You do not watch the Extended Edition to get to the credits faster. You watch it to live in Middle-earth for four hours. You watch it to understand why Faramir is the most tragic figure in the trilogy. You watch it to feel the weight of an Ent’s century-long patience finally snapping. You watch it to see a king bury his son.

Perhaps the most vital addition is the final chapter of Boromir. In the theatrical cut, we see Boromir’s death at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring , but his presence is largely gone from the sequel. The Extended Edition restores a flashback sequence where we see Boromir and Faramir celebrating the recapture of Osgiliath. We see their father, Denethor, favoring Boromir and dismissing Faramir. This scene does more than just give Sean Bean more screen time; it fundamentally changes how we view Faramir. In the theatrical cut, Faramir can seem like a stubborn obstructionist. With the flashback, we understand his inferiority complex and his desperate need to please his father. It turns a plot device into a tragic figure.