Any movie critic can tell you what a newly released DVD is about & spoil the ending for you. I plan to ruin your entire DVD watching experience by highlighting it's flaws, it's missteps, it's examples of poor editing, casting, and point out the ridiculous holes in the plot. If you're cynical, you'll appreciate this valuable service I'm providing. If you're easily impressed, then don't say I didn't warn you.  - Mean Jean

I didn't read the books, so shut up! Ridiculously fake fantasy stories that could never happen in a trillion years just aren't my cuppa tea, deal with it. I absolutely detested this movie in the theater, it was one long, boring war movie with little changes in the scenery. It was excruciatingly boring, edge of my seat type, 'can we leave, yet? Can we leave, now?' nagging fest that I was hard pressed to pay much attention to. The ending never ended, every time I thought the movie was over I'd haul myself out of the chair, only to have to sit back down, for there would be another 1/2 to go. Over & over, fighting & not ending is what I remember about this movie in the theater, that we just 'had to see', so we could check it off our 'cultural relevance' list. I hated when this extended version would come out, because I knew we'd have to buy it, in spite of the added hour or so bulking up the movie. Pessimist that I am, I assumed they added all of that to the ending, making a long boring war movie even more never ending. So I haven't watched it until now.

Amazingly, this version is very good. It's even better than the movie theater version- not just because I can hit pause & make my own popcorn & not charge $17 for 8 oz, but because now I see that it wasn't one big long war, but a few different ones. There are changes of scenery here, too in the war zones. And the whole thing makes such better sense with the extra hour or so tucked in there somewhere. 

So buy & watch this. Too bad that in order to watch all three extended version movies in the same day would require a commitment of 12 hours, maybe some Saturday I'll get up at 4 am & start watching & be done in time for dinner. 

(click here to buy the DVD)