of nummy nibbles, and a very fine way to spend a Saturday night.