Almost every person who considers themselves to be a massive Lord of the Rings fan would say that they prefer the Extended Editions of the Lord of the Rings movies over the theatrically released ones. It has been pretty much universally accepted among fans that the Extended Editions are better, despite (or perhaps because of, for some) the fact that they make the LOTR movies' already-long runtimes even longer. But what is it about the Extended Editions that make them so beloved to fans?