I look at FOTR and TTT (and ROTK) as ONE movie. It's one story and they were basically filmed together. So, TTT is just the middle part of the "film" and/or story. I'm not sure if they should be judged individually based on this context. I think all the movies need to be looked at as one whole...
Bjoern and Dan, I have always sensed something wasn't quite right or "perfect" with Fellowship of the Ring (Extended). I couldn't place my finger on it exactly, but your comments clearly state the nature of the problem. Lack of detail - and even a slight smearing - is evident. Even though...
Are academy screeners the same quality as the "official" release? I too watched the screener and I thought the picture looked a bit washed out. Maybe this is the intended look for Two Towers. The audio was outstanding though.