Both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have had changes in the theatrical versions that proved unpopular with fans, but the extended editions have shown notable improvements.
Be wary, all spoilers will be unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
The Lord of the Rings
- The gifts that Galadriel gave to the rest of The Fellowship aside from Frodo are revealed.
- As in the book, Gandalf tells Frodo Gollum's real name, which was never shown in the theatrical cut. It also helps seal in an Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole from the theatrical version.
- Minas Tirith is seen from the distance in one scene. In the theatrical cut, the place was digitally removed to prevent confusion with Helm's Deep.
- A flashback sequence of Boromir, Faramir, and their father Denethor at Osgiliath shows their motivations for the Ring.
- Some of Tom Bombadil's dialogue was restored for Treebeard.
- Saruman's and Gríma's only appearance has been restored, to the joy of Christopher Lee. It also explained how the Palantir surfaced in the waters.
- As Gollum is strangling Frodo, he was worried that Frodo is going to destroy the One Ring. Frodo told him that Sméagol promised. "Sméagol lied".
The Hobbit
- Smaug has been redesigned to make him look like his counterpart in the last two Hobbit films.
- The full version of the "Down in Goblintown" song is restored. In the theatrical cut, only the last spoken lines right up until the Great Goblin spots Orcrist are retained.
- Gandalf encounters Thráin at the Necromancer's lair, although he is subsequently killed off to explain why he isn't mentioned in later films.
The Battle of the Five Armies:
- The extended edition has earned acclaim so far for greatly improving the film, tying up the loose plot threads and fixing a lot of Special Effects Failures. It also reveals Smaug's allegiance to Sauron and Alfrid's death.
- Thorin, Kili, and Fili's funeral is actually shown with Dain's ascendance as king.
